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

 

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."

 

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for 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 Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

 

- Mark 14:1–11 

 

In our present readings, Jesus has been preaching to His disciples about what are called the "end times," and prophesying the things to come at the end of the age (starting with Saturday's reading).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pas away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he finds you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all:  Watch!"

 

  After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."  My study Bible tells us that the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with the Passover meal on the evening of 15 Nisan (on the Jewish calendar) and lasts seven days (Exodus 12:12-20).  Together, these feasts commemorate Israel's liberation from slavery in Egypt.  The word 'Passover' refers to the angel of death "passing over" Hebrew homes when killing the firstborn of the Egyptians, for the Jews had put lamb's blood on their doorposts (Exodus 12:13).  In the Church, we understand that this Passover was fulfilled in Christ, whose blood was shed in order to free humankind from bondage to sin and death.  

 

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for 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 comments that Jesus accepts this honor from the woman in her newly found faith.  In particular, He accepts it was a sign of His coming burial.   But, according to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, the disciples were not wrong in principle: mercy which is shown to the poor is more fitting than outward signs shown even to God (Matthew 25:40; James 1:27).  Nonetheless, they didn't understand that once the gift had been given, it was a greater mercy to accept it with love.  My study Bible quotes St. Chrysostom as follows:  "If anyone had asked Christ before this woman did this, He would not have approved it.  But after she had done it, He looks only to the gift itself.  For after the fragrant oil had been poured, what good was a rebuke?  Likewise, if you should see anyone providing a sacred vessel or ornament for the walls of the church, do not spoil his zeal.  But if beforehand he asks about it, command him to give instead to the poor."  One might wonder how Jesus would dine in the home of a leper; my study Bible explains that Simon the leper must have been healed by Jesus earlier, for lepers were forbidden to live in towns.  There are similar events told in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 26:6-14; Luke 7:36-38; John 12:1-18).  According to certain patristic opinion, these four accounts include the experience of three different women; some others teach that there were only two. 

 

 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.  My study Bible remarks here that Judas on his own initiative seeks to betray Jesus.  His motives have certainly been debated over time, but if we look at patristic opinion and liturgical hymns, we find that greed is given as his underlying motivation.  This is also what we're given in Scripture, for in John 12:4-6 it's stated that Judas was upset in particular about the "waste" of myrrh by the woman in the preceding story because he was a thief (see also 1 Timothy 6:10).  We remember this betrayal by Judas on Holy Wednesday, in which many liturgical hymns contrast his greed with the women's generosity in her anointing of Christ.  In the Orthodox Church, my study Bible adds, it's a tradition dating back to the first century (see the Didache) that Christians fast on most Wednesdays of the year in remembrance of the ways in which we, like Judas, may betray our Savior through our own sinfulness.  

 

 In the generosity of this woman, we find an expression of love, and also much more.  If we take a close look at the Gospels, one thing that really stands out about Jesus is His compassion, and His various -- even surprising -- expressions of compassion.  In fact, it seems like this quality is a major distinguishing quality about God which Jesus as incarnate Son teaches us through His life and ministry.  He has power and authority, He can make incredible miracles happen, He can heal and cast out demons, He has loyal followers and an astonishing ministry.  But maybe what truly distinguishes Jesus in His divine identity (and of course, as a human being also) is His compassion.  The Gospels distinctly tell us on various occasions that His inspiration for one or another miraculous occurrence is due to the fact that He is moved with compassion.  In St. Mark's Gospel alone, we're told that, because He was moved with compassion, Jesus healed a leper through touch (forbidden by law), healed a man possessed by a legion of demons, fed a multitude in the wilderness from a few loaves and fishes (twice -- once He fed 5,000 men, and another time it was 4,000 men, plus more women and chidren), and another time He healed a possessed young boy who could not be helped by His disciples (see Mark 1:41; 5:19; 6:34; 82; 9:22).  But in this story of the woman who anoints Christ with the expensive oil, we see something unusual happen, and that is that a human being, a woman, one described in other accounts as perhaps a notorious sinner, has compassion on Christ.  She shows compassion to God, in this sense, and Christ receives her generous compassion graciously, teaching us all a great lesson.  Perhaps we should see this story through that distinguishing lens of our capacity for compassion and the exercise of its expression in our lives when we have an opportunity to do so.  For her generosity to Him is a mirror of His own generosity to us, and so He rewards her richly.  It is perhaps with great poetic understanding that she, too, will be honored with a memorial wherever the gospel will be preached.  For, after all, she has fully expressed what Jesus preaches in His gospel.  In the parable of the sheep and the goats (the parable of Judgment), the one thing that distinguishes the sheep from the goats, as Jesus tells it, is that the sheep have made expressions of compassion (see Matthew 25:31-46).  In other words, it is such expressive action that will save us and place us with those righteous who go to eternal life with Christ, as He tells the story Himself.  Let us also mirror Christ in His compassion, and be what He calls us to be, just as does this woman whose memorial is here in the gospel message, with Him, as it is preached in the whole world.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 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 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been explaining the "end times" to His disciples.  His discourse concluded with three parables.  Yesterday we read His final parable, that of the Sheep and the Goats, a parable of the judgment of Christ to come at His return at the end of the age:   "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

