Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Scent: John 12:1-8 - Fifth Sunday in Lent

¹Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ²There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. ³Mary 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. ⁴But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ⁵“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” ⁶(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.) ⁷Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” (NRSV)

fresh bread by pepperberryfarm on Flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

What does love smell like?

To be clear, I’m talking about the high-priced personal fragrances they sell at Macy’s.

I’m talking about the deeper, heart-felt, self-giving love…

The first thing that comes to my mind is the aroma of my grandmother’s pepperoni rolls; my mom’s lasagna, or Elizabeth’s meatloaf…

Maybe for you it’s the aroma of clean laundry and fresh bed linens; the ocean air at your favorite beach; or the family Christmas tree you just cut in the field…

Your sense of smell has incredible power to trigger memories and emotions—both good and bad. One whiff can take you back in time.

Smells trigger reactions and revulsions, like if somebody smells bad; they can even alert you to danger.

When you think about it, Jesus was exposed to a lot of foul odors in his lifetime. He’s born not in a sterile hospital room but in a manger, with farm animals. Shepherds were notorious for smelling badly. He calls his first disciples on a fishing boat. He spent much of his ministry among the poor and infirm. And most recently, he walked into the tomb which contained the body of Lazarus and the vile stench of death.

Remember—Jesus was every bit as human as you and me. With sandals his only footwear, his feet would’ve been filthy and foul-smelling.

So, it was a rare experience for Jesus when Lazarus’s sister Mary broke open a bottle of pricey perfume and used it to anoint Jesus’ feet with her hair.

And it’s not insignificant that she uses her hair. In Jesus’ day, a woman’s hair was an outward sign of honor and dignity. So it wasn’t just expensive perfume she was pouring out onto Jesus’ feet. She was pouring out her whole self.

And I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say that nobody, except for Jesus’ mother, expressed such love to him as Mary had done.

And in just a few short days, Jesus is going to suffer the utmost in human cruelty on the cross. Even still, when he’s praying in the Garden of Gethsemane; when Judas betrays him with a kiss; when he’s on trial before Pontius Pilate; and when he’s dying—the smell of that perfume will still be clinging to his body.

I ask you again: what does love smell like?

On one hand, it’s the aroma of a life poured out in selfless devotion to another; on the other hand, it’s your willingness to be in the presence the foul stench of another’s poverty or infirmity. Let’s be honest: nobody enjoys the smell of hospital rooms and nursing homes. Homeless shelters and soup kitchens do not smell good. Neither do funeral homes. But we avoid those places and those places for reasons far greater than merely the smell. We want to believe that, somehow, we’ll never be in such a state ourselves. “I’ll never get so sick as to become incontinent. I’ll never become so poor that I won’t be able to shower or wear clean clothes.” But those persons are every bit as human as you. If it can happen to them, it can happen to you.

It happened to Jesus. It’s not a heresy to say that his human body had odors. Nevertheless, Jesus was not repelled by the stench of your sin or suffering. He is not repelled by the stench of death.

The pricey perfume Mary pours out onto Jesus’ feet is a beautiful foreshadowing of the precious and beautiful body and blood that will be poured out for you. How could he do this? Because his love for you and me is stronger than any smell.

Love is the fragrance of the perfume that lingers on Jesus at his crucifixion. It overpowers the stench of suffering and the stinking scourge of poverty. Love shatters it with that which is sweet to the senses and warming of the heart. Christian love is more powerful than stench—because it’s more powerful than death and the devil.

One way to experience that power firsthand is to journey yourself is by entering the stenches and serving the people who dwell within them. You don’t have to bring fresh bread or clean linens; just yourself—and your willingness to dwell for a moment there. Look and listen to the person. Hear their story.  

This is the crudest sounding and foulest-smelling sermon I’ve ever given—but the human heart is a million-times more sensitive than your sense of smell. Your sense of smell is an excellent teacher of God’s promise.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound… Amazing grace, how sweet the smell!