John 12:6, commentary and pictures

Judas protested Mary's pouring of costly ointment valued at three hundred pence at the Bethany supper six days before the Passover, claiming it should have been sold for the poor. His plea was pretense hiding covetousness and greed, for as keeper of the disciples' common purse he secretly stole what was put in it and wanted the price under his own control for his own use. Entrusted with the little fund to supply the company and relieve the poor, he yielded to continual temptation to take small sums, excused himself that his service was underpaid, and cherished avarice until it corrupted his character. His covetousness, unhealed by daily nearness to Christ's unselfish life and teaching, broke out at the rebuke over Mary's devotion and ripened into revenge and the betrayal of his Lord for thirty pieces of silver. His course warns that secret misuse of entrusted means and professed care for the poor covering selfishness strengthens until it brings the whole man under Satan and leads to betrayal and loss of eternal life.

Setting at Bethany

The saying belongs to what happened six days before the Passover, when Jesus on His way from Jericho to Jerusalem to attend the feast stopped at the house of Lazarus in Bethany, choosing this retreat for rest and refreshment. The supper there was made by Simon of Bethany, whom Jesus had healed of leprosy, to show his Master special honor, with Jesus sitting at table with Simon on one side and Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead, on the other. While Martha served at the table, Mary earnestly listened to every word that fell from the lips of Jesus.

The words were spoken on an occasion just before His betrayal and death. The verse itself names Judas as a thief in charge of the bag, while the surrounding narrative supplies only the setting of the Bethany feast. The matter at issue was Mary's pouring of costly precious ointment upon Jesus from a broken alabaster box, an act of self-giving service that Judas in angry protest priced at three hundred pence and proposed should have been sold and given to the poor.

Plea and Theft

Judas's protest over Mary's anointing — asking why the ointment was not sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor — was not from care for the poor but a pretense hiding covetousness, greed and selfishness. He was a thief who kept the disciples' common money bag and secretly took for himself what was put in it. His objection to the costly gift reflected that thieving greed, and he valued Jesus himself only enough to betray Him for silver.

If the ointment had been sold and its price put into the purse, the poor would have received no benefit. He wanted the ointment in his own possession rather than lavished upon the Saviour, wanting the money placed under his control so he could apply it to his own use. His heart coveted the ointment and was set upon earthly treasure, hiding selfishness under a pious, conscientious regard for the poor, desiring to sell it for money and use the proceeds for himself.

He put a price upon all his actions and paid himself according to his own selfish estimate, judging them by what he could gain for himself. In doing the little essential things connected with Christ and His brethren he exacted payment to the last penny for every act he did, doing some little service and then paying himself out of the treasury. Keeping money held in trust for oneself is theft, including contracting for work at one price, paying the poor worker less, and keeping the difference while already being paid wages for one's own time, which robs a poor man. Using entrusted money for self-payment is done with no right, like cutting down the wages of other men to keep them from getting more than one thinks they should have. Heavenly courts keep faithful true accounts through an unseen bookkeeper, and each man will be judged by those figures, not by the estimate he places on his own work.

Covetous Heart Exposed

He had been made treasurer of the united funds of the disciples because of his financial ability, to provide for the needs of the little company and to meet the needs of Jesus and the disciples and to relieve the poor, a ministry to others that could have built an unselfish spirit in him. The small sums passing through his hands were a continual temptation, and he often took small sums for himself, secretly keeping sums off the account and concealing the amounts he appropriated. He saw to it that all money received was placed in his hands, then felt free to use it when and where he pleased without consulting anyone, and he grumbled when asked to give from the bag for the poor. He excused the theft to himself by saying his work was not sufficiently appreciated and his labor was underpaid, paying himself out of the fund for little service done for Christ or time given to religious purposes and deciding he deserved more pay, yet in God's sight he was a thief and this self-serving reasoning perverted his conscience. His covetousness was cherished and cultivated until avarice grew into a prominent feature of his character, and repeated indulgence of avarice turned small acts of selfishness into theft of a sacred trust, corrupting his conscience and character.

