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 at 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 current readings, it is Holy Week, and Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has told His disciples of the coming destruction of the temple, and the end of the age.  He has told two parables about His Second Coming, and the Judgment that will take place:  the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, and the Parable of the Talents.  In yesterday's reading, He told them,  "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 notes here that Jesus was delivered up to His Passion by His accusers, yet He is going willingly.  Unless He had willed to go, His accusers could never have taken Him, Indeed, there are earlier times when the authorities tried to arrest Him, and failed.  After His Resurrection, my study bible tells us.  many saints imitated Christ by willingly going to martyrdom.

 And when Jesus was at 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."  Jesus' gracious response is to a gift of love and devotion.  St. John Chrysostom comments that Jesus accepts the gift offered by this woman, but in principle acts of charity to the poor are preferable even to outward signs shown to God (25:40, James 1:27).  But this woman's heart is full of love, and her act of love is one of note as it flows from love of God:  she anoints Him for burial.  So essential is this gift, Jesus gives us to understand, that wherever the gospel is preached, what she's done will also be told as a memorial to her.  The link in this story is one that proves to be stronger than everything else:  that charity in its highest and most honored form is the outpouring of love, a true act of the heart.  The greatest acts of love and compassion are those we are led to by God, via such faith.  Simon the leper is mentioned as one known to the readers of the Gospel; it seems likely he was known to the early Church.  Perhaps he is one who was healed earlier by Christ, else he would not be in community with others at his home.

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 seeks on his own initiative to betray Jesus.  While his motives have been debated, tradition agrees that his primary motive was greed (see John 12:4-6).  By John's account, Judas is the one who chastises the woman in the story of above, about the "waste" of myrrh, but it is because he was a thief (see also 1 Timothy 6:10).  We may possibly read into the story of Judas his response to a rebuke from Christ.  That he is called one of the twelve is making it clear the depth of betrayal involved.  He is one of Christ's chosen.

In today's reading, we get a remarkable contrast of motives and behaviors.  There are the leadership who plot to kill Him, and somewhat "cunningly" avoid the crowds they fear although they will still carry out their plan in secret ways, in accordance with the hypocrisy with which Jesus has already so explicitly charged them.   And then there is the anointing with fragrant oil by the woman at the home of Simon the leper, an act of faith, love, and devotion -- a very pure act of charity.  Her act stands as a kind of crowning example of what it is to be truly and deeply charitable, for she doesn't act out of selfishness or a desire to be known but out of humility.  It is an act of faith and love, made with purity of heart.  Jesus links it with anointing for His burial, making it an act in accordance with the plans of God, and so one truly inspired by faith.  Love, the story seems to teach us, is the highest act of charity, the crowning capacity of human beings, the one thing that makes us most "like God."  The oil is also a mirror of pure grace, as we have discussed before the tie between the word for "oil" and the word for "mercy" in the Greek (they sound alike).  It is a pure symmetry of meaning, as Christ is the Anointed One, the Messiah, whose gift of grace to the world will be the Holy Spirit who comes after Him and by Whom each is anointed.  And yet this woman becomes the one who anoints the Christ with her love and mercy and grace acting through her.  By contrast, there is Judas, whose failure is humility:  not only can he not bring his tendency for greed into the yoke of discipleship, but he seems to me a bad disciple who cannot hear the love in the rebuke of the Lord.   He reacts as one who, similarly to the religious leadership, covets a place of honor without true discipleship to God.  Over and over again, the Gospels give us the consistent message of humility, that to be great is to be servant of all, and to be first is to be slave of all.  Humility, that is, to Christ and His commands, where all else, including those things that are a part of us that stand in the way, must be turned away for the sake of His kingdom and the care of the "little ones," one of whom is surely this woman.  Her act of faith and devotion is the opposite of that of Judas.  Her gift is one of love and supreme charity, an act of humility as told in all the Gospels.   But Judas' piety about giving to the poor is hypocrisy; in return for his rebuke Judas receives a rebuke from Christ (John 12:1-7).  And that becomes yet another teaching to us about hypocrisy and the state of the heart.  Jesus says, "You have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always."  It reminds us of what love and faith do, that we see Christ everywhere and in all things, we keep in mind our discipleship and follow His commands, and it is that love that is extended to all those whom we would receive in His name, as He's taught in our previous reading.  So we ask, what is charity and how is it linked to love?  How do both come of a pure heart of faith?  That is possibly the deepest mystery of all, and the true key to what it is to be a great disciple.

