I Am Like Judas

"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 his 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 will 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?""*

Then I had to stop.

I read the Bible differently than I used to. Completely different things stick out than when I was a child, or even a younger adult. Before, this passage was about the woman and how good she was so give so much for Jesus, to truly honor his worth.

Today, as I read this passage, I saw something completely new.

What made Judas Iscariot make this decision? There he was, an apostle, eating with Jesus. Then, after this conversation where the apostles are sort of scolded, Judas decides to betray Jesus.

How dare he? Right?

But honestly, if you look at it, it might make sense.

And then I see how limited and small my understanding of Jesus is,

I see where the disciples are coming from. That woman poured oil on Jesus' head. Very expensive oil that could have been sold and the money used to feed the poor. Wouldn't Jesus want that? I thought I was making Jesus proud by thinking about other people and how we could help them with this money. Instead, Jesus reprimands me. Well, Jesus, I think you made a bad call here. That is some expensive oil. We could have fed so many poor people with that. And you love the poor! With your death getting closer are you suddenly not thinking straight?

I am right and you are wrong. Not usually. But this time you made the wrong call.

And with that thinking, Judas decided to take things into his own hands. Suddenly Judas knew what was best. Judas was calling the shots. He would show Jesus who had power over decisions. So he sells himself out to the chief priests.


I am like this.

I think a lot of us are.

We know what is best.

Can't trust someone else.

I am capable of taking my whole future into my hands.


Stop trying to play God.


Just trust him. He knows what he is doing. And he has your best in mind.

Furthermore, do you not even realize the magnitude of who Jesus is? The poor people would never eat that food if they knew that it could be exchanged for oil to pour on Jesus' body. They saw Jesus and they knew who he was.

We are too insensitive these days. Jesus is God.

Don't forget it. Don't belittle it.

Praise Him.

Trust him with reckless abandon. He has a plan that is so much bigger and better than your imagination.

Just give in.

It is not giving up.

It is surrender.

*Matthew 26:6-15a, ESV