The religious leaders had tolerated Jesus because of how well liked He was. They didn’t like what He was teaching, but they didn’t know how to silence Him without upsetting the people. They initially tried to reprimand Jesus for allowing His followers to worship Him when they called Him the Son of David, “Do you hear what they are saying (Matthew 21:16)?” Then Jesus exposed the corruption in the temple and they were livid. So, they tried to trap Jesus with questions, but Jesus turned it on them and exposed them for their hypocrisy. Now, they have resorted to scheming in private for a way to kill Jesus discreetly.
There was only one problem. They needed an inside man. And right on cue, in walks Judas Iscariot, who sells Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver, the lowest price possible for a slave.
Right in the middle of this story there is an interesting account of a woman who anoints Jesus’ with an expensive ointment. With this, we have a stark contrast. Judas sold Jesus out for almost nothing. This woman anointed Jesus with a priceless treasure.
The woman’s actions bother Judas. His false sense of altruism condemns the woman’s expression of devotion by saying that the ointment could have been sold to feed the poor. His indignation, however, betrays his heart. He values the treasure of the ointment over the treasure of Christ. This woman valued a single encounter with Jesus as greater than a lifetime of savings.
We could read a lot into this text, but Matthew doesn’t really give us more details. Instead, He is content to show us this woman’s devotion in contrast to the betrayal of Judas. This woman was worshipping Jesus and her actions speak louder than she even intended. Jesus told His disciples that He was about to die in two days, but they ignored it. This woman is preparing Jesus for burial without fully understanding what she is doing.
Today is a day of examining our worship. Do we truly value Christ over everything else in our life? Are we willing to deny ourselves so that we might gain Christ? What offerings do we have to give to God today?