In Matthew 26, just days before Jesus’ betrayal, we hear two strikingly different conversations.
First, Judas goes to the chief priests and asks:
“What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”
(Matthew 26:15)
Just two verses later, the other disciples approach Jesus and ask:
“Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
(Matthew 26:17)
What will you give me? Versus Where do you want us to prepare for you?
The contrast couldn’t be clearer. One question is rooted in self-interest, the other in service. One is transactional, the other relational. One places self at the center; the other places Christ there.
It really struck me when I heard this at Mass the other day. And it made me wonder: Which question lives in my heart more often?
There are seasons in life—stressful times at work or uncertainty with health or finances—when our gaze naturally turns inward. We focus on what we lack, what we’ve lost, or what we wish God would fix. It's human. It happens.
But those are often the very moments when we most need to look outward.
It’s a lesson I’ve had to learn again and again. When I’m in a spiritual rut, or weighed down by discouragement, the most healing thing isn’t to spiral deeper into me, but to intentionally turn toward you—toward others.
Who around me is hurting? Who needs encouragement? Who can I serve, even in a small way?
That outward turn reminds me that I am not the center. Christ is.
And when He is our priority, the question shifts from “What will You give me?” to “What can I do for You?”