Now let me look at the incident when the Apostles gather and Mary pours ointment on Jesus and wipes His feet with her hair.

The Last Supper of Jesus, also known as the Secret Supper, is the last supper of Jesus Christ with his apostles before his crucifixion. During this supper he establishes the Eucharist, giving bread and wine, symbolizing his body and blood. The event is described in the New Testament and is the subject of many works of art, the most famous of which is Leonardo da Vinci's fresco - The Last Supper.

Before the Passover festival Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. This happened during the supper. By then the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray him. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’ I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

Jesus predicts his betrayal. After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

But before I come to the taking of John to heaven from the island of Patmos, I want to draw attention to the fact that John was quite clear about good and evil. John understood which of the Apostles was creating intrigues and that Judas had a different goal, different from that of the Apostles. With the following verses I will show the difference in the level of understanding of the situation between John and how Luke, Mark and Matthew understand things. While John is clear about who is who and why they act in a certain way, both Judas and Mary, what can we say about the three Apostles mentioned above - Luke, Mark and Matthew.

Here is the same incident – the Last Supper – how it is described by the three Apostles. Let us see through their eyes how things stand, from which we will understand their characters as well. And so let us see how Luke, Matthew, Mark and John describe the same incident when they gather in the Pharisee’s house and when Mary pours the fragrant water on Jesus.

First – Luke 7

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.

37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.

38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.

47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Analysis:

First: Luke does not see Mary’s feelings, but considers her a sinner, because Luke is guided by the law and does not understand that what Mary is doing to Jesus is an expression of love and gratitude for her forgiven mistakes.

Second: the incident with Judas’ treacherous remark that Mary wasted money on the fragrant perfume instead of giving it to the poor does not impress Luke and he does not describe it. Luke pays attention to the fact that Jesus deals with sinners. Who steals and slanders the disciples and Mary, who defends her, who exposes Judas and who explains the facts about Judas’ thefts — Luke is not clear about any of this. And Luke does not grasp the meaning of Jesus’ words: “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” The meaning is that whoever loves much has a very painful conscience and a developed feeling to be good, so as not to hurt others. Thus, whoever loves much sees his mistakes under a magnifying glass, therefore Jesus has to forgive him many more sins. So it turns out that when a person loves much, the more mistakes he sees in himself and Jesus forgives much more. That is, Luke considers Mary a sinner, unlike Jesus, who sees Mary’s heart and her love for others. There is no evidence that Luke understood the deceptions that Judas was instilling in the Apostles.

Second – Matthew 26

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,

7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.

9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

Analysis:

Matthew understood one very important thing: That there will always be poor people and evil as long as Jesus is not among us. He made a correct cause-and-effect connection. If Jesus is among us, there will be no disease, hunger and poverty.

However, overall Matthew is not clear about the situation. He repeats Judas’ words (thereby becoming an accomplice of Judas in his slanders and standing on the side of injustice), attacking Mary and becoming an unwitting conductor of disapproval for using the expensive perfume instead of giving it to the poor. Thus many people do the same as Matthew. They stand on the side of the wrong cause, that is, they encourage evil, judging from the material side, and do not take into account where the Spirit and love are, in order to support them. But here Jesus intervenes and defends Mary, showing that the Spirit is the most important in determining who is wheat and who is tare. Respect for Jesus, who carries the Spirit of God, is decisive for whether there will be poor people at all and whether there will be a prosperous nation, if God is respected. Matthew does not understand who is gossiping among the disciples, who is the villain and why (to cover up his thefts), and who is defending what is good.

Third – Mark 14

3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume?

5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.

8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.

9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.

