Setting: a press conference with reporters, cameras, microphones. A disciple of Jesus approaches the podium, followed by a well-known lady who owns a perfume company in town.
Disciple: Welcome to today’s press conference,
we wanted to clear up the misinformation around the incident last week in
Bethany. Get the story straight, as it
were. There are lots of rumors flying of
conflict and division within the followers of Jesus and I’m here to tell you
that we are not breaking up, we are a closely knit group who love and serve
Jesus no matter what. I’ve asked this
lady here to clear up any misconceptions.
We’ll give you our statements and take questions at the end.
Let me start
by saying that the rumor that tempers flew and slapping occurred is completely
wrong. People lost their tempers, true
enough, but nothing physical happened.
We had a disagreement over an impulsive action that we were concerned
was sending the wrong message to our followers. These things happen from time to time. Really, it was a pleasant dinner with friends
and nothing more than that. Sure,
discussions got a little intense, but you know what it’s like when you are
sitting down at supper and there’s been a glass of wine or two. We got relaxed and as always, we got into a
debate about propriety and appropriateness.
Nothing more. It’s the same kind
of debate we have come to expect. With
Jesus, everything that happens becomes a teachable moment. Am I right? (turns to lady beside him at the
podium.)
Perfume
seller: A teachable moment? That’s one way to put
it. Many of you know me, I sell perfume
and ointments in town. Some folks think
it’s scandalous for a woman to be the head of a business, especially one that sells
smells for a variety of reasons. Oils,
perfumes, the usual stuff. It’s nobody’s
business what the buyer uses them for! Sure,
some folks look down at me because my customers include ladies of ill repute,
but a tanner wants to smell nice when he goes home to his wife and kids. Phew, that’s a stench anyone would want to
cover up. But I did not go to the dinner
to start a fight. I’ve been following
Jesus, saw him a few times in person. My
heart went out to the guy. He gives hope
to everyone, and I got this feeling he needed someone to be generous to
him. That day I had a sense of foreboding
that he’s in for rough times. He looked so tired too. That story he told about the prodigal family
last week had me in tears, and I just grabbed the most expensive stuff I had
and crashed the dinner. My favorite
scent, used as a gift of love in times of need. Totally spur of the moment!
Disciple:
a gift of love? You got to be kidding! More like a trauma trigger. Poor Judas really
flipped out. Last time he smelled that
was when they buried his dad and brother.
It all came flooding back to him.
Some Roman soldiers didn’t like their looks and picked a fight with
them. Of course Judas’ dad didn’t have a
chance and the brother was just a kid.
That’s why Judas hates Romans so much and wants a king to take over the
country and chase them out. He was not
the only one. (turns to perfume seller) Many
of us felt upset with you popping the cork on a funeral oil and slathering it
on Jesus, his head and feet. It’s ridiculous to walk around beside a living
human being who smells like a funeral home.
And the cost of that stuff! A year’s
wages! Judas wasn’t the only one to think
that splurging on such an expensive product in such a bizarre way was a
waste! Ever since we’ve been following
Jesus, we’ve heard, “Share this, be generous with that, take care of the poor,
feed the hungry, be like the widow woman who tithes from what she has, give
your clothes away, don’t store up treasures on earth. Honestly, the only thing Jesus likes more
than talking about money is physically healing people. Curing blindness, leprosy, mental illness, bleeding,
you name it, he’s healed it.
Perfume
seller: Well, your welcome wasn’t very healing or
generous to me. But I’ve felt the
healing of Jesus firsthand. There have
been times when I haven’t been the nicest person in the world. I have cared more for my business profits
than for my customers. I have cared more
about making a quick buck out my back door when the officials or tax collectors
weren’t looking. I have cared more about
my standing in society, even if no matter what I say or do, I’m still seen as
lesser than some of the holier-than-thou scholars who don’t know how hard it is
to make an honest living, okay mostly honest living as a female. And I didn’t crash that dinner party to get
anything from Jesus. I crashed it
because I felt that Jesus needed love and courage that day. He is so kind, but he is so human, too. And I lost it. I cried for him, I cried for my own
brokenness, and I cried for how blind we can be when someone so precious to us,
worth more than all the perfume in the world, is taken for granted. We need to listen to him, hear his stories,
change our ways. He’s onto something
here, and he’s changed my life for the better! I’m sorry that it hurt Judas and
you, I never thought of it that way. I
will think of how my actions might impact others next time. I want to be a
better person, and what Jesus told me that night is helping me be that better
person. Thanks for sharing your point of view!
Disciple:
Well, it’s been
eye-opening hearing your side too. As a
follower of Jesus, you’d think I would know by now that there are many
viewpoints, many sides to every story. And
yours is just as valuable as mine. I need to be more generous in my welcome,
and not jump to conclusions about peoples’ actions quite so fast. On that note, I think that wraps up this
press conference, folks. Thanks for
coming and hearing the two sides of this event!
End scene
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