Jesus—His Life and Message: Moving Toward His Passion and Death

The previous article addressed the end of Jesus’ public ministry. At this point in both the synoptic Gospels¹ and the Gospel of John, the focus moves on to the events of His passion and death.

Each of the synoptic Gospels makes reference to the upcoming Passover, the yearly festival which commemorates the Jewish people’s rescue from slavery in Egypt. One author explains:

According to the Jewish calendar the celebration of Passover was celebrated on 14 or 15 [of the Jewish month of] Nisan and was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was celebrated on 15–21 Nisan. These holidays were usually thought of as the week of Passover.²

The synoptic Gospels state that in the days leading up to these celebrations, the Jewish leadership—the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes—were plotting to arrest and kill Jesus. In the book of Mark, we read:

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”³

The Gospel of Luke says:

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.⁴

The Gospel of Matthew states:

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.⁵

The goal of Jesus’ opponents, the religious leadership, was to arrest Him and to have Him put to death. However, they were concerned that there could be a riot if He was arrested in public. Earlier in the Gospel of Mark, we are told of the religious leadership’s concerns about Jesus’ popularity with the people.

The chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.⁶

In the Gospel of Matthew, we are told that the meeting with the chief priests and elders of the people was held in the palace of the high priest, Caiaphas, who was high priest from AD 18 to 36. This indicates that high ecclesiastical officials as well as members of high-priestly families were present in the meeting. There were also important non-priestly elders of the people present. It’s quite likely that many, if not all, of these men were members of the Sanhedrin, which was a ruling body of 71 members, with the high priest as the chief officer.

Realizing that it would be very risky for them to arrest Jesus during this period of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as there were so many people present in Jerusalem who had a favorable view of Jesus, they decided to arrest Him sometime after the feast was over. They said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”⁷

(At this point in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, the story cuts away to the woman who poured the ointment of nard on Jesus’ head.⁸ Both Gospels then return to the events of the betrayal of Jesus. In order to make this article easier to follow, the woman’s anointing of Jesus will be covered further on, after the account of Judas’ betrayal.)

Though the religious leaders had decided not to arrest Jesus during the feast, the situation changed when one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas, approached them. The Gospel of Luke tells us:

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.⁹

The Gospel of Matthew states:

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.¹⁰

The Gospel of Mark explains that after Judas had received the money, he sought an opportunity to betray him.¹¹

As one of the twelve disciples, Judas was one of the people closest to Jesus. The twelve disciples were being trained by Jesus to carry on His mission after His death and resurrection. He had given them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.¹² He told them,

In the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.¹³

Judas partook of Jesus’ teachings, and had witnessed Him heal the sick and raise the dead. As one of the twelve, it is likely that he went on the mission trips with the other disciples and thus experienced what the other disciples did. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, … Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.¹⁴ Nevertheless, Judas made the decision to betray Jesus. According to the Gospels, his motive for doing so was greed. In the Gospel of John, we are given insight into Judas’ avarice.

He was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.¹⁵

Once he had received the money from the chief priests, he actively sought an opportunity to betray him.

The Anointing in Bethany

Going back to Matthew 26, verses 6–13, we read of events which happened in the house of Simon the leper.

When Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.¹⁶

Bethany was a small town 3.2 km (around 2 miles) from Jerusalem. While Simon is referred to as “the leper,” by the time of Jesus’ visit he was no longer afflicted with the disease; as if he were, then no one would have entered his house. It’s possible that at some point before this visit, Jesus had healed him.

Jesus was reclined at table, meaning that the meal was probably a special or festive occasion. People of that time and culture generally sat for meals; however, when they were entertaining special guests or when it was a celebratory occasion, they would eat in a reclined position. They would lie on their side with a cushion under their arm as they faced a table on which the food was placed.

While He was reclining at table, an unnamed woman who had expensive ointment in an alabaster flask approached Him. Alabaster is a stone which came from Albastron in Egypt, and looks similar to marble. An alabaster flask would have a long neck, so that the oil or perfume would pour out slowly to prevent waste.

The Gospel of Mark tells us that the expensive ointment was nard.

While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.¹⁷ 

Nard, also called spikenard, was an expensive perfume made from the root of a plant which grows in the Himalayan mountains.

When the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”¹⁸

The Gospel of Mark is more specific about the value of the nard as well as the disciples’ reaction.

“This ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her.¹⁹

Three hundred denarii was a year’s wages for a working man—a lot of money. Since charitable giving was an obligation associated with pilgrimages to Jerusalem for festivals, the disciples felt that a better use of the ointment would have been to sell it and use the money for giving to the needy.

But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.”²⁰

It’s not clear to whom the disciples made their comment about the woman’s use of the nard. They were probably speaking among themselves, but Jesus was aware of how they felt about the woman’s actions. However, His view of her actions was completely different from theirs. What they considered to be a waste, Jesus considered a beautiful gesture.

“In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.”²¹

Jesus was aware that His time was growing short and that He would soon face death. It’s not clear from the text if the woman had a premonition that Jesus’ death was on the horizon and therefore poured the oil on His head, or if Jesus was interpreting her action based on His awareness of what was coming.

“Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”²² 

Though Jesus knew that He was facing soon-coming death, He also knew that His death was not the end, but rather the beginning of a movement that would spread throughout the earth. As such, this woman’s actions would be remembered, as we are remembering them now.

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Note

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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