Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?”
He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.
— John 12:1-11
Today’s Gospel reading is a great description for how our priorities should look like. At first glance, Judas’ objection might seem somewhat sensible (if we ignore the true spirit with which he objected to the anointing of Jesus with it, a spirit of greed): perhaps that oil could’ve been put to “better” use by selling it and giving it to the poor. But Jesus’ answer reminds us of how much more the intent of our hearts matters over the outward actions of piety and charity we might undertake.
The difference between Mary of Bethany and Judas is very clear: Mary gives the best she has to Jesus, in a spirit of love and devotion, which contrasts strongly to Judas’ position of calculated greed hidden behind a facade of charity.
There are two broader lessons from today’s Gospel:
That true acts of love are not about the outward expression, but about the intents of the heart.
That we ought to prioritize serving Our Lord, and that all actions of true charity and love for our neighbor will proceed from that devotion.
May we all, like Mary of Bethany, offer Christ the very best of what we have, with devoted, humble hearts, and avoid the hypocritical tendency of every human heart to profess our faith and charity outwardly while remaining unconverted on the inside.
In Christ,
Juan — Simple Man
Thank you for reading, and God bless you!
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Great reflection.