David Thompson
Mar 202 min
by David Thompson
This is an interesting passage. Many times in the life of Jesus, He predicted His death. The passage opens with the chief priest and the teachers of the law (Pharisees) once again plotting the arrest and demise of Jesus. A woman, likely Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus, came and poured expensive perfume on Jesus' head. Many at the dinner were indignant and discussed how the perfume was equivalent to a year's wages and should have been sold and the money given to the poor.
Interestingly, Jesus rebukes the naysayers and explains that she was doing an amazing thing for Him. She poured the perfume as a foretelling of His death and ultimate burial where they would anoint the dead body with perfume and spices. And He predicted her deed would remain on people's lips for eternity. Many will read her unselfish act of worship, recorded in Mark, for many years to come.
The perfume was the last straw for one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot. The Life Application Bible says that the main person who was indignant about the perfume was Judas. Judas was the keeper of the group's funds and the waste really bothered him. Many have speculated that he was skimming money off of the top of the group's funds as Judas proved to be a dishonest person.
Think about the comparison between Mary and Judas. She was doing an act of worship and he was just unfairly complaining about it. Mary loved Jesus, but Judas was looking for a military leader to defeat the Romans. He wanted to be a major player in Jesus' triumphant reign. When he saw that Jesus was speaking about Heavenly things and not military, he decided to make some money by betraying Jesus. And as they say, "the rest is history."
Dear Lord, help us be more like Mary in this story. Help us give to you our best first fruits and help us be a shining light to others. Let us not worry about the Judas's who might second guess our behavior. Let what we do always point to you. Amen.