But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor... Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money." (Mark 14:4-5, 10-11).

The parallel account in the other Gospels may be found in John 12:1-11 and Matthew 26:6-13. A somewhat similar event in a different context is recorded in Luke 7:36-38. In the three parallels the disciples (led by Judas Iscariot) criticize the woman (Mary) for wasting an expensive jar of perfume on Jesus. They argue that the perfume might have been sold and the money used to help many poor people. While we are told that Judas's motive was suspect (John 12:6), the other disciples may have been genuine? But Jesus defends the woman and credits her with a good deed.

As I read this account, I cannot help but remember my previous posts, chastisizing a pastor for receiving a much higher salary and benefits than his average parishioner or criticizing a church for spending millions to modernize its facilities when the money could have been used to start hundreds of churches or to help thousands of needy. Yet, I knew the pastor was not prone to excessive selfishness and greed nor was the church only catering to the rich and famous. 

Was it wrong for the pastor to live well or to live materially better than the average parishioner. Should the missionary have to suffer the same poverty and sqaulor as the people he is reaching? He faithfully studied the Scriptures and taught the congregation week after week. He did not flaunt his wealth or seek out the extravagant. 

Was it wrong to spend $130 million to renovate their church? That church has persons from all races, ethnicities and socio-economic classes coming to Christ every week. Their radio, television and internet ministries reach hundreds of thousands of people every week with the Gospel and the clear teaching of Scripture. 

Scripture does not attack the wealthy for being rich. When they are not generous, when they pay unfair wages, when they reject God in their pride, when they forget the poor and the needy, when they show favoritism - this is what Scripture condemns. 

Some have argued that Jesus was not commending lavish spending when He commended the woman, whether Mary in the parallels or the harlot at the house of the Pharisee in Luke. They say that He was simply recognizing a special moment. So, Mary was preparing Him for burial, like buying an expensive coffin for a dead loved one today. But did Mary herself know this? Didn't she simply want to honor the One she loved? Of all those present, she likely had the purist motive.

We all have a critical eye that we confuse for discernment. Sometimes it is sufficient for us to do good with what we have and rejoice when others do good with what they have, even if it is not the greatest possible good we ourselves can conceive.

I count myself lavishly enriched by God, for He has given me every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). As if the life of Christ was not glorious enough, God has promised us all good things to come with Him (Romans 8:32). What do I care about the luxuries of man, but if some of these are used to advance the Gospel, praise God! 

Therefore, I will not criticize the rich man, who seeks the Lord as well as he can. I will not criticize the wealthy church, which seeks to serve the Lord as well as it can. But let me do my part in seeking and serving God as well as I can with what God has given me. 

Why has this perfume been wasted? (Mark 14:4).

This woman, presumably Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, came to Jesus with something of great value to her, "an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard." As some present surmised, it was worth over a year's wages. In one instant, Mary poured the entire vial on Jesus' head, filling the entire house with the fragrance of the perfume.

This was no normal occurrence. People did not go around giving up costly things. No, costly things were reserved to mark special occasions or to honor special people. In the case of Jesus, it was immeasureably both, the most special occasion for the most special Person.

The occasion was His death on the cross for the sins of all mankind. The occasion was for those there the most important event, not only in history but in all eternity. What Christ would accomplish in His death, burial and resurrection was something only He could do, namely, bringing about eternal salvation for everyone who believes.

And it would do injustice to identify Jesus merely as a special Person. He was not only the most special Person, He was the One through Whom all things came to be, for Whom all things were made, by Whom all things are held together, and in Whom all things He wills would endure forever.

The very thought and utterance of the words, "Why has this perfume been wasted", revealed the absolute ignorance of the people who attended Jesus at this home in Bethany. 

Friends, as ignorant as these people were to suggest that Mary's vial of perfume was wasted on the Lord Jesus Christ, I don't know that we are much wiser. What I mean is that we don't seem to fathom the true worth of the One we worship and to Whom we have entrusted our eternal destiny. We live as though we wear our faith on our sleaves, following Jesus like we follow our favorite baseball or football team. What is more, He is not simply our cosmic insurance policy, but we treat Him like He is. And He is not simply our emotional salve when our circumstances become overwhelming or unbearable. He is the Lord of the universe. He is the Lord of us. And as gracious and compassionate as He certainly is, He, nevertheless, commands uncompromising obedience and trust.

