Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound, of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She anointed Jesus’ feet with it, then wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume. Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), complained, “This perfume was worth a year’s wages! Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would take what was in it.) Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. This perfume was to be used in preparation for my burial, and this is how she has used it. You will always have the poor among you, but you won’t always have me.” Many Jews learned that he was there. They came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. The chief priests decided that they would kill Lazarus too. It was because of Lazarus that many of the Jews had deserted them and come to believe in Jesus. (John 12:1-11, CEB)
Judas is said to have been stealing from the purse because he held the money for the group. I have never seen any other evidence of this and we believe it because it is written here. The author of John or maybe a scribe at some point said Judas was a thief. And no one has questioned this.
Ok yes, there are other big things in this passage we should look at, the perfume, the fact they are with Lazarus after he was dead, Jesus saying there will always be poor and that he will not always be with us.
There is a lot here to chew on. And this is a big week to do it in.
Jesus won’t always be with us. In 3.5 days we will prepare for his lynching.
How can we change the way we look at others, to show love and maybe take care of the poor? How can we bring more of the love of God into the world by the actions we seek to do daily?
How can you be an agent of God’s love for the betterment of the world?
Love like Jesus.
Loving People. Loving God.
aSacredRebel 