“The Anointing of Jesus” (ca. 1530)
Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain (click to enlarge)
Compare Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-50
One of the worries that sometimes afflicts me when I think about caring for the poor is whether an expenditure on anything else beyond absolute necessities can be justified while there’s poverty in the world. So long as hunger exists, should there be ski boats, symphony orchestras, good restaurants, degrees in philosophy, professional sports, or art museums? But, without such things (and the many comparable things that could be mentioned), wouldn’t this world be a dismal and charmless place?
Jesus seems to suggest an answer to the question: Yes, it’s important to help the poor. But there are other important things, too.
The question still troubles me, though.
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