The last word on money

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

John 12:1-8

In the last few days before his death, Jesus is still offering thoughts about money. Judas makes a disingenuous statement about wasteful spending on expensive perfume to anoint Jesus by Lazaraus' sister Mary, who wanted to express her love of Jesus. Jesus replies that the moment might call for something special -- either as that sort of expression or as preparation for Jesus' death.

One of the noticeable features of Jesus' various statements about money was that they were generally context driven. What was the right answer for Mary probably wouldn't have been the right answer for the rich young man who was told to sell all he had and give it to the poor. And the answer is not always the same for us. Sometime we should use our material resources for those who have been marginalized by society, people we may never know. Other times a luxurious gift for the beloved may be the best way we express our faith in God's abundant love for all of us.