He was a stranger to the deep devotion and homage that moved Mary, with a carnal heart that was close and covetous and loved money, selfish and not attentive to the comforts and wants of Jesus. He often referred to the poor to excuse his covetousness and often appropriated to his own use what was entrusted to his care to be given to the poor, hiding covetousness under apparent sympathy for them and in reality caring nothing for them. That embezzling of money put in the bag appropriated to their relief showed utter want of feeling for the poor and oppression of the widow, the orphan, and the hireling. He was entrusted with the money bag despite his dishonesty and greed, and that responsibility tested his heart and exposed his true character, for when greed is cherished circumstances reveal the corruption within. His love of money led him to idolize the little treasure entrusted to his care, which was to be employed for the benefit of the church and to relieve the necessities of the poor, treating it as an object of devotion and holding his covetousness fast as a precious treasure.

Road to Betrayal

Even after walking with Christ through His whole ministry, his covetousness was never cured but was held fast as a precious treasure and grew ever more confirmed, while Christ's lessons on unselfishness went unheeded. Daily listening to Christ and seeing His unselfish life and unselfish example did not overcome him, and instead of heeding that teaching he worked against the principles continually set before the disciples. He excused his taking from the fund as pay for little service done for Christ or time given to religious purposes, excusing himself in his own eyes while in God's sight he was a thief.

His ruling sins of selfishness, ambition and love of money were what Jesus sought to bring home to his conscience to lead him to repent, but he persisted in justifying and hiding his wrong and refused to surrender. The other disciples did not know at the time that he was a thief, but they knew it afterward. Jesus knew his true character and could have pointed him out to the disciples, exposed his hypocrisy and raised their indignation against him, yet He refrained from exposing him and reproached him in such a way as to leave him no excuse for his future betrayal.

His covetousness came fully to the surface when Mary anointed Jesus, and Jesus' rebuke of that covetousness wounded his pride and fed his desire for revenge. Provoked at being corrected before others and angered by the reproof, he yielded to Satan and chose revenge, and that rebuked covetousness helped make him willing to betray his Master for money. He would not submit to correction or counsel.

He prized his Lord only highly enough to sell Him to wicked men for a few pieces of silver, for thirty pieces of silver. He reasoned that Christ would deliver Himself from His enemies and that he himself would make a shrewd gain, moved in part by revenge because Christ had not endorsed all his movements, and his satanic cupidity cost him his life. He robbed the treasury to enrich himself, appropriating what belonged to another contrary to the law of God, and his stealing led on to selling Jesus. His terrible end remains as a warning against covetousness till the close of time.

Contrast With Mary

Mary's generous act from gratitude was a most cutting rebuke to his covetous disposition, and he condemned her for anointing Christ with precious ointment and became the cause of the severe judgment passed upon her. He complained in anger about the costly ointment poured upon Jesus, not from care for the poor but as an excuse for covetousness, hypocrisy and theft. His heart was carnal, close and covetous and loving money, selfish and not attentive to the comforts and wants of Jesus, though Satan deceived him to think himself a true disciple after seeing mighty works through his ministry and yielding to evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. He often referred to the poor to excuse his covetousness, while often appropriating to his own use what was entrusted to his care to be given to the poor, embezzling money put in the bag appropriated to their relief and showing utter want of feeling for the poor and oppression of the widow, the orphan, and the hireling. As carrier of the money bag containing gifts for Christ's work he stole from it, secretly keeping sums off the account, and excused his theft by telling himself his work was not sufficiently appreciated and that he deserved more pay, but dishonesty corrupted his conscience and character and self-justification did not excuse the theft. Jesus knew his true character and could have pointed him out to the disciples, revealed his hypocrisy, and raised their indignation against him, but refrained from exposing him and reproached him in such a way as to give him no excuse for his future betrayal. Had he yielded to the Holy Spirit, he would have remained honest and would not have condemned Mary for anointing Christ with costly ointment.