 

  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."   My study Bible notes here that Jesus is delivered up to His Passion by His accusers, but He goes willingly.  Unless this were so, His accusers could not have taken Him.  After Christ's Resurrection, many saints would imitate Christ by willingly going to martyrdom.  The willing martyrdom of Christian faithful in the face of pressure to renounce their faith continues today in countries around the world.

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."   My study Bible comments that Jesus accepts this honor from the woman in her newly found faith.  He explicitly accepts it as a sign of His coming burial.  However, my study Bible notes that according to St. John Chrysostom, the disciples were not wrong in principle; mercy shown to the poor is more fitting than outward signs shown even to God (Matthew 25:40; James 1:27).  But what the disciples don't understand is that once the gift is given, the greater mercy is to accept it with love.  My study Bible quotes St. Chrysostom:  "If anyone had asked Christ before the woman did this, He would not have approved it.  But after she had done it, He looks only to the gift itself.  For after the fragrant oil had been poured, what good was a rebuke?  Likewise, if you should see anyone providing a sacred vessel or ornament for the walls of the church, do not spoil his zeal.  But if beforehand he asks about it, command him to give instead to the poor."  Regarding Simon the leper, he must have been healed by Jesus earlier, as lepers were not allowed to live in community.  Additionally, my study Bible says that because of her fervent faith, Jesus promises perpetual public memory of this woman.  Among patristic commentary there is no consensus as to her identity in relation to similar events recounted in Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-38; John 12:1-8.  Some say that there were three different women in these four accounts, others that there were just two.

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.  My study Bible says that Judas on his own initiative seeks to betray Jesus.  It notes that his motives have been debated, but the Fathers and the liturgical hymns declare that greed was his primary motivation.  In John 12:4-6, we read that Judas was particularly upset about the "waste" of myrrh by the woman who anointed Christ, because he was a thief (see also 1 Timothy 6:10).  The phrase one of the twelve is not used so much to identify Judas, my study Bible says, as he was already known by Matthew's hearers, but it does emphasize the depth of this betrayal -- it was done by one of Christ's closest followers.  

In the anointing of Christ, we find another incident which is so significant that it is reported in all four Gospels.  Regardless of who we think this woman was or may be, the circumstances of the anointing remain the same.  She is motivated not only by faith, but her faith includes the element of deep love.  While my study Bible quotes St. Chrysostom himself in generally favoring gifts of generosity to the poor, it seems that we cannot leave out what Christ has acknowledged here.  In this case, He is the One who is "the poor," if you will.  He is the one who is needy, a poor person who faces death at the hands of the state power and the religious establishment.  She has provided the fragrant oil for His burial.  So therefore, "wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Effectively, her act is a prayerful one, deeply moving as it likely comes from the depth of her heart and soul and from her love of Christ.  Clearly the Gospel invites us to contrast the coldness of Judas with the deep love this woman shows for Jesus.  Additionally, it prompts us to think that we don't always know what is the proper gift to give, and prayerful giving is important.  We are to use discernment in our giving, and the love of God and our communion with Christ mean more than anonymous giving alone or works done without faith or this love.  It builds on the context of the parable of judgment, of the Sheep and the Goats, where acts of kindness and compassion are those that take priority, those that are motivated by responding to need.  Jesus' defense of this woman, and His praise, seems to teach us to remember that there are proper gifts in all circumstances; what is needful and proper at one time may be different at another. There are all kinds of ways to be poor.   Sometimes people need a kind word more than the money -- a word may give hope which is more valuable.  It's been reported that a simple respectful conversation with a homeless person does far more than a small sum of money.  It's important to bear in mind, also, that we don't know how many people our gift will benefit beyond immediate circumstances, especially in time.  It seems quite reasonable to assume that had this woman sold her ointment, and given to the poor as Judas suggests, the untold numbers of faithful would never have heard this story of gracious love for Christ, nor His defense of her gift.  It seems important to be guided by prayer in our giving, so that we do the best we can with what we have.  Let us remember that the love of Christ, and the compassion of the heart it builds in us, is always appropriate and needful.  For this is what we are asked to extend to the world, to neighbor -- and Christ in this story is the neighbor in need.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for 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 Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

 

- Mark 14:1–11 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus finished His discourse on end times (see also the first and second parts of His teaching on this subject).    As He completed His prophecy, He taught:  "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the door!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all:  Watch!" 

