Jesus again reminds his disciples of what is coming. He then gets an unexpected and prophetic gift
from an unlikely disciple. Another
disciple, Judas, makes his move and sets the stage for the upcoming arrest.
Let’s look in on a dinner party at the home of Simon. Jesus and his disciples were there along with many others. As Jesus reclines at the dinner table and teaches truths to the dinner guests, a woman comes in with a most expensive perfume. Matthew tells us the value of the perfume was about a year’s wages. She begins to pour all the perfume onto Jesus. Not just ‘okay, you are dusty and dirty and need cleansing’, but ‘you are holy and my love for you compels me to do this.’
In the same room was Judas, the disciple who took care of the treasury for Jesus. Judas must have begun the murmuring, ‘this is wasteful, might as well just pour good money on the ground. We could have used that expensive perfume to sell and use for the poor. (I also could have taken my cut off the top before using for the poor!)’ He soon betrays Jesus to the Jewish leaders for 30 pieces of silver. In the old testament this was the amount paid for a slave who had been killed by an ox (four month’s wages).
Two life stories collide in the presence of Jesus.
The woman sees Jesus through a heart of love, trust, and gratitude. He is priceless to her.
Judas’ vision of Jesus was filtered through his desire for power and self-worth.
Jesus’ value to Judas is four month’s wages.
One responds in abandoned devotion and gratitude while the other in selfish deception.
Jesus welcomed both and both had a choice in their response to Him. What is your response to Him?
Two life stories collide in the presence of Jesus.
One life story ends in hope. One in despair. What is your life story?
Kathy Sturch
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1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said
to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of
Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people
assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they
schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,”
they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,
7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which
she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why
this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price
and the money given to the poor.”
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering
this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always
have with you, but you will not always
have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me
for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout
the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went
to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I
deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.
16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
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