ON YOUR MARK: WEEK 12 DAY 1

Mark 14:1 – 11 

The Plot to Kill Jesus

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him,2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 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. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 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.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.

On the line below, write the name of a person who has made a difference in your life:

The above-named person is so important that you have remembered them because of what they did for you! Maybe they gave you a second chance or believed in you when no one else did, or spoke the truth in love, or something else that changed you and the way you see the world.

Just think, today we are talking about a woman who lived approximately 2000 years ago! This woman is not necessarily remembered for who she was (Mark doesn’t give us her name), but because of what she did! And the interesting thing about her is, according to Jesus, is that she did “what she could” (Mark 14:8).

So often, as Jesus-followers, we want to do something big and flashy for the kingdom, and we miss small opportunities to make an impact because we’re waiting to have enough to make a big difference.

Today, just do what you can! Look for opportunities, even small ones, to serve others without expecting a “thank you.” Look for opportunities to be generous or kind, or encouraging. Keep living this way every day, and I promise you, your life will be remembered!