26: The passion: anointing and Passover meal (Mark 14:1 – 21)

Now, Jesus’ passion narrative starts, the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He accomplished and sealed what He had preached through His crucifixion and resurrection.

👉 Read Mark 14:1 - 21

1. The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus, but not during the feast. Why?

They feared a possible riot among people.

Contrary to their plan, Jesus will be crucified on the day when they slaughtered their Passover Lambs. It was God who orchestrated Jesus’ sacrifice, not the religious leaders.

2. When a woman poured oil on Jesus’ head, some said it was a waste of money. How did Jesus interpret her action? 

‘A good service for me,’ ‘She anointed my body beforehand for burial.’ The anointing confirmed Jesus that it was the time that the Father had planned and, thus, strengthened Jesus’ resolute will for the cross. 

In those days, they used to oil the dead before burial if he was rich enough. Anointing with the expensive oil foretells Jesus’ ascension after the humble death on the cross. Thus, the anointing must have confirmed Jesus of his glorification and resurrection.

In this sense, Jesus said, ‘She has done a good service for me.’ Jesus was encouraged by her anointing. In this way, she participated in Jesus’ ministry of the cross, and her story became a part of the gospel (9).

‘You will always have the poor with you, but not me.’  ‘You will always have a chance to help others.’ As a faithful servant, we should redirect our resources wisely. We often worry, ‘If I don’t help this person, how could he survive this month?’  Don’t forget that it is God who provides him, not you. God uses you only as a channel of His blessings. Your focus should not be on the needy around you but on Jesus and how to follow Him well.

Without Jesus’ sacrifice, helping the poor doesn’t mean anything, for all humanity was doomed. She was at the most important moment in the entire human history that the Savior of the world was going to be crucified.

3. Judas Iscariot, one of the (              ), went to the chief priests to (             ) Jesus into their hands. They promised to give him (          ).

Twelve, betray, money

Mark emphasizes Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples. The religious leaders wanted to arrest Jesus secretly. Without the betrayer, it wasn’t possible.

4. Jesus would have the Passover meal together with the betrayer. Find the expressions from Jesus’ words that show His sorrow that He was going to be betrayed by one of His disciples.

“I tell you the truth.” I can’t accept this. How can this be?

‘One of you eating with me.” 

“It is one of the twelve, one who dips his hand with me into the bowl.” 

Eating the Passover meal implies an intimate and close relationship. But Jesus will be betrayed by one who is so close to Him. So painful.

It was this woman, not the disciples, who loved and empathized with Jesus. And even one of the disciples will betray his teacher. The woman and the disciple both were recorded in Jesus' gospel story, one for good reason and another not.