Jesus Is Anointed at Bethany

Mark For Everyone

MARK 14.1–11...

...If the storm clouds are gathering over Jerusalem in chapter 13, in chapter 14 they are coming together over the head of Jesus himself. The parallel between the two is important: the fate Jesus has predicted for the Temple (destruction at the hands of pagan enemies) is precisely what will now happen to him. In their different ways, several of the New Testament writers are aware of this parallel, and make it part of their understanding of Jesus’ death.

From this point on, Mark’s story is entirely focused on the coming crucifixion of the Messiah. This opening section of the chapter is like a dramatic painting, a large canvas with three sections. The middle section, the main story about the woman with the pot of ointment, dominates; but we understand its dark meaning not least when we look to left and right, to the chief priests plotting and then to Judas going off to strike a bargain with them. In Mark’s telling, each scene contributes to the sense that the end is near. Jesus knows it; Judas and the priests plot it; the unnamed woman with the perfume intuitively does the right thing, and anoints Jesus for it...

Taken from Mark for Everyone by Tom Wright