Spy Wednesday, Holy Waste & The Poor Will Always Be With You

There is story associated with this day in the Holy Week that is a very special story to me. The story is found in the fourteenth chapter of Marks gospel. In Jerusalem on the high holy days of Passover we see political and religious leaders seeking and scheming to arrest, condemn and kill Jesus. Then in the end of this vignette we see Judas, one of the twelve, a man from Jesus own community and one under his leadership conspiring to betray Him. Between the tension of these book ends we here those familiar words of Jesus "The poor will always be with you"

Below is the text from Mark and a talk I gave some time ago on this important passage. enjoy.

Mark 14 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.