Photo: pinterest.com Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as He sat at meat. But when His disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, He said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me. For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him (Matt. 26:6–16).
This is the short excerpt to which today is dedicated. This passage tells us about the most important thing that happened that day. The Lord came to the leper Simon. Leprosy is a terrible disease that’s transmitted through the air through contact with someone who has it. The Lord didn’t disdain the sick Simon; He wasn’t afraid but went to his house. He thereby showed His love for him, because love quite often requires such courage and bravery from us.
Photo: ok.ru
The second active character in this event is the sinful woman, whom the Church’s tradition and hymns tell us had sinned with a life of fornication. Nevertheless, her love for God overcame her spiritual weakness. The Lord glorified her, saying that where the Gospel is preached, her actions will be spoken of, that for the sake of the Lord she didn’t spare even the most precious things she had. The Lord stood up for her, defending her, saying she was preparing Him for His burial. Indeed, unwittingly. Quite often a man, following only the impulses of his heart, can either do something good or something very evil. It depends on what’s in his heart. The Lord didn’t praise her for having a sinful life before but for having love in her heart. Initially, in the first part of her life, she also had a concept of love, but it was distorted and sinful. She managed to correct, adjust, and straighten this life. The Lord sets her as an example.
And poor Judas, tormented by various passions, didn’t come to sell the Savior; but there was such discord in his soul that he agreed to the first price offered him by the chief priests. They gave thirty pieces of silver, and he agreed. What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you? (Matt. 26:15). He didn’t say: “I have something to tell you; I want such and such a sum from you.” No, he agreed to what they offered him, immediately, without any bargaining.
It happens in life, unfortunately, that one sinner repents of his sins and ascends from sin to purity, to truth, to holiness, to the spiritual life, while another sinner turns from this path and falls further and further, even to the point of murder. Judas is fully complicit in the murder of Christ. He did this willingly, because he knew that the scribes, high priests, and Pharisees wanted to kill Him. And he served this purpose, not hindering it in any way.
We need to be very attentive to our lives, to see if we have enough courage to show love. To ensure that despite the fact that we are sinners, we still turn away from sin and move towards God or, conversely, degrade even more. In this way we’ll become like our Savior and those whom He sets as an example for us. This woman showed mercy, thereby preparing the Lord for burial. Any manifestation of such nobility, self-sacrifice, and generosity within us is what the Lord expects from us, is what pleases Him. That’s how He wants to see us. We’re all sinners; there are no righteous people. There are only people who are deluded about themselves. This happens, unfortunately.
Two grave sinners: One a lover of money, and the other a harlot. You can see how different their fates were. One entered the Heavenly heights, while the other perished so cursedly. How terrible it is. Therefore, if by the grace of God we show some courage, we’ll be able to follow in her footsteps.
God save us all!
