10/08/2023
Mark 14:1-11
I must say it has been a thrill and a blessing to venture through the book of Mark verse by verse with you. It is hard to believe, but it was 10 months ago when we began this journey through the life and ministry of Christ Jesus.
It may be because of the investment of that much time, I feel a sadness as it draws closer to the end. I would be content to continue on forever reading about His miracles, listening to His teachings, and feeling as if I were right there in the pages of Scripture with Him.
But as our study now leads us into the final 2 days of His ministry on earth, and a horrible crucifixion scene awaits us, I feel a sense of dread and I get an upset stomach just thinking about it.
Maybe it is because I have felt closer to the Lord during the last 10 months of study than I have in my 22 years of being a believer. I know the end of the story. Jesus will rise and be victorious over the grave.
But feeling closer than I have ever felt before, I fear this will break my heart more than before, and it may yours as well. And that, painful as it may be, will be a good thing. Lest we forget Gethsemane. Lest we forget His agony. Lest we forget His love for us.
So on the menu for us today, as we begin Chapter 14, we will see the plotting and planning 2 days ahead of time, we will see a flashback to the beginning of the week in Bethany, and then we will see Judas starting His plan of betrayal.
He has actually been contemplating it for quite some time, but we will see in today’s text the exact moment he decided to get the ball rolling.
In next week’s study, we will go into more detail about the betrayal as it blends with the instituting of the Lord’s Supper.
But for now, we will see that God has a distinct plan for the exact time of Jesus’s death. And regardless of the plans of evil men, and even the plans of the devil, it will happen according to God’s timing.
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Part A
Verses 1-2
Mark 14:1 Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him;
Mark 14:2 for they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people.”
We begin with the time recorded here by Mark. He makes reference to the Passover and Unleavened Bread. These 2 always go hand in hand. The festival actually begins with the Passover, and then shifts to Unleavened Bread for a period of 7 days.
The very first Passover was observed while the Israelites were in Egypt. The observances that followed were in remembrance of when God raised up a great leader (Moses) and delivered the people from bo***ge with His mighty power.
It should be no surprise that this also led many to have Messianic expectations around Passover. However, the Messiah was not coming to free them from Roman oppression. But, the Romans were on guard and ready for any hint of revolt. That will come into play here in a minute. Keep that in mind.
But the deliverance that Messiah was bringing was from an enemy far more dangerous and far reaching than Rome or Egypt. He was bringing deliverance from bo***ge to sin and death. He was bringing eternal life.
Looking at the life of Jesus, we see His perfect fulfillment of all of the requirements of the Passover Lamb.
The lamb was to be without blemish.
Jesus was sinless and perfect.
The lamb was to be a firstborn.
Jesus is the only begotten Son of God.
The lamb shall have no bones broken.
Jesus had no broken bones, but rather was pierced on the cross.
The lamb is to be selected and share a home with the people for a period of time.
Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem during the Triumphal Entry by the masses.
The lamb was to be killed at a very precise time on a certain day.
The first command in Scripture for this day simply said:
Leviticus 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover.
Then God became more specific:
Deuteronomy 16:1 “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
You may have not heard of the month of Abib in quite some time, but may have heard of the 14th of Nisan. After the Babylonian captivity the month of Abib was called Nisan.
God foreordained that Jesus, as fulfillment of the Passover Lamb, was to die at 3:00 on Friday, the 14th of Nisan. This was the exact time that the priests would be killing the Passover lambs in the temple. Later, we will see them leaving the scene of the crucifixion so they could be back to perform their duties.
They had wanted Jesus dead for a long time now. They have tried, unsuccessfully, to kill Him by trapping Him with questions that would get Him in trouble with the Sanhedrin, Herod, and even Rome. They even tried to throw Him from a cliff in Nazareth, and failed!
But strangely enough, these 2 verses we began with have them in a predicament. They actually DON’T want to kill Him during the Passover or the next 7 days.
The reason for that is, Jerusalem is swelling with 100s of thousands of people. And they just witnessed a few days ago how much the crowds loved and welcomed Jesus as He rode in on a donkey.
In their minds, if they so much as touched Jesus, the crowds would start a riot. And remember earlier, what I said about Rome? They were on alert during this time as well. They had no problem with the idea of killing Jesus, they just wanted to be smart about it and do it secretly.
But wherever He was, the crowds were. So they had a problem. They either had to isolate Jesus from the crowd, then arrest and kill Him before the Passover somehow, or they were going to have to wait until the feast was over and the crowds had gone home.
That was not going to work on God’s time table. How ironic that those who wanted Jesus dead so bad actually didn’t want to do it when the time was right? They wanted to do so either before or after Passover and Unleavened Bread.
The crowds that were in Jerusalem would certainly know what was going on up on that hill outside of town.
