Have you ever been firmly convinced in your mind about something and then found out that you were wrong? When I was younger, I was convinced that people should buy only domestic cars and that all foreign cars were junk. I don’t remember where I got that idea, but when my uncle showed us his foreign sports car, I blurted out something about “foreign junk.” My dad immediately addressed my poorly timed comments. My ignorance led to that reprimand. Since then, I have learned by experience that quality cars are not limited to just those made in our country. We have owned and enjoyed a number of foreign cars that have been good vehicles for us.
In today’s study, we will see some people who had a similar change of mind. Some of the disciples were indignant about something someone did. They were firmly convinced that what happened was a terrible injustice. How could such a thing happen? What was the person thinking? And why was Jesus not doing something about it? However, after they heard the other side of the story, they understood that what had happened wasn’t so bad after all. It was actually quite good. Let’s take a look at our passage.
- What does it say? (Mark 14:1-11)
The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away. The chief priests and scribes tried to devise a deceptive plan to kill Jesus. But they thought it best to do it after the feast so that there would not be a bad reaction from the people.
Jesus was at the house of Simon the leper in Bethany. While at the table, a woman arrived with a very expensive bottle of spikenard oil. She broke the bottle and poured the contents on His head. This was more than some could handle because it seemed like a great waste of money. The bottle could have been sold for 300 denarii and the proceeds given to the poor. Their criticism became very sharp.
However, Jesus told them to leave her alone. He asked why they were troubling her since she had done a good thing to Him. He insisted that there would always be poor people to help but that He would not always be around. He appreciated what she did and noted that she had anointed His body before His burial. He then pronounced that what she had done would be told wherever the gospel was preached in the world.
After what happened, Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, went to the chief priests wanting to betray Jesus to them. When they heard that, they were happy and promised to give him money. From that point, Judas began devising the best way to betray Jesus. - What does it mean?
We have finally come to the part of Mark that tells the narrative of Jesus’ last days on earth. The events recorded include the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection among other things. While the main purpose of a narrative is to state what happened, we can learn something from each event mentioned in this chapter. As we read each paragraph, consider what God wants us to see in each event. To accomplish that, let’s answer several questions.
Why did the religious leaders want to kill Jesus? (Mark 14:1-2)
The chief priests and scribes were the top religious leaders in Jerusalem. Some of them were part of the Sanhedrin which served as the Jewish government under the Roman occupation. These were a group of people that few would be willing to critique or publicly denounce. But Jesus had done this. Since his arrival in Jerusalem, He had made an entrance into Jerusalem as the Messiah (Mark 11:1-11), cleansed the temple of merchants (11:15-17), refused to tell by what authority He had done it (11:27-33), likened the religious leaders to rebellious and murderous vinedressers (12:1-12), corrected the Sadducees error about the resurrection (12:18-27), and warned about the evil deeds of the scribes (12:38-40). They had tried to destroy Him on several occasions (11:18, 32; 12:12) but were afraid of Him and the crowds.
With the feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread just two days away, the chief priests and scribes were actively looking for a way to put Jesus to death and they were even willing to use deceit to make it happen. This underscores what Jesus had said about these wicked people. While not all of the religious leaders were bad (Zacharias, Nicodemus, and Gamaliel), most had earned their evil reputation by their attitudes and actions. This was the reason why they wanted to kill Jesus. Their evil deeds came from evil hearts, and they were unwilling to repent of their sin. They loved darkness rather than light and were willing to do whatever it took to keep things the way they were.
Why did the woman anoint Jesus with oil? (Mark 14:3)
Mark tells us that Jesus was visiting a man named Simon the leper, “a man apparently cured by Jesus previously (cf. 1:40).”1 While Jesus was sitting at the table, an unnamed woman2 brought “an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard” and anointed His head with oil. What was this oil and why would she do this?
What was this oil?
Since anointing with oil is not a common practice today, we need some historical explanation. This was not a quart of 5w30 engine oil. Neither was it olive oil used for cooking. Instead, it was a perfume made from pure nard, an Indian plant which produced a pleasant smell. It “left no oily stain but evaporated rapidly with the loveliest odor like our costly perfumes.”3 It was a very expensive perfume which could have cost as much as 300 denarii or 300 days wages. If converted to the 2024 minimum wage in Ohio, this would be equal to about $25,000.
Why did she anoint Him with oil?
At first glance, we may be tempted to point to other mentions of anointing with oil to get our answer. Remember Psalm 23 where David thanked God for anointing his head with oil. Or you may think back to the oil poured on the head of the Old Testament prophets, priests, and kings when they were chosen for service. But none of these events are equivalent to what was done to Jesus here. This was perfume and not oil. So, we must look at the context for our answer. Jesus tells us why she anointed him with oil. She was not anointing Jesus as prophet, priest, or king. Instead, Jesus states that she was anointing Him in anticipation of His burial (14:8).
On several previous occasions, Jesus had announced his coming death, burial, and resurrection. In Mark 8:31, Jesus told the disciples that He would be rejected, killed, and would rise after three days. In Mark 9:31, He told them that He would be betrayed, killed, and would rise the third day. Finally, in Mark 10:32-34, Jesus told the disciples that He would be betrayed, condemned, tormented, killed, and raised on the third day.
With that in mind, Jesus stated that this woman anointed Him with the spikenard perfume because of His coming death and burial. What this means is that she believed what He said would happen. She believed that He would be betrayed and killed and wanted to anoint Him before it happened. Hiebert suggests that “she perceived that when the tragedy struck she would be utterly unable to reach Jesus to anoint His body, and so she acted to show her love and sympathy while she could.”4
Why were some of the people so angry with her? (Mark 14:4-5)
Mark tells us that some in the room were indignant about what the woman did. They considered it a waste of money because of how expensive the perfume was. It is true that it would take a year’s labor to pay for the bottle. It was also true that the bottle could have been sold and the money used to help poor people. These thoughts filled the mind of some who criticized her actions very sharply.
