Be a Mary

“Be a Mary”

Sermon for MCC New Haven

March 17, 2013

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div. 

Texts:

Isaiah 43:18-21

John 12:1-8

         If you were in the presence of Jesus and his disciples during most of his ministry and called out the name, “Mary,” a few heads would probably turn. We all know about Mary the mother of Jesus, who many call the Virgin Mary. On Maginficat Sunday during the season of Advent, we looked at Mary’s life as it’s told in the Gospels of our Bible as well as the various “Marian” traditions that have been kept since the time of Jesus. This Mary’s identity is pretty historically secure. She is easily distinguished from the other Mary’s.

         The Gospels also mention Salome, who is also known as Mary Salome: wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John. She is not to be confused with Queen Salome in the Apocrypha or Herod’s daughter Salome who asked for John the Baptist’s head. No, this is Mary Salome, follower of Jesus.

         Then there is Mary wife of Cleopas. She is said in the Gospel of John to have been present for the crucifixion. She is referred to as Jesus’ mother’s sister or sister in law (Joseph’s sister). So Jesus’ aunt is said to have followed him.

         Then there are two other Mary’s: Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany. This is where it gets a bit confusing because Catholic tradition says they were the same person while Eastern Orthodox and Protestant traditions say that they were different people. For the purpose of understanding the truth of their lives, I don’t think it matters whether they were one person or two. But for the purpose of at least understanding how they are differentiated, I will tell you about them separately.

         Mary of Bethany is presented in the Gospels as the sister of Martha and Lazarus (whom Jesus rose from the dead). She is said to have been present after the resurrection of Jesus. She is also identified as the one who in today’s text from the Gospel of John anoints Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair. In the other Gospels, she anoints his head. Bethany is a city on the North side of the Dead Sea on the South end of ancient Israel.

         Mary of Magdala or Mary Magdalene is said in the Gospels to have been present at the crucifixion and was the first to arrive at the tomb after the resurrection. She was also the first to encounter the risen Christ. Tradition has labeled her as a prostitute and as the nameless sinner who Jesus saved from being stoned, but there is no evidence within Scripture to uphold this theory. If she was a prostitute or the woman caught having sex outside of her marriage, Jesus would have loved her all the same. But what is unjust is the way tradition has disqualified her discipleship through labeling her a “sinner.” Mary may have been from the city of Magdala which was on the North side of the Sea of Galilee, which was on the North end of ancient Israel.  Or she could have been called Mary Magdalene because in Aramaic, Magdalene means “tower” or “elevated.” To Jesus, Mary Magdalene was elevated among women.

         In the century after Jesus’ death, many Gospels were written, not just the four that we find in our Bible. Early church fathers decided which books would go in the Bible and which would not. One of them that didn’t make the final cut is called the Gospel of Mary. This text is attributed to Mary Magdalene and shows a different side to the story. (Remember that when you read history that has been written by men, there is always another side to the story!) The Gospel of Mary has never been found in its entirety, only in pieces. But what we do get from this gospel is that Mary was very close to Jesus and she was a leader among the disciples.

         After the risen Christ speaks to the disciples and then leaves them, Chapter five tells us what happened next, “1) But they were grieved. They wept greatly, saying, How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of the Son of Man? If they did not spare Him, how will they spare us?

2) Then Mary stood up, greeted them all, and said to her brethren, Do not weep and do not grieve nor be irresolute, for His grace will be entirely with you and will protect you.

3) But rather, let us praise His greatness, for He has prepared us and made us into Men.

4) When Mary said this, she turned their hearts to the Good, and they began to discuss the words of the Savior.

5) Peter said to Mary, Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman.

6) Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them.

7) Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you.”

         Notice how in the midst of grief and sadness, Mary stands up in leadership and consoles the men. Mary is the one who restores their faith in reminding them that they are never alone, that Christ is with them always. In the middle of this gospel, Mary teaches them what Jesus had taught her privately. Then the final chapter (9) ends the gospel with an argument. It says “1) When Mary had said this, she fell silent, since it was to this point that the Savior had spoken with her.

2) But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, Say what you wish to say about what she has said. I at least do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are strange ideas.

3) Peter answered and spoke concerning these same things.

4) He questioned them about the Savior: Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?

5) Then Mary wept and said to Peter, My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I have thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Savior?

6) Levi answered and said to Peter, Peter you have always been hot tempered.

7) Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries.

8) But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well.

9) That is why He loved her more than us. Rather let us be ashamed and put on the perfect Man, and separate as He commanded us and preach the gospel, not laying down any other rule or other law beyond what the Savior said.

10) And when they heard this they began to go forth to proclaim and to preach.”

         If it were not for Mary’s display of authenticity and her encouragement, it seems the male disciples would have been too afraid to go out and preach the gospel. Andrew and Peter were doubtful and seemed jealous that a woman had been given such wisdom. But Levi rises up as a feminist, a defender of women, and affirms her equal status as a disciple.

