Then there is Mary who approached Jesus on her knees as she spoke to him prior to his raising of her brother. There’s something about Mary that would cause us to say “she gets it.”

In the midst of this meal, Mary took a pound of costly perfume and anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair.

John 12:3 tells us that the entire house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Once again there is more to the story than just the event itself. There is also something highly symbolic that is taking place.

The type of oil that Mary chose was only used for two special occasions—you were either married with it or you were buried with it.

Jesus understood the deep meaning this carried—but Judas did not. For Judas, it was a waste and something that could have been sold to help the poor.

John is quick to add in his Gospel that Judas didn’t really care about the poor at all. What he cared about was putting more money in the money box because he was in charge of it and he was a thief.

Perhaps we should see what it is in this account that Judas does in fact steal. Left unaccountable, he would have stolen Mary’s joy. In essence he criticized her for doing her best and giving her best. It sort of reminds me of the saying we used to speak about in ministry— “no good deed goes unpunished!”

Why is it that some are so intent on stealing the joy that we have for Jesus? Why is it that so many people want to snatch away anything positive that is being put forth and replace it with stern warnings and condemnation?

Why, after all that Christ has done, are so many professing believers so intent on stealing the joy of others?

Jesus won’t have any part of this and he strongly rebukes Judas. Perhaps it is this forceful rebuke that is the turning point in what Judas intends to do—perhaps this is where the hook of betrayal is set.

Listen to the words of Jesus, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.”

Judas was thinking about money, Mary was thinking about sacrifice. Judas lived for the gains he could make today—Mary made the most of her giving while Jesus was alive and present.

This is why we, like Mary, can give of our gifts moment by moment—because we, like Mary are at the table with the Lord who lives. For some in the room, it was an awesome display of love and gratitude. Some, however, just didn’t get it.

Word of Jesus spread and once again the multitudes came to see him. This only outraged the religious elite who wanted Jesus dead, and John makes clear that they even planned on putting Lazarus to death as well.

Mary focused on those things associated with life—the presence of Jesus and the outcome of what his sacrifice would bring. What’s our focus? Life, death, wealth, position? Or is it joy and rejoicing.

Rejoice today we have an inheritance that will never fade away.

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The Gospel of John, Pt 16, May 12, 2004