But things were going to happen according to God’s plan, not theirs. The religious leaders are simply pawns in the scenario that is being played out on God’s stage.
They were accountable for rejecting Him, and will be judged for doing so one day, but they do not determine what happens to Jesus or when it will happen. God has the final say.
But now we will pause this whole scenario for a bit, as Mark inserts a story here of an event that happened several days before. It is kind of a flashback, if you will.
But the purpose of this story is to show you the burial preparations for Jesus’s body, and the event that sets His betrayal in motion.
You see, the leaders we read about in verses 1 and 2 are at a stalemate. If they can’t catch Jesus away from the crowds within the next few days, it will be weeks before another opportunity arises, lest they awaken the anger of the crowds and alert Rome.
Their problem can only be solved by having help from someone on the inside. Someone who knows when Jesus will be with a smaller group, and where exactly He will be at that time.
And that someone comes into play at the end of this next portion of Scripture.
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Part B
Verses 3
Mark 14:3 While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the l***r, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.
Before we begin discussing this beautiful passage, let me clear up some things that can confuse you.
#1. This is different from the passage in Luke 7 where it says a “sinful woman anointed His feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair, and poured perfume on them.” We all are sinners, but this is not that woman.
That took place in the home of Simon the Pharisee. It's a coincidence that both homeowners in these stories are named Simon, but they are different cases, different women, and different Simons. There are at least 12 Simons in the New Testament, 2 of which are disciples of Jesus.
So this woman in Mark 14 is not the sinful woman from Luke 7. She is Mary, sister of Lazarus and Martha, Jesus’s close friends.
#2. In John’s Gospel, it says this took place 6 days before the Passover. Mark 14 began by saying “It was 2 days before the Passover”. Which is it? As I said before, this part is a flashback. The part in Mark with the leaders is 2 days before the Passover, and so is the part where Jesus sends 2 disciples to reserve the upper room.
But this part took place 6 days before. The previous Saturday, when Jesus first arrived at Bethany. .
Why has Mark squeezed it in here, out of order? Most commentators say that this was part of the preparation for His burial, so it was more fitting here. And they are not wrong.
But I suggest to you a different opinion. The events that take place here also expose Judas’s greed, which the text then makes a transition to the reason for the secrecy in reserving the upper room. We’ll get to that in a minute. Just remember that this is a flashback.
#3 Mark 14 says she poured it on His head. John 12 said she anointed His feet, and then wiped them with her hair. Which one is right?
They both are. She anointed His head, and then fell down and did the same to His feet. She likely remembered the gesture from the sinful woman in Luke, and used her hair.
So now that we have clarified any possible mix ups, let us take this apart.
The place is not that of Simon the Pharisee, but a man called Simon the L***r. Obviously, he was a former l***r. A man with leprosy was not allowed inside city limits, much less holding a feast indoors.
We aren’t told, but it makes sense that this man was healed by Jesus at some point. If you think about it, leprosy was incurable until 1940. If this man was a former l***r, he had to have been cured, and only Jesus had that ability, unless it was after He bestowed that authority upon the disciples.
Now John’s Gospel gives us the name of the woman. Mary. Mark and Matthew do not. Why is that?
Matthew and Mark were the earliest Gospel accounts written. Both of them came in between 40 and 50 AD. At the time of their writings, it may have been necessary to omit their names for their own safety. We’ve seen instances where the Sanhedrin or Pharisees have sought after those healed by Jesus for questioning.
John’s Gospel came in about 40 years later. By then, there would be no need to omit their names, as they may have already passed on by that point. Remember that John was the youngest of all the disciples.
Another detail that John adds to the record is that Martha was yet again serving, while Lazarus was reclining at the feet of Jesus, and Mary came in and did this incredible act of worship.
Not just a few years prior to this, Martha was busy serving and cooking while Martha was found at the feet of Jesus, worshiping. Martha will get her reward for her faithfulness and service, but Mary had her priorities right.
So we are told in Mark that Mary took “an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard” and poured it all over Him.
Number one, an alabaster vial was not cheap. But instead of just opening the top and letting a few drops out, she breaks the neck off of the container and pours it out!
I know some people who seem to marinate in cologne and perfume. You can smell them a mile away. Folks, that is not a substitute for bathing!
But in those days and that culture, it actually was. There was no deodorant. Baths were not daily, as water was precious. That is why many people had perfume. It was used as a kind gesture to all of the people around you, and it was also used in the process of anointing a dead body for burial.
And Mary brought the best she had, and she gave it all.
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Part C
Verses 4-5
Mark 14:4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted?
Mark 14:5 For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her.
Mark is being so gracious here. He left the people unnamed who began bickering about the cost of Mary’s sacrifice. John didn’t care. He told us that it was Judas.
