Monday of Holy Week: There is No Resurrection without the Cross

Scriptural Basis

John 12:1-11 (NRSV)

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

Blog Reflection

To put the correct face on this Gospel I want to refer to Out in Scripture for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C

John's unique narration of the anointing of Jesus features the trio of Lazarus, Martha and Mary (John 12:1-8). Very recently in John's story, Jesus raised Lazarus from death. Lazarus' liberation created such a stir that the religious authorities begin plotting for Jesus' murder. The Lazarus story also introduced Martha and Mary, whom we recognize from Luke 10:38-41. In both Gospels, Martha "serves." The Greek has it that she performs diakonia, or ministry. And in both Gospels, Mary adores Jesus' feet. Yet in John, Mary receives criticism not for adoring Jesus, but for doing it so lavishly.

Some have found in this Bethany family — of Lazarus, Mary and Martha — a way of understanding family that embraces the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Here is a family constructed not by the bonds of marriage or models of convention, but by alternative ties of love. Whether or not Lazarus was, as some suggest, the disciple whom Jesus loved (a suggestion strengthened by the fact that the authorities want to kill Lazarus as well), it is clear that Jesus found in this chosen family a safe haven.

Among this alternative family, Jesus sought and found camaraderie, love, support and a fitting final preparation for the events of his death. That John attributes the outrage of those who would kill Jesus to his raising of beloved Lazarus from the grave has particular resonance with LGBT people whose relationships have been the source of suffering at the hands of those outraged by them. It is also worth noting that Mary understands that Jesus' physical body must be honored and anointed in preparation for his death. It is no accident that her lavish gift is sensual and embodied, nor that it is her story that Jesus says (in Matthew's parallel account in 26:13) will be remembered wherever the good news is told in the entire world. 

The entire account in John must be grounded in an appreciation for the gravity of the events ahead of them and behind them: their experience (past and future) was grounded in the sacred convergence of life and death. Indeed, when Mary anoints Jesus we encounter the heart of the Lenten journey — a journey of faith and hope in the midst of death.  

Judas' criticism, that Mary should consider charity above worship (John 12:5), poses a false dichotomy. In this moment, we ponder the value of the life we receive in Jesus. Many churches commit a grave theological error by separating Jesus' death from his life. The story of Lazarus, Mary and Martha reminds us that Jesus' dying resulted from his life-empowering living and his boundary-crossing loving. Jesus died not as an innocent victim but as a faithful witness to the ways of God, the author of life. 

I am glad I can refer to this commentary, because I find Gospels such as this one to be very difficult to translate on my own.

The commentary is as important to Holy Week as it was the Fifth Sunday of Lent in Year C.  

As we walk through this Holy Week with Jesus, the events are getting more tense.  The reality of Jesus' betrayal and death on the Cross this Good Friday are looming in our minds.  

I don't know about you, but one thing that I tend to do with movies that I have seen over and over again, especially a movie where the death of the main character is at the end, I tend to rewrite it to a better ending as I watch it.  

For example, the movie Milk.  Wouldn't it be great if we could all rewrite the movie that when Dan White goes to ask Harvey Milk to follow Dan into Dan's office to so Dan can assassinate Harvey.  It would be great if we could rewrite the movie for Harvey to tell Dan No so that may be Harvey might still be alive.  

But the reality is, the movie played itself out.  Harvey did follow Dan into Dan's office where Dan shot and killed Harvey Milk. 

Like wise the events leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday happened as they did.  

Jesus could have stopped what was going to happen to him, but Jesus chose not to.  Jesus wanted to follow the events so that he could give his life and shed his blood for the sins of the world.  Lead us all to the victory of new and unending life, through the tragedy of his death.

Yet it is through these events such as the one in John 12: 1-11 that we are being taught about the value of friendship, the ability to give of one-self, even when the end result will be death.

One of the hardest choices for LGBT individuals as we come out, is to make the choice to live as our authentic selves in the midst of the mockery and scorn of those who insult and denigrate us for our sexual orientation and/or gender identity.   Parents may push our buttons through their own ignorance.  Every time we meet our favorite mentor, she or he will tell us to turn to Jesus and change our "behavior."   There are those who will constantly recommend an ex-gay group to us especially when a relationship does not work out, or we inform them that we have lost a job because we were railroaded.  

The challenge for an LGBT person(s) is to stay true to ourselves and who we are.  Even in the face of circumstances that test our wills.

For LGBT people of faith, it can be a challenge.  Especially when church LGBT groups are full of drama so nothing that really matters gets done.  Yet on the other side are LGBT people bashing religion and LGBT people who exercise some kind of religion or spirituality.  

The point is, regardless of what we face the harder part is remaining true to who we are as we face the challenges that may end relationships or change the dynamics of relationships that we have always known.  The facts of life tell us that we will not find our way to our true selves and who our true friendships and people are, if we are not also willing to face the cross within our relationships.  There is no resurrection without the cross.

Prayer

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Monday of Holy Week, Book of Common Prayer, page 220).