R.P. Nettelhorst's Blog, page 57

Metaphors

They started arguing with each other and asked, “How can he give us his flesh to eat?”

Jesus answered:

“I tell you for certain that you won’t live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man. But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day. My flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you are one with me, and I am one with you.

The living Father sent me, and I have life because of him. Now everyone who eats my flesh will live because of me. The bread that comes down from heaven isn’t like what your ancestors ate. They died, but whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

Jesus was teaching in a Jewish place of worship in Capernaum when he said these things. (John 6:52–59)

A common result of Jesus’ preaching was that his audience misunderstood him. They regularly literalized his metaphors. They took what he meant spiritually and tried to understand it in purely physical terms. Thus, when Jesus told the crowd about “eating his body,” a phrase which should obviously not be taken literally, they simply became confused. The literal meaning stood in opposition to biblical injunctions against murder and against consuming blood. They found what he had said so disturbing, that many of those who had been following him decided to leave him.

So what did Jesus mean about eating his flesh and drinking his blood? He was speaking about his coming sacrifice on the cross and what that meant for the human race. Just as animals and plants must die and be consumed as food in order for us to continue living, so Jesus had to die in order to provide us eternal life. Spiritually speaking, we consume him. But since he was and is an eternal being, there is more than enough of his life to go around. Therefore he didn’t—couldn’t—stay dead, unlike what we ate for lunch today.

Jesus’ life is inexhaustible, in contrast to the life of an animal or plant that sustains us for but a few hours before we become hungry again. Jesus satisfies us completely. We will never again hunger or thirst: he has provided us eternal satisfaction and an existence that can never end.

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Every Family in Heaven

Ephesians 3:14-15 is an odd passage:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

The obvious question raised by the passage is who are the families in heaven. There is no real consensus among commentators on the question. Some suggest that it refers to the Jewish people and the Gentles—the Jewish people as the family in heaven, the gentiles as those on earth. Others have suggested that families in heaven are the angels. Some have suggested that it refers to Christians here on earth, as well as believers who have passed on in death.

Given my interest in astronomy and science fiction, it should not be shocking to any regular reader that I am tempted to suggest that should we ever discover extraterrestrial civilizations, then Paul’s words here would be helpful. Something that theologians are likely to have to come to grips with at some point will be finding a way to accept the existence of such extraterrestrials and to fit them into our theological frameworks. I suggest that a passage like this from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians might be useful in this regard. After all, we need to think about how God would relate to non-human intelligence. Obviously (it seems to me) the Bible was written to and for human beings; it was not written for angels, it was not written for animals, and it wasn’t written for infants. Thus, the questions we might have about the ultimate fates of animals and infants, for instance, are not answered explicitly in the text. Likewise, the text does not deal with a question that is of interest to us in the twenty-first century, since the concept of other worlds and other beings living on them was not really something that Paul would likely have thought about or even imagined. The chances that Paul was thinking of alien beings is highly improbable from a historical or cultural context.

Nevertheless, I suspect that once First Contact occurs, this is one of the texts that will get used as we adapt to that new reality. Likewise, I suggest this passage will serve as an opening to a future theological/academic discipline: comparative Christianity. That is, I suspect that we will find analogues of Christianity in alien garb simply because I suspect that the only way to reconcile sentient creatures is for God to become one and die for them. If you think it impossible that God’s son could die an infinite number of times on an infinite number of worlds for an infinite number of species, I have a two-part question: first, on what basis is such a scenario impossible? I don’t believe the Bible addresses the question either way. Second, is God’s arm too short to save all life in the universe?

Assuming extraterrestrial intelligence piles on to another problem, if you would: the incredible naiveté of how most think about eschatology and the second coming. Already, thanks to space travel, the popular image of Jesus’ return is obviously not correct. Human beings have lived continuously in space for the last ten years (on the International Space Station); the ashes of two people are not on Earth at all and more are likely to follow, which complicates our picture of the resurrection: Eugene M. Shoemaker’s ashes are on the moon (they were deposited there by the Lunar Prospector space probe in 1999) and Clyde W. Tombaugh’s ashes are currently more than five astronomical units from Earth and bound for interstellar space after New Horizon’s flyby of Pluto in July, 2015.

As I’ve told my students, theology is mostly about our questions, not about the answers. Given an infinite, eternal God, there are more things we don’t know or understand than we do, or ever can. God and his relationship to us and the universe do not fit into tidy little boxes: there aren’t any boxes big enough. All we can manage is a bare outline, with few certainties, such as “God loves us.” And “we sinners have been reconciled to God through the death of Jesus on the cross.” Basic things. But there is so much else we are clueless about, and some of our certainties are likely wrong or at best incomplete and confused.

