Mark 14, 1-31, Preparation for Burial

Jesus is in and around Jerusalem, teaching his disciples.

Mark 14: 1-2
Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. "But not during the Feast," they said, "or the people may riot."

Jesus has drawn the increasing ire of the religious leaders who have been trying to trap him into saying something that would give them authority to arrest him.  Now they are determined to kill him, regardless.  But the plot requires some care, as he is still very popular.

Mark 14: 3-9
While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume?

It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.

"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

There is a lot going on in this short periscope.  Jesus is with someone known as "the Leper", an outcast.  As before, he is among the poor.  Yet a woman come and worships him by pouring expensive perfume on his head.  "What a waste!" someone says.  The Gospel of John records that it was Judas Iscariot who says this, disappointed that he could not have access to that money.

This incident in the life of Jesus is recorded by all four Gospels.  Here are the parallel passages, worth reading.  Why is this event so poignant to the four gospel writers?

Those who wish to wear the mantle of Christianity while ignoring the poor have pointed to Jesus's comment, "The poor you will always have with you" as if it were dismissive of the poor.  But that is taking this statement out of context.  Indeed, Jesus is indirectly quoting Deuteronomy 15:11, where the Jews are instructed to therefore always keep the poor in mind.

The NIV footnotes point out that the Greek phrase translated "more than a year's wages" is really an amount of money:  "more than three hundred denarii" which is difficult to translate into modern terms.

Mark 14: 10-11
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Judas has had enough of this Messiah who won't take over and rule the land, of this Messiah who is so soft with the poor and downtrodden, with the weak, ill and sinful people.  And he sees a chance to make some money.

Mark 14: 12-16
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, `The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there."

The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

Jesus knows of a room prepared for him and sends the disciples to complete the preparations.  The disciples do not know that Jesus intends to be the Passover Lamb.

Some believe that this upper room belonged to the family of John Mark, since a similar room is identified that way in Acts 12: 12-16.

Mark 14: 17-25
When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me--one who is eating with me."

They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?"

"It is one of the Twelve," he replied, "one who dips bread into the bowl with me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. "I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God."

Some manuscripts add "new" before the word "covenant" in verse 24.  The Old Covenant with the Jewish people is being renewed and extended through the Messiah who is about to be offered as the Passover Lamb.

Mark 14: 26-31
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. "You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: "`I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'  But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."

Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not."

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today--yes, tonight--before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times."

But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the others said the same.

Poor Peter.  Such a good naive man at heart.

The Old Testament quotation in verse 27 is from Zechariah 13:7.

Some early manuscripts, in the description of the rooster crowing, leave out the word "twice" (says the NIV footnotes.)

The plot to arrest Jesus is almost complete.  We approach "Good Friday".