Observations
- Who: chief priests and scribes, Simon the Leper, the unnamed woman, indignant observers, Jesus, Judas
- When: two days before the Passover
- Where: Simon’s house in Bethany
- What: an extravagant public display by a woman to Jesus; Jesus’ teaches about costly sacrifice; Judas commits himself to betrayal.
- Connections: the plotting of the religious leadership; a unexpected woman with eyes to see; costly sacrifice; disciples misunderstanding what is happening.
- Contrasts: murder conspiracy/sacrificial worship; eyes to see/unaware; extravagant gift/stingy self-serving; worship Jesus/serve the poor.
- Responses to Jesus: murder plot; worship; indignation; intentional betrayal
Interpretation
- The elite of the Jewish religious establishment are conspiring to murder a wandering, poor prophet. By contrast Jesus chooses to spend one of his last evenings with the least, the last, and the lost. What a picture of the difference between religion and the kingdom of God. The supposed alliance between the state and the kingdom could hardly be drawn in starker contrast.
- Simon – where does he come from? Is he the leper healed in 1.40? How does a leper end up owning a house in Bethany? And why does Jesus go here immediately following his climactic confrontation in the temple? What is Jesus doing spending his last hours with an unclean outcast? Jesus’ presence at Simon’s likely shocked those who heard this story.
- The unnamed woman is yet another cameo appearance in Mark’s narrative of an unexpected outsider who has eyes to see Jesus, understand exactly who and what Jesus is, and fully follow his lead. When was the last time we saw someone in Mark do something only to bless Jesus, with no strings or personal agenda? This anonymous woman stands out as a contrast not only to the characters in this pericope, but to virtually everyone so far in this gospel. And again, Mark’s listeners would have been shocked by making an anonymous, emotional, extravagant woman the hero of this story.
- Jesus knows just what will happen in three days: he will do just what the woman does here, pour out his priceless blood in an irrevocable act of obedience and devotion to his father. Yet he calls the woman’s gift a beautiful thing, something so intertwined with his own story that her what she has done will be proclaimed wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world!
- The indignant observers still do not understand what Jesus is about and are offended by costly, wasteful, irrevocable personal sacrifice. Judas is not alone in his rejection of Jesus’ core values of costly sacrifice with the intent to bless the undeserving.
- Judas is propelled by this event into active, intentional betrayal. Perhaps he at last understands from this woman’s sacrifice that Jesus does in fact intend to pour out his own life, and that Jesus really does expect his followers to follow him and lose their lives for his sake and the gospel’s. Judas utterly rejects Jesus’ strategy of redemption and transformation.
Application
- Live large in worship; be extravagant!
- Always focus on costly sacrifice when explaining the gospel.
Introduction
- This story introduces the final few days of Jesus’ human life. Glance ahead through chapters 14-16.8 to get an idea of how Mark finishes his account of the good news of Jesus’ kingdom.
The Text: Mark 14.1-1 Pages 33.13-34.5
- Read the text aloud to each other.
Discussion Questions:
- Spend some time just observing – who, what , when, where, connections, contrasts...
- Discuss your initial reactions to this story. Why do you think Mark chooses this story to introduce us to the last three days of Jesus’ human life?
- Discuss each main character in this story and what we discover about them their character:
- Chief priests and scribes
- Simon the Leper
- The unnamed woman
- Some indignant observers
- Jesus
- Judas
- Discuss the similarities between this woman’s act and what Jesus will do on the cross just three days after this story.
- Why does Jesus call this woman’s wasteful gift ‘a beautiful thing she has done for me’?
- Why does Jesus say that this woman’s act will be retold ‘wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world’?
- What is it about this story that finally pushes Judas over the edge into intentional betrayal?
Application reflections
- Does God the Father think Jesus’ pouring out his life as something beautiful? Why or why not?
- What is more important: doing acts of righteousness or costly, personal worship of Jesus?
Pray
Observations
- Who: Jesus, one of the disciples, Peter, James, John and Andrew
- When: Wednesday of Jesus’ last week.
