Dwell in the Word Mark 14:1-11

Dwell on these questions as you consider Mark 14:1-11:

1. In this passage, we witness a profound act of worship by the woman who anoints Jesus with expensive ointment. How does her gesture reflect her understanding of Jesus' impending suffering and burial? What does this act teach us about sacrificial worship and valuing Christ above material possessions?

2. Jesus rebukes those who criticize the woman's act, emphasizing the significance of her gesture. How does Jesus' response challenge our perspectives on acts of worship and service? How might this interaction shape our own approach to expressing devotion to Christ?

3. The contrast between the woman's sacrificial act and Judas' impending betrayal is striking. What can we learn from Judas' response, and how does it serve as a cautionary tale for us? How can we guard against betraying Christ in our own lives, whether through actions or attitudes?

Transcript:
Alright, as we land here in chapter 14, business is picking up. We know where the story is going. This has been leading to the crucifixion of Jesus for a while, but now we're getting to the heart of the story, are we not? Well, here we have Jesus two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleaven Bread, and we read that the chief priests and the scribes, they're seeking to arrest Jesus by stealth. Why? Because they're concerned with all these people who have come and these people who follow Jesus, that there will be an uproar and there will be a problem. So, they want to do this by stealth. Now, that's going to play in as we get down to the end of this passage today. But the meat of what we're talking about today is this woman who comes to the house of Simon the leper and anoints Jesus. Now, this nard and this flask were some very expensive things. It would have cost this woman a lot. And it's interesting to us, we don't know what nord is. We don't know what this ointment is. And the fact that she broke the flask, that seems odd to us.

But this is something that had a seal on it. It was very valuable, and they wanted to make sure they were getting something pure. And so, you had to break it to open it. And so this woman anoints Jesus with it. But there were some who said to themselves, What a waste. What a waste. This money could have been sold and given to the poor. Listen to the self-righteousness here. If you would have this money, you could have given money to the poor. That's what you should have done. Yeah, yeah. Well, what are the chances that that's what would have been done with that money? You don't want to judge too much, think too much about the thoughts of what they were thinking. But there is a sense of self-righteousness in the way Mark tells the story, right? But Jesus has something different to tell them here. Leave her alone. Leave her alone. She's done something good. And look what he says that she's done. She's anointed my body beforehand for burial. This was an important thing. But Jesus is saying, Look, I am going to the cross. I am going to suffer and die.

I am going to be buried. And so, you could have the poor. You can save up this money. If you've got these good intentions to help the poor, you sure can save up your money, and you can do that later. They're going to be here, but it's time. I'm going to be leaving. I have been warning you. I have been telling you that I'm going to suffer and die. We've been reading this throughout Mark, and nobody seems to listen. But Jesus is saying, The time is here because this woman is preparing me for burial. And then he says something that's amazing. And it's true because we're still talking about it today, right? Wherever the gospel is proclaiming the whole world, but she is going to be done, she is done, will be told in memory of her. This was a great act of sacrifice on her part. It was a great act of worship. And it also shows that we are to value Jesus above all things. That if we get Jesus wrong, all the other stuff that we do doesn't matter. We have to understand who Jesus is, and that he is going to suffer and die for us here in the Book of Mark, because we are sinners, and we need his grace.

And then the story closes up, and we see that perhaps Judas was one of the people who was reprimanded here by Jesus, because he's ready now. He's ready to go to the chief priests and betray Jesus. He's ready to tell them that he'll betray them. And so this is exactly what the chief priests and the scribes are waiting for. They want to do it in secret, and so if Judas is scary, it can tell them where he'll be. They'll be able to go through with this plan that they have. As we think about what this passage means for us, we know what's coming. We know that Jesus is going to suffer and die. We know that he is going to be buried. We know that he is going to rise again, and we know that he is going to ascend to the right-hand of the Father. But as we look at this story, as we remember what this woman did, we see the beauty of what she did, that she values Jesus above all other things. The question for us is a simple one. We've had some difficult passages the last few days to understand, but this one's straightforward.

Do we value Jesus? Do we value what he has done for us? Do we value him above all other things? Or do we make excuses for why we don't value him in that way? Only we can answer that question for ourselves, but may we be considering that question, and may we desire as we hear the word and it convicts us of our sin, may we desire to value Jesus above all. And so, may we do that today.