 

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."  My study Bible explains that the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with the Passover meal on the evening of 15 Nisan (on the Jewish calendar), and lasts seven days (Exodus 12:12-20).  Combined, these feasts commemorate Israel's being freed from slavery in Egypt.  The word "Passover" refers to the angel of death "passing over" Hebrew hones when killing the firstborn of the Egyptians, as the Jews had put lamb's blood on the doorposts (Exodus 12:13).  My study Bible tells us that Unleavened bread is a reminder of the haste with which the Hebrews left Egypt (Exodus 12:39).  This Passover, it teaches, was fulfilled in Christ, whose blood was shed to free humanity from bondage to sin and death.  

 

 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  My study Bible explains that Simon the leper must have been healed by Christ earlier, for lepers were forbidden to live in towns.

 

But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial."  My study Bible comments that Jesus accepts this honor from the woman in her newly found faith.  Specifically, He accepts it as a sign of His coming burial, and an act of mercy and love.  Nonetheless, my study Bible says, St. John Chrysostom says that the disciples weren't wrong in principle:  mercy shown to the poor is more fitting than outward signs shown even to God (Matthew 25:40; James 1:27).  But what they did not understand is that once the gift had been given, it was a greater mercy to accept it with love.  St. Chrysostom, writes (as quoted by my study Bible), "If anyone had asked Christ before the woman did this, He would not have approved it.  But after she had done it, He looks only to the gift itself.  For after the fragrant oil had been poured, what good was a rebuke?  Likewise, if you should see anyone providing a sacred vessel or ornament for the walls of the church, do not spoil his zeal.  But if beforehand he asks about it, command him to give instead to the poor."

 

"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 says that because of her fervent faith, Jesus promises perpetual public memory of this woman.  It notes that among the patristic writers, there is no consensus as to her identity in relation to accounts of similar events in Matthew 26:6-13; Luke 7:36-38; and John 12:1-8.  Some say that there were three different women in these four accounts, but others that there were only two.  

 

 What is quite appealing in today's reading is Jesus' insight and perspective on the gift of this woman who brings to Him an alabaster flask of what we're told is very costly oil of spikenard, a fragrant oil sometimes said to be similar to lavender in scent.  According to some sources, this spikenard was costly partly because it had to be imported from far away, as it was made from a flower that grew in the Himalayas, a part of the honeysuckle family.  So this is indeed a treasure that she is bringing to Jesus, something considered to be extravagant and a form of luxury.  But let us consider that she does not use it for herself (as St. Chrysostom commented), and neither does she give it as treasure, but uses it to anoint Jesus.  Let us remember also that the title "Christ" means "Anointed One."  So, in a sense, she is declaring her faith that He is indeed the Christ, the Messiah.  But it is Jesus' own perspective on what she has done which is the most impressive here, and the most insightful, for Jesus also gives us clues about how we, also, might more properly form perspective on various occasions or events in our lives.  For Jesus sees this as purely an act of love and care, and even one that is prophetic in and of itself, making it a sign of a true gift of the spirit.  For Jesus sees this -- and explicitly corrects the disciples in saying so -- as an anointing for His burial.  She has brought Him, in effect, a prophetic gift, an act of love and mercy at the death of one who is Beloved.  For this is what people do for their loved ones.  This is the way to give care in death.  This is what the women go to do at the tomb who will be the first to be given the good news of the Resurrection (Luke 24:1-12).  This is the way that Jesus teaches us to see this act, the way He teaches the disciples to see with His eyes, for He has the deeper insight into the prophetic, and His perspective renders great praise to this woman.  Let us examine His words:  "For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for 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."  In other words, she understands the time and the preciousness of the life of Christ, so that this is her opportunity to do something good for Him.  In this sense, "she has done what she could."  And His praise is so great that "wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Imagine the honor He declares is due to her that she has a permanent, universal memorial to her "wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world!"  Jesus not only gives praise, He commands a memorial such as this.  In so doing, He also reminds us what it means to "watch and pray" as He has repeatedly taught during the past three Gospel readings concerning the end times.  To watch is the opposite of sleeping; it is to be alert, awake and aware as possible, to be vigilant.  In her own vigilance of this time, she has brought an anointing to prepare for His burial; she has found the spiritual possibility of this moment.  She, walking into this home in Bethany near Jerusalem, in this dinner where no doubt Christ was the guest of honor at the time of the Passover when so many pilgrims had come to Jerusalem -- she among all of the others knows the time and the opportunity to do what she could.  She has found and understood this moment, and expressed her devotion and faith, as Christ is One whom "you do not have always."  She has done a good work for Him in this time in a proper way.  Let us consider the time and moments of our lives in which to do a particular good work is proper and right.  For this is what it means to be truly watchful and prayerful.  Over the previous three readings, we have been following Christ's discussion of end times -- that is, from the time of His Resurrection until His Second Coming, which we now await.  Throughout, Jesus has repeatedly punctuated His teachings with admonitions to "watch," to "pray," and to "take heed."   For it is a time of upheaval, of things being exposed, unveiled, revealed, and the old things passing away.  She has discerned this time in which the leaders plot against Christ, and she has given Him the anointing in preparation for what is to come, where He goes voluntarily, even as Judas plots betrayal.  May we each be so wise and bear the fruit of our awareness and the gift of His praise.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 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 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 many of those who had come to Mary from Jerusalem (to accompany her in mourning Lazarus), 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 humankind 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 table with Him.   This Passover is the third one mentioned in John's Gospel (see also John 2:13; 6:4).  It is also the setting for the final week of Christ's earthly ministry, which will be narrated in careful detail.  My study Bible adds that Jesus had already been glorified through His signs and words; now it remained for Him to be glorified through His death and Resurrection.  Here, Jesus returns to Bethany, a short way from Jerusalem, and joins His friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus for a supper.

