It’s very awkward to think: You know, Judas had a point.* He had argued that Mary’s use of the perfume was a waste; it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. After all, Jesus spoke often about justice for the poor; he told the rich young man, “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” It seems like Jesus should have agreed with Judas’ conclusion, if not his motivation – after all, does Jesus of all people really need this lavish display?
While I’m busy arguing Judas’ point, I see echoes of Mary in my friend (and boss) Sasha. Recently we were back in Haiti together, and as usual, we had a jam-packed schedule – there’s always too much to do when you’re the only organization providing access to safe sanitation in a city of half a million people. Though of course Sasha knows our work is important and even life-saving, she inevitably runs a few minutes behind schedule, spending a few moments consoling a co-worker who recently lost his wife, stopping to thank the security guard whom so many of us pass by as we drive in the gate, providing a listening ear to one of our colleagues exhausted by working in the context of the simultaneous climate, economic, and political crises affecting Haiti.
I watch the minutes tick by, and like Judas I’m prone to exasperation: what about THE CAUSE?!?! But this passage reminds me that there’s a balance between caring for people in the abstract and caring for the flesh-and-blood humans right in front of us. How many promising social and political movements, not to mention church committees, fall apart because they’re so focused on serving humanity that they forget to treat each other with kindness and love? As Paul reminds us, you can give everything to the cause, but if you do it without love, you’ve done nothing.
The more I think about it, the more I understand that really seeing the other, the way Sasha and Mary do, is a cause – maybe the only cause, when it comes down to it. By showing kindness to a messiah or respect to a minimum-wage laborer, these women upend society’s assumptions about who needs our care and who deserves our attention. While I’m worrying over the idea of serving, they’re busy loving. And what’s more revolutionary than that?
–Erica Lloyd, Seekers Church
For Reflection
Living out your call – whether it’s fighting for justice, raising children, making art, etc – can at times be draining. How often do you find yourself too exhausted to show kindness to your colleagues, family, and neighbors? Does anything need to change?
