Good morning everyone,

John 12:4-8-But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

Because the name of "Judas" is so popular because of his wickedness, we as Christians are usually critical for what he did, but don’t study the heart he had to do such a thing as to betray Jesus. Judas had been with the other disciples as Jesus worked miracles of healing the sick, providing food, and witnessing His all-knowing wisdom as the Son of God. So we wonder how after seeing all those works of Jesus in the midst of his own life how he could come to betray Him so cheaply?

In this passage Judas is criticizing Mary for what she did with the perfume, even though it was her personal worship moment with Jesus! Though this sounds crazy, yet individuals in churches do it all the time. People will criticize the way you worship Jesus, not because they have a godly reason, but because they have an agenda and criticize for their own benefit! Judas as the scripture says, "didn’t care about the poor" but knows that is a noble concept for a follower of Jesus to consider. But Jesus silences his "secret agenda" by informing him that worshipping Jesus in whatever way God has layed on their heart to sacrifice, is the number one priority over any noble gesture in the world.

Jesus simply exposed the heart of Judas by showing him that if an individual is against worship then they are for their own agenda. Jesus tells us that "we cannot serve two masters" (Matthew 6 v24). So any "noble" gesture or service that did not spring up first from a heart that is worshipping Jesus Christ for His glory, then there is a personal agenda in doing the gesture (1 Corinthians 10 v31). Instead of admiring or being influenced by Mary’s worship, Judas criticized it. The poor was probably the best priority Judas or (the world) can come up with to silence another person whose priority is worship before service. However being left in poverty is not even on the same planet in comparison than going to hell! The world and (some professing Christians) don’t believe in hell, so of course forsaking our worship of Jesus to be active to help the poor makes sense if this world is all there is. Yet I’ve found in experience and observation that we do such things for ourselves without worship, and use the poor as "blanket" to cover up our real agenda, just like Judas. So let us be genuine in our worship and service wherever Spirit-led worship guides us (Romans 12 v9).

In His Love, Ld