Matthew 26:9

Matthew 26:9. The best authorities omit ‘ointment' here, but it is necessary to supply it

Sold for much. Pliny says that a pound of this ointment cost more than four hundred denarii (comp.' three hundred pence,' Mark and John).

Given to the poor. This suggestion, put forward by Judas, was with him a mere pretext (see John 12:6); the other disciples may have honestly felt it. Judas may have hoped to get the money in his possession, but not necessarily to make off with it; his intention was scarcely ripe enough for such a scheme. Those who hold trust funds, even for benevolent purposes, are often as unscrupulous in adding to them as in increasing, their private store.