 

 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 points out that while the other disciples said the same thing that Judas said, they did so with very different motives (see also Matthew 26:6-13).  Judas spoke from greed, my study Bible says, while the others spoke from the virtue of charity.   It remarks upon this idea 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; He allowed Judas to exercise apostolic authority (John 6:11; see also Mark 6:7); and Christ allowed Judas to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper (John 13:26).  But Judas could never overcome his greed.

Jesus tells the disciples, "For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  Perhaps it's easiest to read this statement as one that specifies that Jesus is special, different, a unique case.  But, on the contrary, it seems that an argument can be easily made for the exception of a general rule of compassion or charity in terms of whatever urgent need we might see in front of ourselves.  Mary's anointing of Christ is in itself an act of compassion -- and also one of love.  We know that Jesus loves Mary and her siblings.  The shortest verse in the Bible is an expression of this love:  "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).  The sympathy between Himself and Mary, Martha, and Lazarus is one we understand from the Gospel passages that teach us how much He loved them.  Mary's anointing is a return of that love, an expression of love and also veneration for the Lord.  Jesus returns this compassion to her by expressing the goodness of her act, her good intention, to the rest of the disciples.  There He notes, "Me you do not have always."  He points to the deep and urgent need that is right in front of them, that perhaps the disciples do not want to face:  that she does this because she accepts what they cannot, and she is preparing Christ for His burial, for what is to come in Jerusalem.   But this exceptional statement, it seems to me, is preparing us for the deep exceptions to the "rules" that will come in our own lives, and that is especially true in terms of how we share our compassion with others.  Compassion is so key to the Gospels and to the ministry of Christ.  In His parable of Judgment, the parable of the sheep and the goats, it is really the expression of compassion, or its omission, that is the key to Christ's judgment (Matthew 25:31-46).  If we take a close look at the parable, we note that Jesus does not say general "rules" about judgment, but gets down to very specific actions and details.  He says,  "I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."  And the people in return, ask specifically about such incidents, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?"  Those who failed to do so ask similarly, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?"  What this teaches us about acts of compassion or charity is that to see what is in front of us, which situation or circumstance arises that needs our help in some sense is to do what He wishes of us.  To fail to see what is in front of us is a failure to be what He calls us to be.  It's all very well to understand ethics, to think in general terms about charity and love and compassion; but it's meaningless if that does not translate to the capacity to discern such need when it doesn't fit a  prescription or pattern or theory or ideology.  Our charity means nothing if it does not touch the heart.  Judas' heart is somewhere else, although he expresses nominally an urgency toward compassion and charity.  If we are waiting only to see someone important or significant (like Christ) who needs our help, we are failing in our hearts to know compassion and to understand charity.   After all, who could equal the powerful position of Christ?  And yet, here He is speaking of Himself as one in need.   We must ask ourselves, who are "the poor" in each circumstance?  What do the "poor" look like?  Are the "poor" only those poor in a monetary sense?  For in the present scenario in the Gospel, Jesus is the poor, the one in need of this anointing for His burial.  So it stands to reason for us to extrapolate from this teaching that one in need of our help, one for whom our compassion is needed at any moment, might be someone we do not expect, whose profile does not fit our "picture" of one who needs or deserves our charity.  And from there, we must learn to assume that we are to keep our eyes open, to continually be learning this language of compassion of the heart, and to discern where God may be calling us to something we can't yet see.  So, let us continue this outsized, extravagant, and noteworthy action of grace on the part of Mary of Bethany.  Elsewhere, in His admonition, Christ extends praise indeed, saying, "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" (Matthew 26:13).  Let us learn to see what is in front of us, the language of God in the heart asking us for discernment beyond a rule.

