Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

finished 13 and now we will begin chapter 14

This is the week known as passion week

Remember the political religious climate at this time ( sanhedrin is angry)

READ THE TEXT

Mark 1

The Plot to kill Jesus

Mark writes here in verse 1 it is now two days before Passover and the feast of unleavened bread.

Greek day starts at Midnight and the jewish day starts at sundown around 6 PM

Passover was a meal eaten on the evening of 15 Nisan in (March/April) it celebrated the “passing over” of the Israelites when the first born of the Egyptians were slain immediately prior to the exodus from Egypt)

Passover was one of the Jewish mandated pilgrim festivals all jewish males were supposed to attend

The Feast of Unleavened bread began at the same time as passover but it lasted seven days through 21 Nisan

It celebrated both the barley harvest and the time when the Israelites ate unleavened bread while leaving Egypt.

Actually leaven had to be removed from homes by noon of 14 Nisan, and it would appear that the 14th was sometimes referred to as the first day of unleavened bread (see the comments on v. 12) and that in some sense the feast lasted eight days.

No work was permitted on the first and last days, and a religious assembly took place on the first and seventh days.

SO here we are two days before all of this and the Text says the Chief priest and scribes were seeking how to arrest Jesus by stealth and Kill him.

They plotted agains him in secrete and did not want to do this during the festival feasts.

Which means they wanted to wait until after.

WELL we know Jesus was arrested and Crucified during Passover SO what changed?

While at Bethany He is anointed

Mark has previously implied Jesus and His disciples would spend a lot of evenings and night at Bethany

This occasion he is in the house of Simon the leper whom Jesus healed and he was reclining at the table.

Jews would recline to eat especially important meals or celeb meals.

The presence of the unnamed woman is unusual; Jewish women did not ordinarily attend banquets with men except in the capacity of servants.

In John’s Gospel chapter 12:1-8 we are given a few more details regarding this event.

John says Mary and Martha the sisters of Lazarus were attending this meal and in fact the unnamed woman is Mary.

This is important to note because this isn’t a strange woman.

This is a dear friend of Jesus.

They are reclining at the table all the disciples are there and Mary comes in with a “alabaster Jar” which was a flask with a long neck with no handles sealed to preserve the ointment.

She breaks the Jar and pours it’s very costly contents over the head of Jesus.

This was an anointing , this was a messianic significant event.

The OT kings, Prophet and priests were anointed with Oil.

The word Messiah/Christ means anointed one.

Mary recognized Jesuses true identity.

She was intimately and lovingly showing Jesus her KING that she knew who he was

Now verse 4 says There were some who were indignant.

This shows again the disciples lack of understanding.

( says the Disciples said “WHY the waist” and specifically it was Judas

You see they were upset of the act it self, they upset at its extravagance.

To them it was too much, it was over the top.

The text says the ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii this would be about a whole years worth of wages.

One Denarii was worth a days wage of a laborer.

The disciples were upset and Judas especially scolder her

BUT JESUS

in verse 6 it says Jesus said “Leave her alone, She has done a beautiful thing to me

He corrects them and says you will always have the poor with you and when ever you want you can help them.

Jesus is in no way here minimizing the suffering of the poor he is only saying you can help the poor anytime

He’s pointing to this specific opportunity to bless him and bring him glory

Verse 8 is very important, the text says “She has done what she could;” the original language implies she did all that should could.

WE CAN LEARN FROM HER

It was all she had in her possession worth anything.

She used this very precious possession to show Jesus and the witnesses her lover for him

She didn’t really care at all what the others thought regarding her actions.

Sometimes we get so distracted by what others think we lose sight of Jesus

She did was she could.... each of us are unique with Time, talents, resources, she did what she could, Jesus said.

ARE YOU doing what you can? NOT everyone is called to serve Jesus the same exact way, but every follower of Jesus is called

Not everyone is going to support you in your service to Jesus.

These witness of this event were followers of Jesus they were his disciples but they did not support Mary’s actions of doing what she was doing for him.

Be prepared for people even in the household of GOD to think what you are doing is too much and you should dial it down a bit .

The only one who supported her was Jesus

Jesus has been telling his closes disciples he was going to be betrayed and die but they haven’t understood what he has been saying.

This woman on the other hand has prepared Jesus body for burial.

Jesus says here in verse 9 “truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her”

I love this because Jesus has told us that heaven and earth will pass away but the WORD OF God will remain for ever.

The act that Mary did for Jesus will be honored and remember for ever and ever

Betrayal

As the meal is coming to a close after Judas witness this very expensive nard poured onto the head of Jesus verse 10 tells us left and went to the chief priest for the purpose of Betraying him.

The Text says they heard Judas plan and they were glad.

This was for a sum of money.

says it was for 30 p of Silver

Remember they had been plotting against Jesus but they resolved not to do it during the feast.

What changed?

Judas… thats what changed.

The opportunity to arrest Jesus at night away from the crowd.

Judas would show them where they slept and then go up and kiss Jesus so they would get the right man.

Judas was to identify the right man in the dark.

They did not want an uproar among the people and Judas would be the one to connect the dots.

The Jewish leaders fully accepted the offer of betrayal

I think its also important to note they leaders wanted to get Jesus after the festival but we see the hand of Satan and ultimately the sovereignty of God at work because Jesus was the Lamb of God to be slain for the sins of His people so It had to take place on Passover.

We learn here and must take note, God is in sovereign control all things.

This most certainly was an evil plot sanctioned by satan himself and the compete accountably of Judas but we see the all powerful hand of God working through this even plot to take what evil meant for destruction and turn in into the masterpiece of God.

LETS Pray