- Where: on Mount of Olives, opposite the temple
- What: Jesus’ concludes his private teaching for the 4 about the days ahead; Jesus’ final parable. (That is unless you, like Ron Kernaghan, see the entire book of Mark as a parable with Jesus’ last invitation to ‘meet me in Galilee’ as an open ended invitation to ongoing response!) Jesus answers the question about ‘when’.
- Connections: continues the ‘watch’ theme; possible link between the ‘angels’ (cf messengers) if v.10
- Contrasts: alert/asleep; this generation (9.1)
- Responses to Jesus: see chapters 14-16, and The Acts of the Apostles.
Interpretation
- Again it is very important to take this section in its context and listen to this conclusion of Jesus’ longest, and final, discourse in this gospel. This would be a great time to go the Resources section of the blog and review Interpretation and Let The Author Speak.
- Mark’s readers would have understood these verses in their own immediate context:
- ‘that tribulation’ in their minds equated to the savaging of Jerusalem in 70ad;
- the ongoing conflict with the power centers of this world: Jerusalem and Rome;
- efforts to proclaim the gospel to the four winds and the ends of the earth;
- immediate reference to the Garden where the disciples slept and Peter’s failed rescue attempt and denial
- Jesus is in fact gone on a journey
- Faithfulness now, as in Mark’s entire narrative, is central to following Jesus.
- Fittingly Jesus wraps up his farewell address with parables:
- a reminder of the fig tree parable,
- and now, with his resurrection we do see emerging fruit
- and with the coming of the Spirit in Acts we see even more fruit
- and a new parable about staying awake and alert
- of immediate necessity for the disciples
- and just as much for us today
- Jesus does finally answer the question of v. 4: when. His answer is:
- My words are eternal
- I do not know
- You do not know
- The Father does know
Application
- Stay awake!
- Remain faithful.
Introduction
- What thoughts have we had this past week about the importance of being alert, on guard, awake, on guard for our faith?
- Have you heard any reports this week of sisters and brothers around the world who are currently facing the types of suffering Jesus described in 13.6-23? Take a minute to pray for these witnesses to the good news that the Kingdom of God is at hand.
The Text: Mark 13.24-37 Pages 32.20-33.13
- Read the text aloud to each other.
Discussion Questions:
- How does this section connect to 13.1-23?
- What words are repeated in 13.24-37? Based on this, what is the main point of this section?
- Often times these words are taken to refer exclusively to future events at the end of time. But for our purposes in discussion let’s try to look at what these words could have meant to listeners/readers who had just witnessed the destruction of the Temple in 70ad, and who were directly involved in proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth (13.10). Is there any encouragement? Any comfort? Hope?
- What is about to happen ‘in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning’ when the disciples should stay awake, be alert and on their guard, and stay faithful?
- Is there any connection between the ‘angels’ in 13.27 and the gospel being proclaimed to all peoples in 13.10? (Note: the word translated here as angel can also be translated as ‘messenger’ as it is in Mark 1.2.)
- Verses 13.34-37 are Jesus’ last parable told in Mark. Do you see themes from other parables within the lines of this parable?
- 13.32 is Jesus’ answer to the question ‘when will this happen’? What do we make of Jesus’ response – that he does not know when? What do we make of Jesus’ conviction that the Father does know?
Application reflections
- How is it an encouragement for us the Jesus’ words last forever?
- What does it mean for us to stay awake and be alert right now, while the master is away? What does it mean for us to stay awake and be faithful as we await his return?
- What comfort can we find in Jesus’ conviction that the Father knows exactly when and what will take place in the future?
Pray
Observations
- Who: Jesus, one of the disciples, Peter, James, John and Andrew
- When: Wednesday of Jesus’ last week.
- Where: Leaving the temple; on Mount of Olives, opposite the temple
- What: Jesus’ prophecy of the temple’s destruction; private teaching for the 4 about the days ahead.
- Connections: Opposite the treasury/opposite the temple; Jesus’ temple judgment parables and comments in Mark 11 and 12; key themes of Mark’s narrative: Jesus’ suffering, Jesus’ confrontation with established power centers (religious and cultural), the inclusiveness of Jesus’ gospel – all peoples, even those in Tyre and Sidon, the last/lost/least.
