Mark 14:1–15

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

14:1–11pp—Mt 26:2–16 14:1,2,10,11pp—Lk 22:1–6 14:3–8Ref—Jn 12:1–8

14Now the Passover^b and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.^{c 2}“But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

³While he was in Bethany,^d reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.^e

⁴Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? ⁵It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages^a and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

⁶“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷The poor you will always have with you,^b and you can help them any time you want.^f But you will not always have me. ⁸She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.^{g 9}Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world,^h what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve,ⁱ went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.^{j 11}They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

The Last Supper

14:12–26pp—Mt 26:17–30; Lk 22:7–23 14:22–25pp—1Co 11:23–25

¹²On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb,^k Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹³So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵He will show you a large room upstairs,^l furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”