While Mark doesn’t mention any other reason for their anger, John does. In John 12:1-8, he tells us that Judas Iscariot was the one behind the complaint. While he talked about helping the poor, he was actually more interested in pilfering the money for himself. What seemed like a legitimate criticism was actually a cover for Judas’ bad intentions. But his criticism was convincing enough to get some of the others to go along with him.
Why did Jesus defend the woman? (Mark 14:6-9)
Jesus reprimanded the complainers for criticizing this woman. He told them to leave her alone and asked why they were troubling her. Why did He do this? There are several reasons.
He wanted them to recognize the good she had done.
Jesus noted that this woman had done good to him (6) and that she would be honored in the future (9). Why is it that no good deed goes unpunished? In other words, why is it that people often complain about the good things people do for others. In this case, the woman was sacrificing a great treasure that may have been a family heirloom to honor Jesus. Couldn’t the complainers see that in her actions? They should have been quiet and appreciated her sacrifice. But their minds were more focused on money and their future positions in the kingdom to respond with kindness. To show His appreciation for what the woman did, Jesus announced that she would be remembered wherever the gospel was preached in the whole world. Sadly, these complainers would be remembered as well—but not for good reasons.
He wanted them to recognize their limited time with Him.
Jesus also noted that they would have limited time with Him (7) and that He would be dead in the near future (8). They had complained that the perfume had been wasted because it could have been sold to help the poor. But Jesus didn’t accept their complaint. He told them that the poor would always be around needing help, but that He would not be with them for much longer. Because of this, it was appropriate for the woman to anoint him with the perfume.
While they may have wondered what He meant by Him not being with them always, they didn’t have long to wait. Jesus told them that the woman had anointed Him for His coming burial. This was the reason why her extravagant gift was above criticism. She knew He was going to die and wanted to express her love to Him before it happened. Little did they know that it would only be a few days before Jesus was betrayed, condemned, and crucified. This is why Jesus defended this woman’s actions.
Why did Judas offer to betray Jesus? (Mark 14:10-11)
It may seem strange to you that Judas Iscariot responded by going to the religious leaders with an offer to betray Jesus. But it actually makes sense after what we found in John 12. As the money holder, Judas had been stealing money for a while. He had probably been sticking around with the idea that he would become a rich man when Jesus became king of Israel. Now that he had been reprimanded for his complaint about the perfume, he was finally disillusioned about the future. Now he was looking for a way to make some easy money. Betraying his Master seemed like an easy way to get it.
In Matthew 26:14-15, we learn that Judas asked the chief priests what they would be willing to give him to deliver Jesus to them. Their promise of thirty pieces of silver was enough to convince him to betray Jesus. But there is one other reason why he did it. In Luke 22:3-4, we find that Satan entered Judas and led him to betray Jesus. So, to answer the question, Judas wanted to betray Jesus, despite all the good he had witnessed, because he was a covetous thief who was directly influenced by Satan. - How does it apply?
You need to listen to and believe what Jesus says.
One of the things that Jesus said about the woman in our story was that she was anointing His body for His upcoming burial. This showed that she had been listening to what Jesus had said. He had told the disciples three times about His coming death, burial, and resurrection. Although they heard what He said, they didn’t believe Him. She was the only one who believed Him and acted on what He said.
What about you? Are you more like the disciples or this woman when you hear what Jesus says? The Gospel of Mark was not written as an adventure story to thrill us. It was written to teach us many things about Jesus and about our own selves. Have you been listening? Have you believed what Jesus has said?
You need to realize how little time you have.
Because of their ignorance and unbelief, the disciples were not aware of the amount of time left with Jesus. They kept asking about the future and their place in the kingdom instead of actually realizing how little time they had left. In just a few days, they would realize this. They would be scattered when the mob came to take Jesus away. A few would watch Jesus standing before the court and eventually crucified. These upcoming events would shatter their ideas about the future. They didn’t recognize how little time they had left with Jesus.
We often think that we have plenty of time for what we want to do in life. We think about our future employment, family, and retirement, and often forget that none of that is guaranteed. How long do we have before our time is gone? Nobody knows. It could be that each of us lives to be a hundred years old. Or we could have just another day. Consider how you invest the time God gives you. Will you live your life for Jesus or just for yourself? Use your time wisely and seek to accomplish God’s purposes.
Conclusion
During our study of Mark 14:1-11, we have asked and answered several questions.
1. Why did the religious leaders want to kill Jesus?
2. Why did the woman anoint Jesus with oil?
3. Why were some of the people so angry with her?
4. Why did Jesus defend her?
5. Why did Judas offer to betray Jesus?
Knowing the answers to these questions prepares us for what is going to happen in the rest of the book. As we continue our study, keep in mind what we have learned today. It will help you to understand what happens next.
Bibliography
Edwards, James R., The Gospel According to Mark, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.
Grassmick, John D., “Mark” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, USA: SP Publications, 1983.
Hendriksen, William, Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1975, reprint 2004.
Hiebert, D. Edmond, The Gospel of Mark, Greenville: Bob Jones University Press, 1994, orig. 1979.
Lenski, R. C. H., The Interpretation of St. Mark’s Gospel, Columbus: The Wartburg Press, 1946, reprint 1951.
McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. 4, Matthew through Romans, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983.
“What does the Bible say about anointing oil?” as viewed at https://printer.gotquestions.net/GeneratePF?articleId=2255 on 10/26/2024.
Footnotes