Money is one topic that is talked about frequently in the gospels. Many parables center around how people use money ethically and unethically to illustrate larger points. Jesus also says many things directly about money, like when He is questioned about taxes and when He says it is harder for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle.
However here, we get a different perspective of the function of money within the kingdom of God in John 12:1-8:
"Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."
The story begins when a woman comes to Jesus and feels lead to pour expensive perfume over His feet. In A rush of emotion, the woman wipes away the perfume and her own tears with her hair. The disciples are appalled at this display for many reasons, but they specifically say what a waste it was for her to dump this perfume on Jesus’s feet when it could have been put to better use by selling it and giving the profit to the poor. To this, Jesus responds that this woman has done an honorable thing. He says there will always be poor people, but they will not always been in the presence of God incarnate. He says that what she has done was preparing Him to enter into the will of God through His death and Resurrection that were soon to come. He then says that what she has done was such a powerful display of love and sacrifice to God that it is a story that will be told around the world to display the power of the gospel message.
To me, this story speaks to where our priorities should lie in serving God with our resources. What Jesus is saying here is not that He doesn't care about the poor, but that if you focus on serving the poor only, you miss Jesus. But if you serve Jesus, His purpose is served and the poor will be served as well. This ties a little bit into the idea that faith without works is dead; you cannot have one devoid of the other to be a true servant of Jesus. If you just do works and do not have faith of give glory to God. If you seek to serve God above all things, like the anointing oil of this woman, it will flow downward to those who need to be served.
Using the logic of the disciples, one could argue that going to church on Sunday is a waste of 2 hours you could be volunteering in a soup kitchen, or that tithing is a waste of money because that money should go directly to your neighbor who is struggling. If the church is functioning properly, the time and money we give to the church and for the purposes of glorifying God, those who need to be served will be served with the resources of the church and the faith community.
If you give your time and resources with a pure heart to glorify God, have faith that God will steward His Spirit and His people to help those in need.
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