Every act takes place with different points of view; people seeing what happens from their own angle, colored by their own perceptions, expectations, narrowed vision, depth of lens. The trick, I find, is training myself to be more able than I tend to be to see something from someone else's point of view. To judge what is happening through their eyes. Things lose their blackness or whiteness and gain depth, complexity...reality...
This day's stories in Mark's gospels challenge us to see things from a wide spectrum of points of view...and not be so quick to judge.
It's Wednesday, two days prior to the Passover Feast (which actually is set to begin at sundown on Thursday and carry over into Friday). Jesus continues to teach, and to privately instruct/prepare his disciples for what is to come. But Mark chooses to tell the tale of the day with just three stories, two of which occur without Jesus being present.
In the first story, the Jewish leaders, having been chastised and completely flummoxed by Jesus as he taught in the Temple courts the previous day, plot to have him arrested. But there is an added shade of great threat - they also mean to have him killed. They're just looking for the right time.
The second story brings Jesus back on stage. He is having dinner with his disciples and others, and a woman comes with a container of costly perfume and pours it on Jesus. Other gospels tell us she used her hair to wipe his body, especially his feet. Some present, though, are outraged at such a waste of resources. Jesus, again, takes the opportunity to teach, and to commend her offering.
The third story focuses on Judas Iscariot. Perhaps he is one of those outraged about the woman. In short, terse phrasing, Mark tells us how Judas betrays Jesus to the Jewish leaders in exchange for money.
Motives. It's easy to judge in broad, swift, confident strokes of the sword (I'm well practiced). The chief priests were jealous of their power. Judas was obsessed by money. Most Christians are hypocrites. People who don't go to church are going to hell. Pastors are weak heroes. Those people worship the wrong way. "How can she believe that?" "That's not Biblical."
Could it be the Jewish Leaders really believed they were doing the right thing?...what God wanted them to do?...protecting the ancient faith? Would I want to do that, too?
Maybe the unnamed woman was actually desperate for attention, and she was acting impulsively...does that minimize the importance of what she did for Jesus? Are my motives always pure when I bring an offering to God? Does that make the offering less useful to him?
Maybe Judas really thought he was doing Jesus a favor. That the Jewish leaders would talk some sense into him and get him back on track to be Israel's true Messiah. If I was a disciple, would I really have understood what Jesus was doing on their side of the cross?
What's important here is that, in spite of the wide range of actions - helpful and hurtful - and spectrum of motives - pure, unpure and mixed - God is undeterred. Jesus, through it all, is an instrument of judgment, is being prepared for burial, is being given up (as he foretold) as a sacrifice.
I'm incredibly comforted by this. And incredibly warned. The will of God is sure and will come about, even if I don't cooperate too well. And I can still be used, even if my motives aren't always the best.
But, also, I can be found on God's wrong side, even if I'm dead certain I'm on the right side. If I'm too quick to judge, and my judgment is only based on my narrow field of view, I can suddenly find myself as lost and alone as Judas. I need to be more careful.
I challenge you to look at these stories today...this time with a fresh set of eyes. Then look at yourself, and the people around you. Be ready to judge as Jesus did the woman...the gift doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to make sense to me, but it was received by him as beautiful.
Prayer:
Gracious Lord, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of life, king of our hearts. Increase in our minds and hearts the riesn life we share with Christ, and help us to grow as your people toward the fulness of eternal life with you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
