We begin the final two weeks of Lent and the journey that Jesus took to Jerusalem, where he knew he was to be arrested and killed by the complicity of the religious rulers and the Romans.
As the
week progressed Jesus retreated from Jerusalem for a day, staying in Bethany
with his friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
The storm that was about to occur was quiet – silent. Yet what happened was clearly a picture of
the rest of the week.
“When Jesus had finished all these
sayings, he said to his disciples, ‘You know that after two days the Passover
is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.’
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the
palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in
order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the
feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman
came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she
poured it on his head as he reclined at the table.
And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this
waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”
But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she
has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but
you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done
it to prepare me for burial.
Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole
world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief
priests
and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they
paid him thirty pieces of silver.
And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him” (Matthew
26:1-16).
It’s
Wednesday and these events happen in parallel ways. Jesus is in Bethany at the
home of Simon, who was a leper. At the
same time, he is fully aware of what is going on behind the scenes. The chief priests and elders have had enough
and they are plotting to arrest Jesus…looking for a way and an opportunity.
Their original idea is to do it after the feast is over. It would be easier, and a lot of the pilgrims
coming for the feast would have left to return to their homes.
It all
changes when Judas decides that he will betray Jesus to the leaders. It gives them the impetus to put together a
group of soldiers and ambush Jesus and his disciples at a time when they
weren’t with the crowds.
But
first, we see Jesus anointed with oil from “a woman”. It might have been Mary the sister of Martha
and Lazarus, or one of the other women who were part of Jesus’ followers. What is amazing is that she anoints Jesus
“pre” his death. Did she know? Did she see it as an inevitable result of
Jesus’ life? We don’t know. What we know is that her action is in itself
prophetic. She is declaring what is about to happen and the disciples probably
didn’t see it until much later – Judas certainly didn’t.
No one
probably understood what was going on and what was about to happen. It’s indicative of our Spiritual lives that
we can live day by day and often be oblivious to what God is doing “in” and
“around” us. Maybe that’s why Jesus kept
saying to his followers… “Do you have eyes to see?” The woman was moved
to do the anointing. It was an act of
worship and an act that would serve to be remembered by the disciples after it
was all over. Judas’ accusation is that
it was a waste, but Jesus’ rebuke shows that it is not true – it was
extravagant worship, and one that is forever remembered.
Judas is
the tragic figure…all that time walking with Jesus, watching Jesus, witnessing
Jesus’ words and works…and he never got it.
Why? Lots of reasons, but first
of all, he had a religious agenda that Jesus would not fulfill. He wanted Jesus
to overthrow the Romans and set up God’s Kingdom upon the earth. Jesus did declare “The Kingdom of God is
at hand”…but Judas wanted a revolution that sent the Romans back to Italy,
and that was not Jesus’ work the Father had for him to do. Perhaps when the woman poured the oil, as if
to prepare Jesus for his death, Judas turned from a follower to a traitor.
The
contrast in the characters on this day could not be starker. The woman poured oil on Jesus’ head as an act
of worship, while the religious rulers plotted to kill Jesus. Judas stood in the middle, and watching his
expectations of Jesus dissolve, decided to take matters into his own
hands. The name of Judas Iscariot always
appears last in the list of the Apostles, and it makes us wonder – mysterious
wonder – about God’s plans and purposes in his betrayal. Did Judas make a choice? Yes!
Did Judas have a choice? Yes!
Still, in the plans and purposes of God, Jesus mentions more than once
that he knew he would be betrayed. The
providential, sovereign purposes of God are mysteriously fulfilled in Judas’
choice.
This
Wednesday serves as a pivot point in Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. There is a silent storm that is brewing and
no one, except Jesus sees it. Today is a
day of prophetic actions… and Jesus will rest until tomorrow’s events begin.
Peace
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