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Why Do the Laws Exist?

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”

And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the –Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:18–27)

When Jesus told the Pharisees that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath he was trying to teach them an important principle that they had somehow missed in all their study of the scriptures.

The Pharisee’s concern for the Sabbath was genuine. But as well-intentioned as they might be, they had forgotten the reason that the Sabbath existed. Moses himself had written, “on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the foreigner among you as well, may be refreshed.” (Exodus 23:12) The Sabbath existed because it was important for people to take time off. It was created in order to improve their lives. And such is the case with every law that God created. He didn’t come up with the rules arbitrarily. The rules exist to benefit us, as expressions of his love for us, so that we can live well and have the best lives possible. Understanding the purpose of the biblical laws may help us understand how to apply them today; circumstances may change, but the purposes behind the regulations remain. The central interpretive guideline is simple: it must be consistent with the concept of loving our neighbors as ourselves (see Matthew 22:34-40).

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Righteousness

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “How is it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand

until I put your enemies

under your feet.”’

David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd listened to him with delight.

As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.”

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:35–44)

The religious leaders wanted to be honored by people, even as they dishonored those around them. They claimed to love God, even as they hated those created in his image. The problems infesting the Israelite leadership were the same problems that had infested Israelite leadership throughout its history. Though they had given up idolatry for the worship of a single God, they still didn’t understand what it meant to be righteous. Prayer and tithing were good, but Jesus was concerned about their motivations.

Righteousness is not about giving money, or praying long prayers, or gaining the admiration of others. Instead, righteousness is all about loving God. And the way we love God is revealed by how we treat those who bring us no advantage, who cannot advance our careers, who cannot offer us money or prestige. As John wrote, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20) How we treat the least of God’s people is how we are treating God. Our behavior toward those around us is a reflection of what we believe about God.

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Using the Bible

When Jesus returned from the Jordan River, the power of the Holy Spirit was with him, and the Spirit led him into the desert. For forty days Jesus was tested by the devil, and during that time he went without eating. When it was all over, he was hungry.

The devil said to Jesus, “If you are God’s Son, tell this stone to turn into bread.”

Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say, ‘No one can live only on food.’ ”

Then the devil led Jesus up to a high place and quickly showed him all the nations on earth. The devil said, “I will give all this power and glory to you. It has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. Just worship me, and you can have it all.”

Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say:

‘Worship the Lord your God

and serve only him!’”

Finally, the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem and had him stand on top of the temple. The devil said, “If you are God’s Son, jump off. The Scriptures say:

‘God will tell his angels to take care of you.

They will catch you in their arms,

and you will not hurt your feet on the stones.’ ”

Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Don’t try to test the Lord your God!’ ”

After the devil had finished testing Jesus in every way possible, he left him for a while. (Luke 4:1–13)

Luke’s Gospel, like Matthew’s, describes Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. One detail that Luke reveals that was missing from Matthew’s account of the event comes at the end of the temptation. Luke reveals that the devil left Jesus “for awhile.” The implication was that Satan tried again, later.

The author of Hebrews explains that Jesus was tempted in every way, just like us. Luke tells us that he was tempted during the full forty days, not just by the three temptations listed. The gospel give us merely a selective summary of Jesus’ experiences, not an exhaustive account.

We are not tempted just once in our lives. We are not even tempted only once for the same sin. We spend our lives being tempted time and time again, usually over the identical issues. When we’re told that Satan had left Jesus “for awhile,” we understand what that means. Like us, Jesus would again be faced with temptations from the devil. Our temptations may not be constant, but they are never-ending and normally come without warning, at the worst possible times.

It is interesting to notice, too, that Satan is proficient in using the Bible. Perhaps this should be taken as a bit of a warning: just because you can quote chapter and verse, you might still be completely off base.

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This is Rape Culture

The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI’s Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM).

The Research and Fatwa Department of the Islamic State (ISIS) has released a pamphlet on the topic of female captives and slaves. The pamphlet, which is dated Muharram 1436 (October/November 2014) and was printed by ISIS’s publishing house, Al-Himma Library, is titled Su’al wa-Jawab fi al-Sabi wa-Riqab(“Questions and Answers on Taking Captives and Slaves”). It was presumably released in response to the uproar caused by the many reports this summer that ISIS had taken Yazidi girls and women as sex slaves. Written in the form of questions and answers, it clarifies the position of Islamic law (as ISIS interprets it) on various relevant issues, and states, among other things, that it is permissible to have sexual intercourse with non-Muslim slaves, including young girls, and that it is also permitted to beat them and trade in them.

