Kingdom stuff – that was
their agenda. The disciples were becoming political strategists. Some made their journey to Jerusalem awkward by putting in a bid for
the best seats. By now their dreams were not unlike the fantasies of the
crowds. If a king could feed multitudes from a boy’s lunch and satisfy thirst
with wine made from water; surely utopia was just around the corner.
Not all of them were romanticists. One who had been with them through many wonder-filled moments was
much more practical. That may be why they made him their treasurer. It may also
be why his complaint about waste, when Mary anointed Jesus with expensive
perfume, became a group grumble.
Judas took the high road, lobbying for the cause of the poor. No one guessed that the keeper
of the bag was a cooker of the books. He seems to have had enough clout to
neutralize Jesus’ desire to drive home the importance of his approaching death. The Master's aura of wonder seemed to fade. It would appear that, while the men talked about important matters, Mary had actually heard what Jesus had been telling them.
This power to deceive
through false charity would cling to Judas right up to his departure from their
early Passover meal the night everything fell apart. It would also become a
hallmark of many seekers of power who would kidnap the Church’s God-given ministry
role to advance their own agenda of a politics of poverty. Nothing like politics to reduce Jesus from King to mascot.
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