Some of the greatest theological minds came together to create a catechism for new Christians. Their first lesson involved a question and answer. They asked, "What is the chief end of man?" Their biblical answer was, "To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." I wonder, as Christians, if this is how we see our chief purpose in life: To glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to enjoy Him forever -- not what He can do for me in my home, in my work, in my pursuits -- just Him. Asaph, David's chief director of praise, wrote these words:

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:25-26).

I wonder, today, is this our all-consuming passion? Are we delighting in our great God and Savior? Are we pursuing Him and His purposes as the chief end and daily interest of our lives? May we all be like Mary and demonstrate our understanding of His great worth!

But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.”  But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also (Mark 14:29-31).

The leader of the apostles declared his loyalty to Christ. Peter asserted that others may betray Jesus, but not him. He declared that not even death would shake his loyalty. Yet, it was short-lived, for on the very day that this loyalty was tested, it proved only paper thin. How rattling it must have been for Peter, after making such a bold declaration of loyalty, to have the weakness of his faith exposed by the Lord in front of all the disciples.

It was not so long ago that Peter declared, "You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God." (John 6:68). Yet, here he was already challenging Jesus' prophetic claim that Peter would deny Him. Perhaps it would have been more noble for him to fall on his face and declare, like the father of the deaf and mute boy, "Help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).

Peter's problem was personal pride. It is our problem as well. We all want to justify ourselves. We are unwilling to admit our frailty. In Peter's case, he chose to allow Jesus to take the journey to the cross alone. In Luke's Gospel we are told that, right after Peter's third denial and just after the rooster crowed, Jesus turned and looked directly at Peter (cf. Luke 22:61). How crushing this must have been for him.

Friends, how horribly sad this story would have been if Peter's testimony ended here. It would have stood alongside the testimony of Judas Iscariot as the two most ill-fated lives in all of history.

Instead, praise God, Peter's testimony stands in contrast to that of Judas. He repented and was restored (cf. John 21:15-22), and with a new-found humility. In view of this transformation, Peter would later write these words:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 5:6-11).

Peter knew about humbling himself and being lifted up again. He understood what it means to fail and be restored.

Friends, let us take Peter's example to heart, but not to declare that we would have done better. While we fixate on Peter, the Bible tells us that all the disciples fled the scene when Jesus was arrested. And it would not be until the resurrection and then the baptism of the Holy Spirit that they would come out from hiding. No, my friends, we would have been just the same. We are not any better than Peter or the disciples. 

Let us, therefore, humble ourselves and acknowledge our frailties. The Lord has given us a great work to do, even to do this work together. Let us confess our failures, forgive our shortcomings, and proceed together in this great work of advancing God's kingdom in the world. 

Mark 14
51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

This line is not mentioned by the other gospels. It seems so small and useless. Why mention it? I figure there must be something significant. I read through the text to see if there could be others included in "disciples" but there isn't much to support this.

Nakedness is a big deal to the Jews. To mention it must point to something, perhaps simply his desperation to get away. But this seems unnecessary to the story or lesson. He was young and only having the clothes on his back. He followed Jesus, and was a target of the authorities - they tried to seize him.

I wouldn't have concluded this, but seems logical: Commentaries point to this being the writer. It’s as if he offered personal testimony similar to what is found in John's Gospel; little tokens that other don't share as to say I was there.

A true story may not be perfect but if it were perfect that would make it less likely. Similarly, to women being the first to witness Jesus - I hear that women didn't quite have the value to speak as truth as men. To say, "I even ran naked" makes the point to say "If I mean 'this' to be true, why would I ridicule myself about 'this' unless it was an open testimony.”

If it is him. It is interesting to see how his character, like Peter's, had a growing period even through acts. He fled here, and later is the object his Paul's complaint, and Barnabas mercy, for not having the constitution to stick the mission out. As with Peter denials of Christ, he later denies the sufficiency of Christ by catering to the Jewish pull to add the law to Christ salvation.

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mark 14:38). 

Every believer struggles to know what they can do to overcome temptation and live a holy life. One of the things that the Lord Jesus both teaches us and demonstrates for us in battling temptation is presented here: "Watch and Pray" This is affirmed in two other texts: the parallel in Matthew 26:36-45 and in the Book of Hebrews:

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission (Hebrews 5:7).

