“Walking Through Lent with Jesus, Part 5: Preparing for Death” by the Rev. Dr. Don Wahlig, April 6, 2025, Year C / Lent 5 - Isaiah 43:16-21 · Psalm 126 · Philippians 3:4b-14 · John 12:1-8(11)
THEME: Align our thinking, beliefs and behavior more closely with the gospel to make ourselves and our culture more Christlike.
I am sure that you have heard the old saying that there are only two things in this life that are certain: death and taxes. Do you know who said that? In 1789, following the implementation of the brand spanking new United States Constitution, Ben Franklin sent a letter to a French colleague. In that letter, he wrote, "Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
Well, taxes and death may be inevitable, but neither one is final, not even death. Our scripture is an extravagant celebration of that fact. Here is the scene: It is 6 days before the Passover festival. Jews from all over are streaming into Jerusalem in anticipation. Jesus is staying just outside the city at the home of sisters Mary and Martha, and their brother Lazarus. They are hosting a dinner for Jesus and his disciples. The fact that Lazarus is there at all is shocking. Just days before, he was lying dead in a tomb. But his dear friend Jesus intervened and raised him back to life. It was a sign, a sign pointing to Jesus’ own death and resurrection in the days to come. As you would expect, this dinner is an emotional gathering. At one point, Mary excuses herself and returns with a bottle of perfume. It is expensive stuff, costing a year’s worth of wages. Nevertheless, she gets down on hand and knee and proceeds to pour it on Jesus’ feet, wiping up the remainder with her long hair.
As the sweet scent begins to fill the house, the sheer extravagance of this symbolic act becomes abundantly clear. Everyone recognizes that smell, but only Jesus knows what it means. He says, “She has bought it for the day of my burial.” In that culture, dead bodies were washed and perfumed by their loved ones in preparation for burial. But Mary has decided to use the perfume now. It is an intimate act, an act of love and sheer devotion. Mary rejoiced when Jesus raised her brother back to life. Now she is showing her profound gratitude while Jesus is still with them. Somehow, she senses that Jesus’ death is imminent. Having witnessed Jesus raise her brother back to life, she also knows that, with Jesus, death is not final. That is cause for rejoicing.
Friends, that is the lesson for you and me. Lent is a season to reflect on death. It is a time to remember that death is a reality for us all. That is what we told each of you on Ash Wednesday when our Lenten journey began. When you came forward to receive the sign of ashes, in the shape of a cross on your forehead, we said, “Remember, from dust you have come, and to dust you shall return. Repent and believe the good news of the gospel.” Lent reminds us of our physical frailty. We all know that our time here on this earth is finite. As we get older, our bodies have a rather inconvenient way of reminding us of that fact.
John 12 is a reminder that physical death will not be the final word. The presence of Lazarus at this dinner is a reminder of that promise. The outrageously expensive perfume is another reminder. The ultimate reminder is the empty tomb on Easter morning. But John 12 also has another reminder for us. Beyond physical death, there is another kind of death that Lent asks us to consider: the necessary death of our old life in order to embrace our new life in Christ. We call this the death of the old self. It does not just happen. It requires intentional repentance. It is what Paul refers to in his letter to the Romans, where he writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
When our mind is renewed, so is our spirit. When our spirit is renewed, our actions follow. That is how repentance leads us from spiritual death to true life, life lived in the constant, loving presence of God. That new life is what Mary is celebrating as she pours expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. The pungent aroma that filled the house is the smell of her gratitude, love and devotion for Jesus in whom she has experienced new life.
Friends, in Jesus we can experience that, too. Like Mary, our response of gratitude, love and devotion leads us to do bold, extravagant things. It leads us to defy the death-dealing powers in our world. It leads us to say ‘no’ to despair, and ‘yes’ to hope; ‘no’ to hatred, and ‘yes’ to love; ‘no’ to greed, and ‘yes’ to self-giving. We are all familiar with these powers of darkness. We live in a world increasingly governed by the callous disregard for the vulnerable and the poor, in favor of the rich and powerful.
Leaders of nations all over, including our own, seem to think that gutting programs meant to benefit the vulnerable is somehow consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I assure you, it is not. At the same time, there are others who, like Judas, make a pretense of caring for the poor when they are only lining their own pockets. This too is contrary to the teaching of Jesus.
But here is the challenge for us. It is easy to point to what is wrong with our increasingly chaotic and cruel world. But all too often the aspects of our culture that we most wish were more Christlike are the very things we most need to change in our communities, in our families, and – if we are being honest – in ourselves. Culture does not exist in a vacuum. Our individual values and actions collectively form culture, every bit as much as culture forms us. So, if we want to change our culture and our world, the place to start is by changing ourselves. And that, friends, is the point of Lent. To change our thinking and our living, so that our beliefs and behavior become more Christlike. When we do, our behavior influences the behavior of others. That is how our world becomes more like God’s Kingdom.
Dan Olweus is an example of someone who did exactly that. Dan Olweus was a Norwegian psychologist who created a program to stop bullying in schools. It was first tested in Sweden in the 1980s. When it proved successful, it was tested in in rural South Carolina in the 1990s. In both places, the results were simply astounding: a substantial reduction in incidences of bullying.
Then, in 1999, the Columbine shootings happened. As we all reeled in shock and grief, the connection between bullying and school violence became crystal clear. That recognition led to a nationwide movement to stop bullying in schools. That was when the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program began to become widely adopted in schools across the US and eventually the world. Dan Olweus died 5 years ago, but his legacy lives on. Today, thousands of schools across the globe use his anti-bullying program, including our own Cumberland Valley School District. What makes the Olweus program so successful is that it operates on multiple levels. It focuses on changing attitudes and behavior not only in individuals and classrooms, but throughout the school environment, and the broader community, as well. Through training and structure, it modifies thinking and behavior, which changes the overall culture.
The proof is in the results. Where the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is implemented, it typically reduces negative behaviors like theft, vandalism, fighting, and truancy. At the same time, it improves students' mental well-being by giving them better social skills. As a result, it increases their commitment to their schoolwork and their overall happiness. That is how it changes the culture to counteract the negative forces of bullying.
In the gospel, Christ has given us his very own program to counteract the dark forces in our culture. His gospel is our training manual and structure for living. In the accounts of his life and ministry, Jesus gives us his own example of what gospel-living looks like. In his walk to the cross on Good Friday and his triumph over death on Easter morning, he has shown us that even death is not final. What he asks of you and me is to trust him and his promise of new life. But he wants us to do more than that. He demands that we prove the authenticity of our faith by changing our behavior.
When our faith and our way of living are more closely aligned to the gospel, we respond like Mary did. We express gratitude, love, and devotion for the experience of our new life in Christ. And like her, we too may find ourselves doing bold, extravagant things. I’m not talking about pouring a bottle of Chanel No. 5 on someone’s feet. I’m talking about the kind of things Dan Olweus did.
When we do, don’t be surprised if our actions become contagious. they begin to catch on. That is how God intends for this world to become more like his Kingdom.
May it be so.
