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Lesson 11: Preparation for Death , Mark
14:1-26 by Brad Anderson
We now come to the section of Mark that deals
with the final days of Jesus Christ. Circumstances are starting
to come together that would result in Jesus’ crucifixion.
The Plot to Arrest Jesus (14:1-2)
Explain the background of Passover. Passover is the Jewish festival
commemorating the occasion when the angel of the Lord passed over
the homes of the Hebrews on the night he killed all the firstborn
sons of the Egyptians (cf. Exod 12:13, 23, 27). The lambs used in
the feast were slain on the fourteenth of Nisan (March/April), and
the meal was eaten that evening between sundown and midnight.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread followed Passover and lasted seven
days. Since the Last Supper was probably a Passover meal and took
place on Thursday night, the incident reported here must have taken
place on Wednesday of Passion Week.
Why did the Jewish leaders think they had to be tricky when they
arrested Jesus (“take him by craft” KJV)? . The possibility
of a riot was too great (v. 2). Thousands of people invaded the
Holy City to celebrate the feast of Passover. It is said that the
population doubled (from twenty-five thousand to fifty thousand)
during the week. The chief priests and teachers of the law realized
that it would be too risky to arrest Jesus with such a highly excitable
crowd present It would be wiser to wait for a more favorable moment--perhaps
after the pilgrims had left the city to go home.
The scribes and the chief priests, who made up the Sanhedrin, had
apparently made an official decision to seek the death of Jesus.
The fact that this body, which was responsible to uphold the civil
and religious laws, decided to put an innocent man to death shows
how blind and corrupt the Jewish leaders were.
The Anointing at Bethany (14:3-9)
Where does this incident take place? The incident takes place in
the home of Simon the Leper at Bethany. Simon was probably a leper
who had been healed. Mark does not identify the woman who anointed
Jesus, but we know from John’s Gospel (12:3) that she was
Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.
The “alabaster jar” that contained the perfume was a
vessel with a rather long neck which was broken off when the contents
were used. The “nard” (perfume) was made from the root
of a plant found chiefly in India and was very expensive. Mary took
the bottle and broke the neck so that she could pour the ointment
over Jesus’ head. This kind of perfume evaporated quickly
and left a wonderful odor.
Matthew says it was the disciples who reacted so indignantly at
the “waste” of the costly perfume (.4). Judas probably
expressed the most forceful protest because he was the treasurer
of the Twelve.
Why did they object to this “waste”? The perfume had
a value of more than three hundred denarii (a denarius was what
a man received for a day’s work--thus NIV’s “more
than a year’s wage”). The mention of the poor is natural
because it was the custom for the Jews to give gifts to the poor
on the evening of the Passover. The insensitivity of Jesus’
disciples to this beautiful expression of love and devotion is amazing.
Mark uses the word meaning, “to be angry,” “to
express violent displeasure” to describe the feeling of the
disciples toward Mary. This is all the more surprising since they
had often enjoyed the generous hospitality of Mary, Martha, and
Lazarus, while in Bethany.
Jesus rushed to Mary’s defense (.6). Instead of condemning
her, they should have commended her. Her action of anointing Jesus
with a bottle of expensive perfume was a beautiful expression of
her love and devotion to him, and she should not have been rebuked.
How else did Jesus interpret this anointing? As an anointing of
his body beforehand in preparation for his burial (v. 8). The text
suggests that Mary, unlike the disciples, did understand that Jesus
would soon be killed and buried.
The Betrayal by Judas (14:10-11)
Judas was “one of the Twelve” (.10). He had all the
advantages of being a member of the group, yet he betrayed Jesus.
Spiritual privilege in itself is no guarantee of sincere faith.
Why do you think the leaders of the Jews were so happy that about
Judas’ offer to betray Jesus? Because, being on the inside,
he could choose the most opportune time to hand Jesus over to them.
In that way they could avoid what they feared most, a riot of the
people.
The Lord’s Supper (14:12-26)
Ordinarily “the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread”
would have been Thursday. Jesus and his disciples were probably
in Bethany. Since the Passover had to be eaten within the walls
of the city, the disciples asked Jesus where in Jerusalem they were
to go to make preparation. There was no time to lose because the
Passover meal had to be eaten between sundown and midnight Thursday
night (Friday to the Jews started at sunset Thursday night).
How were the disciples supposed to find the place? Jesus gave explicit
instructions to two of his disciples (v. 13). We know from Luke
that the two were Peter and John (Luke 22:8). The “man carrying
a jar of water” would easily be identified because customarily
women, not men, carried water jars. He was to lead them to the house
where the owner had a guest room (v. 14). Jewish custom required
that if a person had a room available, he must give it to any pilgrim
who asked to stay in it, in order that he might have a place to
celebrate the Passover (cf. SBK, 1:989). Mark seems to indicate
that Jesus had made previous arrangements with the owner of the
house. The upstairs room is described as “furnished and ready”
(v. 15), i.e., with what was necessary for the celebration: table,
couches, cushions, etc. The disciples would have to get the food
and prepare it. This would include the unleavened bread, wine, bitter
herbs, sauce haroset, and the lamb. The two disciples went into
the city as instructed by Jesus, found everything as he had said,
and made the necessary preparations (v. 16).
