Humble Nobility
Sermon for 31 August 2025 – All Saints Kesgrave (Introduction to the Living Generously series of talks)[1]
Text: Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12v3)
God give you peace my Sisters and Brothers.
Over the next two months, every Sunday and Thursday, we will be looking at the different ways Mary of Bethany, as she anoints the feet of Jesus with perfume, calls us to lives of deeper generosity.
This week we look at the concept of Generosity itself. Its origins. Its effects. Its challenges.
We will be looking at the many ways generosity is expressed and how we can aspire to live generously so perhaps it may be good to start with the dictionary?
Generous:
- Showing a readiness to give more of something, especially money, than is strictly necessary.
- Showing kindness towards others.
- Liberal in giving.
Living Generously is about letting go of things are ours to dispose of but not just about things. To live generously means that we will need to learn to put others first and ourselves last. To be generous, deeply generous and not condescending means we will need to learn to be humble and thankful.
If we pick up the Thesaurus we can see the humility of the generous hearted more clearly.
The lists of synonyms and antonyms would fit well compared to the lists of the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ and the ‘Works of the Flesh’ in Galatians (Galatians 5v19-26).
Thesaurus:
- Synonyms – benevolent, ‘big’ charitable, considerate, fair, good, helpful, honest, hospitable, thoughtful, unprejudiced, unselfish.
- Antonyms – biased, disagreeable, greedy, inattentive, malevolent, mean, selfish, thoughtless, unkind.
The unexpected words that struck me from those lists were unprejudiced and biased.
Is it really true that every time I allow my prejudices and bias to affect my actions I am being ungenerous? But then I think that the reason why I am generous to some people and causes and not others is mostly because I have decided that one of God’s children is more important than another. I usurp the place of God by judging others and forget the generosity of God who calls us to:
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6v38)
This is a long way from the generous lives the Letter to the Philippians calls us to in imitation of our Servant Lord:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others (Philippians 2v3-4)
But our study of the word ‘Generous’ has one more thing to teach us. And in the example given to us by Mary of Bethany and her jar of nard this changes everything.
Origin:
A Medieval French word which comes from the Latin word ‘generosus’ and the root word ‘genus’ meaning of noble birth. Nobility was characterised by being courageous and magnanimous not mean-hearted.
Generous people are noble people. In Roman times these were the Patricians who, knowing that they had more than they needed, were profligate of their care for others. Would that our modern day nobility of the A List Celebrities and ultra-rich would learn that ‘True greatness consists in serving’ (cf. Mark 10v41-45). Some of them do but it remains a blight on humanity that 8 people own more money than the total wealth of the 3.6 Billion people who make up the poorest half of the world’s population.
Mary of Bethany on the other hand, though of a poor background, living at home with her brother and sister, maligned by those around her, rejected by others because she was not married and criticised by her sister because she wanted to spend time with Jesus, is the one who in our story today shows by her generosity true nobility. A humble nobility to which all of us wealthy or hard-pressed, Well-educated or not able to complete schooling may aspire.
How does she do it? How is she, the rejected and overlooked one (as single women so often where in her time) become the centre of attention and an example to each of us?
In the weeks ahead we will look at seven different moments in the way she washes the feet of Jesus (only one of them is about money) but today let us spend a few moments in quiet contemplation of the scene with which we will become so familiar with in the coming weeks.
Time of Imaginative Prayer on the Home at Bethany.
Begin and end with…
Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12v3)
[This blog ‘Humble Nobility’ is copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2025 and may be reproduced free of charge on condition that the source is acknowledged.]
oooOOOooo
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. (John 12.1-11)
[1] Living Generously is a series of videos about helping worshippers becoming more generous in their lives in imitation of Mary of Bethany.
The introductory video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jnoX96NiAk
How to Apply Imaginative Prayer
Suffolk Vicar 