“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 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. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 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. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
John 12:1-8
What a visual we have in verse 2. Lazarus is reclining with Jesus. From a tomb to a table, from a funeral to a feast. This is such a beautiful picture of the spiritual life.
Martha is serving the meal, unsurprisingly.
Mary, too, is acting from a place of thanksgiving and devotion. She takes a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, stuff that was probably imported from Northern India to remain in the family for generations, only to be used in the most important moments, and she pours it on the feet of Jesus. A tremendous act of worship.
John wants to give us a sense of the scene. The whole house was filled with the smell. Now, this stuff was expensive. We don’t really have a category for it. It’s more like an heirloom than just some Tommy Hilfiger. The stuff was worth about 300 days wages, so nearly a year’s salary!
And Mary uses it in the best way she knows how–in service to Jesus.
Now, we’re led to believe that some of the disciples were perplexed. At least one was downright angry–Judas Iscariot. Look back at verses 4-6.
There’s a lot I could say about this, but I will leave it at this: the vast majority of us when we consider Judas think, “There’s no way I could do what he did.” But I think we learned something crucial about Judas in this passage. We learn something of his character; something of his religion.
Judas is lying to Jesus before he is betraying Jesus.
Why is he upset? Not because he loves the poor! But because that was his stash! He’s being unfaithful in small things, and those small things add up. Our hearts grow cold. Our consciences grow dull. Our love runs dry. Judas didn’t just wake up one day and turn on jesus. His heart was set on money long before that.
Oh, and guess what he turned Jesus in for? You guessed it. More money. The New Testament is clear: money is dangerous.
Jesus knows Judas’ heart. “Oh, good point. Mary, you wasteful loser!” NO! You want to help the poor Judas? Go help the poor! They’ll always be there. This isn’t flippancy; it’s just ordering devotion and service.
Service to the world flows from devotion to Jesus. We pour our lives out for the life of the world because first and primarily, we pour our lives out at the feet of Jesus!
What Mary has chosen to do is even more precious than she first thought. It’s Passover. Unknowingly, Mary is anointing Jesus for his death–her act of devotion is a sort of farewell that she doesn’t even know she’s sending.
Mary’s devotion is not the problem. Judas Iscariot’s hypocrisy is. It’s easy to say spiritual things and try to one up each other in the spiritual life. Jesus isn’t interested in that game.
Service to the world begins with devotion to Jesus.