What destitutes need...

Last month the ship Aquarius sailed to Italy with 629 migrants on board – all of them saved from the sea off the Libyan coast. Italy, which controls Mediterranean rescue operations for the EU, halted the in-bound ship, claiming that the small EU island of Malta was closer and should take responsibility. French President Emmanuel Macron waded in, accusing Italy of cynical, irresponsible behaviour. But Spain came to the rescue, offering the boat safe harbour in Valencia. 

One can readily see that the EU is internally deeply divided. But the EU is strongly united on one aspect of migrant policy. A few days earlier, the EU had announced a major increase in funding to protect EU borders against migrants. Border guards are to increase from 1,500 to 10,000.

What is the root cause of the internal EU dispute about who takes in the migrants? Is it self-interest? And is the same root reason behind the EU’s 12 billion Euro Budget increase to police its borders? What about us?

 

Come with me to AD 30 Jerusalem to attend an evening meal in a house occupied by a man whose surname means Heard, Listened. A very ill man he’s a bit of an outcast. He’s invited Jesus and his followers to a meal.

According to Matthew, Jesus’ eye-witness biographer, into the room comes an unnamed woman who seems to be one of the haves of this world. She has a very valuable flask of perfume – a pension pot. Quietly, she pours out all of it onto Jesus. Jesus’ followers are very annoyed: “Why this waste?” they say to one another, “This could have been sold and a lot of money given to the destitute.” 

These followers of Jesus - were they really concerned about the destitute, the AD 30 Jerusalem people so similar to EU migrants today? Are we?

Now for something truly surprising back there in AD 30 - Jesus’ response. “Why do you all beat up the woman when, for me, she has worked a beautiful work. Always you will have destitute people with you, but you will not always have me." 

At first blush, it might seem that Jesus is claiming to have greater needs than the destitute. But that’s not so because he didn’t need perfume. Within hours he’d be dead. To explain he added:  “Because she herself, by pouring out this very perfume on my body, has done so to endorse my burial.” 

She had endorsed this death-to self of Jesus. His forthcoming death had changed her within. She herself had died to self. The beautiful deed she did showed her love-in-action of Jesus. She gave all her pension pot to endorse his love-in-action death to bless others, including herself. His selfless death would be remembered – and so would her selfless death to self.

Judas left the meal before that. At the very time that the perfume was being poured away, he was with the first priests, saying, “What do you all wish to give me if I give him away to you?” They put in place for him thirty silver coins. From that time he sought opportunity to give him away.