The Life of Jesus (9)- Holy Tuesday and Wednesday
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We are studying a few of the events of Jesus’ Week of Passion (Holy Week).
Proclaim:
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Next week: events of Thursday: Washing feet, instituting His Supper
March 13 - Next Video lessons — The Arrest of Jesus
March 20 — the Trial of Jesus
March 27 — The death and burial of Jesus
April 3rd - The resurrection of Jesus
April 10th (Final) the Great Commission
Wednesday Bible Study The Life of Christ (9)- Teaching & Anointing
February 28, 2024
Holy Tuesday
[Jesus said,] “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
MARK 12:17
Mark 11- 13 gives Jesus’ teachings in the Temple on Tuesday of Holy Week. Obviously we could spend a lot of time studying Jesus teachings on: His authority, a parable of the Vineyard, taxes to Caesar, the Resurrection (or not), the foremost commandment, giving (the widow’s mite), the second coming (including the parable of the fig tree).
Read: Mark 12:13–17 (LSB) Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. 14 And they came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a tax to Caesar, or not? 15 “Shall we pay or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.” 16 And they brought one. And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.
How was the question of whether to pay taxes to Caesar a trap?
The Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat to their religious authority.
The Herodians, who supported the pro-Roman Herodian dynasty, viewed Jesus as a threat to Herodian rule. These two groups, which usually held opposing positions, banded together to trick Jesus by posing this question: Should they pay taxes to Caesar?
Jesus’ answer was profound: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17).
This raised a bigger question: What did those trying to trap Him believe belongs to God?
How they answered that question would have ramifications for every part of their lives, not just their taxes.
If Jesus answered no, He would be guilty of treason against the state; the Herodians could arrest Him for being a threat to public order and hand Him to Roman authorities to be executed for sedition or treason.
But if He answered yes, the Pharisees would denounce Him as disloyal to Israel, thus alienating the crowd at the Temple.
Many Jews considered the imposed Roman tax “an outrageous act of interference on the part of their foreign rulers.”
Describe what it would look like to live as if everything belonged to God. How would that posture change your relationship with your money and possessions? How would that impact how you invest in meeting others’ needs?
This is how we should live.
We may agree in theory — but our PRACTICE is far different.
And yet …
Joyce Koo Dalrymple (writer of our lesson) says: Mark 12:17 has been interpreted to mean we are to give God our worship, but in all other things serve the governing earthly authorities.
This has led people down a path of dualism, where God oversees spiritual matters but “Caesar” (governing authorities) is lord over all else.
Is this what WE believe?
Where do you see aspects of this dualism today?
Politics - separation of church and state
Commerce - lip service to God, but run according to the world’s ways
Personal finances - IF we give 10% we consider that HUGE — to give more? Unthinkable
R. G. LeTourneau (1888 – 1969) was a Christian industrialist who dedicated his life to “being a businessman for God.” He was hugely successful, designing and developing his own line of earth-moving equipment.
LeTourneau was the maker of nearly 300 inventions, and had hundreds of patents in his lifetime. As he succeeded financially, he increased his giving to the point where he was giving 90% of his income to the Lord’s work.
I shovel out the money, and God shovels it back – but God has a bigger shovel is one of his most famous words.
You may be thinking, “I could give 90% too if I was a multi-millionaire.” Maybe so, but LeTourneau didn’t start out wealthy.
The decision to give away 90 percent of his personal income and stock in the company was the result of a previous decision — made when he was 30 and deeply in debt — to make God His business partner.
Chastised by his missionary sister to get serious about serving God, LeTourneau was confused. Like most people, he believed that sincere dedication to God required that he become a preacher, an evangelist, or a missionary.
He attended a revival meeting at church and gave in. Thinking he was headed to the mission field, he sought guidance from his pastor. After praying together, his pastor said, “You know Brother LeTourneau, God needs businessmen as well as preachers and missionaries.” LeTourneau responded, “All right, if that’s what God wants me to be, I’ll try to be His businessman.”
LeTourneau took his business partnership with God seriously, although he felt like God was getting “a sorry specimen as a partner.” When financial success came years later, he believed this made him a debtor to God as well as his fellowman. His commitment to give away so much of his wealth was not a flash of generosity as much as a logical progression from his earlier decision to make God his business partner.
