In Line with Jesus’ Ministry

Mark 14:1-11

1Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of 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.

4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

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

 

  1. Turning to the Death of Jesus

Jesus has told them that He is going to Jerusalem to die. This idea is so far outside of what they can conceive as possible that they can’t receive it. And they have stopped asking Him questions. They are taking things as they come and their expectations are very high. Triumphal entry, Jesus is confounding the Jewish leaders. Things are going seemingly great. But here in the Gospel of Mark, looking especially at the two verses that bracket the passage, we see an emphasis on the coming death of Jesus.

  1. People planning to kill Him

Verses 1 and 2

There are people who are actively seeking to arrest and kill Jesus. He is seen as a heretic who does not follow the law and encourages others to break the law as well.

The real reason is that He teaches in opposition to what the Jewish leaders teach and there is no group to protect him. Pharisees, Sadducees, etc.

The connection of the death of Jesus to Passover is important as it relates to two very important ideas:

  1. Jesus is the real “Passover Lamb”
  2. There is a new covenant being established

 

  1. Judas joins the conspiracy

And the idea of their fear of the crowd sets up the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. This is an important part of the narrative.

This story shows the need that Judas meets. He can deliver Jesus to them. And the story indicates Judas’ motivation: And that is greed.

 

  1. Conspiracy or God’s plan?

While there is a conspiracy, and people have a plan that is for evil, God also has a plan. And just as in the Old Testament story of Joseph being sold by his brothers into slavery, God’s plan is primary.

Genesis 50: 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

  1. Jesus’ Death is Unique

Because of Who He is.

  1. He is the perfect Lamb of God

 

  1. Testimony of John the Baptist who was “Elijah who was to come.”

John 1: 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Jesus is unique in His identity. Jesus is unique in His perfection.   Jesus is unique in His ministry. He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life!

 

Because of what it means.

  1. He is the Passover Lamb reality

Jesus has come to die at the time of Passover.

Passover is significant because of

  1. the deliverance from death,
  2. the deliverance from bondage, and
  3. the deliverance to worship God

 

        We will see this clearly stated in their Passover meal that is coming up soon here in chapter 14.

 

 

 

Because of Who He is and what it means.

  1. He is the powerful Lamb of God
  2. Testimony after He dies:

Revelation 5: 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits[a] of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

Revelation 7: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
  ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Revelation 14: 1Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

Revelation 15: I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:

“Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy. All nations will come
and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

 

Revelation 19: 6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Revelation 21: 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 22: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Phil 2: Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

 

III. The Anointing by Mary

  1. The family connection to Jesus

John 12:1-11 shares this even as well, and John identifies the woman who is nameless here.

Chronology in the gospels is often unclear because the gospels are not written like historical biography. They are topical evangelistic writings meant to convince us to follow Jesus for life. In any event, in just the previous passage in John we have the resurrection of Lazarus.

In any event, this dinner honoring Jesus occurs at Simon the Leper’s house. This is all that we know of Simon. And at Simon’s house in Bethany, we have Lazarus, Mary and Martha.

In John’s gospel we see that the resurrection of Lazarus causes the Jewish leaders to harden their view of Jesus.

John 11: 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

 

  1. Mary anoints Jesus with expensive perfume

A year’s wages: Let’s call it $50,000 worth of perfume. Feet and head are anointed.

Does Mary know about Jesus’ death or is this accidental?

        On what basis does Jesus react to her gift of worship?

Compare her actions in anointing Jesus to the reaction of several in the group that this is a waste of very valuable perfume!

If sold, many poor could be cared for.

 

  1. Connect Jesus’ death with His glory

She has done what she could. What does this mean? Does this mean that Mary, of all of these people actually recognizes that Jesus has come to Jerusalem to die?

 

Two people here are giving their greatest sacrifice, Mary and Jesus. They are united in the cost of this event. People may think that both gifts are wasteful. There could be a better way!

 

When we give Jesus our best, we honor what He is doing regardless if we understand what is going on.

This is why the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ has all the times Jesus is ascribed the name, Lamb of God.