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Evaluation

Someone has said Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which simply means the subject, be it a person or a thing, is often over valued or under valued, according to the bias of the observer.

And with this principle in mind, Jesus pointed out the wisdom of selecting our beholders.

He said, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine.”

For, you see, be it art or music, or even the worth of an individual, it is often the beholder, not the subject, who is on trial.

For instance, there was that dear lady who lavished her most precious possession on Jesus.

We can read about her in Mark 14:3  “And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.”

Actually, the estimated value of this gift was more than 300 denarii, or a little less than a year’s wages.

And I’m sure it’s great value only reflected the unthinkable value this woman placed on Jesus Christ.

And not only were the contents valuable, but the flask had to be broken before they could be poured out.

What a picture this is of the broken spirit and contrite heart which the Lord assures us will not be despised.

But hers was not the only evaluation.

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V 4 tells us---“there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?”

Yes, wasted!

It was simply too valuable to be wasted on Jesus.

And what an opportunity Judas missed to line his pockets.

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Which brings us to the question, What was Judas’s evaluation of Jesus?

Well, we can easily answer that question by turning to Matthew 26:14-15 “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.”

And he was satisfied.

There was a time when he wouldn’t have been satisfied with such a price.

Even though his motivations had never been right, there was a time when he simply dreamed of holding an important position in Jesus’ kingdom.

Now his evaluation had dropped to the price of a slave.

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So then beauty, or the lack of it, is dependant upon the eye of the beholder.

To the lady with the alabaster flask, Jesus was God’s “unspeakable,” “indescribable gift!”

To Judas, He was a disappointing delusion whom he was willing to cash in on at a bargain-basement price.

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But, as we have already observed, it is often the beholder, not the subject, who is on trial.

And in the end, all mankind will have to make the same evaluation that the two thieves made, and with the same consequences.

Yes, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”