- Contrasts: Magnificent buildings/total destruction; truth/deception; peace/conflict; chaos/God’s sovereign control; true Christ/false christs
- Responses to Jesus: query about Jesus’ Temple destruction prophecy
Interpretation
- It is very important to take this section in its context and listen to Mark’s presentation of Jesus’ longest, and final, discourse in this gospel. This would be a great time to go the Resources section of the blog and review Interpretation and Let The Author Speak.
- In its context this section is much more a pastoral sermon from Jesus to the original four disciples in their 1st century ad life than it is a text on eschatology in the year 2010. The recurring refrain in this entire chapter is Watch, be alert, be on guard. This emphasizes Jesus’ immediate pastoral focus.
- This is also something of a farewell address for Jesus. He summarizes some of the macro-themes of his teaching and lifestyle:
- The priority of proclaiming the good news of the gospel to all peoples
- Conflict with religious and cultural powers
- Conflict with spiritual powers
- The importance of having eyes to see, to understand what God is accomplishing
- Faith: complete confidence that God is in control
- The way of the cross: the kingdom comes through suffering
- If you come after me you too will participate in the conflict
- There is structure in this section. Here is a possible outline of this chapter:
- 1-4: Watch: Magnificent buildings will be destroyed
- 5-8: Take heed, don’t be deceived
- 9-12: Take heed, don’t fall away because of persecution
- 14-22: Watch out: Suffering and abomination
- 23-27: Watch: messengers to all peoples
- 28-31: Watch with eyes to see: Jesus’ authority revisited
- 32-37: Take heed, be faithful
- Much, if not all, of Jesus words came true for the four disciples in their lifetimes (although James life ended very early – Acts 12). The temple was completely destroyed in 70ad. The disciples did face temptation to be deceived, to fall away because of persecution, to see evil’s apparent triumph, and to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth to all peoples. In their life times the gospel spread throughout the known world, beginning with Peter’s sermon immediately following Jesus resurrection and continuing with apostolic missionary visits to N Africa, India, Rome, Spain and beyond.
Application
- Have eyes to see!
- If you come after Jesus you will engage in the same conflict, and triumph, you have seen in Jesus’ teaching and life and death and resurrection.
Introduction
- What is the most impressive cathedral or church you have ever seen of visited?
The Text: Mark 13.1-23 Page 31.8-32.20
- Read the text aloud to each other.
Discussion Questions:
- How is this text connected to Jesus’ visit, teaching, and debates in the temple in Mark 11-12?
- Discuss the comment about the massive stones and buildings and Jesus’ prophecy that these buildings will be destroyed. Why does Mark set this chapter in the context of the temple’s impending destruction? When was this prophecy of Jesus fulfilled?
- Before discussing the text make sure to do some good observing:
- What is the context of this narrative?
- Who is speaking, and to who?
- What specific questions is Jesus is answering?
- What are the repeated words, themes of the text?
- What does Jesus most want his listeners to understand?
- What themes of Mark’s depiction of Jesus are emphasized in Jesus’ narrative?
- Put yourself into the mind of one of the four disciples. What most stands out to you as you try to see things from their understanding having just witnessed Jesus teaching and debating in the temple? Put yourself into the experience of these disciples in the years immediately following Jesus resurrection and the birth of the kingdom: how might you remember Jesus’ words in your context of missionary preaching and persecution?
- What are the most important things Jesus wants his listeners to know about their immediate future? About God’s involvement in that future?
Application reflections
- What does it mean to us to be on guard, to watch out for deception, to face suffering with faith?
- What are the parallels between what Jesus is predicting will happen to the disciples and what Jesus himself experienced?
- Why does Jesus teach about God’s sovereignty in this discourse? How is that an encouragement to be alert and on guard in suffering?
- How does preaching the gospel to all nations fit in the context of this discussion? How is that focus – the nations – part of being on guard against deception and part of suffering?
