Mark 14:1-11
Today we’re going to be examining one of the most beautiful moments of worship in the whole Bible.
Like many events in the life and ministry of Jesus, it happens in a way we might not expect.
This expression of worship is not performed in the Temple… but in a humble home.
It’s not offered by a priest or a religious leader, but by an ordinary woman.
Rather than being applauded by Jesus’ closest followers, it is criticized and treated with indignation.
And yet, it’s an act so pure and so radical that Jesus Himself says, “wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, the story of this expression of worship will be talked about over and over and over again…”, and Jesus was right, because over 2000 years later, here we are still talking about it.
The main takeaway for us: Jesus is worth it ALL.
Mark 14:1–9 (ESV):
1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Last chapter Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives giving a prophecy about the destruction of the Temple and His second coming.
Now we are moving rapidly towards His betrayal, arrest and crucifixion. All of that is just days away.
Quick note on Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread…
These are feasts that commemorate the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
The Passover commemorated the blood of the Lamb smeared on the doorposts that turned away God’s wrath from the Israelites.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorated Israel’s hasty fleeing from Egypt, since they didn’t have time even to wait for their bread to rise.
It’s also a symbol of purifying themselves from sin, as leaven is a metaphor for sin in the Bible.
1 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV): 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
And the chief priests and the scribes (our good old friends from the Sanhedrin) were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”
Don’t miss the dramatic irony here.
Here they are getting ready to celebrate the blood of the lamb that turns away the wrath of God, and the unleavened bread that represents cleansing from sin… and yet they are actively coordinating the greatest sin humanity has ever committed—the murder of the Son of God.
And yet, the truly mind-blowing thing is, God is fully in control, and He has ordained that these events would unfold according to His sovereign plan, in order to redeem His people by the blood of Jesus, the Lamb.
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of the donkey, it was on the exact day that the Jews would have been selecting their Passover lambs to kill.
It’s as if God was saying, “here’s your Passover Lamb… I’ll provide Him myself, just as I provided Abraham with the ram for sacrifice so that he didn’t have to sacrifice His own son Isaac… I’m providing my own Son for sacrifice…”
And by the way, that all happened on this same mountain, Mount Moriah.
Now, in the middle of this mounting antagonism towards Jesus, Mark inserts a beautiful event of love and worship toward Jesus.
This is another “Markan sandwich”.
3 And while he was at Bethany
A small village about 2mi from Jerusalem…
in the house of Simon the leper,
Probably a former leper, since having an active case of leprosy would exclude him from all social life.
This could even be the father of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, since this story could be Marks version of the story of Mary and Martha in John 12. But we don’t know for sure.
as he was reclining at table, a woman came
Women play a shockingly important role in the gospels!
In fact, the prominent feature of women in the ministry of Jesus is testament to the Biblical account’s authenticity. If the disciples were trying to fabricate a story about Jesus and launch a false religion, they wouldn’t have used women to corroborate their story since in those days a woman’s testimony wasn’t even upheld in court.
Arguably the most important event in the history of the world was attested to first by women; the resurrection of Jesus!
The fact that this woman was entering an assembly of Jewish men in order to approach Jesus was already breaking social norms.
But what she does next, nobody could have anticipated…
with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly,
“Alabaster was a stone commonly found in Israel. It was a hard stone resembling white marble and is referred to as one of the precious stones used in the decoration of Solomon’s temple (1 Chronicles 29:2). In the Song of Songs, the beloved man is described as having legs like “alabaster columns” (ESV) or “pillars of marble” (NIV, KJV). So the container the women used to carry their perfumed oil was made of a white, marble-like substance. Ointment, oils, and perfumes used to be put in vessels made of alabaster to keep them pure and unspoiled. The boxes were often sealed or made fast with wax to prevent the perfume from escaping. Alabaster was a beautiful substance and strong enough to keep the oil or perfume completely contained until the time of its use.”
“Early in the first century Pliny the Elder remarked that ‘the best ointment is preserved in alabaster.’ The value of the perfume, and its identification as nard, suggests that it was a family heirloom that was passed on from one generation to another, from mother to daughter.” (Lane)
Pure nard was an exotic oil extracted from an Indian root.