Jesus and his disciples had probably spent the day in Bethany. In
the evening they returned to the city. Mark says Jesus “arrived
with the Twelve.” This suggests that Peter and John, after
making preparations, returned to Bethany, a distance of only a couple
of miles, and then accompanied Jesus when he went into the city
in the evening. Since the Jewish day began at sundown, it was now
Thursday night.
Jesus uses the solemn formula “I tell you the truth”
(“Verily I say unto you” KJV) to reveal the fact that
one of them would betray him. This must have been a shocking surprise
to the disciples. It’s noteworthy that none of them suspected
Judas.
How did Jesus identify the betrayer? He said it would be “one
who is eating with me.” To betray a friend after eating a
meal with him was, and still is, regarded as the worst kind of treachery
in the Middle East. Jesus may have had in mind Psalm 41:9: “Even
my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted
his heel against me.”
How did the disciples react to this announcement? The response of
the disciples to Jesus’ startling disclosure was one of sadness
and self-distrust. One by one they asked Jesus, “Surely not
I?” In Matthew’s Gospel even Judas asks the question
(Matt 26:25).
Jesus said that the betrayer is the “one who dips bread in
the bowl with me.” The reference is to dipping a piece of
unleavened bread in the sauce that was part of the Passover meal.
Note how prophecy and human action intersect in verse 21. Judas
was fulfilling the Scripture, even though he was acting according
to his own desires. Man is not excused for his sin even if the sin
is part of God’s plan. See Acts 2:22-24 for another example.
The NT records four accounts of the Lord’s Supper (Matt 26:26-30;
Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20; 1Cor 11:23-25). All four include the
taking of the bread, the thanksgiving or blessing, the breaking
of the bread, the saying “This is my body,” and the
taking of the cup. The bread Jesus took was the unleavened bread
of the Passover meal. He first gave thanks. At Passover the blessing
for the bread that immediately preceded the meal itself went thus:
“Praised be Thou, O Lord, Sovereign of the World, who causes
bread to come forth from the earth.”
Did Jesus mean that the bread turned into his body? No. There is
no indication that the bread was changed--it remained ordinary bread.
Furthermore, Jesus often used symbolic language to speak of himself.
He spoke of himself as the true vine, the way, the door, etc., by
which he meant that certain aspects of his person or work were symbolized
by these objects. In the same way the bread symbolized his body
i.e., his abiding presence; and the wine symbolized his blood about
to be shed
The cup Jesus referred to (.23) is the third cup of the Passover
meal, which was drunk after the meal was eaten. The beverage in
the cup was wine mixed with water. Again Jesus gave thanks. The
meaning of the cup is clearly connected with his sacrificial death,
which is the basis of God’s covenant relationship with sinful
man. The blood that establishes the covenant will be “poured
out” (a clear reference to Christ’s death) “for
many.” The word “many” here means “all,”
i.e., the whole human race. Although Christ died for all, the benefits
of his death extend only to believers.
Assuming the meal to have been a Passover meal, it ended with the
singing (.26) of the second part of the Hallel (Pss 115-118). It
is noteworthy that Jesus went to Gethsemane and its agony with such
promises as follows:
The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of
the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD
doeth valiantly.
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
(Ps 118:14-17)
Conclusion:
Jesus’ divine appointment with the cross is drawing very near.
On the verge of his great sacrifice, Jesus takes time to share a
meal and enjoy fellowship with his disciples.
Applications:
What are a few timeless biblical principles we can glean from this
text?
1. No sacrifice as an expression of love to Jesus is too expensive.
Others may criticize us for such sacrifices, but this should not
prevent them.
2. Hypocrisy is common among believers, as is false profession.
Not all those who claim to be followers of Christ are genuine disciples.
Eventually, one’s true nature will expose itself. Spiritual
privilege in itself is no guarantee of sincere faith.
3. The events of Jesus’ life were part of the sovereign plan
of the Triune God. Nothing that happened to Jesus was random or
out of control. God is behind every scene, directing the action.
4. Man is not excused for his sin even if the sin is part of God’s
plan.
5. The Lord’s Supper is a solemn occasion for remembrance
and reflection on the sacrifice of Christ for us. It should also
cause believers to look forward in living hope to his glorious return.
Discussion:
1. What are the various ways that people understand the Lord’s
Supper? a. Roman Catholics see it as a repeat of Christ’s
death. They think they are re-sacrificing Christ on the cross. They
also believe in transubstantiation—that the bread and wine
actually turn into the blood and flesh of Christ. They also see
it as a “sacrament” i.e., a means of grace. b. Lutherans
believe in consubstatiation—the idea that the body and blood
of Christ are somehow spiritually present in and around the bread
and wine. They also call it a sacrament. c. Many evangelicals believe
the Lord’s Supper is symbolic/memorial. The actual blood and
flesh of Christ are not present. We see it as an ordinance, not
a sacrament.
2. Note 14:21. How can God hold someone accountable for sin if that
sin is part of God’s plan? See Rom 9:19-20. Our sin is volitional—we
sin because we want to. God is not the author of sin and does not
accept responsibility for sin, even if it’s part of His plan.
The Bible suggests no contradiction between God’s sovereignty
and man’s responsibility—they work side by side. I don’t
know how it works that way, but it does. Since God is just and righteous,
He can do so even if we don’t understand how.
