The Two Sinners

Read Matthew 26:1-16

It’s hard to imagine a greater contrast between these two sinners: Judas Iscariot and Mary Magdalene. While Mary wept for her sins, and then lavished Jesus with her love, Judas complained of her extravagance, and then went to betray his Lord. Each fulfilling prophecy by their actions.

Here we see the heart of Judas turning dark. Jesus is not going to be the Messiah that he had hoped for. He hoped for a King of Worldly Glory with all of its riches and honors. He acts like a disciple saying the money Mary spent should have gone to the poor. But, Jesus knows Judas’s true desire is not for the poor but for himself. Judas is incapable of understanding the love that urged Mary. Jesus recognizes true worship with false worship. Money was what a Judas worshiped. Jesus was who Mary worshipped. Jesus brought Mary’s act of love into the brightest light by saying, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done what she could; she has done a beautiful thing to me.” Perfect love is at work, it does everything it can. And where it does, the Lord himself adds to it far more than we can imagine or understand. He accepts Mary’s loving deed as the anointing of his holy body for its burial and resurrection, and declares that this will be proclaimed by every tongue as long as the world exists.

Today we are halfway through Holy Week. Consider today the acts and intentions of the “Two Sinners.” Mary’s act of Worship and Judas being filled with greed and hatred which led to his betrayal hours later. Are we so filled with worship that we would be willing to do it at any cost? Are we willing to give our money, our time, our energy to love our God and others well? How are we “spending” our lives?