“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.’ When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.” – John 12:1-11 (ESV)
The “cancel culture” is a hot topic and an active phenomenon these days. “Canceling” someone means to cut someone off from societal popularity and public affection because that person crossed a line that current society views as so unacceptable that the person no longer is worthy of society’s admiration and praise. It is really a court that levies judgment of unpopular opinion on a person. To be “canceled” is to be shunned via disapproval on social media or other outlets. The impacts upon a “canceled” person can range from social media enragement to employment loss, income loss, mental anguish, etc. “Cancel culture” seeks to dismiss the person and his/her supporters from popular society. It is not mere disapproval of a person’s action(s) or opinion(s). It is a classic case of “throwing the baby out with the bath water.” That’s my definition and description. I could go on with more descriptions and examples for it, but I think it describes “cancel culture” sufficiently.
Jesus Denies The Canceling of Mary
Let’s examine our text from John chapter 12 and consider how Jesus reacted to Judas Iscariot’s attempt to “cancel” Mary. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were siblings. They were “B-List” celebrities in the vicinity of Bethany. The siblings’ popularity was based on the fact that Lazarus had been raised from the dead by Jesus. Jesus’ miracle not only drew the awe of the Jewish people but also the anger and jealousy of the Jewish leaders towards both Lazarus and especially Jesus. Jesus and His disciples had come to their home to celebrate the Jewish festival of the Passover. Let’s consider the situation for a moment…
- Per John 12:9-11, “When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.” There was a real opportunity for jealousy by the disciples, too, and not just the Jewish leaders. Let’s face it, “The Twelve” disciples were with Jesus all the time. They were chosen by Jesus to be with Him constantly during His earthly ministry. Lazarus was a “Johnny come lately”, and he was a point of local societal interest. How many people are brought back to life from the dead? Not many, and it’s not hard to see how Judas Iscariot would jealously not approve of this fanfare.
- Judas Iscariot had ulterior motives in his criticism of Mary. Per John 12:6, “He [Judas Iscariot] said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.” Judas Iscariot was not interested in the poor at all. Rather, he was interested in himself and his own welfare. After all, the ointment used by Mary on Jesus’ feet was worth close to a full-year’s wages for a common laborer of that day!
- Mary performed a humble yet worshipful service to Jesus by washing and anointing His dirty, street-worn feet with such a valuable ointment. Her devotion to Jesus was remarkable, and Jesus noted it as such in His reply to Judas Iscariot. Jesus did not “cancel” Mary for not selling the ointment and giving the proceeds to the poor as Judas Iscariot suggested. Rather, Jesus accepted Mary’s act of worship and service as right. Why? The poor will always be among us, and we should do good to them as often as it is possible. However, doing good to the poor is not the same as loving devotion to Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Mary would not always have Jesus’ presence in her life, and her focus upon Him was the right and blessed thing according to Jesus Himself.
Lessons For The Cancel Culture
Let’s be very honest for a moment. Our world has been an ever-changing place of right and wrong in society. Today’s judges are tomorrow’s “canceled” people. Society’s standards blow with the wind and changing opinions. For example, the 1960’s “Flower Children” are today being told, “OK, Boomer”, by the Millennials. The Millennials will eventually be mocked, maybe even “canceled”, for their ways and views by future generations. It’s not a question of if but when.
Judas Iscariot exhibited the same kind of self-righteous and self-serving view of Mary as many do in our own age. Be honest…In an effort to sound pious and not get “canceled” by others, you very well may have said it was a waste for Mary to clean Jesus’ feet with such an expensive ointment, too! In doing so, you would have been siding with Jesus’ betrayer and condemning a faithful worshiper of Jesus instead. Judas Iscariot was nothing more than a self-serving hypocrite. Does that describe today’s “cancel culture” to some degree? Does that describe you, as well? All too often, it describes us perfectly.
Dear reader, are you not tired of trying to figure out where the world’s moral compass and opinions are going? They blow with the wind! Just look at what passes for approved and disapproved standards in our world now compared to even five years ago. It is a fool’s errand to determine what is right and wrong by this world’s shifting standards and the kangaroo court of public approval / disapproval. Do not be fooled…God remains the final judge, and His Word and standards have not changed. God has the first and final say on what is right and wrong…Not the social media influencers…Not the governments of the world…Not the elite and powerful…Not the “cancel culture”. No…God has the final say.
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” – Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” – Proverbs 14:12 (ESV)
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” – Isaiah 40:8 (ESV)
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28 (ESV)
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak…” – Matthew 12:36 (ESV)
God Could Cancel Us For Our Sin
Perhaps you are thinking that there must be accountability for peoples’ careless, offensive, and provocative words. I agree there should be accountability, no doubt. Please know that God will hold each of us accountable for our lives on the Judgment Day, even if His justice is not administered in this world or is attempted to be replaced by the shifting rules and standards of this world. However, what we are seeing in the “cancel culture” is more of a self-righteous and self-serving form of justice than we have ever seen in society before. Dear reader, check yourself here. We must take Jesus’ words very seriously and consider them in light of what we saw from Judas Iscariot who was an early form of a “cancel culture warrior”, at least in Mary’s case. Consider the following verse.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” – Matthew 7:1-3 (ESV)
Hypocritical, once-and-done, and harsh judgments of others is just more sin piled on an already enormous pile of sin for you and me. I pursued the “cancel culture” topic in this post because at its very heart it is a judgmental, harsh, unforgiving, and ultimately hypocritical expression of accountability and justice. Yes, there needs to be real accountability and real justice in the world, and God wants it, and God will have it in the end. However, if we are truly honest, too much of the “cancel culture” relies on a mob rule of right and wrong that condemns a person without any thought of possible redemption. Such thinking is in utter opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the very nature of God.
“Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?'” – Ezekiel 33:11 (ESV)
“For the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:10 (ESV)
Dear reader, I urge you in love and concern to consider the following: God could “cancel” each one of us in complete and perfect justice for rebelling and sinning against His unchanging Word that expresses His moral perfection and expectations of us, His creatures. Regardless of what you are told by celebrities, social media, and the world, God has the final say. However, today is still the day of salvation, and God is dealing in mercy and forgiveness. God is not in the business of “canceling” people…He is in the business of saving sinners like you and me from our sins.
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross [of Jesus Christ].” – Colossians 2:13-14 (ESV)
Glorious news! God cancels the sinner’s debt to God, not the sinner himself/herself. Jesus Christ took the punishment due the sinner, and the sinner is made righteous. Instead of canceling others, you and I should be concerned about what God did in mercy to cancel the debt of sinners like us through the person and work of Jesus Christ. What will you plead on that great day of judgment before God if you stand before Him with your sins still reckoned to your own account? Remember…God’s eternal and unchanging Word will be the rules, not the “cancel culture’s” popular and changing ways. It will be too late because the canceling of sin and the day of salvation will have passed by then. Turn to Christ Jesus today, and your sins will be canceled instead of you for eternity.
May Your Eyes Be Opened To Your Need of Christ,
Eric Conner
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