The Contrast of Two Disciples

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 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 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?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. (Matthew 26:6-16 ESV). I’m not sure there’s any great contrast between two disciples than that of this woman of faith and Judas Iscariot. While we do not know for sure who this woman was, we do know that she performed an act of great sacrifice toward Jesus. There is no doubt that regardless of who she was, the disciples were indignant that Jesus accepted such an extravagant expression, especially from a woman. Judas was so indignant that he went immediately to the religious leadership and bargained for his act of betrayal. Perhaps most interesting about this event is found in the symbolism behind it. In the ancient Near East, the act of anointing signified selection for some special role or task. Kings were often anointed with oil as part of their coronation ceremony, often by a prophet or priest. The Greek word Christos, Christ,” is a translation of the Hebrew word for Messiah, which means “the anointed one.” And so this anonymous woman finds herself in the untraditional position of priest and prophet. In the upside-down Kingdom of Jesus, it makes perfect sense. Those who would be first, shall be last; those who would be served, must serve; those who would rule, must be ruled. Jesus often used these contrasts. If you would live, you must first die; if you want to have victory, you must first surrender. I find it telling that so many people fail to understand that principle. We especially confuse quitting with surrendering. Jesus never asks us to quit. In fact, he encourages us to persevere, to keep going. The incredible truth is that by surrendering to the difficult path God often places us on, we are then enabled to keep going. Life can be incredibly cruel and challenging. The promise of God is to be with us through every experience of life. His strength will be infused into our lives allowing us to overcome every challenge. It is only when we quit going forward that we become mired in the pain of the present. Even when it looks as if there is no hope, the promise and example of Jesus is that nothing can snatch us away from our eternal reward. That’s the message of the resurrection. That’s the message behind the anointing of Jesus for burial. Don’t ever quit. Surrender to His will and way in your life. You will not be disappointed.