MARK 14:1-2
The Sanhedrin Plots
The Olivet Discourse has ended and Mark begins in chapter 14 to tell us about the last days of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry.
Mark gave us a time stamp. This part of the story begins two days before the Passover. Passover was observed on the 14th day of Nisan, the first month of the Jewish Year, at sundown. (Exodus 12)
Nisan corresponds to March-April in our calendar. For example, Passover this year fell between the evening of April 5 and the evening of April 13.
Passover inaugurates the Feast of Unleavened Bread which lasts for a week. (Exodus 34)
The chapter begins with the members of the Jewish Sanhedrin looking for some way to arrest Jesus and kill him without stirring up the crowds that are in Jerusalem for Passover. (2) Judas will give them that opportunity later.
Mary Anoints Jesus
14:3-9
The setting for the story is the little village of Bethany on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. (3) Jesus and his disciples spent the nights there after days of confrontations in the city of Jerusalem. Bethany was the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
A man named Simon the Leper hosted a dinner for Jesus and his disciples. (3) Simon would have been healed from his disease, or otherwise could not have been in such a gathering. Maybe Jesus healed him previously and so the dinner was in his honor.
To the surprise of the men, a woman entered the room. Mark does not name her, but John’s account tells us it was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. (John 12:1-3)
Mark may have omitted her name to keep the reader’s focus on Jesus. He presents this event as the beginning of the end of Jesus’ earthly life as he is anointed for death.
We know Mary from two previous encounters with Jesus. First, she sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to his teaching despite her sister wanting her to help her serve dinner. But Jesus told Martha “one thing is necessary” and “Mary has chosen n the good portion, which will not be taken away from her”. (Luke 10:38-42)
Mary’s desire to be near her Lord and to concentrate on his teaching was far more beneficial than being very busy preparing and serving with a meal. So, Jesus further said that would not be taken away from Mary.
The second time we see her is after the death of her brother, Lazarus. When Jesus got there, Mary said Lazarus would not have died if Jesus had been there. While that sounds like a reproach, it shows that Mary believed in Jesus’ divine power to heal.
Mary’s entrance into the room where the men were gathered around the table was practically walking into the lion’s den. It was inappropriate in that culture for a woman to come into such a gathering of men except to serve them food and drink. As soon as the men realized she was not carrying a picture of wine or a platter of food, they would have begun to sit up and watch her, maybe even say: “what is she doing here?”.
Mary knew this and knew the men would not approve. But, she went anyway because she thought only of Jesus, not of the opinion of others. She was compelled to go because of her love for Jesus and devotion to him.
Imagine the shock of the men when Mary held up a beautiful alabaster flask. It was probably translucent white with artistic carvings on it. It was valuable and undoubtedly contained something valuable.
In fact, it contained pure nard, an expensive, perfumed, ointment that came all the way from India. It was worth around a year’s wages. It may have been a family heirloom or an investment.
Their eyes would go wide as she broke the top off of the flask. Mary was all in with her love for Jesus. She was not going to just pour a drop on him and then put the top back on the flask. No, she intended from the beginning to use the whole thing.
As Mary poured the contents of the flask on Jesus’ head, the room was filled with the fragrance of pure nard. Mary continued pouring until the flask was completely empty. It probably held 12 ounces or more.
The ointment ran down Jesus’ hair and dripped down even to his feet. The men must have looked on in shocked silence for a few minutes as the enormity of her sacrifice for Jesus became apparent.
You know, most of us are practical. We count the cost of things and we order our activities and expenses according to our priorities. The disciples were practical too. They complained. They scolded her! They said the flask should have been sold and the money given to the poor. They said it was wasted! (4)
I suspect they were not that concerned about the poor. Judas certainly had ulterior motives. But I think the others might have been embarrassed or ashamed. While they had the unique privilege of being with Jesus all day every day, they bickered about who was he greatest, they tried to exclude others from getting close to Jesus.
But here is this woman who is not even supposed to be there, who was not one of the inner circle, but who came to Jesus with no motive other than to express her love for him and to honor him, even at the expense of her own humiliation.
Notice also that Jesus did not join the complaining chorus. He received this extravagant gesture of love and honored the woman who gave it. He jumped to her defense, interrupting the scolding, and saying: “leave her alone”. (6)
Jesus also said that Mary had done a beautiful thing to him. His time was short and Mary had done what she could by preparing his body for burial in advance. (8)Mary seemed to understand what the disciples did not, that Jesus was going to die soon and they would likely not have time to prepare his body for burial when it happened.
Jesus was not minimizing the needs of the poor. He always advocated for the poor. But he was saying he would not be with them much longer and acts of love and devotion were completely appropriate. (7) Again, Mary chose the better thing.
Jesus even said that what Mary did would be told everywhere the gospel is preached in the whole world. What an honor! That prophecy has been fulfilled thousands of time and it is fulfilled here today.
What Jesus said here is not new. God has always expected his people to love him extravagantly. The book of Deuteronomy records Moses giving the law to the Israelites again as they are about to enter the Promised Land. Moses said “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
Jesus called this the great and first commandment. (Matthew 22:38) In other words, the first and greatest thing believers should do is love the Lord with every part of their being and everything they have.
Let's take a moment today for self examination. Do we love God completely and above all things? Or is God just one of many things in our lives?
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