For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always

 

 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should  report it, that they might seize Him.  

 

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who  had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

 

- John 11:55-12:8 

 

On Saturday we read that, following the resurrection of Lazarus, many of the Jews from Jerusalem who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

 

 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should  report it, that they might seize Him.  My study Bible explains that, because Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the connection between the Passover, when lambs were slaughtered to save the Jews from death (Exodus 12:1-13), and the death of Jesus, which saves mankind from sin and death, is continually emphasized.   

 

 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who  had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. This is the third Passover which is mentioned in St. John's Gospel (see John 2:13; 6:4) and is the setting for the final week of Christ's earthly ministry.  In this Gospel, the following week is narrated in particular detail.  My study Bible says that Jesus had already been glorified through His signs and words.  Now it remains only for Him to be glorified through His death and Resurrection.

 

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  My study Bible notes that the other disciples said the same thing Judas did here, but with a very different motive  (see Matthew 26:1-13).  Judas, it says, spoke from greed, while the others spoke from the virtue of charity.  That Jesus put a thief in charge of the money shows that by every means He attempted to save Judas:  He fulfilled Judas' lust for money; allowed him to exercise apostolic authority (John 6:11; see also Mark 6:7); He washed Judas' feet with the other disciples (John 13:5); and He allowed him to join at the table of the Mystical Supper (John 13:26).  But Judas could never overcome his greed.  

 

 This wonderful story of Mary and her anointing of Jesus truly is told wherever the gospel is told in the whole world (as Jesus says, reported in Matthew 26:13).  This memorial to Mary is important, because in terms of Christ's relations with various people in the Gospel, the relationships between Jesus, Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus give us a sense of what it was to be friends of His.  They are not part of the disciples who've journeyed from Galilee, but instead are beloved and cherished as dear friends.  Mary in particular seems to have a great deal of sympathy in common with Jesus, making it a notable relationship.  She is the one who is reported in St. Luke's Gospel to sit at His feet and learn (see the story at Luke 10:38-42, especially verse 42), despite the pleas from her sister that she help serve as would be customary for women.  We also note that in the story of the raising of Lazarus, the shortest verse in the Holy Bible, "Jesus wept," occurs right at the time that Jesus sees Mary weeping (John 11:32-36).  So Mary explicitly teaches us something of what it is to be a personal friend of Jesus.  Most especially in this friendship we learn examples of love, and that is what today's testimony to Mary is all about.  Her act of lavishly anointing Christ has been referred to as the "extravagance of love."  This great sympathy between Mary and Jesus is such that she seems uniquely to have the depth of insight that He is going soon to His grave, and that "she has kept this for the day of My burial," as Jesus says.  This expression of love is made before His death, in a way that publicly honors Him before all.  Notably, it is precisely this love to which Judas seems to be entirely blind.  Perhaps his greed makes him incapable of appreciating the great appropriateness of this gift.  Or perhaps his blindness to this kind of love is linked to the materialist focus that greed is dependent upon.  Think of the contrast between extravagance borne of love, and the kind of greed that motivates betrayal.  Here, indeed, Judas and Mary are juxtaposed as opposites, although the greedy call her selfish here, while they pose as altruistic and charity-minded for the poor.  This kind of love can never be understood by the materialist, nor perceived by one who simply cannot understand what it means to give from the heart motivated by love.  For the materialist can only think in terms of consumption and want, while the one who loves is focused on giving.  Sometimes generosity is hard to spot in others for this reason; what looks meager and foolish to one is the fondness of another.  We know, at least, where Jesus comes down in this equation, for the one upon whom His praise falls is she who now sits at His feet, wiping them with her hair.  Jesus is the Lord who knows the hearts of all, and He understands her, even while He tries to save Judas until the very end.  Would that we all could discern love and generosity, and know even in ourselves what is worthy of that love and what is not.  Jesus says, "For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  Somehow, Mary knows this also, even when others do not.