Over the past few years, the deconstruction movement has been on the rise, and it’s driving people out of churches in droves. Deconstruction is essentially the practice of deconstructing or picking apart one’s beliefs until there’s nothing left to have faith in. Instead of sifting through their doctrines to determine what is biblical and what is not, deconstructionists tend to throw the baby out with the bathwater when they realize their church is teaching poor theology or simply teaching something they don’t personally agree with. They abandon the true faith and pursue an unbiblical form of Christianity (most often known as Progressive Christianity), follow another religious or spiritual practice, or choose to claim no religion at all. The number of churchgoers who are leaving the church because they cannot identify or affirm biblical Christianity is truly heartbreaking, and it’s a serious issue that churches all across the country ought to be addressing.

One thing that has baffled me about the deconstruction movement is how two people can grow up in the same family or grow up in the same church and end up with wildly different beliefs about Christianity. There is a very popular, well-known theologian in America who has pastored and authored books for decades. He has a son who has followed in his footsteps, becoming both a pastor and an author. But he has another son who has completely turned his back on Christianity and has even gained fame on TikTok for sharing his deconstructionist views.

When I reflect on this situation, I often think, “How could two boys who grew up in the same Christian home, who attended the same church grow into men who have two starkly different views on God and the Bible?” But there is a narrative in the Gospels that may shine some light on this and reveal that this contradiction of beliefs is not a new phenomenon amongst those who have sat under Christian teachings.

Shortly before Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, He and His disciples shared a meal in the home of a friend—

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John 12:1-3, ESV

If you’re familiar with the Gospels, you’ll recognize the people named in this passage—Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. Lazarus was the friend of Jesus whom He resurrected after being dead for four days (John 11). His sisters, Mary and Martha, are also well-known in their own biblical narrative, where Martha scolds her sister for not helping her serve their guests but Jesus replies that Mary has chosen the good portion by sitting at his feet and listening to His teachings (Luke 10:38-42).

In John 12, we find Jesus visiting his friend Lazarus as He and His disciples pass through Bethany. Martha is once again serving their guests, and Mary is once again sitting at Jesus’ feet. However, instead of merely listening to a teaching of her Lord, she poured a very expensive ointment or perfume onto his feet and wiped it with her own hair. We find out later in the passage that this large amount of ointment was worth about 300 denarii, which at the time was about a year’s wages. That would have been quite a large sum in that day and age, and yet Mary found that anointing her Messiah with the fragrant perfume was worth the cost.

But not everyone in attendance thought the same way—

“But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.” John 12:4-6

Anyone with just a modicum of knowledge about the Gospels knows who Judas Iscariot is. He is famous (or should I say infamous) for being the disciple who betrayed Jesus with a kiss (Luke 22:47-48), so much so that the name “Judas” has practically become synonymous with being a traitor. But we discover in this passage that Judas was not only a traitor but also a thief. He would regularly help himself to the money that was available for Jesus and His disciples, so he was utterly dismayed when he watched Mary pour money down the drain that could’ve lined his own pockets. He claimed his concern was for the poor they often ministered to, but the reality was that he was just a greedy man (and now it makes sense why he was so willing to sell Jesus out for a few silver coins – Matthew 26:14-16).

Here we find two people, two sinners. Judas’ sins are pretty obvious in this passage. As for Mary, we don’t know much about her background before she started following Jesus. Some have associated her with the sinner woman in Luke 7 (vv. 36-38) or the adulterous woman in John 8 (vv. 1-11), though there is no biblical support for either of these associations. We do know, however, that at some point Jesus cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2). Both Mary and Judas were sinners in their own way, and both were some of Jesus’ closest followers, listening to His profound teachings and watching His miraculous healings. But while Mary remained loyal to her Lord and Savior, even to the point of attending His crucifixion and visiting His tomb when no other disciples would, Judas betrayed the very Son of God and ended up taking his own life. How can it be that these two people who walked with Jesus and spoke with Him face to face could have such different outcomes in life?

This tale just goes to show that not everyone who hears the gospel or goes to church or even reads their Bible will be saved. Salvation is a choice that we all must make, a choice that involves recognizing our sins, repenting from them, and submitting our whole lives to Christ. There’s no way for us to sneak in the side door of heaven. Not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will be let in (Matthew 7:21). Only those who truly believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and follow the will of God will be forgiven of their sins. Mary did. Judas didn’t.

As we finish reflecting on this passage, let us strive to be like Mary. Mary, whose humility and devotion to the Lord was revealed by her willingness and eagerness to cleanse the feet of Jesus, a task that was reserved for servants. Mary, whose actions that day were described by Jesus as beautiful (Matthew 26:10), whose actions Jesus promised would be told in memory of her wherever the gospel preached, and indeed they have (Matthew 26:13). Mary, who was willing to pay whatever it cost to follow and worship her Savior.

Judas was not willing to pay the cost. He gave into his greedy and sinful nature, and in the end, paid for it with his life and his eternity. May we not make his same mistakes. May we instead find Jesus and the new life He promises far more valuable than any riches we can amass on this earth. As author and Bible teacher, Nancy Guthrie, once wrote—

“Whatever it costs you to take hold of Jesus and enter into his death and resurrection…it’s worth it.”^[1]

^[1] Nancy Guthrie, Saints and Scoundrels in the Story of Jesus (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020), 120-121.