Monday of Holy Week

​Date: Monday, March 25
Contributor: Barb Hovey
Lectionary Link https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearABC_RCL/HolyWk/HolyMon_RCL.html
This is Monday of Holy Week. Jesus is approaching his final days and all the tumult of the coming week. John’s Gospel recounts that Jesus stopped to have a meal with his dear friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary.  Lazarus joins Jesus and others at the table. Martha is busy serving the meal as her way of honoring her friend and guest. Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, which is her customary habit to listen to his teaching. This time she takes some expensive nard to anoint his feet.
 
Nard is an oil derived from a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family. It is an essential oil that has been used for centuries as perfume, incense and in religious practice. The significance at this meal is that Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with nard. In a few days, she will be among the women anointing his body with nard before burial. She is honoring her friend while also foreshadowing the events at the the end of the week.
 
There are several paintings depicting Mary anointing Jesus. But I want to share another image of Jesus in the House of Martha and Mary by the Dutch artist Vermeer. This painting depicts the earlier incident when Martha chides Mary for not helping serve the meal. Jesus defends Mary for putting the priority on listening to his teaching. I think both women were honoring Jesus in the way that suited their personalities.
 
This is an early painting by Vermeer and unusual in depicting a bible story. Vermeer is known best for intimate views of everyday life and for how he uses dramatic light in his paintings. I like the easy intimacy in this picture. Jesus looks relaxed, showing he is comfortable in the house of his friends. Jesus’ face is in bright light. He looks at Martha and points to Mary. The sisters’ faces are in shadow but they are both looking at Jesus and absorbing his teaching. Gospel stories indicate that Jesus’ life was often hectic. He had crowds around him and was teaching the apostles to continue his mission. This painting shows that he might have had a respite from the hectic life when sitting with dear friends.