Matthew 26 adds that “the disciples were indignant”. Judas may have instigated it, but the others joined in. Why did you leave that out John? Did you also join in?
Just a side note, negativity like that is contagious. They want to make everyone as hate filled and miserable as they are. You can be in the best mood, and 15 minutes with a bitter person drains you. Too much exposure, and you join their ranks.
But John named Judas as the one who brought up that this was a waste, and that it could have been sold and given to the poor.
John 12:6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.
Now they are concerned with the poor. How many times did the disciples try to keep people from coming to Jesus, because they viewed them as a pest, or an interruption? But now, now they are so concerned about the poor, and what could have been done with the money that spikenard would have bought.
Actually, Judas was already planning his exit from the group. He had been stealing from the money bag all these years. Some who have studied the life and history of Judas claim that like many others, he expected Messiah to be a military ruler and wanted a revolt.
But Jesus never fulfilled that expectation, and was now preparing and talking about His death and being away from them.
So, Judas thought he would line his pockets with as much as he could get, and make a run. He wanted compensation for the 3 years he spent following Jesus.
His greed and betrayal is tragic enough. But to think that he practically lived with Jesus for 3 years, sharing meals, laughs, having intimate conversations that we know nothing about. All the miracles and changed lives he saw. The power Jesus bestowed upon all the disciples was also given to him, if you remember.
How could he have lived through all of that, and then act as if all of that meant nothing to him? I think he realized after the fact. His remorse drove him to take his life when he wasn’t able to undo what he did.
But at this moment, his eyes were on what was just poured out. A man who was embezzling money and planning a getaway just saw nearly a year's wages poured out on Jesus! He could have gotten far with that money, had they sold it.
I always thought Matthew was the mathematician and accountant of the group. It’s surprising how fast Judas knew the value of Mary’s sacrifice. Who knew he was an expert on rare perfumes?
Spikenard, the base for the perfume, is really pricey, more so in the first century. Spikenard itself is found only in India.
There is a place today that has the original formula for the perfume that Mary used. The formula has been used in Israel since the first century BC. In addition to the Spikenard, they add Myrrh, Cinnamon, and Iris,
John adds the understatement of the year when he said “And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” So I bought some online and when I taught this study in my church, I let everyone smell it, so their mind would better be able to connect with the text we are covering.
Not only are we reading the words that were said, but we can smell the same thing that everyone present smelled that day. (And they were so glad I didn’t do something similar when Lazarus came out of the tomb after 4 days and Mary said ‘he stinketh’)
Why would someone have this much perfume? Well, coming from India, I doubt that small quantities would be worth such a long trip. Besides, it may have cost a year's wages, but you don’t normally use it all in one year.
Such a quantity could last the lifetime of the owner, or longer, and be inherited by their children. Think about buying deodorant in bulk. A lifetime supply. To someone who didn’t want to be known for a stench, this was important.
Women go to a great deal of effort to smell nice. Some have more inventory than your average Bath and Body Works store.
If men have a fragrance, it’s usually an accident. “James, what is that alluring aroma on you today?” “Diesel. I hit a bump in the truck and my jug tipped over!”
But there is another use of this perfume, and maybe the ingredient Myrrh gave it away. It was used to prepare a body for burial. And that is what Mary was doing here. She knew what was about to happen.
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Part D
Verses 6-9
Mark 14:6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.
Mark 14:7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me.
Mark 14:8 She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.
Mark 14:9 Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
How gracious of Jesus not to call Judas out on the spot. He knew not only the intentions of Judas, but that he was going to be the one to betray Him. So many prophecies point to His betrayal, and we will get to that more as we progress through this chapter.
Rather than rebuke Judas, and the others who chimed in without thinking, Jesus shushes them, and points out what she has done.
For the last year or so, He has tried to get them to understand that He is going to die, be buried, and rise again. Ever since the Transfiguration, it seems as if He mentions it almost every day. And they still. Don’t. Get. it.
But Mary does. And Jesus knows this is her motive. The woman earlier in Luke was anointed Him with a cheaper perfume and her tears out of a repentant heart. She was seeking forgiveness, and humbling herself the only way she knew how.
But Mary has a different motive. And Jesus tells the hard headed men what it was in verse 8; “she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial”. She knows His death is coming, and she knows there is nothing she can do to stop it.
She has heard Jesus tell about it, and she has heard Him quote Scripture that predicted it. She didn’t like hearing it, but she accepted it and believed Him.
The men didn’t want to. They tried to fight even the idea of His death. Remember Peter being rebuked right after his greatest moment? He was saying that Jesus shouldn’t have to die, and Jesus said what to him? “Get thee behind Me, Satan.”
