Jesus, you see, never loved anyone generically. He loved people one by one - Lazarus, the centurion's daughter, the sisters Martha and Mary, Peter, and the Magdalene. Whether we know their names isn't the point. Jesus heard and saw and called them to new life one by one, each as precious in his sight as the sparrow that falls from the air.

And Jesus, you remember, never loved anyone because he was supposed to, but because he chose to, and among those he chose to love were those that others saw as unlovable - improper objects of godly affection. The impure hemorrhaging woman, the woman alone at the well, the rich young man, Zacchaeus, various tax collectors and sinners.  

My guess is that Mary, who is the heroine of our Gospel story today, Mary the apostle to the apostles, didn't know how she got to the place of loving Jesus in the ways that she did. It's almost incomprehensible to us 21st century people to learn love by sacrifice. We practice it some during Lent-a scaled-down version of self-denial - and then we're glad to get those 40 days behind us. She learned to love Jesus on long walks on dusty hot roads, endless teaching and learning, doing and forgiving, taking care of those with nothing, who are voiceless and sick with leprosy-like-ostracism. Sharing in his willingness to sacrifice, Mary Magdalene also shared in the essence of Jesus, and from him learned a love so profound that she followed him to the cross and beyond. When Jesus honored her by calling Mary by name, she responded with the title of honor, Rabbouni, Teacher. A Hasidic tale expresses their relationship with simple eloquence.

"Two people are talking, and one of them asks the other, "Do you love me?" "Yes, I love you very much," is the response. To which the first person then asks, "Do you know what causes me joy and pain?" "How can I know what causes you joy and pain?" responds the other. "If you don't know what is in the soul of my heart," says the first, "how can you then say that you love me?"

Mary and Jesus knew what caused each other joy and pain; they loved as Jesus had commanded the disciples to love one another, honoring the image of God that resides in each of us, and seeing the other as having infinite value, and worth doing anything to keep from losing. They shared a sense of awe and respect for sacrifices made on behalf of others, and they teach us where we may need to give up some of our own comfort and safety. For love like this is dangerous love! It calls into question all the powers of our world and times. This is such a dangerous love that the memory of it in the church is a dangerous memory. For this is the Messianic love that Isaiah had heard God declare, saying: