In conjunction with the betrayal of Jesus Christ just before His death, John 12: 4-8 reads:
“Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, [5] Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? [6] This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. [7] Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. [8] For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.”
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Jordan explains, “Mary was offering the sacrifice of devotion. She realizes Christ’s going to die. That’s a fascinating thing because the apostles hadn’t yet got that. She’s actually ahead of the very men He’s training to be the leaders in the ministry!
“Now, she didn’t understand all the meaning of His death, you understand. He’s been telling the disciples since Matthew 16:21, and Luke 18: 31-34, that He was going to go to Jerusalem and die, and be raised again, but they didn’t get it.
“Mary, seeing what’s going on, she’s got it and she’s got that heart to say, ‘I value you.’ You’ve heard people say, ‘Give people their roses before they die, not at the funeral.’ That’s kind of what she’s doing here.
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“Look at Verse 4. Judas has no heart for Christ. He’s just a spiritual blockhead. She gave up 300 pence worth; Judas is going to sell for 30 pieces.
"She takes a box and breaks it; she’s got the bag. She’s worshipping; Judas is a thief. She’s pointing people to Christ; Judas is drawing people away from Christ, pointing them to the poor: ‘Don’t think about Christ; the poor are more important than He is.’
“And he’s infecting the other apostles. That’s why Christ tells Judas, ‘Let her alone,’ and then rebukes the whole bunch of them because they had ALL bought into the influence of Judas!
“You remember that verse back in Psalm 23: ‘Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head.’ That’s literally what’s going on here.
“And you see the devotion of a Mary, and a Martha, and a Lazarus, and a Simon, but you also see even among the apostles the inroads of the hatred, the questioning, the murmuring.
“Notice that statement about Judas, ‘Not that he cared for the poor.’ The criteria that Judas states about, ‘Let’s give it to the poor; look at all we could do for the poor with this,’ is saying, ‘Why waste this sacrifice on Jesus when it could have been used for the felt needs of the poor?!’
“That’s really the criteria of a covetous soul. That verse in Mark, when he calls it ‘This waste’--you understand love is never a waste. Sacrifice, generosity, is never a waste.
“Verse 7 is a real clear rebuke and what Christ’s saying there is, ‘The opportunity to ministry to me isn’t going to be here that long. It’s fixing to be over with. In a week I’ll be gone. The poor are still going to be here.’
“That’s a great statement. What Jesus is saying is, ‘What you need to do, guys, is keep the first commandment FIRST: ‘Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and your neighbor like unto it as yourself.’
“Judas is saying, ‘We should take that and give it to our neighbor.’ Mary’s saying, ‘He’s God; He’s more important than any neighbor we will ever have! We want to keep Him first.’
“That’s in essence what Christ is saying. That day of opportunity to honor Him isn’t going to be there forever.
“Mary anoints Him before He dies. Mark 16:1 is after His burial. So Mary’s ahead of the game. When He says there in Verse 8, ‘The poor you always have with you, but me ye have not always,’ this is just sort of as an aside.
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“Two things in that verse strike me. When He says, ‘But me ye have not always,’ that’s a death stake into the heart of the pagan doctrine of ‘transubstantiation.’
“That’s the Roman Catholic idea of the Mass that when they consecrate the wafer, the host, and the wine, that the literal real presence of Christ is there; that that bread ceases to be bread and becomes the real, literal body of Jesus Christ.
“Their idea is because the Mass is being performed somewhere on the planet at every moment of the day, there is this perpetual presence of Christ through the Mass with us and that He’s always here: ‘Lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:20) They say that means the Mass.
“Well, that verse in John says just the opposite: ‘You’re not always going to have me with you.’ You say, ‘Well, what does Matthew 28:20 mean then?!’
“It’s talking about in the future in the Kingdom when He comes back and sets up His kingdom—THEN He’s always going to be there! This is the first coming, and between the first coming and the Second Coming, He isn’t always going to be there.”
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