This chapter is Thursday of Holy Week. The leading priests didn't want to cause a riot, so they wanted to arrest and kill Jesus at another time rather than the Passover (v 1). Jerusalem was filled with thousands of people at this time-- not the time to kill someone!
The first story is a touching story of love and dedication. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, opens a bottle of nard perfume and pours it onto Jesus' head. It was customary to dab oil onto the foreheads of visitors, but to pour a whole bottle was extravagant. However, this was Jesus. Mary seemed to know more than the average person did. She did it without speaking without any indication. Imagine if we could do without talking! People (in John we know it is Judas) become angry that she "wasted" a year's worth of pay on thus perfume (vv 4-5) Judas was concerned "for the poor: but we assume it was the money could have gone to the common purse that he would have had a share in! Do we get upset with what we see as extravagant spending in the church?
Jesus chastises the crowd (vv 6-9) and approves Mary's sacrifice in preparation for his burial. Did Mary believe more than the disciples? Did she know something that was hidden from the disciples and others? Did she listen with open ears? Do we listen with open ears?
I do wonder about Judas (vv 10-11). Why him? What happened? Was there anger? Did he want to hopefully push Jesus to do something dramatic? What was his motive? What is our motive? Whatever happened, the religious authority was pleased? Can you imagine being pleased at plotting someone's demise?
Jesus goes and prepares and eats the Passover meal with his friends.How must Jesus have felt during this time? The disciples must have been surprised when Jesus announces that one of them would betray Jesus (vv 17- 21)...especially Judas. He could have recanted, but he didn't? How many times have we been in Judas' position? Imagine the suspicion in the group...looking around the table! Judas is identified as the most notorious sinner of all times. I do wonder about Judas. Why? What happened? Was it really just greed? Was he wanting Jesus to do something great like he said he was going to do? Do I act like Judas at times?
The Passover meal had symbolic significance to the Jews...and now Jesus add another layer to that...without explanation (vv 22-25). Take...eat...this is my body. Take...drink...this is my blood. A symbol of the new covenant. Take...you have the option to refuse! Eat...it will provide sustenance for life! And then Jesus sang (v 26)! We don't hear of Jesus singing often...but he did! Who could sing on the night before their crucifixion? What did he sing (I assume one of the Psalms)? Even in our darkest moments- sing to God!
They go to the Mount of Olives (vv 27- -31) and Peter responds, "I Will never leave you? (my translation). Jesus responds, "Oh yes, even you Peter!" Imagine how might Peter feel?
We come to one of the most troubling parts of the Gospel for me. Jesus prays to God to remove the torture and pain that he must endure. He pleads with God to stop what is going to happen.Jesus has the love to say at the end- Whatever your will dear God. How must Jesus have felt at his point? Jesus was really alone at this point as he comes back to find his most trusted disciples asleep (vv 37- 42)...several times! How often have we fallen asleep on Jesus?
Jesus is turned over with a kiss from Judas (vv 43- 46). How often have we turned Jesus over with a kiss? Jesus seems almost to be willingly arrested as he says the scriptures mus be fulfilled. What dedication to God! Everyone scatters! Afraid, they desert Jesus! How often have we deserted Jesus? (Aside-- the naked man is assumed to be Mark, the author of the Gospel, It was his way of saying "I was there!")
The trial of Jesus (vv 53- 59) was totally illegal according to Jewish law. There was much in the Jewish legal process to protect the rights of the accused, and all of this was ignored and deliberately broken by those who were determined to put Jesus to death.Jesus had the opportunity to respond to the trial, but said nothing (vv 61) Jesus opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth (Isaiah 53:7) Why didn't Jesus say anything? The humiliation of Jesus begins with hitting and spitting (v 63- 65). Why?
We come to probably one of the most difficult parts of this chapter- Peter's denial (vv 66- 72). Peter denies knowing Jesus three times. Have we denied knowing Jesus for fear of what may happen to us?
