Episode 853
Embodied Love: A Radical Resistance in the Gospel of John | 853
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is presented each day by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who has a goal of speaking a bit of the bible into two million ears (one million people) in three years (2025-2028).
He is the author of "The A, B, C-1,2,3 Bible Study Guide" Free to you by clicking HERE.
Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.
He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)
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Remember… “All scripture is God-breathed and useful”(2 Timothy 3:16)
The exploration of John 12:1-8 invites a profound reflection on the nature of love and its manifestation as a form of resistance. In this scriptural passage, we witness Mary’s audacious act of anointing Jesus' feet with costly perfume, an expression that transcends cultural boundaries and societal expectations. This intimate gesture is emblematic of embodied love, challenging us to consider how our actions can defy conventional power dynamics. As we dissect the implications of Mary’s radical devotion, we are called to examine the authenticity of our own expressions of love and commitment to justice. This act serves as a reminder that genuine activism must be deeply rooted in love, emphasizing that acts of care are not merely supplementary to social justice efforts, but rather integral to them.
Furthermore, the episode delineates the juxtaposition between performative activism, as exemplified by Judas Iscariot, and authentic engagement with societal issues. Judas's feigned concern for the poor, while secretly embezzling funds, serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of superficial commitment to justice. This prompts a critical self-examination: are we genuinely advocating for transformation, or are we cloaking our self-interest in the language of justice? The discourse urges us to confront our motivations and to ensure that our actions align with our stated values, thereby fostering a more profound and transformative approach to activism.
In conclusion, the episode emphasizes that the dialogue surrounding poverty and justice must not be reduced to a mere rhetorical exercise. Jesus’ declaration that ‘the poor will always be with you’ is often misinterpreted as a justification for inaction; however, it is a call to engage with the complexities of poverty and injustice. We are reminded to honor moments of intimate connection while remaining steadfast in our commitment to systemic change. The episode ultimately challenges us to embrace a dual approach—one that balances immediate acts of love with a dedicated pursuit of broader social justice, encouraging us to embody love in our activism as we seek genuine transformation in our communities.
Takeaways:
- The podcast emphasizes the significance of Mary's act of anointing Jesus, which represents a radical embodiment of love and devotion that challenges societal norms.
- We discuss the necessity of grounding justice work in profound love, as exemplified by Mary's actions, which intertwine care work with political activism.
- The episode critiques performative activism, using Judas's false concern for the poor as an analogy for contemporary social justice engagements that lack authenticity.
- Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own commitments to social justice and to differentiate between genuine activism and performative gestures.
- We highlight the importance of balancing immediate acts of love with long-term systemic change in addressing issues of poverty and justice.
- The prayer at the end calls for guidance in maintaining authenticity in our activism, inspired by the genuine love displayed in Mary's sacrificial act.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- voiceofgoddaily.com
Transcript
Embodied Love as Resistance A Study of the Gospel of John 12:1, 8 on the Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller hello good people.
Speaker A:Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:This is your daily audible reading of the Gospel for your life.
Speaker A: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.
Speaker A: ion years a million people by: Speaker A:We do that by reading the daily the Bible each day.
Speaker A:That is understandable.
Speaker A:We use the New Testament in the message version.
Speaker A:Relatable.
Speaker A:We give you some points to ponder and applicable.
Speaker A:We give you an action step to take.
Speaker A:We have a prayer.
Speaker A:We do all of that in under 10min or so.
Speaker A:It's all brought to you by our website voiceofgoddaily.com the home of the Daily of the ABC1, 23 Bible Study Method.
Speaker A: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.
Speaker A:Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home.
Speaker A:Martha served.
Speaker A:Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them.
Speaker A:Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils.
Speaker A:An anointed and massaged Jesus feet and then wiped them with her hair and the fragrance of the oils filled the house.
Speaker A: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?
Speaker A:It would have easily bought 300 pieces of silver.
Speaker A:And he said this not because he cared 2 cents about the poor, but because he was a thief.
Speaker A:He was in charge of their common funds, but he also embezzled them.
Speaker A:Jesus said, let her alone.
Speaker A:She's anticipating and honoring the day of my burial.
Speaker A:You always have the poor with you.
Speaker A:You don't always have me.
Speaker A: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.
Speaker A:Lets take a look at some points to ponder.
Speaker A:One is about embodied love as resistance.
Speaker A:Mary's act of anointing Jesus feet was a radical expression of love and devotion that transcends social norms in a patriarchal society.
Speaker A:This intimate act of care was countercultural.
Speaker A:This challenges us to consider how love can be expressed through our embodied action, particularly in ways that defy conventional power struggles.
Speaker A:Mary's act reminds us that justice work must be grounded in deep love and that care work is sacred political work.
Speaker A:Another point is about performative activism versus genuine justice.
Speaker A:Judas fake concern for the poor while embezzling funds mirrors modern forms of woke washing and performative activism.
Speaker A:Many institutions and individuals today use social justice language while actually perpetuating harm.
Speaker A:This calls us to examine our own activism.
Speaker A:Are we genuinely committed to transformation or are we using justice language to maintain some of our own position and power?
Speaker A: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.
Speaker A: this reference to Deuteronomy: Speaker A:Jesus isn't dismissing poverty concerns, but rather exposing Judas false activism while affirming Mary's act of love.
Speaker A:This challenges us to both honor moments of sacred connection and maintain our commitment to systematic change.
Speaker A:It's not an either or, but a both and here's your action step.
Speaker A:Examine the authenticity of your own justice work.
Speaker A:Start by listing your social justice commitments and asking am I doing this for show or from some genuine conviction?
Speaker A:Then choose one area where you've been performative and replace it with concrete action.
Speaker A: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.
Speaker A:Remember Mary's example.
Speaker A:Let your actions flow from genuine love and commitment.
Speaker A:We're going to pray here in just a moment, but I did want you to know we have a resource for you.
Speaker A: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.
Speaker A:Use it and complement with the daily Bible refresh.
Speaker A: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.
Speaker A:Extravagantly and unconventionally expose the places where we, like Judas might be using justice language to mask our own self interests.
Speaker A:Give us wisdom to know when to pour out our resources in acts of immediate love and when to work for systematic change.
Speaker A:Help us hold both the reality of ongoing poverty in the sacred moments of personal connection.
Speaker A:Guide us towards authentic activism that flows from genuine love rather than performance.
Speaker A: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.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Well I make a commitment to be with you here every day here on the Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:I hope that you'll join me.
Speaker A: on years, a million people by: Speaker A:You can help me do it by joining me again tomorrow and by bringing a friend.
Speaker A:Everything happens@voiceofgoddaily.com until tomorrow, friends.
Speaker A:My name is Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:And remember that God's love, loyal love, doesn't run out.
Speaker A:His horse of love hasn't dried up.
Speaker A:It's created new every morning.