 

 

 

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

 

 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 

 

 In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught about the final judgment:  "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."   

 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."  My study Bible comments that Jesus is delivered up to His Passion by His accusers, yet He goes willingly.  Unless Christ had willed to go, His accusers could never have taken Him (Matthew 26:53).  After His Resurrection, many saints imitated Christ by willingly going to martyrdom. 

 

 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."  We should first understand that Simon the leper is one who must have been healed by Christ earlier, as lepers were forbidden to live in towns.  But the depth of this passage is about the compassion and faith of this woman.  My study Bible notes for us that there is no consensus among patristic commentary concerning the identity of this woman in relation to accounts of events that are similar in Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-38; and John 12:1-8.  Some Fathers say that there were three different women in all these four accounts, other say that there were only two.  

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.  My study Bible comments that Judas on his own initiative seeks to betray Jesus.  His motives have been debated, but patristic understanding and the liturgical hymns declare that greed was Judas' primary motive.  This is given to us in John 12:4-6, where Judas was specifically upset about the "waste" of myrrh in the story of the anointing by the woman just preceding, because he was a thief (see also 1Timothy 6:10).  The phrase one of the twelve is not used so much to identify Judas, my study Bible says, who was already known by Matthew's hearers, but rather to emphasize the depth of this betrayal -- that it was from one of Christ's closest followers.  

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us both a parable and a prophecy regarding the final judgment, the time when He, as Son of Man, would sit on His throne of glory and separate the "sheep" and the "goats."  (See yesterday's reading, above.)  Essentially, when we take a close look at the examples of the behavior of the "sheep" that Christ gave us, we see acts of compassion that are done not only to "one of the least of these My brethren," but also to Christ (Matthew 25:40).  Each example given by Jesus is a way of living out the two greatest commandments given by Jesus, and especially of loving neighbor as oneself.  In yesterday's commentary, we noted also the very personal nature of these acts; they are acts of community, person-to-person, and they come from the heart, as opposed to rules of politics, social theories, or morality.  It is characterized not by thinking of others as objects toward a goal, but as persons like ourselves.  Now when we look at the story of the woman in today's reading, we see, in fact, a supreme act of the kind that Jesus ascribes to the sheep who will sit on His right hand.  It is an act of great compassion, which He has the depth of insight to understand.  It is an act of personal giving, from the heart.  It is very personally directed to Jesus and His circumstances, as He declares: "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."  Jesus certainly preaches the care of the poor, but in this case He specifically states that her personal action holds great significance beyond our understanding of a general need or "rule" to care for the poor, an understanding and practice which is always with us.  But the specific use of the oil to prepare Him for what is coming tells us a deeply personal story of understanding and sympathy.  It is not sentimental nor maudlin nor simply "emotional."  This is a woman who accepts Christ's ministry, perhaps better than the men do (Matthew 16:22-23), and yet her depth of compassion is with Him, even as He goes willingly and knowingly to the Cross.  So significant is this to Jesus that He tells the disciples, "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."  In some ironic way, although it is He who is going to His sacrificial death, it is she who has done an act of such profound significance to Christ that, in His words, she will be memorialized through it, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world.

 

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

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that, after the resurrection of Lazarus from death, many of those from Jerusalem who had come to Mary in her mourning, 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.   The events in the Gospel now head toward the final Passover of Christ's earthly life, and the events that will come in what we commemorate as Holy Week.  My study Bible comments that because Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), he 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.  This Passover is the third mentioned in John's Gospel (see also John 2:13, 6:4).  As mentioned above, it is the setting for the final week of Christ's earthly ministry, which John will narrate in careful detail.  My study Bible comments that Jesus had already been glorified through His signs and words, but it remained for Him to be glorified through His death and Resurrection.  

There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.   Once again, we observe Martha, the sister who is noted in the Gospels for her practices of hospitality.

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 that Judas did, but with a very different motivation (see also Matthew 26:6-13).  Judas, it says, spoke from greed, while the others spoke from the virtue of charity.  Moreover, it adds, 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; He allowed Judas 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 partake at the table of the Mystical Supper (John 13:26).  Yet, my study Bible says, Judas could never overcome his greed.

