Judas and the Unnamed Woman

April 9, 2017  Matthew 26:1-16

Our gospel writer Matthew has put two short accounts of events side by side and I think he intends us to contrast them.  The first is Judas agreeing to betray Jesus.  The second is the unnamed woman who anoints Jesus.  Let’s briefly look at each one individually, then see a contrast between the two, and then apply that contrast to our world today.

We’ll start with Judas.  He may be the most notorious villain in history.  Thus far we haven’t heard much about him though.  He’s only mentioned once before; Chapter 10, Verse 4.  There’s he’s just mentioned in the list of disciples, but he is noted as the one who betrays Jesus.

Even though Judas hasn’t gotten the individual spotlight he has been with us all along.  Every time Matthew mentions, “the disciples” we know Judas is among them.  Today though, notice that it is Judas who goes to the religious leaders.  He takes the initiative.  They have not put up “Wanted” posters for Jesus.  Many people want to clean-up Judas and invent motives for him.  Some suggest that he thought he was actually helping Jesus by getting him in front of the chief priests.  That would end this cat and mouse game that’s been going on for the last few days.  Some suggest that since Judas was part of God’s plan he should be forgiven.  Whatever the case, all of that is between God and Judas.  Matthew leaves Judas no excuses.  Judas comes into Jerusalem with Jesus and the other disciples.  He’s there for a few days and then decides to betray Jesus.  He goes to the leaders and says, “What will you give me to betray him to you?”  They offer him 30 pieces of silver.

Thirty pieces of silver is significant.  Our first reading was chosen to point that out.  In Exodus 32:31 we learn that 30 shekels of silver is the price of a slave.  If you injure one of my slaves so severely that he or she dies or can no longer work you would owe me 30 shekels for my loss. 

A shekel was approximately 14.5 grams of silver.  I looked up the current trading price of silver and on April 3^rd it was $0.59 per gram, or about $8.55 per shekel.  So for 30 shekels it would be $256.65.  So, Judas sells out his Lord and Savior for the price of a slave… $256.65.

I hope you are insulted.  Most people will do just about anything for the right amount of money, but most people wouldn’t betray a friend for $256.65!  Matthew wants us to be absolutely appalled at Judas here.  From then on Judas looks for an opportunity to hand him over.  Judas is filth.  Judas is scum.

Now we turn to a different person also on the bottom.  An unnamed woman comes to Jesus while he is at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper.  Notice that while we are told the name of the house owner we are not told her name.  John’s gospel suggests that it was Mary the sister of Martha.  Many people have speculated that it is Mary Magdalene.  Who knows?  Those ideas come from other sources.  I think it is important to note here that she is not named.  I believe that is deliberate.

She pours an entire container of very expensive ointment onto the head of Jesus while he at the table presumably eating.  This act was certainly bold!  I can just imagine such a scene with every social convention being broken.  You just don’t do this sort of thing!  The disciples are understandably angry.  They say, “Why this waste?  For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.” 

Now notice some contrasts with Judas.  Judas is named.  This woman is not.  Judas sells Jesus out for $256.65.  No amount is given for the value of the ointment.  Judas is in the innermost circle of Jesus’ followers.  This woman has nowhere appeared.  If you imagine this to be a stage show it is as if she just walks onto the stage, does her thing, and then walks off again never to return.  Yet which of the two is the better disciple?  Which of the two understands what is really happening to Jesus?

Jesus says, “Why do you trouble the woman?  She has performed a good service for me.  For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.  By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial.  Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is preached to the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”

            This may be puzzling to us, but let’s keep it in context.  In the Interpretation commentary of Matthew (pg. 294), Douglas Hare points out that rabbis debated the relative merits of helping the poor and burying the dead.  They considered burying the dead to be a greater priority because it could only be done at a certain time while the poor could always be helped; plus it was a personal service or connection.   In other words, this may well have been a common understanding of the time. 

Whatever the case, she is certainly a mark of a faithful disciple.

I suspect Matthew is being deliberate but subtle when he contrasts evil Judas, with specifics and details, while good comes in the form of an unnamed woman who does an extravagant act of unknown value.  What is the subtle message?  That evil is limited.  It is contained.  It can be defined.  By contrast good is unlimited, uncontained, unbounded by anything.

You may remember that Matthew’s original readers were all too familiar with bad things happening.  They could probably give the names of people who acted just like Judas turning in relatives for ransoms and betraying friends.  Evil seemed all too strong.  It was all too close every day.  By contrast God’s good work felt weak and nebulous.  Jesus wasn’t coming back as quickly as they thought.  Their faith wasn’t making their lives more bearable.  It was making their lives worse.

Today we do not face this same situation but I think the same tendencies happen.  Look at the news on the TV, the radio or in print.  Most everything is about problems, failure, crises.  Our politicians of both political parties know that creating fear gets them votes.  If they can make you think that a decision or some legislation is going to create a doomsday scenario, you’ll probably join in reacting against it.

What’s the most effective way of getting elected?  Is it mostly putting forth the goodness of your agenda or is it tearing down your opponents agenda?  There’s some of both but I think the balance is on showing how your opponent will be bad.

Where does the news about successes and good things usually appear?  Late in the newscast, near the back of the newspaper section.

I think we subtly believe that the world is a generally bad place and failure and evil lurk everywhere trying to undo us.  Good seems all too small; all too weak.

What does Matthew’s gospel teach us?  Evil is not limitless.  It is bounded.  Actually it is quite small: $256.65.  God’s good work: too big to be defined, too big to be limited by names, too big to get a dollar amount.

Our challenge is to ignore the world which would think all is falling apart and we must keep unlimited evil at bay.  Instead trust that God is working and that God is good.  Good triumphs always.

Now, that triumph will not be easy.  Jesus certainly isn’t going to have an easy time of it!  Good can be exceptionally costly.  But it overcomes, always.

May you trust in God’s goodness and fear the bad, which is really quite limited and definable.  And may your life know the goodness of God now and every day.