The Courage to Be Humble

The Gospel which is set for today, the Monday in Holy Week, is John Chapter Twelve verses 1-11, the first Seven verses of which tell a story about Mary, Martha and Lazarus, Which looks like this:

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.’   John 7.1-11

This story exists with an unnamed woman in the other three Gospels, but the version in Luke calls this unnamed woman 'a sinful woman' - which many interpret to mean a sex worker. That account is often mixed up with today's story of Mary of Bethany, and even more the 'sinful' Mary is often mistakenly taken to be Mary Magdelene. All of which is inaccurate! 

Today's story is a story not of 'sinfulness' but of Mary of Bethany's devotion to Jesus, her sacrificial gift of expensive perfume (and the symbol of Jesus being anointed for burial), and her humility in showing this love to Jesus. She was courageous in both her generosity in giving a gift and in her willingness to show her devotion to Jesus in such a humble way. True humility comes from knowing ourselves loved and not needing to aggrandise ourselves - and as CS Lewis said 'Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.'

May we have the courage to be humble this Holy Week as we walk alongside Jesus in the way of the Cross.

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