Even if you did not know that spring is in the air, and even if you did not know that Good Friday is less than two weeks away ... the mention of Judas in our text is a strong hint that something else is in the air ... something sinister. I like the way the sentence in our text almost runs together: "The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume ... but Judas said ..."Why was this perfume not sold and the money given to the poor?" From Ash Wednesday onward the Jesus GPS has been set: destination cross. And this morning, the mention of Judas reminds us that death is just around the corner.

Why is the Jesus GPS leading to death? Ironically, one reason is this: a few days earlier, Jesus restored Lazarus to life. What a strange world when bad things happen to those doing the right thing? There is a reason somebody coined the phrase, "No good deed goes unpunished." Can you imagine? Jesus invites, "Lazarus, come out of your tomb"! And, Lazarus answers the invitation and walks back into life. This was threatening to both the religious leaders, and the Roman occupiers.

Following the raising of Lazarus, and just prior to our text, the religious leaders got together to map out a plan. There is a memorable song from Jesus Christ, Superstar, "What shall we do about Jesus of Nazareth; how can we deal with the carpenter/king?" The reason is this: Jesus is performing so many miracles that folks are beginning to claim he is the Messiah, the Savior. The religious leaders guess, probably correctly, the Romans will come down hard on the Jewish people, and will "destroy both our holy place and our nation." This caused the high priest Caiaphas to famously suggest: "it is better for one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed." Yep: "no good deed goes unpunished." With that context in mind ... let's peek into the home of Mary and Martha.

Jesus has been invited to dinner. And why not? With their brother Lazarus fresh from the tomb, this is the ultimate of coming out parties. Of course Jesus would be invited to dinner. Why the guest list includes Judas is anybody's guess. The three of them, Jesus, Judas, and Lazarus are reclining at the table - the Middle Eastern way of eating. Like a Japanese restaurant where you sit on the floor - but here everyone lies on cushions with elbows on the table.

Martha begins serving the appetizer and Mary comes in from the bedroom with a flask of perfume, expensive perfume, extravagant perfume. She takes off the top and pours the perfume on the feet of Jesus. Scholars estimate that the cost of Mary's perfume to be a year's wages. This is fine perfume.

Now, why his feet? With expensive perfume you might anoint other parts of the body ... but not feet. With expensive perfume, you might put a little dab behind each ear and maybe just a bit at the base of the neck depending on what you were trying to accomplish and who you were trying to impress ... but not feet. No, you only anoint the feet of the dead.

Maybe this morning at his Baptism, I should splash the feet of Nicholas, as well as his forehead. After all, tap water from Yorktown is not all that expensive and besides, Nicholas is being Baptized into the death of Jesus. Listen to the words of the Baptismal liturgy: "In baptism, our gracious heavenly Father frees us from sin and death by joining us to the death Jesus ... so that we might one day share his resurrection. In other words, through his baptism, Nicholas becomes related to Lazarus and ultimately, death will not be able to hold him down.

Speaking of Lazarus, what did he think of his sister so carelessly splashing the pricey perfume? We do not know much, but we do know this: when he considered the cost of it all, he did not roll over in his grave. Precisely because he was out of his grave, he surely applauded the love shown to Jesus. And then there's Judas, the friend of Jesus? As the perfume flows, Judas gets on his high horse and says, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" What a critic, huh?

The young musician's concert was panned by the critics. The famous composer, Jean Sibelius, consoled him, "Remember, son, there is no city in the world where they have a statue to a critic." And the Gospel writer reminds us, "Don't let Judas fool you. He is a thief and doesn't give a darn about the poor."

When Judas complains about the perfume ... a bit of Jesus has already begun to die. Perhaps one of the saddest things about Jesus going to a cross is that his "friend" began the dying process; the cross is only the final nail, as it were, in the coffin. And us? We sing, "What a friend we have in Jesus!" Well, what kind of friend does Jesus have in us?

But Jesus does not give in to the emotional blackmail of Judas. "You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." The meaning is clear ... you can always help the poor. You should always help the poor. But there are times when an extravagant act of love is called for and there is urgency to respond at the right time. How often is there just a mere window of opportunity to say or do the generous, even extravagant thing ... and the moment slips by? Whether Mary suspects that her expensive perfume is in preparation for the death of Jesus - or in thanksgiving for the new life of her brother - it doesn't really matter. Sometimes love demands that you open the purse strings and throw caution to the winds. As we are about to see, the purse strings of God's extravagant love is about to be fully shown as God, empty handed, is about to die.

Not long ago I read about an Assisting Minister who received the offering plates from the ushers, s we do here. She held the plates high and offered this prayer of dedication: "O God, despite what we say, this is what we really think of you." The congregation was not amused, just as Judas was not amused at Mary's offering of fine perfume.

In thanksgiving for the blessings of Jesus in this life, go ahead - reach out and anoint someone with a blessing of your own: a financial blessing or a blessing of another sort. In gratefulness that we have been summoned from our tombs of fear and self-centeredness, be extravagant for the sake of the poor; or do it for the sake of another in need of loving attention; or do it just because you need to be in a position to do something for the sake of someone other than yourself. Pull out the cork and let the blessings flow, for God's sake - and the sake of the world!

All of life, every experience, can be an offering plate. "O God, despite what we say, this is what we really think of you." And God responds. And God responds, "And this, is what I really think of you!" Listen again to these words from our opening hymn:

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,

sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Yes, our God responds: "And this, is what I really think of you!"