It's very interesting that my study Bible highlights how Christ has tried to, in some sense, put Judas' tendency toward greed to good use.  That is, in an effort to save Judas, He has given Judas opportunities to transform the way that his tendency toward greed operates within himself, to transform this desire or passion to good use.  If we wish to use a different example, consider a person who is of a quick temper.  We can take a look at the two brothers, James and John Zebedee, and the hints the Gospels make in terms of their own quickness of temper and fiery tongues.  It is Jesus who gives them the names, Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17), to put their capacities to good use.  When the disciples observed others, not of their group, who were casting out demons in Jesus' name, it is James and John who asked, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  Jesus turned to them with a rebuke:  "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of" (Luke 9:54-55).  Eventually James would be the first among the Twelve to be martyred (Acts 12:1-2).  John is called "the beloved disciple," and to him is attributed this Gospel, three Epistles, and the Revelation.   Therefore, we have brilliant examples of what we might call a tendency to a particular passion which has been put in service to God, transformed through faith and grace.  My study Bible says of Judas that Christ sought to save him by putting to use his particular tendency to greed by allowing him to be in charge of the treasury as a way to positively assuage and put to good use that tendency; moreover He allowed Judas to exercise apostolic authority; He washed Judas' feet with the other disciples; and He allowed him to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper.  As we shall see, it is Judas' response to the bread dipped by Christ that will seal his decision to betray Jesus (John 13:26-27), and perhaps this also gives us a hint about human nature and our interaction with the holy, with the Lord.  We will either accept the road to repentance and respond positively to a form of grace, or we will turn away in the opposite direction.  In one way, we take the path toward Christ, in the other way we take the path in the opposite direction.  In terms of repentance, everything seems to be a matter of degree, until one reaches a point of no return, where repentance becomes impossible for lack of will, through a hardness of heart only God can know about us.  The same is true of our capacity for repentance, only God can know where we have potential to turn back toward faith.  But what strikes me as most important is this significant observation about Judas and his opportunities for change.  Perhaps it is also pride that gets in his way, as Jesus publicly rebukes them all, but it is Judas who spoke up to condemn Mary's act of love for Christ.  There are many things we can discern from today's reading, such as the capacity for hypocrisy and how it may work in underhanded ways to pose as charitable, especially in chastising others.  We need also observe that it can be said about Mary's act of love (which amounts also to tacit acceptance of Christ's coming death), that, like all the fruit of the Spirit which includes love, "against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  For now let us consider the potentials of each one, even in our worst tendencies, to be redeemed, transformed, saved -- and the unfortunate consequence of the failure to accept all means of salvation offered.  Let us remember it is Christ who stands up for Mary and her act of love, when others chastise -- and the loudest with the false face that still nurtures greed and betrayal.

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

 

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 many of the prominent people from Jerusalem who had come to Mary in order to mourn Lazarus, 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 he did not say this 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.  This is the third Passover which is mentioned in John's Gospel (see also 2:13, 6:4).  This third and final Passover in the Gospels is the setting for the last week of Christ's earthly ministry.  It will be narrated to us in careful detail over the chapters that follow.  My study bible says that Jesus had already been glorified through His signs and words; now it remains for Him to be glorified through His death and Resurrection.  It notes also that because Jesus is the Lamb of God (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 humankind 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.  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 emphasizes that the other disciples said the same thing that Judas said, but with a completely different motivation (see Matthew 26:6-13).  Judas spoke from greed, but the other disciples spoke from the virtue of charity.  That Jesus put a thief in charge of the money, it adds, shows that by every means He attempted to save Judas:  He fulfilled Judas' lust for money; He allowed Judas to exercise apostolic authority (6:11; see also Mark 6:7); He will wash Judas' feet with the other disciples at the Last Supper (13:5); and He will also allow Him to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper on the same occasion (13:26).  But Judas could never overcome his greed (Matthew 26:14-16).