         And that is precisely what we are doing today. Today, we affirm the full discipleship of all the Mary’s and in fact all the women who are not named in the Gospels who were disciples of Jesus. Tradition tells us that there were twelve disciples who were all men. But looking in and beyond the text, we see that women had equal authority in Jesus’ family of choice. When reading the Bible, we must always ask, “Whose voice is not being heard here?”

         The tone that Peter displayed in the Gospel of Mary is the same tone that Judas displays in our reading from the Gospel of John today. When Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with very expensive perfume, Judas accuses her of wasting it, saying that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But the text tells the reader that he was not really concerned about the poor; he just wanted the money for himself. We don’t know whether this is really true about Judas (I think Judas serves as a kind of scapegoat in the Gospels. Only he could tell his own story.) We also have to note that Jesus is not saying here to not care for the poor when he says, “The poor you will always have with you.” Jesus’ entire ministry was to the poor. What this text does teach us is that once again a woman is being told that she has overstepped her bounds. She has done something scandalous. And Jesus approves!

         In biblical times, both the feet and the hair were symbols of sexuality. In the Hebrew Bible Book of Ruth, Ruth is said to “uncover the feet of Boaz,” which meant she had sex with him. A similar euphemism was given to hair. The length of a woman’s hair was said to show her fertility; the longer the hair, the more fertile. (I’m surprised fundamentalist Christians haven’t suggested female baldness as a birth control method J ). We cannot conclude that this passage is a sexual encounter between Jesus and Mary, but we can conclude that it was a very erotic act between a woman who loved Jesus very much and a man who would soon be publicly executed. The erotophobia of tradition has all but castrated Jesus, but MCC celebrates Jesus’ FULL humanity.

         So while the stench of death from the tomb of Lazarus was still fresh in their noses, Mary pours out sweet perfume to have something more beautiful to remember Jesus by. After a life of poverty, Jesus is finally treated lavishly by a loved one. And he accepts it fully. Remember what Jesus emphasized at the Last Supper: “Remember me.” This is the sweet smell they would remember him by.

         For a moment, close your eyes. Now think about one of the most wonderful memories of your life. Perhaps it is a memory of a loved one who has passed away. Perhaps it is a memory of a place you visited long ago. Perhaps it is of a person still living or a place you have been recently. Now think: What is the scent you associate with this memory? Is it the smell of a home cooked meal? Is it the smell of someone’s perfume? Is it the smell of autumn leaves or the forest pines? Or is it something less romantic like the smell of wet dog? Whatever the scent, for this holy moment, hold on to this memory as a treasure. People, places, and things come and go in life. But what we treasure in our hearts is always with us. And just as Jesus told the disciples, “I am with you always.” The same applies to these precious memories and for them we give thanks. You may open your eyes.

         Friends, know that in those times in your life, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, God was doing a new thing. That thing was new at the time and its beauty lasts forever. But the great thing about God is that She is always doing a new thing! Through Isaiah, God says, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” God is doing a new thing today through each of your lives and through us together as an MCC community. We have a God-given ability to recall the good things of the past and leave the rest behind. It’s a choice. And that is the work we have to do together as a community. We are called to choose the Good.

         Remember that Jesus was doing a new thing through the Mary’s. The patriarchal tradition Jesus was raised in did not regard women as equals. In the ancient hierarchy of power, women were property of men. They could not be priests in the temple or be learn-ed scribes. Like 1950s America, they were expected to take care of the children and stay in the kitchen. But Jesus had a revolutionary idea for his time: the equality of women.

         We know that many religious traditions around the world still don’t recognize the equality of women. After two thousand years of church history, women still cannot be ordained as priests. And I doubt that even a more compassionate pope such as Francis will change that. When it comes to church teachings, Francis is still heterosexist, misogynist, sexist, and homophobic. We can be grateful for the positive things that Francis brings to the Catholic Church, but I still mourn for all Catholic women who cannot fulfill their call to ordination and for the LGBT Catholics who remain in the closet in fear of being ostracized, shunned, or excommunicated. We can easily say, “Go where you’re welcomed, not where you’re deemed second-class.” But we cannot judge another’s call. I believe in a mischievous God and I believe that it is through such people that God will transform the institutional church from the inside out.

         But for those who are called outside of such restrictive establishments, there are churches like MCC that proclaim full equality for women. Our own global Moderator Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson has shown her Spirit-led leadership since the early days of MCC, as do our many female clergy and female lay leaders. God chooses human vessels to be prophetic leaders; chromosomes do not.

         Beloved, each one of you is anointed with the expensive sweet perfume of the Holy Spirit. Just as Mary anointed Jesus in an extravagant act of love, so God also anoints you lovingly and wastefully. The name Mary in Aramaic means “rebellious.” Each of these Mary’s we heard about today had a streak of rebellion in them. You are called to be a Mary today. Rebel against any ideology or system that prevents God’s extravagant grace from reaching ALL people. You are Mary, card-carrying disciple of Jesus the Christ, agent of Abundant Love, and witness to the power of resurrection. If you believe it, say “Amen!”  Amen.