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 summed up in very plain and striking speech, His teachings on mercy, and how we are to live in this time in which we await His Second Coming. He has told us three parables regarding His return and how we are to live in this time: about how to be faithful and wise servants while the Master is away, the foolish and wise virgins, and the parable of the talents. In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke about the Judgment. He did so to teach us once more His teachings on the practice of mercy. In Judgment He will come in His glory, with all the holy angels, and separate the sheep and the goats, on His right and left. Jesus taught that He will say to the sheep: "'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 as 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 turn to the others, stating how they failed to do for Him any of the things listed above. Jesus taught: "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." Here Jesus foretells His death; He knows the time of it, He knows how it will happen. My study bible points out that He goes willingly. "Others," it says, "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." In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke of the mercy we are to show those who are in need, and His return as all-powerful King. We contrast that to the Man who is going to His death to be crucified as a criminal and treated absolutely unjustly, even outside the normal process of the law among His own. In itself, this part of the story reminds us that He came to us as One in need, an outcast, among the poor and humble. We must never forget that. It is an indispensable part of the story, something so integral to our faith and the workings of salvation that it becomes central to our understanding of God and God's will for us.

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." Again, there is in itself the significance of this story as juxtaposed so soon after Jesus teaches about our need to practice mercy. Is His teaching of the practice of mercy all about money, the bottom line, what is most efficient? Or is it, instead, a teaching of the heart, of love? Money does not solve all problems, nor is it always the most loving gesture that fills a true need! Here the criticism is against this woman and her gesture of love for Christ. In this case, one could say, to my way of thinking, that a focus on the money alone is a focus only on good works for show, and a lack of understanding of mercy and grace at work in her and her action. Simon the leper would be another example of the excluded or ostracized being included in Christ's brotherhood, another example of what it may mean to be among the poor and humble. He must have been healed by Jesus earlier, says my study bible, for lepers were forbidden to live in towns.

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." Here it is, the statement that the poor we have with us always. (See yesterday's reading for a reference to it in Jesus' teachings on the practice of mercy and our preparation for His Second Coming.) This great gesture of love, for His burial, becomes a deeper affirmation of what it is to know God, to be in dialogue and relationship with God. My study bible says, "Should we give to charity or to the Church building fund? What specifically is to be done with our personal funds and the Church's money is not resolved here; but Christ establishes that a believer's gift of his very best to honor and glorify the Person of Christ is just as worthy as giving to the poor." In this anointing we once again see an image of the Spirit and of grace at work: we remember the Greek word for oil as practically identical in sound to the word for mercy, and the connotations and connections therein. She is acting in the Spirit, it is again a gesture of prayer in this context. It is also one of great beauty and love, an apposite gift. Beyond that, it is an acceptance of His death that He has foretold, a willingness to serve the mysterious will that He teaches us to follow always.

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. In Judas, perhaps we see the results of too strong a focus on works alone in the sense of appearance before human beings, and a lack of understanding of the grace in the loving gesture of this woman. A focus on money is consistent with the historical understanding of the Church, that this is an act of greed on Judas' part. But elsewhere, we are told that it was Judas who criticized this woman. (She is most likely Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, Jesus' close friends, as reported in John's gospel). So, Judas is also responding to a public rebuke from Christ, another sign of emphasis on appearance before men, a lack of understanding of love and relationship to Christ, and even Christ's love for him as Teacher.

This story of Mary and the ointment may be a hard one for many people to accept, but in the gesture I find tremendous beauty and love, and a deeper teaching than the way in which we usually think about charity and sharing. I think that acts of love trump everything. They don't always make sense in a worldly way of thinking. They may not be efficient in a purely cost-base sense. But love can be as easily expressed through a simple gift as a very costly one, and from such an example we take our cue here. We know, also, that Christ will make the greatest sacrifice for all of us through love, and that her sacrifice of a costly ointment is out of love for Him. The acts of the heart, of a loving heart, are those which are prompted through prayer. That is, those that are prompted through union and relationship to a loving God who urges us to love in the language and understanding of the heart -- the mystical place where the Spirit may be at work in us and in our lives, prompting us to our works. In this gesture is an affirmation of love, and in Christ's rebuke is once again the sense that with our worldly perspective alone we can't really fully understand what this is all about. We can't always know what is best apart from the loving reality we may find in dialogue and acceptance of God and the grace of the Spirit. How else could we possibly understand the Crucifixion, except as an act of love that would do so much more good than its evident harm in the worldly sense? There is also the love in the rebuke of Christ, telling Judas the truth, and teaching him about love. One extraordinary gesture, one rebuke, and the commitment to His crucifixion and death -- all these things we have in today's reading. But all of them become acts of great grace, astounding and powerful, as we reach toward the Passion and Crucifixion in Matthew's gospel. If there is anything we could take from today's reading, it is perhaps simply a prayer for discernment, for the understanding of the mysterious law of love that comes from relationship to a loving God, and for the eyes to truly see what love wants and what love does. The bottom line won't tell us that. We need a different understanding to truly know what is best, and what serves the most.