I'm struck by the evil that surrounds Jesus, especially in the fact that at this point the leaders have given out an order that whoever spots Him should report it, so that they can seize Him.  It's as if they have issued a Wanted poster for Him.  They have given a command, the text says to us.   In the midst of this hostility from the leaders who hold power in the society as a whole, there are those faithful who nevertheless love Christ and do not hesitate to show us.  Since so many came from Jerusalem to mourn with Martha and Mary (and Saturday's reading specifically mentions Mary -- see above), I think the text indicates that Lazarus' family is also well-known, and prominent enough so that many came to them from Jerusalem to mourn, and hence witnessed the raising of Lazarus.  While those who hunt Jesus at the Passover festival represent the people in that they are the religious leaders, what we see is the importance of individual acts of faith in the anointing by Mary.  She is showing her love and devotion to Jesus, and even though virtually all of the disciples misunderstand the importance of what she does (see especially Matthew 26:6-13), Jesus nevertheless explicitly corrects them.  In Matthew 26, He tells them both what we read here, and more:  "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.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always" (Matthew 26:12-13).  It tells us that we are never to underestimate our acts of kindness and those motivated through love for Christ.  It also lets us know that it is Jesus who is the ultimate judge, and He who understands what is truly in the heart.  For we are not judged by the grandiosity of a deed, but rather by the depth of what is given through an understanding of the heart.  (Let us remember here the story of the widow in Luke 21:1-4).   It's possible I read very much into this text, but it seems that Christ is giving the highest praise He can.  Moreover, it is clear that at least He stands in deep appreciation of the gift; it is meaningful to Him, and it makes a great difference in the context of where He is going and what He is going to endure over the course of the next week and through His Passion.  And at the same time that we see the great gift of Mary, and the true love in her heart for Christ, we also observe Judas.  Judas says words that are nominally good, but his motivation is all wrong, and his perspective is selfish.  Even though the other disciples, ostensibly with good motive, criticize Mary, they also are mistaken and are corrected by Jesus.  So essential is the understanding of the heart to true judgment, that the Gospels give us this story exalting Mary for her act of love and true charity.  From the beginning, we're told, Jesus has known that one of those whom He has chosen is not entirely "right" in his heart. Just after Peter's confession on behalf of all that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God," John 6:70-71 tells us, "Jesus answered them, 'Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve."  Perhaps we are to understand something more about judgment and the human soul, that no matter how great the kindness and grace shared with each person on the part of Christ, those who choose to reject this grace and love are still free to do so.  It may teach us personally that simply loving and kind behavior on our parts, no matter how well-intentioned or correct, is not enough to change another.  Each person has their own capacity to choose for love, just as Mary chooses for love, and the leadership among the Council choose to put Jesus to death and to reject the thought of even entertaining to hear His Gospel message, although there are others on the Council -- and they are prominent members as well -- who will come to discipleship and faith in Christ.    This is a highly significant teaching, for it tells us about the heart and the ways of the heart.  Perhaps this is our Creator teaching us that we must exhaust all possibilities of helping others.  Indeed, the Church does not expel nominal members, but always hopes for salvation for all (excommunication from the sacraments is not the same thing as expelling members).  In the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43), Jesus gives us an image of the world.  Even as we live side by side, so the weeds, which so closely resemble the good wheat, are growing side by side with the wheat.  It is a parable about judgment, which Christ says will take place at the end of the age.  Judas forms an image of which the weeds may be symbolic, in that he so closely resembles a devoted disciple.  But he has grown a particular way, and he will follow through to the end as one who does not accept the word of Christ.  But let us consider that in the fullness of our faith, we consider Christ to have descended into hades before ascending into heaven, and even so Judas remains with the possibility of repentance when he will meet Christ there.  The world is a puzzling and strange place, not least of which because of the mystery of human hearts and our capacity for belief:  that is, both for faith and the rejection of faith.  Christ comes into the world offering grace and love, but not everyone accepts this truth, nor the energy and present reality of grace.  We, as human beings, remain free also to reject, with hearts that may make choices to do so.  But in the midst of the world, there is also Mary and the saints who will follow her.  There are all the angels which serve God, and those who pray with the saints.  There is grace abounding.  So, once again, as we have observed in our recent readings and commentary, the world works within the realm of Christ, a created place which is an adornment of the heaven (for this is the meaning of the Greek word "cosmos" which so often indicates the whole world in Scripture), and we are placed in the midst.  Let us consider that even while we know there is Judas, we may also be those who love Christ like Mary, and nothing another does can take away that reward of love for a heart that remains capable of discerning and living in grace.  In a world filled with hate and rejection, we can still be the one who follows in the footsteps of Mary.  We can love Christ and share in her place as beloved of Christ.  And the world cannot take away that "good part" that we have chosen.

Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward

Christ Carrying the Cross, modern icon by Alexandra Kaouki of Alexandra Icons Workshop, Rethymnon, Crete, Greece

 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down My life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

* * * 

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission.  So he came and took the body of Jesus.  And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.  Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.  So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

- John 13:36-38, John 19:38-42

Yesterday we read that on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."   So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given  thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  (Mark 14:12-25)

 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down My life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."  While this passage documents Peter's three-time denial of Christ while Jesus was being questioned by the high priest Annas (John 18:15-27), there is contained here in John's Gospel a prophecy by Christ of Simon Peter's own martyrdom.  My study bible says that Peter would suffer martyrdom for the sake of Christ by being crucified upside down in Rome in about AD 67 (see also John 21:18-19).  

* * * 

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission.  So he came and took the body of Jesus.  And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.  Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.  So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.  My study bible calls Joseph of Arimathea a hidden disciple.  That is, one who believed in Jesus but had made no public acknowledgement of faith.  Nicodemus is one who had come to Jesus by night (John 3:2) and later defended Him before the Pharisees (John 7:50-52).   As they both participate in Christ's burial, they are publicly showing their devotion to Christ, in stark contrast to the fearful disciples, who had scattered.  My study bible also notes that had the apostles buried Christ, then doubters could claim His body was simply hidden.  Luke tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was both a council member and a good and just man.   This refutes any possibility that Christ's body was deceptively hidden by the apostles.  Also, the tomb in which He was laid -- owned by Joseph of Arimathea -- was one in which no one had ever lain before.  The spiritual significance of this, according to my study bible, is that Christ died a death unlike any other person had died:  a death without corruption, one leading to victory over the grave itself  (see Luke 23:50-53).

