Friday Scripture: John 12
Sicarii
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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.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”
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We all know the name Judas--synonymous with betrayal. But did you ever wonder about "Iscariot?"
The Jewish Sicarii were a band of assassins who carried sicae, daggers, concealed in their cloaks. At public gatherings, they pulled out these daggers to attack Romans and Roman sympathizers alike, blending into the crowd after the deed to escape detection. The Sicarii are regarded as one of the earliest assassination units of cloak and daggers.
The Greek word for Sicarii is, "Iscariot."
That's right. One of Jesus' disciples was an assassin.
It is no great surprise that Judas would have had a hard time understanding Mary's extravagant gift of love. What is surprising is that Jesus picked Judas in the first place. A Sicarii would not have been on my short list of 12 persons to change the world.
Are there folks you would exclude from that list of disciples? People too far right--too far left--too elite--too redneck--or just too darn weird?
I've got a list--a long list--of people I think are too strange to be true followers of Jesus.
Hmm... I wonder if I'm on THEIR list? Maybe we're all fortunate that Jesus drew his circle wide enough to include all kinds of people on the fringe.
Jesus never threw Judas out. After the betrayal, Judas cast himself out--but he wasn't the only disciple who betrayed Jesus. They all did so... and I've been guilty of betraying Christ as well.
It isn't guilt--or politics--or weirdness--that defines the disciples of Jesus. It's grace. No matter what we carry under our cloaks, Jesus loves us and invites us into the inner circle. Christ accepts the risk of including people on the fringe because he believes God's love can redeem us.
Yep. Even the weird ones... Like us.