Monday of Holy Week, April 14, 2025

Gospel

John 12:1-11

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,

where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,

while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.

Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil

made from genuine aromatic nard

and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;

the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,

and the one who would betray him, said,

"Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages

and given to the poor?"

He said this not because he cared about the poor

but because he was a thief and held the money bag

and used to steal the contributions.

So Jesus said, "Leave her alone.

Let her keep this for the day of my burial.

You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,

not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,

whom he had raised from the dead.

And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,

because many of the Jews were turning away

and believing in Jesus because of him.

Reflection

There are several things that stood out to me in this Gospel. One of the moments being how clearly Judas’ actions foreshadow his eventual betrayal of Jesus in the end, all driven by greed. His words, "Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and given to the poor?”, we know are anything but genuine or charitable, as the Gospel states, “He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions”. Judas masked his criticism with concern, but his heart was far from the Lord. This moment exposes his true character, and Jesus’ response, "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me”, foreshadows His death even more. It is difficult for me to comprehend the fact that six days before He was to die, Jesus is sharing a meal with His closest friends, Lazarus, whom He had wept over and then raised from the dead not long ago, and his sisters Martha and Mary. And yet at the same table sits Judas, the one who would betray Him. It paints a stark contrast of the deep love Mary, Martha, and Lazarus have for Him against the quiet treachery of Judas.

This passage also reminded me of another moment involving Mary and Martha, when Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him, while Martha busied herself with serving and grew frustrated that Mary wasn’t helping. In both moments, Mary’s actions are misunderstood. Yet both times, she is simply offering Jesus her heart, first through her undivided attention, and now through an act of extravagant love. While Martha viewed her as unhelpful and Judas as wasteful, Mary saw what really mattered. Mary’s example makes me pause and reflect, on how I show my love and devotion to Jesus. It makes me question... how do we honor our Lord and Savior? Are we willing to pour out our hearts in love, as Mary did?