Saturday, September 5, 2026
John 12:1-8
Mary Anoints Jesus
12 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But 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.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
Devotion from Lutheran Services in Iowa In the Gospel of John, when Judas admonishes Jesus for allowing Mary to anoint him with perfume, Jesus replies, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me” (12:7-8).
The above passage is as confusing as it is troubling. What is Jesus even talking about? Is he saying we should stop accompanying the poor to memorialize him? Are they not children of God? Or, perhaps more frustrating, is Jesus saying that service to him is somehow at odds with our work on behalf of those who are suffering? As ever, context matters. Jesus is facing up to his own impending death (11:45-57) and knows that his disciples have little time to take up his work of healing people, feeding people and explaining God’s justice (5:1-9; 6:1-21; 8:1-11; 9:1-41; 11:17-44). Might we read this passage as a commission to do the work of Jesus wherever and whenever it is needed, as a response born out of grief and faithfulness to the gospel? In short, John’s Gospel shows how grief can inspire the work of gospel justice.
Similarly, Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI), an ELCA World Hunger partner through Lutheran Services in America (LSA), works at the intersection of grief and the gospel through its refugee resettlement programs. Refugees flee horrific situations, displaced from their homes by war and persecution. LSI leads migrant justice efforts by providing trauma-informed case management for the refugees it accompanies. It focuses its work on the whole person, building relationships with its clients and providing support for mental and physical health services, language and job support, and help navigating government bureaucracies. The results speak for themselves: over this past year, LSI has resettled about 300 refugees, almost all of whom have passed their naturalization exams and speak of improved mental and physical health. A former refugee from Bhutan shared his story of moving from deep depression and grief to a sense of hope, social connectedness and emotional wellbeing with LSI’s support. The data emerging from LSI’s work is part of a larger story of community-forming amid trauma and grief.
The fragrance (12:3) of grief fills this passage as Mary mourns Jesus in advance of his death. Appropriately, when Jesus rebukes Judas for his criticism of Mary, he also mentions that he will soon be gone (“you do not always have me”). Indeed, we are without Jesus’ physical presence in our moment, which makes his preceding statement more prescient: “You always have the poor with you.” We miss the point if we restrict Jesus’ scolding to Judas. Because the poor are still with us, Jesus’ words read like a call to do justice work alongside those who demand it. We see these injustices all the time — they are “always” with us. War rages in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, persecution based on sexuality and gender identity forces migration throughout the world, and gang violence and political instability drive people north from Latin America.
We always have the poor with us. They and their trauma are part of Jesus’ call to serve them.
The refugees that LSI accompanies have experienced unique traumas and grief from conflicts beyond their control; they also live through the same story as we Lutherans do: grief and violence met with communion and justice. John’s Gospel certainly calls us to act on behalf of migrants, but it is up to us to accompany them. Because of your generosity, LSI and other LSA partners across the ELCA World Hunger network have been taking action on behalf of refugees for decades. We can join them; we’ve been called to, after all!
Reflection Questions
What do you regularly hear about in global, national or local news that makes you sad? Why do you feel that way?
The passage from John involves a “grief fragrance.” What physical manifestations of grief have you experienced?
Visit ELCA.org/advocacy to see if that issue is part of the ELCA’s advocacy work. Are there ways you might get involved?
When you feel sad about injustice, what barriers discourage you from taking action? Can you identify steps to surmount those barriers? Do you have any neighbors who might start that conversation?