"Wasting" it on Jesus? Really?

Some thoughts from tonight's reading through the Gospel according to Mark:

The Bible says that Judas didn’t care about the poor but “was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6). So as I was reading the Gospel according to Mark I saw it as no coincidence that Mark places Judas’ conspiracy to betray Jesus to the chief priests in the context of Jesus’ anointing at Bethany by the woman with the alabaster jar (Mark 14:1-10). Matthew does the same thing and places these incidents together (Matthew 26:6-16). Since in Judas’ judgment this oil was nothing less than a misappropriation of ministry funds (because none of it benefited himself) it became the straw that broke the camels back. Mark says that when the woman with the alabaster box poured the entire oil-based perfume on Jesus “some of those present” (vs. 4) became indignant and “scolded her” for the apparent wastefulness. Matthew on the other hand gets a little more specific and says that it was “the disciples” (Matt. 26:8) who were indignant. The Gospel of John however places Judas as the instigator of the protest. The passage says,

But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it (John 12:4-6).

Judas appraised the oil at “more than three hundred denarii” (vs. 5). A denarius was a day’s wage at the time. Placing this price in modern terms we take the current hourly minimum wage of $7.25 and multiply it with an 8-hour workday. This equals $58 a day; a modern day “denarius.” Judas appraised the expensive ointment at over three hundred workdays, which amounts to $17,400 ($58x300 = $17,400). This is roughly a year’s income for the average worker. So Judas’ eyes saw the equivalent of someone’s annual income spent on only one ministry “staff person.” Of course the real reason for his indignation was that he wouldn’t see any of it go to him personally. He said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" but what he was really thinking was "Why was this ointment wasted on Jesus instead of it being sold for three hundred denarii and given not to the poor, but to me?" Jesus knew exactly what Judas was thinking and saw Judas influence the other disciples so that they too voiced concerns, but their concern for the poor was most likely genuine. They had no idea of the evil brooding in Judas’ internally yet they were on his side externally. So as I stated the Bible places Judas’ decision to betray Jesus in this context and therefore it is safe to conclude that this was the incident that cemented his decision to betray Jesus as if to compensate for lost money. After all, this is how he approached the religious leaders who were seeking to arrest Jesus. He asked, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). Judas didn’t recognize the worth of Jesus, but rather devalued and demeaned Him by clearly implying that Jesus wasn’t worth a year’s wages.

What about us? What do we withhold from Jesus because we think it’s a waste? What do we keep from Jesus because we don’t think Jesus worthy of it and yet in our withholding are we not saying we’re worthy of such things?