On Wednesday of Holy Week, Mark shows us how several storylines begin to intersect. The construction of this narrative is significant. It starts and ends with the religious leaders plotting to kill Jesus, but it focuses on a genuine act of worship by an unnamed woman. Her story has been preserved for thousands of years as a testimony to what true worship entails. 

Each morning, Jesus would go to the temple to teach the people and engage with the religious leaders. After making them look foolish and warning the crowds against them, the chief priests and scribes started planning how they could secretly arrest and kill Jesus. The issue was that they didn’t know where he went after leaving the temple. 

Mark tells us that Jesus would go to the Mount of Olives in the evenings, where he would pray with a view of the temple and the city. He would then spend his nights with friends in Bethany. On this Wednesday evening, Jesus was with Simon the Leper. Although we do not have a record of Jesus specifically healing this man, it is undoubtedly true that this was how they met. 

As he reclined at the dinner table, an unnamed woman approached with an expensive bottle of oil and anointed Jesus. We do not know what motivated her to act. John’s Gospel mentions that Mary, the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, anointed Jesus's feet in a similar way on the Sabbath before the Triumphal Entry. Perhaps this was another instance of a woman who had experienced Jesus' compassion and was overwhelmed with gratitude. 

The people watching this were upset by the woman’s actions and scolded her, but Jesus stepped in to defend her, saying, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her” (Mark 14:6-9, ESV).

I appreciate the statement that this woman had done “what she could.” What more could anyone do to comfort Jesus before he went to the cross? Peter tried to stand in his way but was rebuked. The disciples had argued over who was the most important. No one seemed to take it seriously that Jesus was going to die, but this woman saw him and ministered to his needs. Perhaps there was something in his face or body language that revealed to her the burden Jesus was bearing as his mind anticipated the cross. Note: after Jesus' death and burial, the women would not be able to prepare Jesus’ body. They would try to get to the tomb on Sunday, but they would find it empty. 

Interestingly, this was the act that triggered Judas’ betrayal. He was greedy and disliked the idea of wasting such an expensive bottle of ointment on Jesus. He was furious that Jesus hadn't started the revolution and made him a wealthy ruler in the new kingdom. He resented Jesus' teachings against the riches of this world because they had exposed the idol of his heart. Judas worshiped money, not Jesus. So he left to find the religious leaders and plotted against Jesus for a payoff. 

These stories of Judas and this unnamed woman revolve around their actions that foreshadowed Jesus’ death. It is moments like these that reveal the true feelings of our hearts. The woman responded to Jesus' need by worshiping him and anointing him for burial. Judas saw a chance to profit and chose to betray Jesus. However, the rest of the disciples failed to grasp the importance of the moment. They were still absorbed in their own world and unaware of the burden Jesus was bearing. 

Have you looked at Jesus long enough to truly capture his heart? Have you looked away from Jesus and forgotten all he has done for you? Are worries about money pulling you away from denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus? In a moment of crisis, what does it reveal about your true affections? “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace” (Helen H. Lemmel, "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus," 1922).

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