The following are excerpts from the pamphlet, which was posted on a pro-ISIS Twitter account.

“Question 1: What is al-sabi?

“Al-Sabi is a woman from among ahl al-harb [the people of war] who has been captured by Muslims.

“Question 2: What makes al-sabi permissible?

“What makes al-sabi permissible [i.e., what makes it permissible to take such a woman captive] is [her] unbelief. Unbelieving [women] who were captured and brought into the abode of Islam are permissible to us, after the imam distributes them [among us].”

“Question 3: Can all unbelieving women be taken captive?

“There is no dispute among the scholars that it is permissible to capture unbelieving women [who are characterized by] original unbelief [kufr asli], such as thekitabiyat [women from among the People of the Book, i.e. Jews and Christians] and polytheists. However, [the scholars] are disputed over [the issue of] capturing apostate women. The consensus leans towards forbidding it, though some people of knowledge think it permissible. We [ISIS] lean towards accepting the consensus…”

“Question 4: Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female captive?

“It is permissible to have sexual intercourse with the female captive. Allah the almighty said: ‘[Successful are the believers] who guard their chastity, except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, for then they are free from blame [Koran 23:5-6]’…”

“Question 5: Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female captive immediately after taking possession [of her]?

“If she is a virgin, he [her master] can have intercourse with her immediately after taking possession of her. However, is she isn’t, her uterus must be purified [first]…”

“Question 6: Is it permissible to sell a female captive?

“It is permissible to buy, sell, or give as a gift female captives and slaves, for they are merely property, which can be disposed of [as long as that doesn’t cause [the Muslim ummah] any harm or damage.”

“Question 7: Is it permissible to separate a mother from her children through [the act of] buying and selling?

“It is not permissible to separate a mother from her prepubescent children through buying, selling or giving away [a captive or slave]. [But] it is permissible to separate them if the children are grown and mature.”

“Question 8: If two or more [men] buy a female captive together, does she then become [sexually] permissible to each of them?

“It is forbidden to have intercourse with a female captive if [the master] does not own her exclusively. One who owns [a captive] in partnership [with others] may not have sexual intercourse with her until the other [owners] sell or give him [their share].”

“Question 9: If the female captive was impregnated by her owner, can he then sell her?

“He can’t sell her if she becomes the mother of a child…”

“Question 10: If a man dies, what is the law regarding the female captive he owned?

“Female captives are distributed as part of his estate, just as all [other parts] of his estate [are distributed]. However, they may only provide services, not intercourse, if a father or [one of the] sons has already had intercourse with them, or if several [people] inherit them in partnership.”

“Question 11: May a man have intercourse with the female slave of his wife?

“A man may not have intercourse with the female slave of his wife, because [the slave] is owned by someone else.”

“Question 12: May a man kiss the female slave of another, with the owner’s permission?

“A man may not kiss the female slave of another, for kissing [involves] pleasure, and pleasure is prohibited unless [the man] owns [the slave] exclusively.”

“Question 13: Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female slave who has not reached puberty?

“It is permissible to have intercourse with the female slave who hasn’t reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse; however if she is not fit for intercourse, then it is enough to enjoy her without intercourse.”

“Question 14: What private parts of the female slave’s body must be concealed during prayer?

“Her private body parts [that must be concealed] during prayer are the same as those [that must be concealed] outside [prayer], and they [include] everything besides the head, neck, hands and feet.”

“Question 15: May a female slave meet foreign men without wearing a hijab?

“A female slave is allowed to expose her head, neck, hands, and feet in front of foreign men if fitna [enticement] can be avoided. However, if fitna is present, or of there is fear that it will occur, then it [i.e. exposing these body parts becomes] forbidden.”

“Question 16: Can two sisters be taken together while taking slaves?

“It is permissible to have two sisters, a female slave and her aunt [her father’s sister], or a female slave and her aunt [from her mother’s side]. But they cannot be together during intercourse, [and] whoever has intercourse with one of them cannot have intercourse with the other, due to the general [consensus] over the prohibition of this.”

“Question 17: What is al-‘azl?

“Al-‘azl is refraining from ejaculating on a woman’s pudendum [i.e. coitus interruptus].”

“Question 18: May a man use the al-‘azl [technique] with his female slave?

