Who Am I?

Six days before Passover, while eating at the home in Bethany of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, two contrasting figures stand out:  Mary and Judas. Mary expresses her love for Jesus by anointing his feet with precious ointment, displaying without shame who she is, a woman of deep love.  No false face, no mask.   Her love is out in the open.
Judas protests this waste of precious oil, the price of which, he said, could have been given to the poor. The Evangelist, John, is quick to point out that Judas said this not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief who regularly stole from the common fund that enabled the Apostles to eat.  Again, in Gethsemane, he feigns friendship with Jesus kissing him with the betraying  kiss that led to the arrest of Jesus.  The Judas who appeared in public as one of the Twelve becomes clear in this final week.
It is easy for us to dismiss Judas as the instrument of evil, but he might be worthy of reflection, particularly this week, as we walk with Jesus to his passion, death and resurrection.  We live in a culture of lies, the fate of our fallen nature, and though we are appalled by the lies of public officials, how about our own lies, our own false fronts?  Not to be negative or pessimistic, but there might be a mixture of Mary and Judas in each one of us.  Let us look deeply, admit, and ask for the help of Jesus.
Bro. Rene