Analysis:

Mark also does not understand what is happening in this case. Like Luke and Matthew, he becomes an unwitting conductor of evil. He too repeats the reproaches against Mary spoken by Judas about the expensive perfume, guided by a material view and not by the Spiritual things that are decisive, and also neglects Mary’s respect for Jesus and her compassion and love, which she expresses by pouring the fragrant liquid and drying it with her hair. All three Apostles — Luke, Mark and Matthew — are not clear about the situation and describe a material view without understanding the essence of the events. Who is casting reproaches on the righteous and loving Mary in order to quarrel and turn the others against her. It is good that they heard Jesus’ words and His defense, so that they could pass it on to us and we understand Who our defender is and in Whom we can trust when we are attacked. AMEN!

Fourth – John 12

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,

5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”

6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”

28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him.

29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.

30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him.

32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

Analysis:

It turns out that John is completely clear about the situation. He is clear about Mary’s love and why she pours perfume on Jesus’ feet. Why Judas reproaches Mary for “wasting” money on perfume. First, to cover up his thefts from the money bag. Second, to sow discord among the disciples.

Here I notice that the weeds are very clear about situations and psychology, so they know when to say what and to whom to pile guilt. How and whom to reproach in order to sow discord and division in the group. They know whom to deceive, on whom to instill fear and whom to seduce with lies, intrigues, mockery and groundless reproaches. It is good that there are people like John to expose the lies and unravel their intrigues, and we should be grateful and bow before Jesus, who for this reason sacrificed His life, to protect us, just as He protected Mary, and to justify us before God.

But the first and main task is to train our feelings, so that we can recognize who are brothers and who are those who hate Jesus, and therefore us. Because the main purpose of the Bible is to teach us what is good and what is evil. It is not for nothing that in the last gathering of the Apostles with Jesus, at that moment the most important and fundamental lesson of the entire Word, of God’s will for there to be happiness among people and no death, was given.

1 Corinthians 15

55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Throughout the entire Bible from beginning to end, the thread we must follow is the separation of good from evil; starting from Eden and passing through Egypt and the bringing out of the Jews by Moses, through the prophets, the difference between Peter’s betrayal and Judas’, the crucifixion of Jesus, when with His two hands He separated the repentant from the unrepentant criminal, and reaching Revelation and the Millennium.

And now let us see what is the most important message given by Jesus to the disciples, and to the whole world, hours before His Sacrifice.

Luke 22

35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.

36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.

37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

38 The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That’s enough!” he replied.

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.

40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

Let us repeat, because it is important. Very important!. This is the message to the wheat in the world — to the whole world:

But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.

We are told: – You need a bag and buy yourself a sword! At any cost a SWORD! A sword for dividing good and evil!

And the purse is what was said about solid food, namely methods for perfection in seeking knowledge for dividing good/evil:

Hebrews 5

14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

I want us to examine the most important and fundamental deed in Jesus’ life: HIS SACRIFICE FOR THE REDEMPTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS. According to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified on a cross at the place called Golgotha, which at that time was on the outskirts of old Jerusalem. In Aramaic, the language of the Jews, the word Golgotha is translated as “the place of the skull”, because that place was a hill whose shape resembled a skull. Today the exact location of Golgotha is still the subject of heated debates.

But these are only facts, and the true intent of this important and fateful act for the world again shows this separation of good and evil. It is no coincidence that on both sides of Jesus are the two robbers condemned quite justly according to the existing laws at that time for the crimes they had committed. To both of them Jesus offers to be saved after death, that is, to be resurrected. One accepts that his sins be forgiven, while the other mocks this offer:

Luke 23

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?

41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

One accepts because he made mistakes and sins that he does not realize and regrets. While the other criminal commits completely intentional and malicious crimes, which are dictated by his soul (let us remember the example with the glass of water that I gave above). And therefore he rejoices and is pleased with himself.

There is even a similar separation between Peter and Judas: Peter abandons Jesus and denies that he is a disciple of Christ, while Judas betrayed Him because he wanted to be His associate in power, when Jesus becomes King on earth — Judas understood the concepts of “power and king” in a material way. Judas did not understand that the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world and it is a question of another kingdom and another power.

Peter becomes a rock in faith and (“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”). While Judas commits suicide because he cannot bear his fate of being without power.