When people understand that their work matters to God and recognize that He is their business partner, LeTourneau’s perspective is a natural response:
“The question is not how much of my money I give to God, but rather how much of God’s money I keep for myself.”
LeTourneau founded a school that is now a university.
It’s byline is: WHERE WORK AND LEARNING ARE TRANSFORMED BY FAITH
THE Christian Polytechnic University
Longview, TX 75602
VISION STATEMENT
Claiming every workplace in every nation as our mission field, LeTourneau University graduates are professionals of ingenuity and Christ-like character who see life's work as a holy calling with eternal impact.
What are the consequences of this compartmentalization?
The nation (and its leaders!) are bereft of morality.
Businesses have gone off any ethical rails.
The Kingdom does not advance as it COULD.
As He sends His followers into a hostile world, Jesus knows they will encounter those who will try to tear them down. Matthew 10:16 (LSB) “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
The disciples must be “shrewd as snakes” to avoid their traps.
Yet they must also remain “innocent as doves,” living a holy, blameless life.
Considering these principles, how should we practically interact with people who may oppose us because of our work or faith in Christ?
What can we learn from Jesus’ example in Mark 12?
We must be DESPERATE for the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
But, then we move on to:
Holy Wednesday
[Jesus said,] “She has done a beautiful thing to me. … She poured perfume on my body before- hand to prepare for my burial.”
MARK 14:6, 8
Read: Mark 14:1–11 (LSB) Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how, after seizing Him in secret, they might kill Him; 2 for they were saying, “Not during the festival, lest there be a riot of the people.” 3 And while He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster jar of perfume of very costly pure nard; and she broke the jar and poured it over His head. 4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 “For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. 6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She did a good work to Me. 7 “For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8 “She has done what she could; she anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9 “And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman did will also be spoken of in memory of her.” 10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. 11 And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.
John 12:1–3 (LSB) Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a litra of perfume of very costly pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
WEDNESDAY WAS THE TURNING POINT.
Following Jesus’ actions in the Temple, the chief priests and elders began plotting how to arrest and kill Jesus.
Later that day Judas Iscariot approached them to betray Jesus.
Amid this opposition and plot to kill Jesus, Simon threw a dinner party for Jesus and invited Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (John 12:1–3).
Jesus, who was keenly aware of what lay ahead, welcomed this opportunity to be with a few of His closest friends and cherished the gift Mary of Bethany would give Him.
As He was reclining at the table, Mary boldly interrupted the gathering by breaking an alabaster jar of imported perfume, worth a year’s wages, and pouring all of it over Jesus’ head.
Mary did not care that she was breaking social norms because her sole focus was on loving Jesus.
While on the surface we might see what she did as a mere material offering, the implications are deeper: Mary’s sacrifice was one of reverence, love, and worship.
Her gift represented a giving of her whole self.
But the disciples could not see beyond the surface and harshly chastised Mary, calling what she did a “waste” (Matthew 26:8; Mark 14:4).
They still did not understand that Jesus was headed to the Cross.
Mary alone marked the significance of this moment with her lavish gift, in effect anointing Him for His burial.
Jesus called what she did a “beautiful thing” and honored her by memorializing her act for posterity (Matthew 26:10, 13; Mark 14:6, 9).
The scent of the perfume probably remained on Jesus’ hair and skin for days.
The fragrance of Mary’s love and worship was something He must have treasured as He journeyed to the Cross.
1. Gifts are often an expression of love. In addition to the cost, the giver also invests time, thought, and effort in finding a special gift. Describe a meaningful gift you either gave or received. What did that gift indicate about the relationship between the giver and receiver?
The more we value a relationship the more we look to get the right gift, the right card ...
We will spend MUCH time.
2.In Mark 14, what events happen before (in verses 1–2) and after (in verses 10–11) the story of Jesus’ anointing? What is the significance of His anointing happening between those two events?
Plotting — Judas conspiring with
Life Application Com: Matthew and Mark put this event just before the Last Supper, while John included it just before the Triumphal Entry. Of the three, John placed this event in the most likely chronological position. Mark sandwiched this beautiful event between two sections dealing with the plot to eliminate Jesus. This act of devotion by Mary, who is a true heroine in this narrative, is contrasted with the treachery of the villains—the religious leaders and Judas.
Love sustains?
3. How do you think Jesus felt when He was in Bethany with His friends?
It was a respite, an oasis in the midst of agony?
