Why do you trouble the woman?

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that he said to his disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."

Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill him. But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when his disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor." But when Jesus was aware of it, he said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for me. For you have the poor with you always, but me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on my body, she did it for my burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

- Matthew 26:1-16

We begin to recount now the events of Passion Week, when Jesus will be betrayed and crucified. In the past several readings, Jesus has given his discourse on the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem and also the end of age, the great judgment, and his Second Coming. Please see the following readings for that entire discourse: Do you not see all these things?, The End of the Age, Heaven and earth will pass away, The Wise and Foolish, To everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance and Lord, when did we see you ... ?.

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that he said to his disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." My study bible notes that "Jesus is delivered up to his Passion by his accusers, yet he goes willingly. Others, ignorant of their fate, die against their will. Or, if they know they are in danger, they seek to avoid it. Jesus foretells his Passion and approaches it with the joy of knowing its fruit: the Resurrection and our salvation (Heb. 12:2)." I find it most important in these gospels that Jesus forewarns his disciples what is going to happen. It is with the full awareness of his life and fate that he teaches, that he has given his discourse on the destruction to come in Jerusalem, the judgment and the end of the age. It is important that we understand both his human weakness and his role as Son go hand in hand in his awareness of himself, his identity and his life in this world and beyond.

Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill him. But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people." The temple leadership understands Jesus' popularity among the common people, who consider him a prophet. We must also consider this period of time in Israel's history, under an oppressive Roman colonial yoke, in which power is held by the temple leadership. Jesus is neither a political agitator nor is he a collaborator or part of the political system at all. He speaks and teaches as an outsider, and his most outspoken criticism is not in the realm of politics but in the realm of spiritual leadership and how it is practiced: they are keeping the people from God; they don't know God themselves and they lead others astray.

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper... My study bible notes that "Simon the leper must have been healed by Jesus earlier, for lepers were forbidden to live in towns." So we are in the home of one who has been healed by Jesus, an action that always creates relationship and family that is of the kingdom in these gospels.

... a woman came to him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when his disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor." But when Jesus was aware of it, he said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for me. For you have the poor with you always, but me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on my body, she did it for my burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." My study bible has different notes on this passage. It notes, "Jesus accepts this honor from the woman in her newly found faith. In particular, he accepts it as a sign of his coming burial (v. 12)." One commentary by St. John Chrysostom taught that the disciples were not wrong to criticize this woman: as my study bible puts it, "Mercy shown to the poor is more fitting than outward signs shown even to God. However, they did not understand that once the gift had been given, it was a greater mercy to accept it with love." Different commentaries seem to view this passage as a conflict between whether or not to give gifts to the church (such as the beauty of decoration for worship) or to the poor. But, speaking for myself, I see something completely different in this passage. In yesterday's reading and commentary (Lord, when did we see you ... ?), we discussed the final judgment, and Jesus' criteria of mercy. Mercy is much more than simply good works -- it is the practice of empathy, something of the heart, of love; it is what makes for relationship and relatedness, treating one another as we would wish to be treated. This woman's action is one of love, and Jesus reciprocates with love. To practice love is something that comes from the heart, it is not something that works via formulaic assertions based on accounting. Jesus does not dismiss the importance of serving the poor, and neither would I. But an act of love comes from the heart - and this indeed is where we should get our direction for the help of the poor and needy (in any form!) as well. Jesus' teaching elevates love to the highest place of charity. We remember, also, that the first of the great commandments is to "love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind." This, too, she is fulfilling. So, in this sense, the story of this woman - which Jesus says will be told as a memorial to her wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world - is an expansion on the understanding of love and mercy from yesterday's reading: that it is a practice which must come from the heart, and from relationship in the first place.

Furthermore, her loving action creates the circumstance for Judas' choice, and sets into motion the events of the Passion. Elsewhere (in John's gospel), we are told that it was Judas, the keeper of the purse, who criticized this woman and was rebuked by Jesus. If we infer that Judas responded to this rebuke with his betrayal, we wouldn't be far off from something fairly common in human nature - and the great stumbling block to faith. How often do we respond to wisdom with denial of what is better for us to learn?

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. John's gospel (and the consensus of Church commentaries) seem to agree that Judas' motive is greed. But, as I said, I think there is more to it than this - or, at least, a self-centered or greedy person is also one more likely to be unable to practice the repentance necessary to understand the lesson in Jesus' rebuke in defense of the woman's action. Then again, those who self-righteously watch the purse-strings even of something nominally charitable can also be motivated by greed - a form of control over money. This is something I believe we must watch out for within the church, a kind of self-righteousness that has greed at its heart and which is unable to understand the expansiveness of love and the true depths of a gift of love from the heart. Jesus also teaches that the woman understands what is happening, perhaps as no one else but he does; she is anointing him for burial. It is an act of love that goes much deeper into the powerful reality of the moment than can be understood in a facile or limited way by those who fail to perceive this kind of relatedness.

And so, the stage is set for Jesus' betrayal by one of his own. My study bible also notes that the price of Crucifixion was predicted in Scripture: "And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver" (Zech. 11:12). The phrase one of the twelve (v. 14) is used to indicate how deeply this betrayal goes. Jesus' great love will be betrayed utterly; the Son of Man himself is given over to torture and death by crucifixion by one of his inner circle, who has been with him from the beginning. Judas' betrayal comes not through social pressure (as did Peter's), but on his own initiative. This teaches us that no matter what we think we know, or where we are in the spiritual journey, a stumbling block can come at any time. More powerfully, though, it teaches us that Christ himself cannot compel anyone to love him: a fact inescapable to us as we read and know that he will come to judge, and that we have absolute freedom to act. We must take in both facts: the height and depth of his power, and the wounds given to him as a person by one of his own. Our lives are shared utterly by Christ himself, in all respects, in all ways in which we go through the pain of life in the world.