Devotion or Desertion

 The anointing of Jesus in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper is told in eight verses of the twenty-sixth chapter while the next three verses give an account of Judas in the act of selling the Master. In the first account we have devotion and in the second desertion. Extremes have done what they often do and here we behold¹ them each confronting the other.

 

A woman poured precious ointment² on the head of Jesus as he sat at meat. Her devotion transcended³ all ordinary bounds being justified⁴ by His transcendent ministry⁵. Had He not taught her lessons which no other teacher ever unfolded? Had he not befriended her when Lazarus lay in the tomb? Her ministry, so sincere and so timely, fills a place in his life and work and hence her deed of devotion is accepted with approval and even woven into the gospel record as a memorial of her.

 

Do we wonder why the disciples⁶ become critics, if not opposers, and ask with indignation, “To what purpose is this waste?” They saw no reason for it, no excuse. Unaware⁷ of the near approach of Christ’s death and burial they were quite well informed as to the cash value of the ointment. They were living on a business basis and thinking of an 17 empty treasury⁸ and the needs of the poor. But Jesus explained to them just why they made complaint and why this woman anointed him.

 

It is apparent that the disciples are not yet free from commercialism or they would know that devotion to Christ always helps and never hinders ministering to the poor. They are devoted⁹ to Jesus and whether they know it or not they are concerned about His approaching death and His victory over sin. But this woman surpassed them in devotion and in anticipating that victory. Of course there came a time when no ointment was too precious to measure the interest or express the devotion of these same disciples.

 

Right after Mary’s act of devotion Matthew places Judas’ deed of defection. Life is logical in its course and outcome. “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” Faith in Christ is not the same as doubt and denial, at the beginning, in its process, or at the end. The two are radically¹⁰ different and this difference must appear at the end if nowhere else. Extremes may meet but they are still extremes.

 

The devotion that anointed Jesus for his burial may have incited¹¹ Judas to betray him. He is indignant and must act and the nature of his act was determined¹² by his own character. 18 “Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said, ‘What are ye willing to give me, and I will deliver him unto you?’ And they weighed unto him thirty pieces of silver.”

 

Judas assumed the right to sell Jesus as Satan assumed the right to bestow¹³ the world as a gift. The chief priests gladly act on the assumption of Judas and Jesus was sold by the latter and purchased by the former as though he were a slave. The bargain is satisfactory to buyer and seller, the purchase price is paid and accepted and the transaction is complete! If this contract takes any account of the innocence¹⁴ of Jesus, his wonderful teaching and his miraculous¹⁵ ministry it is as so many counts against him.

 

Men always throw the cloak of charity over their shoulders when they propose to do an uncharitable thing. They will build the tombs of the prophets who are dead while they arrange to betray God’s living leaders. They take care of their reputation but neglect their character. They do popular things which in no way commit them to the cause of Christ. But men cannot remain indifferent to Christ. He literally¹⁶ compels decision, and men must choose, their choice lying between sale and service, the defection of Judas and the devotion 19 of Mary. There is no resting place between the two. The Christ leaves no room for doubt and indecision for just as sure as he did he would not be the Christ.

 

1 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

2 ointment   

n.药膏，油膏，软膏

参考例句：

• Your foot will feel better after the application of this ointment.敷用这药膏后，你的脚会感到舒服些。
• This herbal ointment will help to close up your wound quickly.这种中草药膏会帮助你的伤口很快愈合。

3 transcended   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• He wanted assurance that he had transcended what was inherently ambiguous. 他要证明，他已经超越了本来就是混淆不清的事情。
• It transcended site to speak to universal human concerns. 它超越了场所的局限，表达了人类共同的心声。

4 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 disciples   

n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一

参考例句：

• Judas was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. 犹大是耶稣十二门徒之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "The names of the first two disciples were --" “最初的两个门徒的名字是——” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

7 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

8 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

9 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

10 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

11 incited   

刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He incited people to rise up against the government. 他煽动人们起来反对政府。
• The captain's example incited the men to bravery. 船长的榜样激发了水手们的勇敢精神。

12 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

13 bestow   

v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费

参考例句：

• He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
• What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？

14 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

15 miraculous   

adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
• They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人，赢得了非凡的胜利。

16 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。