Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor. ”

But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed. ”

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Matthew 26:6-16

Dear God, it’s interesting that Matthew assigns the indignation to all of the disciples, but then he links this event with Judas’s decision to betray Jesus. John didn’t do that.

As I sit here and type this, I have the television muted during halftime of a football game. It’s three days before the mid-term elections and the political ads are ubiquitous. Both sides. Stoking fear. Stoking anger. And I, like Judas, am supposed to let that anger and fear drive me to the polling place. They don’t want me to look at policy on one side or character on the other. They just want me to be afraid. To be angry. To be Judas and then betray you and my following you because you and your way of loving our enemies, keeping ourselves pure, and serving others isn’t enough in this world. Your way doesn’t work, and you should be abandoned for this candidate or that one.

I’ve already voted, but I am aware that I have one out of millions of Texas votes. I am aware that my vote, one way or another, won’t count. It was interesting earlier today when I was talking with a man who doesn’t vote. I asked him why not and he said, “Because none of them do what they are going to promise anyway,” and then he proceeded to tell how politicians on both sides of the aisle had failed. Honestly, it was hard to blame him for feeling that way or to think he was wrong.

Father, I want to reject the idea that your way no longer works. I reject the idea that loving my enemies is something of the past. I heard of a quote from Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas, that he doesn’t care about his president being moral. He just wants the toughest S.O.B. around who will fight for him. Well, I reject that. I disagree. I don’t think Christians will turn this country Christian by lording it over others from the top down. I heard someone say the tools Jesus gave us to influence the world are Prayer, Service, Persuasion, and Suffering. He never said we had to control the government. He never said we have to live in the most powerful nation in the world. He did tell us to love others and that we would be blessed when we are persecuted. I hate to see your church take Judas’s path. To reject your way of humility and foresake the call you gave us. The example you gave us to follow. Help me to turn loose of this idol of power in my own life. Help me to simply worship you, love others, and do my best to be part of representing your kingdom to everyone within my sphere of influence.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen