A meal with friends

Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem for Passover. On the way they stopped at Bethany for a meal at the home of friends. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were happy to welcome Jesus and his companions. They had much to celebrate together since Jesus had recalled Lazarus from death. With good food and good company on offer this gathering was set to be one full of joy.

In Britain and across the world at the moment the prospect of a shared meal with friends seems a distant dream. As we learn to live with limited social contact and the need to hold ourselves at a distance when outside the home, gathering to eat has for the time being become impossible. Online dinner parties and other social gatherings may help to keep people connected but can't really make up for the lack of real human company. For many of us this is a great loss and a source of sadness.

The meal at Bethany was the last that Jesus shared with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. After the meal Mary anointed Jesus' feet with precious perfume. Her actions that night proved both prophetic and controversial. The reaction of Judas to her loving gesture exposed the tensions that would eventually lead to his betrayal of Jesus. After that evening in Bethany nothing would be the same again.

Come close with Mary, Martha ,  Lazarus
So close the candles stir with their soft breath
And kindle heart and soul to flame within us
Lit by these mysteries of life and death.
For beauty now begins the final movement
In quietness and  intimate encounter
The alabaster jar of precious ointment
Is broken open for the world’s true lover,

The whole room richly fills to feast the senses
With all the  yearning such a fragrance brings,
The heart is mourning but the spirit dances,
Here at the very centre of all things,
Here at the meeting place of love and loss
We all foresee, and see beyond the cross.

(Malcolm Guite)