Jesus Anointed at Bethany: Mark 14:3-9

Intro

Have you ever given anyone a gift and it just completely backfired? (Share story of some of my gift giving experiences with Bernie).

Another example could be from West Side Story when Maria and Tony see each other at the dance.

Historical context

Setting - a dinner at Simon the leper’s house in the town of Bethany outside Jerusalem two days before the Passover.

“During the Passover festival, an estimated 85,000 to 300,000 pilgrims flocked to the city of Jerusalem, which had a population estimated at 60,000 to 120,000. The sounds and smells of hordes of people and animals filled the city.” (footnote, David Garland, The NIV Application Commentary: Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), p. ?

There is anticipation, hope of deliverance. Passover reminds Israel of their story and points forward to final deliverance (Garland, p. ?).

Also a lot tension (14:1-2 shows that chief priests are trying to find a way to kill Jesus). Garland also notes that “It was a particularly nervous time for the high priests and their police force since the chance for an outbreak of riots increased dramatically during this time. The Roman governor usually moved to Jerusalem from his headquarters in Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast to monitor the volatile mobs of fervent pilgrims. The slightest provocation could set them off, and Josephus duly records the disturbances that broke out during a festival” (p.