Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.
The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. 9“It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
Mathew 26:6-16
The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. 9“It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
Mathew 26:6-16
He Kept Moving Towards The Cross For Us
On Wednesday, Jesus spent the day in the town of Bethany with His disciples and friends. While they were eating together, a woman came with a fancy jar full of expensive perfume to pour over Jesus’ head. This might sound like a strange thing for someone to do – and it is! We don’t actually know exactly why this woman chose to do this, but it’s likely that pouring oil on the head of an honored guest was common in her culture, and she wanted to honor Jesus by putting expensive perfume on Him.
This was strange to the disciples, too. They got mad at the woman because they thought she could have sold the expensive perfume and given the money to the poor. To them, it was a waste. But to Jesus it meant something deeper. He knew that in two days, He would be betrayed and crucified. To Him, her perfume was more than just a gift, it was symbolic of getting His body ready for burial. In those days, when someone was buried, they were covered with spices and oils to mask the smell of decay. This is what the woman was doing for Jesus. It was a strange and beautiful gift.
But unknown to the other disciples, after the visit from the woman, Judas went to see the priests at the Temple. He knew they had been trying to figure out a way to take Jesus down, and Judas offered to help them for a price. In exchange for betraying Jesus, they offered him 30 silver pieces (about $600), and he took the deal.
The reason why this day is significant is because it reminds us that Jesus knew the whole time what was going to happen to Him. He knew Judas would betray Him for a small sum of money, He knew He would undergo torture and excruciating pain, and He knew He was going to be murdered on the cross. At any point He could have stopped it all from happening, ran away, or done something to avoid what He was going to have to go through. But He kept moving willingly towards the cross for us. That is how much He loves us.
When was a time that a friend did something behind your back that hurt you? What was your relationship like after that?
This was strange to the disciples, too. They got mad at the woman because they thought she could have sold the expensive perfume and given the money to the poor. To them, it was a waste. But to Jesus it meant something deeper. He knew that in two days, He would be betrayed and crucified. To Him, her perfume was more than just a gift, it was symbolic of getting His body ready for burial. In those days, when someone was buried, they were covered with spices and oils to mask the smell of decay. This is what the woman was doing for Jesus. It was a strange and beautiful gift.
But unknown to the other disciples, after the visit from the woman, Judas went to see the priests at the Temple. He knew they had been trying to figure out a way to take Jesus down, and Judas offered to help them for a price. In exchange for betraying Jesus, they offered him 30 silver pieces (about $600), and he took the deal.
The reason why this day is significant is because it reminds us that Jesus knew the whole time what was going to happen to Him. He knew Judas would betray Him for a small sum of money, He knew He would undergo torture and excruciating pain, and He knew He was going to be murdered on the cross. At any point He could have stopped it all from happening, ran away, or done something to avoid what He was going to have to go through. But He kept moving willingly towards the cross for us. That is how much He loves us.
When was a time that a friend did something behind your back that hurt you? What was your relationship like after that?