“A man is allowed [to use] al-‘azl during intercourse with his female slave with or without her consent.”

“Question 19: Is it permissible to beat a female slave?

“It is permissible to beat the female slave as a [form of] darb ta’deeb [disciplinary beating], [but] it is forbidden to [use] darb al-takseer [literally, breaking beating], [darb] al-tashaffi [beating for the purpose of achieving gratification], or [darb] al-ta’dheeb [torture beating]. Further, it is forbidden to hit the face.”

Question 20: What is the ruling regarding a female slave who runs away from her master?

“A male or female slave’s running away [from their master] is among the gravest of sins…”

“Question 21: What is the earthly punishment of a female slave who runs away from her master?

“She [i.e. the female slave who runs away from her master] has no punishment according to the shari’a of Allah; however, she is [to be] reprimanded [in such a way that] deters others like her from escaping.”

“Question 22: Is it permissible to marry a Muslim [slave] or a kitabiyya [i.e. Jewish or Christian] female slave?

“It is impermissible for a free [man] to marry Muslim or kitabiyat female slaves, except for those [men] who feared to [commit] a sin, that is, the sin of fornication…”

“Question 24: If a man marries a female slave who is owned by someone else, who is allowed to have intercourse with her?

“A master is prohibited from having intercourse with his female slave who is married to someone else; instead, the master receives her service, [while] the husband [gets to] enjoy her [sexually].”

“Question 25: Are the huddoud [Koranic punishments] applied to female slaves?

“If a female slave committed what necessitated the enforcement of a hadd [on her], a hadd [is then] enforced on her – however, the hadd is reduced by half within the hudud that accepts reduction by half…”

“Question 27: What is the reward for freeing a slave girl?

“Allah the exalted said [in the Koran]: ‘And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass [hell]? It is the freeing of a slave.’ And [the prophet Muhammad] said: ‘Whoever frees a believer Allah frees every organ of his body from hellfire.'”

* * *

The so-called “rape culture” that some profess to demonstrate against at certain universities in the US is about as real as the so-called “war on Christmas” that some worry about. Unless the fraternities are putting out instructions that are like this from ISIS, I don’t think they have a rape culture. In fact, I don’t think there are too many people–besides rapists and extremists such as ISIS–who think rape is okay.

________________________________________

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Ascension

Ascension is a new show that begins on the SyFy Channel on December 15: it tells the story of a multi-generation ship sent into space during the Kennedy administration as backup for the human race in case it destroyed itself in a nuclear war. I noticed today that the ship uses an Orion drive, which was a system actually under development at the time. Freeman Dyson was one of the physicists involved in the project. It would have used nuclear bombs as propulsion, dropping them and then riding the explosions. An enormous ship could be launched that way–as in the upcoming TV show.

Source: SyFy Channel

There is a nice article about Project Orion in Wikipedia.

And here is a brief video:

And here is a 58 minute video from the BBC about the project:

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One Day at a Time

My youngest daughter suffers from mental illness. This is akin to saying that I suffer from pollen allergies and asthma. My pollen allergies and asthma can be treated—and they are treated very, very effectively thanks to the medications that my allergist has prescribed for me. I pass through a year now with virtually no symptoms at all; during the spring my nose does not run, my eyes are not watery, and I do not sneeze. I breathe easily and freely; it is rare that I ever need to use my inhaler.

Mental illness is a chronic condition; like my allergies and asthma, there is no cure. But there are treatments. In the last month my daughter’s medication dosages have been adjusted; another medication was added. The results have been encouraging. Her reactions to life now are closer to those of a normal teenager. Not that teenage behavior is necessarily a wonderful thing, but it is much better than the insanity of out of control rage that result in property damage: smashed furniture, broken dishes, or holes kicked in the drywall. Over the last month we have seen anger—after all, teenagers do get mad on occasion—but outside of yelling or a slammed door, there has been no physical damage. She has not punched me, she has not broken windows.

Mostly, however, she has been remarkably pleasant—and almost normal. She remains incredibly immature, functioning on the emotional level of a thirteen year old rather than that of an eighteen year old. It remains unlikely that she will ever be able to drive a car; certainly at this point she has no license—not even a learner’s permit. The thought of her behind the wheel of a motor vehicle is terrifying.

