Mark 13:32 to Mark 14:21

Summary
In today’s reading, Jesus teaches that only the Father knows the appointed time, not the son nor the angels, hence we must be careful, we must be ready always.
He likens the above to a man who goes on a trip leaving his house in care of his servants, giving each one a special job to do. The servant guarding the door is told to be watchful. No one knows when the house owner will return, hence we should all be ready lest he returns suddenly and finds one asleep.
The fourteenth chapter of Mark’s gospel begins with a plot against Jesus, one that will have him arrested and killed.
During dinner at bethany, a woman anoints Jesus’ head with very expensive ointment. Several people are upset because she wasted the good stuff when impoverished people could use the money.
Jesus defends the woman, who did something nice for him.
Judas goes off and agrees to betray Jesus to the chief priests, who promised him money.
The first day of the feast of unleavened bread arrives. Jesus gives two disciples very specific instructions to enter Jerusalem and follow a man carrying water, stopping wherever he did to ask the householder for a room to eat the passover meal, and he will show them the right room. It happened as Jesus said.
Jesus fore tells during the meal that one of his disciples will betray him to the enemy. The disciples get upset, each swearing they would never do that.
Jesus insists, reiterating that his prophecy matches up with scripture.
Even so, his betrayer will be badly punished.

Life Application
Jesus when he ascended on high, left something for all his servants to do. We ought to always go about our father’s business, fulfilling destiny in expectation of his return. Our great care must be that whenever our Lord comes, he may find us secure, mindful of our work and duty, found in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Is there any thing too precious for Christ who gave himself unto death for our salvation? Do we give him the precious ointment of our best worship and service?
To love Jesus with all your heart is to give him your best, that is why Christ commended the woman who anointed and honoured him with her priced jar of oil.
Those who honour Christ he will honour.

Personal Declaration
Lord I pray to see you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly day by day in Jesus Name.

Reading – Mark 13:32 to Mark 14:21

The Day and Hour Unknown

³² “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be on guard! Be alert^[a]! You do not know when that time will come.³⁴ It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

³⁵ “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶ If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷ What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

14 Now the Passover 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. ² “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

³ While he was in Bethany, 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.

⁴ Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? ⁵ It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages^[b] 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. ⁷ The poor you will always have with you,^[c] and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸ She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. ⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 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

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

¹³ So 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. ¹⁴ Say 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?’¹⁵ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

¹⁶ The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷ When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸ While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

¹⁹ They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”

²⁰ “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. ²¹ The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

Footnotes:

1. Mark 13:33 Some manuscripts alert and pray
2. Mark 14:5 Greek than three hundred denarii
3. Mark 14:7 See Deut. 15:11.

All scriptural passages are taken from the NIV version of the bible.