John 12:1-11 Holy Week: Monday

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Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead…Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil…and anointed the feet of Jesus…Judas said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?”

Have you ever had this happened to you?  That no matter how much you help others, it’s never enough…in their eyes.  I think moms and dads have.  That is, no matter how many trips you make for your children; no matter how many meals you prepare for them; no matter how many punches you take from them, it’s never enough…for them.  They still insist on questioning your love for them.  They still insist on giving you the guilt trip!

If you’re fortunate enough to not have this problem in the home, then I guarantee you will with either your business partners, friends, classmates or neighbors. 

I can’t stand you!  Let’s face it; regardless of what you say or do, there are some people in this world that will never be able to accept you, for they are so far removed from objectivity; so far removed from honesty; so far removed from reality, that no matter what you say or do, it will never be enough for them; or worse, it will always be that you wronged them!   

Welcome to Christ’s world.  This is how Christ must have felt with Judas breathing down his neck.  The Lord was never good enough for him; He was never holy enough for him; he was never worthy enough for him.  But the problem wasn’t with the Lord!  The problem was with Judas.  He was corrupted.  He had allowed his heart to become like stone; his mind to become a slave to his own passions; and his will to be entrenched in his own interests and desires.

He should have done more.  This is the new “catch-all” for all humanity.  This is the latest and greatest expression (really a judgment) that can easily and smoothly be applied to all human beings:  living as well as dead!  It is intended to inflict maximum damage on a person’s reputation, and it succeeds in making people feel and look guilty.  But no one can escape its clutches.  And so it's extremely important that it is applied first to another before it gets applied to you.    

Judas spoke first (to Mary):  “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?”  In other words, “Why aren’t you doing more for the poor?”  As we read further on, we learn that Judas was not interested at all in the poor; he was interested in himself. 

When Judas said these silly words, the Lord responded not by defending himself but by defending Mary, the sister of Lazarus:  “Leave her alone.  Let her keep this for the day of my burial.”

There are already some people who are writing articles attacking the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for his “silence” on the atrocities committed by the military junta in Argentina.  Even though he was cleared of all accusations, his accusers now say that he should have done more.  But like Judas, what these people will not say is that for some time now they have had an axe to grind with Cardinal Bergoglio and the Church. 

Most of the articles attacking the Holy Father are from Marxists, Leftists, secularists and/or atheists.  In other words, people who are so far removed from the reality of humanity, decency, honesty and Christianity, that any axe is good enough to chop someone up with.

No matter how much you help others, it’s never enough…in some people’s eyes!   I’m beginning to think this is a diversionary device to draw attention away from themselves and their own personal actions during the governments reign of terror.  Maybe the solution is for us to help these people remove the two humungous planks from their own eyes, or help them wash away their blood stained hands with mercy and forgiveness.  After all, they never cared about democracy or poverty, they're Marxists!  They never cared about ending poverty, they're the ones who spread it!  They don't care about peace, they want revolution and war!  They never cared about anything other than their own personal vendettas and agendas.    

No wonder the Lord responded to Judas' accusation by saying, "You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." Maybe the reason why we always have the poor is because we don't always have Christ.

Resolution:  Let us learn from the Lord.  Let’s stand up to these modern day professional bullies!  Let’s stand up for Christ and humanity by thinking of others, appreciating others, and forgiving others.  Let’s help people change their lives for the better, for Christ.