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4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 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. 7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” 9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. ~ John 12:4-11
In John 12, we are given a few contrasts, the most pronounced is between Mary, who poured perfume on the Lord Jesus, and Judas, who complained that Mary's worship was a waste. Mary's eleven-ounce flask of perfume was worth about $25,000. Just before the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, Judas would betray Him for $1000.
Despite the fact Judas said the money from the sale of Mary's perfume could be used to help the poor, he did not care for the poor. As the treasurer appointed by the Lord Jesus, he wanted the money for himself. In fact, Judas often took money from the money box. Judas’ heart valued money more than he valued the Lord Jesus. Judas’ heart contradicted the treasure who is the Lord Jesus.
Mary’s heart was full of gratitude, love and joy overflowing into worship of the One who meant so much to her. Mary loved Jesus. Mary’s heart corresponded with the treasure that is the Lord Jesus. We were created to worship. Our greatest worship is of the Lord Jesus for He is the greatest. Anything that convinces us to worship Him must be valued. Anything which prevents us from this is a curse.
Worship comes from a heart that has been broken and blessed by God. Such a heart expresses its gratitude to the Lord who fills it so full and makes it so rich.
In v.7, the Lord Jesus says, "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial." We do not know how Mary had come into this costly perfume. Undoubtedly, the Lord provided it for her. As with all things that He gives us, these were all given to be a means of our worship of Him.
Notice Jesus' words v.8, “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” His bodily presence in the body for them to see, hear and touch will be there only for a short time longer. Mary knows the preciousness of Jesus’s bodily presence, thus the anointing with the very expensive perfume. This was not precious to Judas. His sense of value is measured by money. His reference to the poor was a cover for his greed. He’s a thief. He wants money, not the Lord Jesus. His heart is the opposite of Mary’s.
Our greatest treasure must be the Lord Jesus. Mary was able keep on treasuring the Lord Jesus even after His burial. Mary had experienced intimacy with the Lord Jesus, despite her deep pain. It was through her pain that she was opened up to the Lord's preciousness. She would have not known intimacy with Him without her pain.
Judas was not born of God, despite the fact that he had spent so much time with Him. Judas did not value his ability to know the Lord Jesus with his heart, to see Him with his eyes, to hear Him with his ears, to touch Him with his hands. He never knew the value of John 1:14, "The Word was made flesh and is dwelling among you full of grace and truth."
Mary had seen the glory of the Lord Jesus. Mary had tasted His grace. Mary has gotten a glimpsed of His truth. And Mary’s heart had been formed by this experience. And she had reached for the most valued thing she could find to express the inexpressible: a heart that matches the worth of the Lord Jesus.
In mere seconds, the valuable perfume was dispensed, but she still had her brother. And the Lord Jesus is the one who raised him and He is the reason life is worth living. He is the resurrection and the life. There is no way to calculate the cost of love. There is no way to put the heart in a scale and say, this much love for the Lord Jesus and no more. Jesus is inexpressibly wonderful, and Mary is inexpressibly affectionate.
Judas didn't love the poor, because he didn’t love the Lord Jesus. The love of money, the desire to be rich robs us of real love and real life. It blinds us to the worth of the Lord Jesus. He, the Lord Jesus, is to be desired above all riches. Our preference for money, the things of this world, is preference for death. Our preference for the Creator of life is preference for life.