When the text says it was very costly, that’s not an exaggeration.
This small jar was worth a year's wages for a normal working person.
What’s more, a woman in those days would be excluded from careers that could even earn enough to purchase such an item… so chances are, this was a family heirloom, which means it had great sentimental value on top of its absurd monetary value.
It was customary for hosts to use a tiny drop of such an ointment for very special guests, and just merely dab their head with the oil.
What does this woman do?
and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
She doesn’t just use a drop. She doesn’t just use a few drops… She breaks the flask so that she can dump out every last drop onto Jesus.
Does this sound familiar? Just two chapters ago we saw another woman give an extravagant gift to the Lord… The poor old widow. She gave everything she had to live on into the offering box. And we noted that in doing so, she became the archetype of a true disciple of Jesus.
It was only a coin she gave… it wasn’t about the expense of her gift… it was the fact that she gave all of it.
And here, this woman does the same thing. She gives it ALL.
Why? Because to her, Jesus was worth it all.
When you love Jesus radically, you’re going to face radical pushback:
4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.”
John’s account tells us this was Judas, speaking up. He was the money guy. He was concerned with the financial risk of this situation. We know where His love of money led Him. We’ll see that later.
And they scolded her.
If you love Jesus radically, even some fellow followers of Jesus are going to scold you for it.
We’re typically comfortable with the idea of someone making Jesus part of their life.
You know what makes people highly uncomfortable? Making Jesus your whole life.
Don’t worry about that. There’s only one opinion that matters for all of eternity, and that’s the opinion of your Lord.
6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could;
she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.
Whether this woman realized it or not, her action was prophetic. In a matter of days, Jesus would be buried. It was customary to anoint bodies with various spices for burial.
Jesus knows exactly where He’s headed.
9 And 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.”
Verses 10-11 remind us that this story of anointing is part of a larger narrative, the betrayal of Jesus…
10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.
Interesting, isn’t it? We’ve seen this contrast before in Mark: The contrast between the authentic disciple and the false one.
Here it’s the woman vs. Judas.
Last chapter it was the scribes who were self-absorbed vs the widow who gave everything.
Back in chapter 10 it was the rich young ruler who wouldn’t give up his wealth to follow Jesus vs the children who He welcomed into His lap.
Even further back it was the disciples who were trying to cast demons out in their own strength vs the father who cried out in surrender for Jesus to help his unbelief.
We are reminded again and again that coming to Jesus is about radical surrender.
Surrender of our egos. Surrender of our resources. Surrender of our self-righteousness. Surrender of our whole lives.
One last thought:
This woman’s action might seem radical, but I’d propose that it was actually quite rational.
Why? Because what this woman did for Jesus was not out of proportion to what Jesus deserves.
The reason giving it all for Jesus is completely appropriate is because Jesus is supremely worthy.
That’s why in Romans 12 it says that as believers we are to “offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God”... and that that is “our spiritual service of worship”.
That’s why the apostle Paul was able to say in Philippians 3 that he “ counted everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus…” and that he “counts everything as rubbish in order that he may gain Christ”.
It’s why men and women throughout the centuries have given their very lives in order to make Christ known to others, and refused to deny Him even under the threat of death.
As Christians, we give all to Jesus because Jesus is worth it all.
Think of it this way: the preposterous thing in the story we just read is not that this woman dumped the equivalent of an annual salary on Jesus; it’s that the others didn’t!
In reality, Jesus was worth much more than that!
What would you have given to show love and affection to the eternal Son of God who holds the universe in His hands?
What are you willing to give?
What is the ‘costly perfume’ in your life that would honor Jesus?
Your time? Your talents? Your resources? Your relationships?
What can you pour out onto Him?
Consider this: He has poured out His very life for YOU.
The book of Hebrews tells us that for the joy set before Him He endured the cross.
He loved you so much… the joy of having you in an eternal relationship with Him was so great… that He paid the debt incurred by your sin in order to buy you back to Himself.
That’s a worthy Savior. That’s someone worth giving it ALL for.