Homily for March 26, 2018.
“This he
said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had
the money box he used to take what was put into it.” John 12:6.
It is very
easy to lie to people, to give a false impression of yourself, to make people
believe things that are not true but this is not what we are called to be as
children of God. The life of Judas Iscariot as recorded in the Bible teaches us
to be people of integrity because no matter how we try, the truth will
eventually be known.
While the
Gospel of Mark does not mention the name of the woman who anointed Jesus with
an expensive ointment, John’s Gospel tells us that this woman was Mary, the
sister of Lazarus, who Jesus raised from the dead. Again Mark did not mention
how she used her hair as a rag to wipe the feet of Jesus but John gives a more
vivid description of what took place.
Now what
does this tell us? While Mark was reporting what he heard from Peter (Mark was
not one of the twelve disciples but he was the first to write a Gospel and he
got his material orally from Peter’s sermons as they went from place to place
preaching), John on the other hand was one of the twelve. He was there when
everything happened.
Hence John
was able to tell us that it was Judas Iscariot himself who made the comment
about Mary wasting the ointment that could have been sold and used for charity.
Listening to Judas, one would immediately get the impression that he was a man
that actually cared for the poor; a good man; a philanthropist. However, as
John tells us, he was a thief and he used to help himself with money that was
under his care.
Now the
question is: “who was Judas Iscariot trying to deceive?”
Dear
friend, learn from Judas to be a man or woman of integrity. Life shouldn’t be
all about making impressions about yourself. Don’t just be seen to be holy. Be
Holy. Be a person of integrity. Speak the truth and live out the truth. Don’t
pretend to be an advocate for the poor when in fact, you only use the poor to
enrich yourself.
On the
other hand, there were some persons planning to kill Lazarus who had just been
raised from the dead since on account of him, many Jews were coming to believe
in Jesus. They could not just stand the truth that Jesus was really the
Messiah, the one who has power over death and life. Instead of embracing the
truth, they were planning to kill the innocent man.
Two things
happen when we try to fight the truth. One, we remain forever frustrated because
we can never succeed in removing the truth. Secondly, by fighting the truth, we
block our chance of receiving healing, renewal and salvation.
We do not
know whether the Chief priests succeeded in killing Lazarus but tell me,
weren’t they trying to prevent a handful of Jews from believing in Jesus?
Today, two thousand and eighteen years later, billons of people continue to
believe in Jesus. We can never fight truth. We may succeed in destroying the
evidence, we may succeed in eliminating people but truth can never die.
Stop
giving a false impression to the whole world; face the truth, admit your
errors, be humble enough to accept you are wrong and ask for help. Stop forming
Mr or Mrs Perfect when you know you are something else behind closed doors. So
long as a sick patient refuses to visit the hospital, no doctor will be able to
help him or her. We are not what we say we are, rather we are what we do.
Imagine if
Judas had simply admitted his love for money to Jesus Christ as well as to all
the other disciples. Don’t you think he would have been healed? Could Jesus who
raised a man from the dead not have been powerful enough to cure Judas from his
greed and materialism?
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, heal me O Lord from all forms of self-deception.
Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of
the Holy Week. Bible Study: Isaiah 42:1-7 and John 12:1-11).
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