The image below is a statue of Peter -denying Jesus at the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu...notice the rooster at the top of the column
Pastor Paul
I think Mary was very close to Jesus and I think she wanted to show that love, devotion, respect, to Him while He ate at Simon the Leper's house. And I also think that probably more disciples and people were upset by the action then just Judas. Who wouldn't be really? It was extravagant and Jesus was always telling them to feed the hungry, clothe the poor. Although maybe Judas was the first, and the loudest, to say it. I don't think the disciples still understood what Jesus was saying about His death. I don't think Mary believed more or knew more then the disciples, but I think she demonstrated her feelings more openly. In Mark Judas betrays Jesus before the Last Supper. And maybe because Jesus rebukes him about Mary's action that Judas starts to become angry and resentful. It's hard to determine what Judas was thinking. I wish we did know more of that story. I am sure there are times when I do betray Jesus - never in words, but in my actions! When I go down paths that I know in my heart He does not want me to go down. And if I tell others that I am a Christian and yet do things I know are wrong, I am betraying Jesus by having others see my actions and hear my words - which may not always be the same. Poor Jesus. To know what was in store for Him. Who would not ask to be spared. We ask it of God all the time - to be spared of some hardship! Jesus was human. He had to be human or the sacrifice would not mean anything. I am sure he was scared. But, in the end, He realized it must be done - that God's will must be obeyed. In a time when religious freedom is so prevalent, I do not know what it would be like to be persecuted for my beliefs so I can't imagine doing something that I knew would end up as my being tortured and put to death for them. And poor Peter. What agony he must have suffered when he realized he had denied Jesus exactly as Jesus said he would and exactly as Peter said he wouldn't. And how would Peter know at that time that he would see Jesus again and be able to set things right. A good lesson on not ending conversations with loved ones on a harsh note. How could Jesus answer the questions put to Him while on "trial"? Whatever He said, they would not believe or would turn it against Him. They knew the witnesses were false, as all the stories were different. They were going to have Jesus killed no matter what. I am glad you pointed out that the trial was illegal because it made me curious and I began to research it. Very interesting and very sad. The crucifixion of Jesus was going to happen no matter what. I know that the Pharisees and the Scribes are always the "bad guys" and I am sure most of them were. But I wonder. If some man stands on a box in Binghamton, NY and starts proclaiming that he is the Son of God, how many of us would believe him? Would we think he were dangerous and that he should be put in an institution for his own good? And even if a few people in the crowd said, Oh, I did see him perform a miracle, would we immediately believe them? Or just think they wanted attention. Sad to say, I am not sure. But I am glad that I am a believer. My life is so much better for it.
ReplyDeleteSome really good and thoughtful comments Donna. Thanks for your input and ideas!
DeleteNo matter how many times I read this it always makes me so sad. When Peter denies knowing Jesus three times and then cries because he I hope is sorry that he did this. It is hard for us to imagine. I cannot remember every saying that I didn’t believe in God or Jesus as his son but I also have never had to worry that I would be tortured or killed because of my beliefs. At times I may have denied him by my actions. When I have I would like to believe that I like Peter am sorry after.
ReplyDeleteGood point about never being in threat of torture or death for saying you know God...we have such a good life and we forget that at times! Good points Cindy!!
DeleteSuch familiar verses. I can never help but recognize how human everyone but Jesus is in these stories. Mary, pouring out the oil on Jesus because she wanted to honor him more than make money for the poor. It's so easy to ask "what was she thinking??"
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder about Peter. Why, if Jesus had told them him that he would betray Jesus 3 times, why did he do it? Was he just too afraid of what would have happened to himself? Was this another time that someone is put in an impossible position and just didn't know what to do- because they were only human.
Fear is a big motivator in our life and I think that is part of the reason behind Peter's denial. We do need to remember that the disciples were just regular people- like you point out! Great ideas Cathy!
DeleteWho knows why Judas betrayed Jesus, was he chosen(to be a disciple) because of who he was and what he would do? Even the other disciples abandoned Jesus when he was arrested. Peter, who followed along after the arrest and stayed close, denied Jesus three times as predicted .
ReplyDeleteI wonder if i had been there what I would have done not knowing what i know now(after the fact so to speak) I probably would have done the same I'm sure they were very afraid at that time.