His plea against Mary's offering was a pretext arising from covetousness rather than sincere appeal on behalf of the poor, while Jesus defended her act as a good work and taught that Christ should be honored with the best of one's possessions and that caring for the poor should not lead to neglect of God's cause. Her precious gift to the Saviour in the broken alabaster box was self-giving service led by the Holy Spirit and noted in the books of heaven. Its influence has inspired many to loving service, and in the day of God she will be permitted to behold all that her life has wrought and will rejoice in it. Her anointing was a demonstration of her love for Christ, and His words declare that her act joins her with Him and with the gospel throughout all time.

As covetous he could calculate the value of the costly ointment, unlike those who receive salvation and regret only that their offering was not richer and more valuable.

Warning for Today

Covetousness and secret misuse of what belongs to God's work eat away integrity and open the way to betrayal of His cause and loss of eternal life. The thief who carried the bag with gifts for Christ's work and secretly kept sums off the account excused himself by feeling his labor was not appreciated and not sufficiently paid, yet that dishonesty corrupted conscience and character and led him to condemn Mary for anointing Christ. His course stands as an example of how covetousness and corruption contaminate workers placed in positions of trust in God's cause. His complaint exposed an accusing spirit and a heart unwilling to humble itself, for even under Christ's lessons he was not converted. Refusing the meekness of a little child leaves one unfit for the kingdom of heaven, and repeated accusation shapes character after Satan's pattern.

He reveals the uncorrected natural tendency of man, professing care for the poor while stealing from the bag, at once deceiving and being deceived. His course illustrates the deceptive influences that will continue until the close of time and the spiritual blindness of every soul in which Christ does not abide, showing the need for renewing of the mind to transform character. Selfishness strengthened by exercise at last brings the whole man under the jurisdiction of Satan, as with Judas, whose profession of concern covered covetous selfishness and whose spirit, though privileged with connection to Christ as a disciple, did not agree with the principles continually set before the disciples but worked against them. The same longing for personal advantage marks those who put self-interest first, refuse self-denying sacrifice, demand stipulated wages, and seek to buy below real value and sell for gain. Those who like Judas set their hearts upon earthly treasure complain as he did, bringing forward the poor as an excuse for selfishness and hiding covetousness under put-on conscientiousness and pious regard for the poor, wishing the ointment in his own possession to apply to his own use and sell for money, and prizing his Lord only enough to sell Him for a few pieces of silver. His conduct also stands as an example of the Judas-like influence that can arise in churches.

Outward place among the disciples did not mean practicing Christ's words or having true concern for others, for the claim to care for the poor concealed selfishness and covetousness and theft from the entrusted bag. That outward concern hid a heart far from God, an unsanctified heart devoid of mercy and justice and the love of God. He is an example of one who can remain connected with God and profess to keep His law while becoming more firmly settled in objectionable traits, where exactness about some points does not make up for neglecting the weightier matters of mercy and love, until given over to a corrupt nature. That same character is reproduced when men entrusted with human souls deal with them in a way God does not approve, placing a wrong mold upon those in their charge by acting as directors and judges and lawyers instead of fathers, molding character after Judas and Cain rather than after the divine similitude, so the Lord is not served or glorified in the work. Men chosen to oversee caring for the poor and the proper distribution of means so that none among believers suffer for the necessaries of life must not work in a scheming, underhand manner for self, but faithfully and unselfishly for others as men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, unlike him who robbed the treasury to enrich himself. The verse thus exposes dishonest handling of shared funds, matching selfish financial speculation and betrayal.

Satan ruined him by closing his heart to the needs of others to prevent the expression of love and sympathy. Practical sympathy is a test of purity and unselfishness of heart, while Satan works to make people unmoved by the sight of suffering. He represents a large class of professed Christians today, so his case must be studied, for people now are as near to Christ as Judas was, yet if association with Christ does not make them one with Him and cultivate sincere sympathy for those for whom Christ gave His life, they are in the same danger as Judas of being outside Christ as the sport of Satan's temptations. The first deviation from righteousness must be guarded, for one transgression and one neglect to manifest the spirit of Christ opens the way for another until the mind is overmastered by the principles of the enemy and cultivated selfishness becomes a devouring passion which nothing but the power of Christ can subdue.