Two additional changes have come in the past month. She has had a psychiatrist for several years now who has done wonders for her. But in addition to that, she has needed a psychologist or a therapist—someone to do counseling with her. This has been much more difficult to find than we would have expected. Most therapists have wanted to work with someone who has been traumatized in some way: rape, molestation, crime victim, post-traumatic stress, that sort of thing. Up until recently, we had not been able to find one that was equipped to deal with someone suffering from mental illness, specifically a mood disorder such as bi-polar.

Last month, however, we finally discovered a therapist for her, a psychologist, with whom she meets weekly. Thankfully, our daughter likes her. On top of the weekly visits, her psychologist hooked us up with a support group, a local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness—NAMI—which offers support for the caretakers of the mentally ill, as well as a separate support group for those who are mentally ill. Initially our daughter was reluctant to go—the first week she panicked and wanted to leave within the first five minutes. But the following week, we tried again. One of the people there had a puppy and that was enough to get her to stay. From that week on, she was comfortable with the group. Now she loves it and it seems to be helping her.

Meanwhile, my wife and I have attended the support group for caretakers and it has been good for us, if for no other reason than to understand that we are not alone in going through what we’ve gone through. Many of the people in our group have it far worse than us, with loved ones who have been repeatedly hospitalized, who have, as a consequence of their mental illness, used illicit drugs and been incarcerated for various reasons. We were thankful to learn that our daughter is actually doing remarkably well: she does not smoke or use alcohol, we have no trouble getting her to take her medications, and she has avoided doing anything that would get her arrested. So far she has even avoided bad relationships—though she does have trouble making and keeping friends. She has no ability to tell whether someone is actually a nice person. If someone smiles at her and talks to her, they are best friend forever—for a week or so, before they hurt her or abandon her.

To give you an idea of how she thinks: when she was about five or so we went to Victoria Island in British Columbia, Canada and visited Butchart Gardens (very beautiful and well worth the visit if you get the chance). We were there with friends with whom my wife had attended college. Our three daughters and their three children gamboled about the place happily. But at some point we realized that our youngest was no longer with the group off. We eventually found her in the caretaker’s office.

“What happened?” my wife asked her.

“I got lost. But strangers found me and brought me here.”

“Strangers?”

“Yes, a man and a woman. But they were good strangers.”

“How do you know?”

“I asked them. I asked, are you good strangers—and they said yes.”

“Don’t you think bad strangers might tell you that, too?”

“No. They were good strangers.”

At eighteen, her attitude toward the people she meets remains the same: open and trusting, despite everything.

So we live one day at a time. Today, things are good.

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Light of the World

Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.” (John 12:44–50(

Jesus made clear that his purpose as the Messiah was to save the world, rather than to judge it. This contrasted sharply with the expectations of the religious establishment and most of the people of Israel, including even Jesus’ disciples. They believed that the Messiah had come to set the world right by destroying the wicked. Indeed, the wicked can be destroyed by killing them, but Jesus intended to set the world right not by killing, but by transforming the wicked through the power of God’s forgiveness and redemption.

Judgment falls on people, not so much because Jesus is mad at them, but simply as a consequence of their rejection of the help that Jesus offers them. Like a man who drowned because he refused to wear his life jacket, so people are judged simply as a result of their own poor choices. God does not have to reach out and strike the unbeliever, the unbeliever walks into the pit of Hell all on his own, refusing to turn away from his impending doom despite all the pleading and every attempt that Jesus makes to convince him to turn around and go a different way.

Jesus words—his words of love and hope—can lead us away from impending doom. His voice calls out to us when we are on the wrong path, instructing us to take a different way and then telling us the route we should take and how to get to it. We can walk toward God’s kingdom instead of away from it.

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Poverty Never Goes Out of Style

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. (John 12:1–11)

While Jesus visited the home of his friend Lazarus, his sister poured perfume on his feet and then wiped them with her hair. The incident resembles what happened in Simon the Leper’s home (Matthew 26:6-12; Mark 14:3-9). Luke relates the story of a “sinful” woman in a Pharisee’s house who did the same thing (Luke 7:38). Though there are similarities between all three stories, the differences between them are enough that most scholars assume that three different woman put perfume on Jesus at three different times.

Three hundred denarii amounted to about a year’s wage. But it would have aided three hundred poor people for only a day, or helped out just one poor person for a year. And afterward, they would still have been poor. Perhaps at that moment, focusing on Jesus who would die in less than a week was more important than focusing on the poor who would still be poor tomorrow.

Constantly second guessing our choices only leads to unnecessary guilt. We can only do so much. When we do a good thing, we shouldn’t worry about whether there might have been some other good thing we could have done instead. We should live our lives without regrets.

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