John 12:1-6
Six days before Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume, and poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He 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.
A few years ago I heard a preacher say that “money is the temple of the 21st century.” What he meant, of course, was that money plays an enormous role in shaping almost every area of our lives.
Money tells us where to live and how to live. Money tells us where to work and how much to work. Money tells us where we can send our children to school and what kinds of cars they can drive. Money sometimes even determines who our friends are and who we eventually marry.
There is no denying the power of money to bend and influence everything it touches – our desires, our priorities, our motivation, our relationships, even our faith.
In his famous words in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said it this way:
“You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24)
John tells us that Judas, evidently, had a weakness for money. I have an idea that Judas was probably a man who was considered “good with money.” That is, I think he knew how money worked, that he valued the necessity of money and what it could do for you. Perhaps that’s why he was put in charge of the group’s finances. But money was also a weakness for Judas. I think the evidence shows that, whatever else may have motivated Judas, he was definitely motivated by money. Another way to say that is, of course, that Judas loved money.
In this way I think most of us can identify just a bit with Judas. We live in a culture where money is openly worshiped as the “god” that Jesus warned us about. We are almost always aware of the “gravitational attraction” that money exerts around us. We notice the new car that a friend is driving and we wonder, “How much did that cost?” We notice the houses that are bigger than ours and wonder, “How can they afford that?” We hear constantly of athletes and entertainers who earn tens of millions of dollars per year and we think, “Wouldn’t it be great to have that kind of money!” And most of us have a secret number in our heads that we use to answer this question: “If I just had ___________ more, then I would have it made, then I would be happy!”
We know that Judas followed Jesus and that at some point he loved Jesus. But we know from the passage we read today that Judas also loved money and that at some point his love for money competed with his love for Jesus.
This competition was so intense that Judas completely missed the meaning of Mary pouring out the expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. He didn’t see an act of devotion and worship; he saw money being wasted. Mary was indicating by her behavior that Jesus was the most valuable and precious thing in the room. Judas’ reaction indicated that he thought the most valuable thing in the room had just been poured all over the floor.
So, let me ask, what competes with your love for Jesus? What thing, concern, relationship or habit rivals Jesus for the affection, adoration, and obedience of your heart?
When you are able to answer that question, ask yourself this: Would you be willing to pour it out at the feet of Jesus?
Pastor Brian Coffey
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