At times of great crisis, we find heroism and cowardice.  The disciples fail and stumble, even the one who is their nominal leader and spokesman, Peter.  But there are other things that come to light, also.  Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are both prominent council members, Joseph being extremely wealthy.  (An unused tomb hewn of rock was a very expensive and exclusive possession.)  For these men to step forward to claim and to respectfully bury a man crucified as a high criminal is to risk their own reputations, social status, and possibly their lives.  According to Orthodox tradition, Joseph of Arimathea was imprisoned, and the resurrected Christ appeared to him in prison, convincing him of the Resurrection.  He was later released from prison and banished from Jerusalem.  He then traveled throughout the known world preaching the Gospel, eventually remaining in Britain as an early missionary.  In the Church, he is called a holy and righteous saint.  Nicodemus, according to tradition, is known as St. Nicodemus the Righteous.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, whom John's Gospel tells us came to Christ by night for teaching (John 3:1-21), and who also defended Jesus before his fellow Council Members (John 7:45-51).  Although he plays a conspicuous role in John's Gospel, there is not much known about him after the Resurrection.  Church tradition holds that he was possibly martyred sometime during the first century.  Simon Peter, on the other hand, fails in his own eyes and by his own sworn willingness to die for Christ, when he denies Jesus three times, being first cowed by the question of a servant girl, and questioned by a relative of the man whose ear he had cut off when they had come to seize Jesus in the garden  (John 18:15-27).  Far from dying for Christ, Peter denies being a disciple, to his own bitter regret with tears (Matthew 26:75, Luke 22:62).  All of these astonishing revelations of people within their relationship to Christ teach us importantly how false our judgment can be when based on only a nominal knowledge of a person.  We can neither make Peter be a person of sheer heroism nor make these Council members, Joseph and Nicodemus, "enemies" of Christ because they are part of the religious ruling authority of the Jews which condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy, and gave Him to Pilate for crucifixion.  These are very important elements of the Gospel we all too frequently overlook.  They are lessons for us about just and righteous judgment.  Unless we fully and thoroughly know a person, we are incapable of real judgment.  Jesus tells us so Himself, in John's Gospel:  "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24).  Unfortunately we seem to live in a time when people are extremely polarized by nominal affiliations, such as political party, or which politician one of us may support, or not, as the case may be.  There are all kinds of reasons for liking a particular politician or party, for there is no such thing as a uni-dimensional governing policy, nor a uni-dimensional voter, nor a uni-dimensional politician.  We may choose to hate another for the political party, the sports team, the causes they support or do not support.  At this juncture, when the entire world is in the midst of a pandemic for which none of us has been fully prepared, and no country has a magic bullet to vanquish, we still see division through nominal political affiliation, and even hatred spread through such self-identification.  Even the use of a particular drug with promising effects against the coronavirus illness has become entirely politicized through our news media and deliberate political maneuvering  On this day, much of the world is commemorating Good Friday, the day on which our Savior died on the Cross (for the Eastern Orthodox, that is one week away).   Let us remember the vituperative treatment offered to our Savior, the crowds so easily stirred up and manipulated against Him.  And let us contrast that with what the Gospels teach us, that to judge with righteous judgment is not to judge by appearance.  It is not to judge by one thing or another, nor even a moralistic code which identifies particular behaviors as out of bounds, for even perfect obedience to the commandments of the law did not guarantee the eternal life promised by Christ (see this reading).  Let us remember that in our communion is the fullness of what it means to be a person, and to meet person-to-person -- and person-to-Person -- within the Eucharistic cup.  For this is what it means to truly save and to heal.  St. Peter will return to the fold of the disciples and be forgiven.  Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, important members of the ruling Council which plotted and determined to have Christ killed, are called saints by the Church.   We cannot judge by appearances, as we are forbidden to do so by the words of Christ Himself.  Our faith depends for its communion upon dialogue, and we cannot have dialogue where varying opinions, for one reason and another, work only to vilify individuals based solely on appearances and not on hearing one another out and coming together as best we can.  On this day, let us remember our Lord and His sacrifice for us, for the life of the world -- and think about what good health in body, soul, and spirit really means.  He offers us life; in hatred and judgment by appearance there is only death.  In our salvation and wholeness, we are all on a road.  Let us follow Him as we can, even as our examples in today's reading show us.  We are meant to be carrying our cross with Him, and righteous judgment is part of the way that we do it.