Jesus’ Final Week in Jerusalem
Mark 11:1–16:20
Teaching (11:1–13:37)
King (11:1-11)
Sunday: Triumphal Entry (11:1-11).
Lawgiver (11:12–12:44)
Monday (11:12-19).
Tuesday (11:20–14:2).
Wednesday (14:3-11).
Jesus Anointed (14:3-9).Timeline and placement.
Similarities and differences.
Location and Host.
This takes places in the house of Simon the leper who resides in Bethany.
We know from John’s gospel that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are in Bethany, and we know from earlier that Jesus is lodging in that town during this final week (11:11; John 11:1).
It is peculiar that this account identifies the host by his ailment, as a leper.
Of course, in our studies on biblical leprosy from Lev. 13-14 and even from earlier in this book (1:40-45), we have discovered that leprosy is not always the disfiguring disease that we often think of.
It ranges from all manner of skin conditions, some of which are curable and some not.
But there were quite a few restrictions placed on one who had leprosy—such a person would not be allowed to live in town, let alone have guests eating in their home.
A couple possibilities present themselves.
Simon is not definitively said to be present. So it’s possible that he has allowed them to use his home for this event while he is in quarantine.
Simon is identified by an illness he once had, but no longer suffers from. Either it cleared up on its own, or Jesus healed him. Given what we know of Jesus and leprosy, it seems unlikely He would have not healed him if Simon still suffered from it.
Perhaps Jesus healed him and out of gratitude, he invited Jesus and His disciples to stay with him in this final week.
The Anointing.
People anointed others with oil for several reasons.
They anointed priests, kings, and sometimes prophets to inaugurate them into that position—Jesus uniquely holds all three offices.
In fact, “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew “Messiah,” meaning “Anointed One.”
They also anointed the dead to prepare them for burial—which meant Mary did not prepare Lazarus’s body, but saved this spikenard for Jesus. This is precisely what Jesus said this woman was doing (14:8).
Spikenard, or “nard” as the Greek states, is an extremely expensive perfume from a plant India, also mentioned in Song of Solomon as a perfume used by the Shulamite to attract her beloved (SoS 1:12; 4:13-14).
It is so expensive, it would fetch a price of around 300 denarii. Recall, a denarius was payment for a day’s labor, so 300 denarii would be about a year’s worth of wages accounting for time off (e.g. Sabbath)—that’s a lot!
The ancient historian, Pliny the Elder, describes spikenard as “a foremost possible rank among perfumes” and that “the best ointment is preserved in alabaster” (Black 243).
There was no way to seal the flask back up, so they had to use it all when they opened it. As John records, it was 12 ounces (John 12:3 – NKJV says it was a pound, but the Greek word means 12 oz.).
She poured this fragrant perfume on Jesus’s head, just as prophets, priests, and kings were anointed.
While they were anointed by other prophets and priests, in keeping with the motif of subverting expectations, Jesus was anointed by this woman.
Criticism and response.
The disciples, particularly Judas Iscariot, were up in arms over this apparent waste of a year’s wages.
John records Judas was upset because he was a thief and could have used some of that for himself, but he likely got the other disciples involved, too (John 12:6).
Jesus told them to leave her alone, literally to let it go, that she’s done something good for Him.
The poor would always be with them, and they would always have the opportunity to help them (cf. Deut. 15:11).
In truth, I might have reacted similarly to the disciples here. I see the extravagance of many denominations and I think: Why aren’t they using the money they have for helping people rather than building fancy buildings or buying fancy clothes? Is that the right way to think about it? What circumstances can you think of where we might spend more money on something rather than helping people?
In this situation, however, opportunities to do good for Jesus were dwindling fast! Of course, few people knew that or believed it.
This is another prediction of His imminent death (14:8), that He was soon to die and be buried.
And here, Jesus is essentially broadcasting that this event is going to be recorded for posterity, “as a memorial to her.”
He knew the events of His life were going to be told and written down for us to study and consider, even this act here.
And now we remember her because of what she’s done for Christ here—she’s not even named here or in Matthew.
What good might we be remembered for even if it seems like the wrong thing to others?
Jesus Betrayed (14:10-11).
Motive.
It is unclear what Judas’s motive was for betraying Jesus, but one might say it was money.
Since he was upset over the loss of something worth 300 denarii, if Jesus was going to condone such wastefulness so that he wouldn’t be able to skim some from it, then he’d find his paycheck somewhere else.
He knew the leaders were interesting in getting rid of Jesus, so he goes to them to see how much they were offering.
It doesn’t record how much here, but Matthew states it was 30 pieces of silver, fitting with the prophecy given by Zechariah (Matt. 26:15; Zech. 11:12-13).
Aside from when “Satan entered Judas” (Luke 22:3), does this seem like a reasonable explanation for Judas’s motive here?
Happy response.
The response these religious leaders had to Judas’s betrayal is sickening—it says, “they were glad.”
When you are glad at the prospect of the death of an innocent person doing nothing but good, you really need to stop and reconsider your life!
They give Judas the money, and Judas tries to find a good opportunity to betray Him—something which will come up shortly.
As Mark records earlier, they didn’t feel like they could apprehend Jesus in the temple in front of the crowds for fear of the people.
Judas, however, would know where Jesus was when He was not surrounded by people, and he would guide them directly to Him.
How difficult was it for him to betray the Man he had been following for the last three years? He performed miracles with the other disciples, and yet he still went through with this!
