Holy Week: A Wednesday to Remember
Mark 14:1-11
The Plot to Kill Jesus
14 It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; 2 for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”
The Anointing at Bethany
3 While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. 4 But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them. 11 When the chief priests heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So, he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
A Wednesday to Remember
This is the first day of Holy Week that Jesus does not appear in public. But the plotting does not stop, it increases, and one of the twelve joins the plotting.
This is also one of Mark’s famous plot “sandwiches;” plot to kill Jesus, meal at Simeon the Leper’s house, a betrayer joins the plot.
People have plotted to arrest Jesus throughout the Gospel of Mark.
Daily during Holy Week, the Jewish leaders have plotted to arrest and kill Jesus, but they have not been able to arrest him because they fear the crowds may riot.
So now they get stealthy and plan on arresting Jesus at night. This is still a tactic that is carried out today by authoritarian regimes, many of their opponents are “disappeared” during the night.
But something happens amidst this plotting, an unidentified woman anoints Jesus’ head with a very valuable ointment causing an angry scolding of her by some who were there. Jesus’ response – “you can show kindness… whenever you wish… she has done what she could…”
We too often see things from an either/or perspective, either you do it this way or you must do it that way – and that is sometimes true.
But here we are encouraged to see things from a both/and perspective, you can show kindness whenever you wish, and you can do what needs to be done – this is always true.
Unfortunately, we do not have this woman’s name, but she understood the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ as she was helping Jesus prepare for his death. She showed great kindness to Jesus and did what needed to be done. In this she is always remembered when the Gospel is lived out.
All of this happens in plots and counter plots, in betrayal in the night and adoration during the day, between words of grace and words of anger, during the stuff of everyday life like sharing a meal and while death is on the move.
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