Did the disciples even understand at the Last Supper what jesus meant when he took the bread and broke it saying this is my body and then the wine saying this is my blood shed for you Did they realize he was the sacrificial lamb this time? the new covenant was about to begin. Oh for the faith of a tiny mustard seed!
Fear does make us do things that we don't think we could do...like leave a friend when they need us. I am sure fear was a big part of the motivation of Peter and the others at Jesus' crucifixion. Good ideas Clara!
DeleteIn the first story, I think that everyone present expected Jesus to be angry that Mary "wasted" the nard. I expected Him to be angry, too, thinking about how He always wanted to give to the poor. Did He think He was poor, knowing that His crucifixion was coming soon? Did the others know? It is written in the Old Testament that this was coming.
ReplyDeleteI get annoyed with outfits like Visions FCU. It seems that they have so much money that they don't know how to spend it. I do not think that there is any church that spends extravagantly. In the case of Little Meadows UMC, there just isn't enough money available to spend extravagantly. A suggestion: now that we are Facebook church goers, I would like to see a better video system for services, especially one that could give close ups of the Pastor during the service. I would be willing to donate to that cause. (I haven't mentioned it to Rhea, but I am sure she would like to see it, too.) I wouldn't consider this extravagant as more and more people are watching the service on Facebook with this COVID nonsense going on. Unfortunately, I don't see this going away anytime soon. I think we are are to be putting up with this for at least another year. The church we have been attending here in Great Falls is closed (services on Facebook only) and they don't see reopening in the foreseeable future.
There is no mention of Pontius Pilate in this chapter. I was looking for him to appear, but in my translation, it is the chief priests, elders and scribes appear at the trial of Jesus. (I just noticed that Jesus goes before Pilate in the next chapter.) It is obvious that these people want to kill Jesus. All of His disciples, except Simon-Peter, have scattered to the wind, like Jesus said they would. At the trial in this chapter, which to me is nothing more than a kangaroo court, Simon-Peter hides and denies Jesus when asked as Jesus told him he would. The most interesting thing in this section is that it is the Jews that want to kill Jesus. The Romans are not even involved at this time. How does this affect me? If I were one of the 12, would I be Judas? Probably not. I like to think that I am tolerant of others, but there are times... I would probably not tell Jesus either, sad to say. Would I run away and hide if I felt my life was in danger? Probably. Look at Washington. I'm sure many of the prominent politicians and, especially Fox News personnel are getting constant death threats. (I do not watch CNN or MSNBC, so I cannot comment on their people.) Have the politician's backers cut and run? How is this different than the Passion? My life has never been threatened, so I don't know how I would respond, but I am not a brave person. I know I would be terrified and I am sure Jesus was, too. I am thinking that Jesus knew this was coming and, when it wasn't imminent, he was OK. But when the time came, it was a different story, as I am sure it would be with me. I know I am rambling and I apologize for it. However, my thoughts are disorganized after reading this chapter. The last 2 have been brutal and I know the next one will be even worse.
Thanks for the commentary about worship via FB at LM...we are looking in to getting better video equipment. Not sure if you really want to see the pastor close up though! I heard some days he looks quite rough!
ReplyDeleteGood observation Jack- Pilate doesn't show up in Mark until later! Another good observation- it was the Jews- incited by the religious authority- that wanted to kill Jesus...not the Romans. But, Jews couldn't impose the death penalty- that's how Rome gets involved. And you are right- in our life- we are usually not threatened, and many of us are not too brave!
Thanks for the honesty in the last statement. As many times as I have read the Passion events- I still get sad and broken.
Thanks for your comments, Jack!
I think Judas was getting impatient waiting for Jesus to make a move to put him and his disciples in charge over nation's of Israel. Jesus praised the woman, Mary, she wasn't cheep with money. Maybe she did understand what Jesus was talking about. I think we all have selected hearing at times, when we are impatient.Judas saw this,made his plan ,went to enemy. When Jesus was taken away without a fight Judas felt so bad he hung himself.Now the shepherd was taken away and his flock was scattered Even Peter when he remembered what Jesus told him and broke down and wept.
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