TWO SUPPERS – TWO EXTREMES
MARK 14:1-21
14 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.
16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.
18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.
19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?
20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.
21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.
1. Supper At Simon’s (vv. 3-9)
- Simon the leper hosted this supper.
Simon is a Pharisee and a
While eating supper or maybe at the conclusion, Mary brought an alabaster jar of spikenard (expensive spice with which perfumes are made).
Her worship had some elements that our worship should have:
1) It was
- She breaks the jar and pours all of the contents on Jesus’ head, beard, and feet. The spikenard cost one year’s wages.
- This jar (12 oz) could have been diluted and used to make many, many ounces of perfume and sold.
2) It was
- She poured the entire contents of the jar out. She held nothing back.
- How about us? Do we hold back? Do we keep for ourselves what we could give to Jesus in worship?
3) It was
She didn’t care what others thought. This was for her Savior and Master.
vv. 4-5 – Mary’s worship was lavish, and she was scolded by the men in the room. That could have been sold and given to the poor.
- Do you see the focus? Money. Stuff.
Mary’s focus was Jesus.
vv. 6-9 – Her worship pointed to
- Jesus – “She has anointed my body for burial.”
She, by faith, was worshiping her Redeemer, her vicarious, substitutionary, sacrifice.
The first step in preparation for burial is to wash and anoint the body.
Phillip Keller
“Wherever He moved during the ensuing forty-eight hours the perfume would go with Him: into the Passover, into the Garden of Gethsemane, into the high priest’s home, into Herod’s hall, into Pilate’s praetorium, into the crude hands of those who cast lots for His clothing at the foot of the cross.”- Jesus would go into the ordeal of the cross prepared for the grave.
2. Supper In The Upper Room (vv. 10-21)
- vv. 10-11 – Judas determines in his mind and by his own choice to
Judas goes forth and begins making deals for betrayal.
vv. 12-16 – Jesus and his men, like most out-of-towners, had to find a place to eat the
Jerusalem would swell 10 times in population during Passover.
Jesus had a plan for his disciples to prepare for the supper to be eaten in a large upper room.
Many people had a large upper room that was used for guests or for renting out for extra money. It was on the second floor and had an external stair case.
vv. 17-21 – By midday on the day of preparation all work ceased. People carried their lambs to the Temple where they would be slaughtered and skinned. The kidneys and the fat sacrificed on the altar. The blood sprinkled at the base of the altar.
The lamb was then brought back home before evening to be roasted for supper.
Jesus eats the Passover with His men, and while eating He
- Everyone knew what He meant, but they couldn’t grasp it.
- Is it I?
- Even Judas who had been conspiring said, “Is it I?”
- Jesus responds, “Woe to that man.” This word woe is a word that means personal anguish.
Woe –
Two Suppers – Two Extremes –
Application:
1) Christ has a prearranged
2) Christ continues to express His
3) Anyone is free to