Conversations on the way to the Cross 4: The Anointing

Judas goes to the High Priest

"My name's Judas Iscariot, my lord. Zach.. Zach here said you might... you might be interested in some, um, some information about Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth."

"Jesus of Nazareth! Yes, indeed! And tell me, young man, what kind of information might you have?"

"Well, I'm... I was one of his friends. His disciples. The Twelve, he called us. I know where he's staying, what he's doing. He trusts us. Me. It would be easy."

"He trusts you. I see. And why, Mr Judas Iscariot, should I trust you? What makes a trusted disciple of Jesus come running like a rat to his enemies?"

"He... I told him! He could have had this city in the palm of his hand, and he knew it! I saw his eyes light up, and I knew. And then there was that dumb donkey, and then tonight... tonight there was that woman... no better than a common whore..."

"Your revered teacher has been consorting with prostitutes? I didn't think he was that type."

"No!! Yes! Well, no, not consorting with, not like that, but she poured perfume on him! Nard! Pure nard, can you imagine? Three hundred denarii down the drain, and oh yes, she can afford it, but the rest of us have been living hand to mouth these three years, giving up everything to follow Jesus, believing.. trusting him when he says he's going to bring in a kingdom, and what does he do?"

"I take it he didn't ask for a receipt."

"A what? No. No, he sat there, expensive perfume dripping down his beard, and said he'd been anointed for his burial. His burial. He's given up. He was the only person in this whole damn world... the only one... he could have changed everything, and now... now he's given up. I should never even have hoped in the first place."

"Well, Mr Iscariot, there's no use crying about it. All our idols fall in the end. And you've earned yourself a little pocket money in coming to us, anyway. Not quite three hundred denarii, but I think we can run to... hmm, thirty pieces of silver. There you go.

"Now, dry your eyes and let's talk details. I think you will be very useful to us..."

Mark 14: 3-11

Other Conversations from the Cross
1: The Donkey
2: The Commotion
3: The Authority

5: The Betrayal
6: The Burial
7: The Precaution
8: The Resurrection

Comments

Erewash Valley Trail: Ilkeston

You could spend a lot of time following old canals and railways in the Erewash Valley. This walk included parts of the Erewash Canal, the Nottingham Canal, the Nutbrook Canal, and the Stanton branch line, and I could have continued further along any one of those, if I'd had the time. I started in Kirk Hallam, which is mostly a post-war housing estate with a distinctive outline on the map: the main road to Ilkeston through the middle, and a loop road encircling the village. It looks like the London Underground logo. I parked at the lake at the top of the loop. There was a sculpture commemorating the nearby Stanton Ironworks - the ground remembers the roar of the blast read the inscription around the base - and the remains of a lock on the Nutbrook Canal. Heading towards Ilkeston, I crossed a former golf course, now a nature reserve called Pewit Coronation Meadows, passed a large sports centre, and was soon in the town centre. There was a general impression of red-brickiness, with l...

Ten books that shaped my life

Ten books that shaped my life in some way. Now that wasn't a problem. I scanned the bookshelves and picked out nine favourites without the slightest difficulty (the tenth took a little longer). The problem was that, on the Facebook challenge, I wasn't supposed to explain why . Nope. Having picked out my ten, I couldn't let them go without saying why they were special to me. These books are more than a collection of words by an author. They are particular editions of those words - taped-up, egg-stained, dust-jacketless and battered - which have come into my life, been carried around to different homes, and become part of who I am. How to Be a Domestic Goddess Well, every woman needs an instruction manual, doesn't she? Nigella's recipes mean lazy Saturday mornings eating pancakes, comforting crumbles on a rainy night, Christmas cakes, savoury onion pies and mounds of bread dough. If you avoid the occasional extravagance (20 mini Bundt tins...

National Forest Way: Bagworth and Thornton Reservoir

I'd hoped to be further along with my walking by now, but a combination of illness, bad weather, and inset days meant that I couldn't get out for a few weeks. At the first sign of a break in the clouds, I was ready to go. It had rained heavily the day before, and there was still a watery feel to the air. I parked at Thornton Reservoir and donned waterproof trousers and wellies, then started by following a footpath along the back of some houses in Thornton. The village is perched on a ridge, which slopes down to the reservoir on one side, and Bagworth Heath woods on the other. view to Bagworth Heath woods I picked up the Leicestershire Round opposite the village school, and followed it past an old mill, across a railway line, and through the woods. One section of the path was particularly squelchy. At the end of the woods, the footpath sign pointed right, which I assumed meant I should follow the road. It wasn't until afterwards that I realised I could have crossed over and ...

Martha's Marvellous Munchies

Search This Blog