From Knuckle head to World Changers

Matthew 26:1-13

Jesus has just finished talking about the final judgment, and turning to His disciples He said; “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” (Matthew 26:2)  It seems as if the disciples were not listening, that only Matthew heard these words and later reported what Jesus had told them.  For Luke, Mark, and John record the scheming of the chief priests and the elders.  I’ve often stated that the end game of religion is to kill someone, and Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with the Son of God.  Now that is not to say that many have by passed the relationship and still call themselves Christians, but do not follow the teaching of Christ and have done terrible things under the banner of Christ, but not under His authority or will.  

A great example of religion trying to remove its opponents is found in verses 3-5, “Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”  They have conspiracy in secrecy and the goal is not to arrest Jesus but to kill Him.

We have this account, of these knuckle heads, we call disciples, at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, when a woman came up to Jesus with an alabaster flash of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on Jesus’ head as he reclined at the table.  Yes, I know I called them knuckle heads and they were and so were you and I before the Spirit came to live within us, and even then many of us do not listen and still act like knuckle heads; I speak from experience.  Now back to Matthews account; “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.”

Have you been a member of a church where there are people who want to count the money, but they never come into the services, but at any discussion on the use of money they are at the forefront of the conversation.   And it has been my experience that they are often against spending that money on people in need.  Well, the disciples at this time in their walk with Jesus would have fit into the money counting group.

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.” 

You and I would be wise to recall the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:35-40, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice