Leave Them Alone

John 12:1-8

This morning's passage is another one of those I've read, heard, and been taught about many times. The abundance of love shown to Jesus by Mary, sister of the now risen Lazarus, is usually the moral of the story. Okay, so Jesus comes to dinner and brings his friends. They're eating what is most likely a good meal when Mary, still very grateful towards Jesus for bringing her brother back to life, pours a lot of expensive perfume on his feet and wipes it with her hair.

The other side of this story is how we're to recognize the villain, Judas Iscariot, for the evil person he is (because of the parenthetical statement telling us so). We're told to jeer and sneer at the falseness of those words spoken by Judas. We are reminded that God always knows what's in our hearts and on our minds, so always do the right thing.

As I read the passage today I became focused on Jesus saying, "Leave her alone." For some reason these words brought to mind how there are those who are being judged just for being themselves and doing what they feel is the right thing. After all, who is Mary hurting anyway, really. It's her perfume, it's her home, it's her way of saying thank you to the one who brought life back to someone she loves. What right does Judas, or anyone else who may have been thinking the same thing, have in telling her she's focused on the wrong thing and there are better ways to use the gift she's offering.

Mary's gift is hers to give in any way she decides to and so are yours. Mary gives extravagantly  to say thank you in a way she felt she had to. If only we could do the same and not be afraid of being judged because of it.