Reflection by The Rev'd Dr Deborah Broome

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’                                                John 12:1-8

We’re at the point in Lent, aren’t we, where everything seems to speed up towards Holy Week.  Martha, Mary, and Lazarus give a dinner for Jesus, and we’re reminded of when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.  At the dinner, Mary takes some costly perfume and anoints Jesus.   Kings, priests, people being commissioned for an important role, were anointed on the head.  We do that when we baptise someone.  But it was Jesus’ feet that received the perfume, and the only one who got anointed on the feet was someone who was dead: whether she’s conscious of it or not, Mary is preparing Jesus for burial.

What people often focus on is Jesus’ comment when Judas criticises what he sees as a waste of money: “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”  On the face of it, Judas seems to have a good point.  It’s right to care about the poor – we all know this.  And Jesus’ words have sometimes been taken to mean that his (and the Church’s) priority was to be saving souls, not transforming society.  It’s worth remembering at this point that it’s only Judas, who by focusing on the cost of the perfume and on what else the money could’ve been spent on, is trying to set up a contrast between extravagant worship and acts of charity.  And Judas (the one who would shortly hand Jesus over to those who will kill him) is the bad guy in this Gospel.  The writer makes it clear that he’s really only pretending to care about the poor; he would’ve sold the perfume so he could steal the proceeds.  The real contrast is between Mary’s genuine and extravagant love and Judas’ pretence of caring for the poor.

And let’s not misinterpret that line: we need to set it in context.  When Jesus notes that we’ll always have the poor with us, he’s referring to a Torah principle: “Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbour in your land’.” [Deuteronomy 15:11] We always have a duty to care for those who’re in need – if some people are poor it’s because other people aren’t sharing what they have.  Deuteronomy 15 isn’t really about charity – it’s about justice.  Ultimately that’s about addressing the systems that create inequality and poverty.  And Jesus’ message was along the same lines.  In all the Gospels we see him consistently reaching out to those who were poor, marginalised, and excluded.  Was it that Judas didn’t understand this – or did he understand it only too well and not like it?