Good morning!
“You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. [John 12:8]”
“You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. [John 12:8]”
I have heard this verse –something Jesus said to Judas Iscariot in defense of Mary—misquoted often, usually to justify not giving more to the poor—because the poor will always be with you.
In today’s reading in John, Mary takes an entire pound of costly perfume – think about how much perfume that would be when perfume is usually sold by the ounce these days! – and she anoints Jesus’ feet with it at a dinner party. Then she wipes his feet with her hair.
Mary is feeling particularly emotional because Jesus has just raised Lazarus, her brother, from the dead, and they are at Lazarus’ house for a celebration meal. Scripture says, “There they gave a dinner for him.” The question is, “Does the ‘him’ refer to Jesus or Lazarus?” My guess is that the dinner was for Jesus, since the passage begins with the Jewish authorities looking for Jesus to arrest him.
It is 6 days before the Passover—and very soon Judas will lead the authorities’ troops to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He betrays him with a kiss.
Judas is angry at Mary for “wasting” expensive perfume when it could have been sold and the money could have been given to the poor, he says – something that Jesus advocates. Remember the time when Jesus advised one man that if he wanted to be perfect he would sell all that he had and give it to the poor? And the man could not do this because he was rich?
But what Judas is really annoyed with Mary about is that he wasn’t able to embezzle the money that could have been raised by selling the expensive perfume. Our reading in John says,
“(Judas) said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.”
So Jesus defends Mary, who is only showing her gratitude and love for Christ in this servant gesture of washing her master’s feet and wiping them with her hair. And not only “washing” but using this expensive oily perfume that only a servant to royalty and the very wealthy would have had available to use on the master’s feet.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus says. “She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
Mary bought it to anoint Christ’s body because her Lord was always talking about what would happen to him – how he would be made to suffer and die and be raised on the third day.
Jesus was soon to be led to the cross. And the one responsible for Jesus’ arrest was Judas, the thief, who was in charge of handling the money for the group.
Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
What was Jesus really saying when he defended Mary against Judas's attack? Jesus was telling Judas that he knew he was embezzling the money that he said he was using for the poor. And that he knew what Judas was about to do--the role he would play in Christ's arrest and death.
So if someone tries to use one verse to justify a sinful attitude or behavior, such as failing to provide for the needs of the poor, remember how Judas did the same thing! He quoted Jesus’ own command to sell one’s belongings to give to the poor so that Judas would have more money to keep for himself.
Let us pray, my sisters and brothers.
Holy God, we ask for forgiveness for when we have fallen into the sin of hardheartedness. Give us compassion for the poor so that we generously give and assist others when we become aware of a need. Keep us from the temptation to use scripture to justify our own sinful attitudes and behaviors and to see the world and ourselves the way we want to see them. Change our hearts, Lord, so that we are not always worried about protecting what's "ours." Make us truly grateful for the new lives you have given us and be willing to give up worldly things when they get in the way of taking up Christ’s cross and following him. Thank you for your unconditional love for us that led you, Holy Father, to give your only Son so that we would be forgiven and have life abundant and eternal with you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Today’s readings are Job 40:1-24; John 11:55-12:8; Acts 15:36-16:5; and Psalms 56, 57, and 58.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Karen
John 11:55-12:8
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