Embodied Love as Resistance A Study of the Gospel of John 12:1, 8 on the Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller hello good people.

Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh.

This is your daily audible reading of the Gospel for your life.

We are here to offer you this reading from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C, part of a three year cycle and we're in the Enlightenment season.

We have a goal of getting the audible word of God into 2 million years a million people by 2028.

We do that by reading the daily the Bible each day.

That is understandable.

We use the New Testament in the message version.

Relatable.

We give you some points to ponder and applicable.

We give you an action step to take.

We have a prayer.

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Let's get into our reading for the day for the gospel of John 12:1,8 reading from the message anointing his feet six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living.

Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home.

Martha served.

Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them.

Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils.

An anointed and massaged Jesus feet and then wiped them with her hair and the fragrance of the oils filled the house.

Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, even then getting ready to betray him, said why wasn't this oil sold and the money given to the poor?

It would have easily bought 300 pieces of silver.

And he said this not because he cared 2 cents about the poor, but because he was a thief.

He was in charge of their common funds, but he also embezzled them.

Jesus said, let her alone.

She's anticipating and honoring the day of my burial.

You always have the poor with you.

You don't always have me.

That ends the reading for the day and let's reflect on it a little bit about this powerful story of extravagant love and about false activism about the complexity of addressing poverty and justice in our world.

Lets take a look at some points to ponder.

One is about embodied love as resistance.

Mary's act of anointing Jesus feet was a radical expression of love and devotion that transcends social norms in a patriarchal society.

This intimate act of care was countercultural.

This challenges us to consider how love can be expressed through our embodied action, particularly in ways that defy conventional power struggles.

Mary's act reminds us that justice work must be grounded in deep love and that care work is sacred political work.

Another point is about performative activism versus genuine justice.

Judas fake concern for the poor while embezzling funds mirrors modern forms of woke washing and performative activism.

Many institutions and individuals today use social justice language while actually perpetuating harm.

This calls us to examine our own activism.

Are we genuinely committed to transformation or are we using justice language to maintain some of our own position and power?

A third point is about contextualizing the poor will be with you always is what it says Jesus statement is often misused to justify inaction on poverty.

However, this reference to Deuteronomy 15:11, which actually commands generous systematic care for the poor.

Jesus isn't dismissing poverty concerns, but rather exposing Judas false activism while affirming Mary's act of love.

This challenges us to both honor moments of sacred connection and maintain our commitment to systematic change.

It's not an either or, but a both and here's your action step.

Examine the authenticity of your own justice work.

Start by listing your social justice commitments and asking am I doing this for show or from some genuine conviction?

Then choose one area where you've been performative and replace it with concrete action.

This might mean shifting from social media activism to actually hands on mutual aid work or from talking about economic justice to actually sharing your resources.

Remember Mary's example.

Let your actions flow from genuine love and commitment.

We're going to pray here in just a moment, but I did want you to know we have a resource for you.

It's called the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Method and you can pick it up at our website voiceofgodaily.com it's there to help you in your daily walk through the Scriptures.

Use it and complement with the daily Bible refresh.

Let's pray Divine God we come to you confused sometimes about how to balance immediate acts of care with long term justice work and help us to learn from Mary's courage to love.

Extravagantly and unconventionally expose the places where we, like Judas might be using justice language to mask our own self interests.

Give us wisdom to know when to pour out our resources in acts of immediate love and when to work for systematic change.

Help us hold both the reality of ongoing poverty in the sacred moments of personal connection.

Guide us towards authentic activism that flows from genuine love rather than performance.

May our work for justice be as fragrant and genuine as Mary's offering in the spirit of revolutionary love and authentic commitment to change.

Amen.

Well I make a commitment to be with you here every day here on the Daily Bible Refresh.

I hope that you'll join me.

I have a mission of putting the audible word of God into 2 million years, a million people by 2028.

You can help me do it by joining me again tomorrow and by bringing a friend.

Everything happens@voiceofgoddaily.com until tomorrow, friends.

My name is Dr.

Brad Miller.

And remember that God's love, loyal love, doesn't run out.

His horse of love hasn't dried up.

It's created new every morning.