Chapter 14 of Mark begins with a reference to the major Jewish religious festival, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, coming in just a few days in Jerusalem. The festival went on for eight days, remembering God’s rescue of His people from slavery in Egypt centuries before. A key part of that was the Passover meal, remembering when God’s people were to sacrifice a lamb and put some of the blood on the door posts of their homes and eat a special meal, using unleavened bread, a flat bread prepared wit...
Chapter 14 of Mark begins with a reference to the major Jewish religious festival, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, coming in just a few days in Jerusalem. The festival went on for eight days, remembering God’s rescue of His people from slavery in Egypt centuries before. A key part of that was the Passover meal, remembering when God’s people were to sacrifice a lamb and put some of the blood on the door posts of their homes and eat a special meal, using unleavened bread, a flat bread prepared with no yeast, so that they could quickly leave Egypt when the Pharaoh allowed them to (Mark 14). (See Exodus 12-13 for details.)
However, the Jewish authorities were less concerned about the Passover and more concerned about getting rid of Jesus. Jesus was popular among the people, though, and the authorities wanted to arrest Jesus in a way that would not be noticed by many (Mark 14:2).
We then have a flashback to some days earlier. Mark does not tell us, but John’s Gospel tells us that this event happened six days before the Passover, when Jesus was at a dinner sponsored by Lazarus (who had recently been raised from the dead by Jesus) and his sister Martha, at the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany (Mark 14:3, John 12:1-2). (We don’t know for sure, but Simon was likely someone healed by Jesus from leprosy and very grateful for what Jesus had done for him. If Simon had still been a leper, he would have had to avoid all contact with other people.)
While they ate, a woman came and anointed Jesus with very expensive ointment, made of pure nard, which was a fragrant perfume and was used also on the bodies of people who had died. It may have come from as far away as India (Mark 14:3). John also tells us that it was Mary, the sister of Martha, who had anointed Jesus. Some objected to what Mary had done. They felt that the nard could have been sold and the proceeds used to help the poor. Again, John tells us that it was Judas, the disciple of Jesus, who was complaining the most and part of the reason why he was complaining. It is true that gifts were often give by Jews during the Passover celebration, and Judas was the treasurer for the disciples. However, Judas was also a thief and helped himself to what was the money of Jesus and the disciples, for his own personal gain. If the nard had been sold and the money added to the disciples’ treasury, Judas would have had the opportunity to steal even more (Mark 14:3-4, John 12: 4-6).
Jesus defended what Mary had done in anointing Him, for one simple reason. There would always be poor people to help. That need never stops. The opportunity to help Jesus so directly would not always be there, though. What Mary did was a kind of prophecy of what would soon happen to Jesus. Mary was anointing His body for His burial, even before He had died, Jesus said (Mark 14:6-8). Jesus predicted again and again that he would die, but so many, including His disciples, did not seem to believe and expect it. Mary, at least indirectly, seemed to realize that He would die and honored Him ahead of time. Other women would go to His tomb after His death to anoint His dead body. (See Mark 16:1-6.) They would not get the chance because He had already risen from the dead.
Jesus gave another important prophecy in Mark 14:9, too. The Good News of Jesus and what He has done as the Savior would eventually “be proclaimed in the whole world." That is still happening today, for us and our benefit, far from the land of Israel. For Jesus is our Savior, too; and we still hear of Him, above all, but also of Mary and how she did “a beautiful thing” for Jesus. May we honor Him as well, in word and deed.
Sadly, we also hear, in Mark 14:10-11, how Judas continued to dishonor Jesus, by going to the chief priests and promising to hand Him over to them if they would pay him money. It was not a huge amount of money, but money seemed to be his “god” and getting more and more of it his primary goal, even though Jesus had warned of this danger. (See again Mark 10:17-27 for such a warning.)
In Mark 14:12, we are back on the Thursday of Holy Week, when the traditional Passover meal was to be prepared and eaten. Jesus sent two of His disciples into Jerusalem, with specific directions on how to find the place where everything was to be made ready (Mark 14:12-16). Jesus always followed His Heavenly Father’s will in carrying out what the Scriptures clearly commanded. Some think that Jesus had pre-arranged all this. Others think that He knew that people respected Him as “The Teacher” (v.14) and would provide what He wished. Still others think that the “upper room” was part of the home of Mark himself and his mother, and that this was the place of the Passover meal, and later, the “upper room” where the early believers waited for the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost. (See also Acts 1:14ff.) If so, Mark would have known very personally about all this.
The Passover meal began on what we would call Thursday evening (Mark 14:17). As they were eating the various portions of the Passover meal, Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray Him. He says this very solemnly, using the phrase we often have heard, “Truly, I say to you” (literally, “Amen, I say to you”). Jesus continued to give warnings to all the disciples about falling away from Him; but He was particularly warning Judas (Mark 14:18-21). Jesus knew what Judas was planning, but there was still time to turn away from that betrayal.
The betrayal was predicted, but that did not mean that Judas was predestined to do this. God wants all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4), but too many reject and continue to reject what God wants for them, as Judas did. It was the fault of Judas. And by continuing to reject Jesus, Judas was rejecting the salvation Jesus earned for the whole world. Eternal sorrow was coming for Judas, by his own choice.
There are mysteries with all this that our human minds cannot comprehend; but the warnings were there, even in the Old Testament. There was a story in the Old Testament of a time when King David was betrayed, that prefigured the greater betrayal of the Son of David, Jesus, by Judas. A number of the psalms of David are prophetic. Read of the agony of David in Psalm 55:12-15, when a “familiar friend” who had spent time with him even in God’s house, the tabernacle, had turned against him. David also wrote in Psalm 41:9, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.” See John 13:18 where Jesus quoted this passage, most likely warning Judas again. Jesus had taught earlier that He was willing to “eat with tax collectors and sinners” who really needed Him. Judas really needed Jesus; but Judas rejected Him, even as he ate with Him at the Passover meal. See again Mark 14:20-21.
An Old Testament parallel to this is the betrayal of David by his friend and advisor, Ahithophel. See what is said of him and Hushai in 1 Chronicles 27:33. Then see 2 Samuel 15-17. David’s own son, Absalom, rebelled against David and pulled enough people away from David to overthrow him and became king in his place. David and those who still followed him had to flee from Jerusalem, and David heard, in 2 Samuel 16:31, that “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” Ahithophel gave Absalom advice that helped seal him as king in 2 Samuel 16:15-23. In 2 Samuel 17, though, Ahithophel’s advice was rejected, and Absalom listened to to Hushai, who gave Absalom bad advice that led to his death in chapter 18. Ahithophel realized his failures in betraying David. See what he did in 2 Samuel 17:23 - the same thing that Judas did - hanging himself in despair.
One of the saddest stories in the Bible is then in Matthew 27:3-5. Judas finally did realize his sin and tried to give the money back; but the religious leaders did not care. They had gotten what they wanted - to get Jesus arrested and soon put to death. They did not care a bit about Judas and threw him back upon himself. “See to it yourself.” We cannot see to our sins by ourselves. We cannot deal with them on our own. Only Jesus can deal with our sins. And he did, paying for them on the cross. He came in love for sinners, for you and me. May we always know and trust that mercy of God for us - unlike Ahithophel and Judas, who took their own lives in despair.
Next week, we will see again how great God’s love still is, even for sinners like us, as Mark 14 continues. And as we know God’s love for us, we have His love and forgiveness to share with others, too, unlike those religious leaders who gave no hope to Judas.