At the arrest of Jesus, what did Peter do? Did he stand at a pulpit and say “Gentlemen, lend me your ears?No! He took out a sword and cut off a guy’s ear!
His own disciples tried to resist the idea of Jesus going to the cross, but Mary knew it, accepted it, and did what she could. She anointed Him before His death.
When the time came, there was little time for wrapping and anointing His body properly. Some of the work was done, but it was a rush job to get Him in the tomb before sunset and the beginning of the Sabbath. This is why you hear this verse every single Easter.
Luke 24:1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
But it was too late by then. He had risen. Mary had already given Him a more than adequate anointing the Saturday before He was taken to the cross.
On that note, too many times we wait too long to show appreciation to the people in our lives. Why is it that we wait until someone has died, to send flowers? Why is it that all of the great things that are said about someone are said while they are in a coffin, and not to their face when they can hear you say it?
The only person benefiting from those flowers and kind words are the ones sending and saying these things. Maybe it eases their guilt over not having shown appreciation for the person while they were alive.
Or maybe they never settled a grudge with that person or sought their forgiveness, and now it is too late.
This is why Jesus stressed this to us over and over. If you have a problem with anyone, leave your offering at the door, and first go be reconciled with your brother or sister. THEN you may come back and worship properly.
What a variety of people we covered in these verses so far.
A group of religious leaders who can find no fault in Jesus, so they agree to resort to trickery to have Him killed.
A group of men who supposedly are dedicated students of the greatest Rabbi to ever live, and they do not want Him to carry out His ultimate mission, they are not preparing for it, and they are actually being a hindrance.
A woman who actually gets what is going on, and acts appropriately. Yes, that perfume could have been sold and given to the poor. And the poor would still be poor the next week. But what she did made an eternal difference.
That is what Jesus said in verse 9; “ wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
She was a great woman. And I bet she did give to the poor. Most of them probably did it regularly. It was commanded of them in Deut. 15.
But Mary knew that proper worship was more important. She knew it that evening long ago as she sat at His feet rather than helping her sister. And she knows it now. Lavish worship of the Lord is NEVER a waste of time, money, or effort.
That being said, what is your alabaster vial? What is your lavish gift to the Lord? Maybe it isn’t a year's wages, but it still is extremely costly some other way. Maybe there is a way that you can offer unto Him some service that requires a year’s labor, or more!
Maybe the rest of your life could be an alabaster vial, as you dedicate yourself to serving Him in whatever way you are called.
Whatever it is that you have been holding back, offer it unto God, and it will not be wasted. Give it what I call the 10,000 year test. Looking back on this life 10,000 years from now, many things we sought after won’t amount to a hill of beans.
That new bass boat, that shiny car, that fancy toy won’t follow you into Heaven.
Those days of leisure laying on a beach, lavish vacations, or even simple days spent sitting on a porch swing were nice, but never lasted long enough. They held no eternal significance.
What Mary did that day is still being talked about, just as Jesus predicted. What are you doing that will be talked about in Heaven 10,000 years from now? If nothing, ask yourself “What CAN I do?”
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Part E
Verses 10-11
Mark 14:10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them.
Mark 14:11 They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.
These 2 verses take us to a turning point, both in the text, and in the life of Judas. I chose to end this study with these 2 verses, even though our next study will begin with them. The reason I think they should be included, is that THIS is when the decision to take action was made by Judas.
That is the whole reason Mark put this past event into the text we are now studying. We saw how the Saturday before, Judas’s greed had reached its peak. He no longer tried to mask the fact that his eyes were on their finances. He was mad that he couldn’t get his hands on that money.
Seeing that he was not going to get much richer any time soon, he took off in a rage, and made an arrangement with those who sought to kill Him. Judas had been planning his exit for some time, but it was here, at this dinner, when he got the ball rolling and made arrangements to betray Jesus.
So Mark takes us to a scene 2 days before the Passover. He includes this scene as a flashback, to show us that Judas has had it in his mind since the previous Saturday to rat out our Lord.
The schemer has been watching Jesus all week long, and listening to His plans, trying to find out a perfect time and place where the authorities can arrest Him without the crowds knowing.
Like the religious leaders from verses 1 and 2, they want it done either before or after the feast, but not during. But those are the plans of men.
God’s timing has His Son arrested and on the cross, and dying at exactly 3:00 on the 14th of Nisan, when the Passover Lambs are slain.
But before that happens, Jesus must celebrate Passover with the disciples. It is there that He will institute the Lord’s Table, and leave them with a final teaching before fulfilling the Passover perfectly and completely.
He must not be arrested and killed before then.
So we will see in the next study, the steps Jesus took to ensure that Judas would not be successful in pinning His location down for the authorities to arrest Him, until the due time.
