Joel M Bradshaw

4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him [Jesus], objected, 5“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”–John 12

1. Mary had just anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume.
2. Judas strangely took issue with the massive gift and John tells us why Judas cared about it and tried to virtue signal about the poor.
3. Jesus defended her and her generosity.
4. Normally the Jewish people anointed the body before they put it in a tomb. Jesus linked her anointing to his upcoming death.
5. Then Jesus said that line about the poor.
6. The context here is Mary’s gift. Judas was criticizing Mary’s worship of Jesus and connected it to what she could have done with the money. Jesus accepted her action as worship. Very soon Jesus wasn’t going to be present like He was then. There would be further opportunities to care for the poor, but soon Jesus wasn’t going to be there anymore in the flesh like he was that day.
7. Your worship of Jesus may accomplish other great things like providing for mission work or stocking food pantries. Or your service to other people may also give glory to Jesus. But keep your focus on Jesus. Mary did, and Jesus noticed.–JMB