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Holy Chutzpah – Mary of Bethany

Holy Chutzpah – Mary of Bethany

Holy Chutzpah – Mary of Bethany.

“Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus – the man He had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with Him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.” (John 12:1-3).

Chutzpah (hoots-pah) is a Yiddish word that long ago entered English usage. It is from the Hebrew word, “hutspah,” which means insolent or audacious. Chutzpah is a neutral word that can be either positive or negative. Chutzpah can be righteous or unrighteous, holy or unholy. It is an idea difficult to define, so there are a lot of synonyms for it, especially in the biblical sense: spiritual audacity; brazen gall; tenacious stubbornness; headstrong persistence; outrageous guts; shameless nerve; feisty assertiveness; brazen impudence; unyielding boldness; courageous spine; expectant defiance. The Holy Scriptures, both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, are overflowing with examples of holy chutzpah. One wonders not only if it’s a job requirement for saints and prophets, but also a faith requirement for all believers. In fact, God seems to love chutzpah in us when it is based on our ultimate trust in Him and His character, our unselfish motives, our yearning for justice and mercy. Chutzpah in front of others becomes holy when it is done in obedience to the Lord and is an outworking of our faith in Him. As Rabbi Schulweiss once said, “Spiritual audacity toward God finds a place of honor in Jewish religious thought.” The rabbis of old have always insisted that chutzpah is a valid expression of faith. Just a quick glimpse at the Gospels reveals that Jesus and His followers fully embraced the ancient Jewish ethic of holy chutzpah. When Jesus saw chutzpah in action, He usually said things like, “Great is your faith!” Maybe Christian scholar Dr. Brad Young said it best. “True faith requires bold perseverance. Sometimes it is expressed by brazen impudence. Faith can be defined as chutzpah. Persevere with unyielding tenacity.” (Brad Young, Jesus the Jewish Theologian).

Mary of Bethany was a much-loved friend of Jesus, along with her sister Martha and brother Lazarus. Their home in the little village of Bethany served Jesus well in His travels, as He was a frequent guest. Bethany was only two miles east of Jerusalem and on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, and so one could imagine Jesus dropping by whenever He was in Jerusalem.

Mary proved herself a devoted disciple of Jesus time and again. Her primary gesture of devotion seemed to be worshiping at Jesus’ feet. Whenever we see her in the Gospels, she was at His feet, whether she was listening to Him teach, grieving for her brother, or anointing His feet.

The anointing scene in particular would have been a rather shameless, audacious thing for a woman to do in that era… She scandalously let her hair down in the presence of a man not her husband; she handled Jesus’ feet, an intimate gesture that had erotic overtones; she poured fragrant oil on Jesus, which for many would have suggested a wedding night ritual for that time; she wasted a precious and expensive family treasure in a rather impulsive gesture, when it was supposed to be reserved for special occasions; she was unashamed to be a woman under direct rabbinic teaching, which was not supposed to happen according to religious authorities. As it turned out, this was, according to Mary, a special occasion, an opportunity to perform an act of devotion for her Lord, and her love of Jesus overwhelmed any shame she might have felt. This devotional act was, in her mind, a sacred anointing of the Anointed One, consecrating Him as Messiah, a public profession of her faith in Jesus being the fulfillment of the Scriptures.

Mary showed some chutzpah all three times she was at the feet of Jesus:

  1. Listening. In Luke 10 we find her at home, sitting at the feet of Jesus as He teaches. He commended her for doing “the one thing needful,” even after her sister Martha complained that she was stuck with all the work in their hospitality. There was Martha, “distracted with many things,” and there was Mary, totally absorbed and hanging on every word of Christ. Mary demonstrated her piety by being undistracted in the midst of the distractions. Perhaps Jesus was saying that, despite the loving attention to detail in hospitality, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they skipped lunch and instead tended to the “main course,” the Bread of Life. Eugene Peterson said as much in the Message – “Martha, dear Martha, you’ve been fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it – it’s the main course and won’t be taken from her.” (Luke 10:41-42). For Mary to have the gall to assume the role of disciple was somewhat controversial, since women were generally not allowed to be directly taught by a rabbi. Jesus, though, welcomed her avid interest in His teaching.
  2. Grieving. Mary’s brother Lazarus has died, and there is deep grieving in Bethany (John 11). Jesus has delayed His arrival, even though Lazarus was a close friend. Mary and Martha, in their grief, are gravely disappointed that Jesus seemed late in arriving. They are both convinced that Jesus could have healed him if He had come sooner. Martha met Jesus first, standing on the outskirts of town. After Jesus tried to comfort Martha by claiming, “I AM the Resurrection and the Life,” Martha returned to the house to fetch Mary, who was in the company of mourners inside. She tells Mary, “The Teacher is here, and He is asking for you.” John reports that Mary “immediately” went outside to greet Jesus (John 11:28, 31). Once again, Mary reflexively fell at His feet, another gesture of devotion. Mary expressed her disappointment with His apparent tardiness, and told Jesus that, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” That took some nerve and boldness, but Jesus didn’t seem to mind her audacity to suggest such a thing. It is telling that it was with Mary, His close friend, that Jesus wept so deeply.  Mary then led Jesus to the tomb where Lazarus had been buried for four days. Showing the bystanders the glory of God, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. John then mentioned that “many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus.” (John 11:45).
  3. Anointing. On the Saturday before the triumphant Palm Sunday, Jesus was honored with a dinner of gratitude at the home of His dear friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. At some point during the festivities, Mary took a family treasure, a liter of very expensive oil of nard, an extremely costly perfume, and poured it over Jesus’ feet. In her humility, she was more comfortable anointing Jesus’ feet instead of His head. She didn’t feel worthy to anoint His head. Nard was unusually extravagant for this setting, a perfume that was imported from India, and was worth a year’s wages. This gesture of devotion was unexpected and shocked the disciples looking on. She then did something even more shocking. Mary let down her hair and wiped His feet. That act was in fact seen as an intimate gesture with erotic overtones. Any woman letting her hair down with any man except her husband was suggestive and provocative, bordering on scandalous. Mary was not in the least self-conscious, apparently. She didn’t mind the overtones, and neither did Jesus. In fact, He commended her for this anointing. Jesus accepted this act as a foreshadowing of His death and burial. Her symbolic gesture anticipated Jesus’ Passion, and was the beginning of preparing Jesus’ body for His burial. It meant she was probably more ready to understand His sacrifice than the disciples. Mary wanted to offer this anointing as a symbol of His coming sacrifice, a gesture of devotion and respect done to Jesus’ body before its time. (John 12:1-7).

Expensive perfume like Mary’s is especially powerful and long-lasting. The scent would have remained with Jesus for many days. It is likely that Jesus rode into town on a donkey the next day with the lingering delicious smell of Mary’s perfume. Coming into Jerusalem as the messianic King, Jesus would have certainly had the fragrance of royalty.

The Eastern Orthodox Church believes that Mary of Bethany was among the famous “myrrh-bearing women” who went to Jesus’ tomb to anoint His body with spices. They were the first to see the empty tomb. That prospect would fit perfectly with Mary’s established character of contemplative piety and single-minded devotion. Church tradition holds that Lazarus was expelled from Jerusalem soon after the martyrdom of Stephen, and that Mary and Martha both accompanied him as they spread the Good News in other lands. The three of them ended up in Cyprus, where Lazarus became bishop of the Christian church there. All three remained there in Cyprus until the end of their days.