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In Judas’ objection to Jesus’ costly anointing by Mary we see a show of concern for the poor empty of first person action. Jesus’ “the poor you will always have with you” may seem callous coming from a cis-male to especially to woke ears, but it invites us further in.

Judas lives off of a showy concern for the poor (making sure the left hand is not alone in knowing what the right hand is doing) without understanding the source of concern for the poor. The poor are ubiquitous, always available, unlike generosity’s source.

Jesus himself embodies all privilege (none are more privileged than the Son of God) yet is about to empty himself in a public show which is the inversion of the generosity posturing Judas’ empty heart feeds off of.

We find thousands of social media clambering against oppression but where is the woke missionary doing the cruciform work of listening to the homeless schizophrenic babble or changing the diaper of the elderly?

The raising of Lazarus illuminates the world. We want the power to raise (some of) the dead but only on our terms. We cannot allow this power to remain in the hands of one who will resist us and our competition of petty moralisms.

The brightness of his life makes us look less than. The abandonment of such high privilege exposes the poverty of our doing deeds for the eyes of those we wish to impress. We hates him (Gollum) and we must kills him.