Now, Hebrews tells us that Jesus was heard; that is, His prayer was answered. But you may say, 'Jesus was crucified. In what sense was Jesus' prayer answered?' Remember, Jesus prayed that God's will would be done. And this was indeed answered. 

But the point I want to highlight is Jesus' instruction and example of watching and praying. "Watch" simply means "Stay awake" or "Stay alert." We are told that the disciples kept falling asleep because they were tired and "their eyes were heavy" (Mark 14:40). This is what Jesus meant when He said, "the flesh is weak." He was urging them to battle their natural physical wants and needs in order to gain spiritual ground. This reminds me of the times that I put the air-condition full blast, rolled down the windows, and slapped myself time and again to stay awake while driving. There is a kind of ascetism in Jesus' exhortation here. Now, this is not new. 

This same Jesus taught believers to gouge out their eye or cut off their hand if it would help them not to stumble into sin:

If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell (Matthew 5:29-30).

He says much the same in Mark 9:43-47,

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.

Paul is no stranger to this language, for he says something similar with respect to his own efforts not to be disqualified in ministry:

No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize (1 Corinthians 9:27).

What are we talking about here? Battling with temptation is not simply a spiritual exercise. There may be a very physical aspect to it, as these texts suggest. I am sure that after one of His busiest days of ministry, when He healed people and cast out demons even after sunset, Jesus would have preferred to sleep rather than pray. But we are told,

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35).

Also, I'm sure that Jesus wanted to oblige Satan and turn the stone into bread after forty days of fasting. But He resists every temptation to shortcut God's program for Him, answering every temptation Satan throws at Him with the Word of God (cf. Matthew 4:1-11).

Is there a physical aspect to resisting temptation? Yes! Hebrews 12:4 teaches,

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

The struggle against temptation is the main point of the passage on discipline in Hebrews 12, where it is written:

Endure hardship as discipline...No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:7,11).

And remember "self-control" is one of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23).

All this is to highlight "watch" in Jesus' instruction to "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." There is something very physical in the word. It involves struggle and going against not only what we want to do but sometimes even what we feel we need to do. It means for us to be awake when we want to sleep. It means for us to be alert when we want to rest. It means to take charge of our physical appetites, even to the point of physical hurt or loss or even death, so that we might prevail against sin.

Therefore, when we speak of watching in prayer, it goes beyond simply finding time to pray. It means that we need to prevail against the usual discomforts in prayer, like wandering thoughts, feet falling asleep, taking irreverent postures more conducive to sleeping and resting than to praying. I am reminded of God's instruction to Cain in Genesis, when he was upset that God did not accept His offering:

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it." (Genesis 4:6-7).

In the same way, friends, sin is always crouching at our door. It desires to have us, but we must rule over it. Therefore, let us not neglect this great counsel from the Lord: "Watch and pray!"

Mark 14:36 captures the spirit of the ministry of Jesus: "Not what I will, but what You will." Jesus came to do the Father's will. This is also why he would say about his earthly family: "Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35). So the character of a disciple of Jesus Christ, as well as those in the family of God, will reflect this singular desire to obey God in their actions, words, attitude and affections.

We are so busy with so many things, yet there is only this one thing that matters. Are we doing the will of God? Are we doing everything, both spiritual and mundane, for His glory? Whether things go our way or not, does our attitude demonstrate a conviction that God is in control? The Proverbs teach that a person may plan all he wants, but it is God who finally determines his steps (Proverbs 16:9; cf. Proverbs 16:1). And if everything God does is good (cf. James 1:17; Romans 8:28), should we not always be praising Him and thanking Him in everything?

Yet, why do we often get frustrated and complain to God? Could it be that we forget that He is in control? Do we sometimes embrace Satan's lie that God is not all that good? Or does our attitude betray a divided interest, partly in God but mostly in getting our way in the way we want it? Perhaps we need to join Asaph in the sanctuary of God to regain perspective, so that we might remember that simply "the nearness of God is my good" (Psalm 73:28), not the benefits of a happy and prosperous life. Then our Job-like pain will turn to praise:

    Whom have I in heaven but You?
         And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
   My flesh and my heart may fail,
         But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:25-26).

And with Jesus, who was about to face the height of shame and suffering on the cross, we can say, "Not what I will, but what You will."