4. John’s Gospel identifies Mary of Bethany as the woman who anointed Jesus (John 12:3). She would have had to bring the alabaster jar of perfume from her own home to the house of Simon. Mary did not just spontaneously (actually, not spontaneous at all) give Jesus the most valuable thing she had. She did this with great love and deliberation. Why do you think Mary decided to do this?
Mary had a close relationship with Jesus that began when she sat at Jesus’ feet to learn from Him (Luke 10:38–42).
When Martha complained that Mary should be working with her instead, Jesus affirmed Mary’s choice.
When her brother Lazarus died, Mary fell at His feet, crying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32). Jesus wept with Mary and then raised her brother from the dead (John 11:33–43). Mary’s love for Jesus grew through experiencing His compassionate love and life-saving power. This extravagant act of anointing expressed what Jesus meant to her. Perhaps she also grasped that Jesus’ death was coming and that this might be one of the last times she would see Him.
5. In Mark’s and Matthew’s accounts of the event, Mary poured the perfume on Jesus’ head (Matthew 26:6–7; Mark 14:3), and in John’s account she poured the perfume on His feet and wiped His feet with her hair (John 12:3). What do you think is the significance of anointing someone’s head versus someone’s feet? Why are both appropriate ways to honor Jesus?
Michael Chung writes, “While the anointing of Jesus’s head points to royalty [marking Jesus’s kingship], the anointing of his feet communicates Mary’s worship and submission.”
6. Immediately after this scene, Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–15; Mark 14:10). In Hebrew culture, thirty pieces of silver was not a lot of money. Thirty shekels (or about twelve ounces) of silver was the price paid to the master of a slave who was accidentally killed (Exodus 21:32). What do you think motivated Judas to betray Jesus?
Exodus 21:32 “If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.”
By offering Judas thirty pieces of silver, the religious leaders were in effect equating Jesus’ value with that of a dead slave.
If Judas was motivated solely by greed, he probably would have negotiated a higher price.
Judas likely became Jesus’ disciple in the first place because he wanted to take part in a political revolution to liberate Israel from its enemies. But as Jesus made known that He did not come to be a worldly, national king of the Jews, Judas realized that Jesus was not the kind of messiah he had signed up to follow
7. The perfume that Mary gave Jesus was her most valuable possession, probably a family heirloom. The things that we value most are often what can hinder us from worshiping God with our whole heart. What do you value most? How can you cultivate a deeper love for and devotion toward Jesus, particularly in relation to what you value?
Theologian Craig S. Keener explains: “Sealing [the perfume] in such a container would preserve its fragrance, but once the bottle was broken, one would need to use up the perfume immediately.” The breaking of the alabaster jar symbolized the totality of Mary’s gift.
8. Some of those present harshly rebuked Mary for what they considered a wasteful act (verse 4). They felt that they knew better than Mary and belittled her in front of Jesus. How surprised they must have been by Jesus’ response! How does Jesus view Mary’s gift? How does He honor her (verses 6–9)?
Jesus calls what Mary did a “beautiful” (kalos) thing.
The Greek word kalos has an ethical or moral sense and can mean beautiful, good, or desirable.
It can refer to something that is so attractively good that it inspires others to embrace what is beautiful and praiseworthy.
9. What do you think this experience with Mary meant to Jesus, especially in the days before His death?
He appreciated it. He made sure it was known and rehearsed: Matthew 26:8–13 (LSB) But when the disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 “For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good work to Me. 11 “For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. 12 “For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. 13 “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
It was the right thing, done at the right time for the right reason.
Your Response
Mary broke with social norms to pour out her gift in an act of total love and worship. What are some tangible ways you are presently worshiping Jesus with how you spend your time, talent, or treasure? Think creatively about how you would like to do so in the future, even if it may mean breaking with convention.
For Further Study
In Luke 7:36–50, we read about another woman who poured perfume on Jesus’ feet. Having lived a “sinful life,” she understood how much Jesus had forgiven her, and in return, she expressed her great love for Jesus. She washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and kissed them. How did the dinner host respond to this outpouring of devotion? How did Jesus commend this woman? What can we learn from both this woman’s and Mary’s example?
[1]Dalrymple, J. K. (2024). Jesus’ Passion Week: A Bible Study on Our Savior’s Last Days and Ultimate Sacrifice (p. 32). NavPress.