Monday of Holy Week

Monday, April 14, 2025

John 12:3-6a, NIV

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,   “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief.

Reflection - Pastor Taylor Walker, Zion Lutheran Church, Spring City

The account of Mary anointing Jesus before his death is one of the rare ones that appears in all four gospels, although John includes two aspects that are quite unique. First, he specifies that it was Judas, the betrayer, who scoffs at Mary’s work. Second, he clarifies for us that Judas was not righteously indignant as we might like to think, but instead was upset on his own behalf, since he had a habit of skimming money off the top. I wonder how often, in our world, that very thing happens – when a person criticizes the way money is spent, not to make sure more vulnerable people are assisted, but in order to make themselves wealthier. I am writing this devotion to you from February 2025, and right now, news coverage is full of political decisions being made by the unelected uber-wealthy. I don’t know the future, but I fear in the coming weeks and months we may wonder this question more and more frequently. So, in the midst of the waiting and the not knowing… join me in prayer.

Prayer: God of everything – you made the widow and her mite, you made the rich man with the servants, you made every atom of gold that ever became golden coin. You made me, and all I have is yours. Help me remember that, God. Help me to not hold my possessions tightly, but offer them freely, give them generously, as if every cent I offer a person in need is going straight to you. Help me be Mary, no matter how loud Judas is. Amen.