Questions

1. Fill in the blanks below from Mark 14:3-8: 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 _____, 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 ________ 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 _____ 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 ________ my body beforehand for burial.
2. TRUE or FALSE: Caiaphas believed Jesus’ death would help preserve national stability.
3. According to the message, what is something every human being longs for?
4. Wealth
5. Peace
6. Fame
7. Power
8. According to Augustine, our hearts are __________ until they rest in God.
9. TRUE or FALSE: Judas criticized Mary because he truly cared about helping the poor.
10. What was the approximate value of the perfume Mary poured on Jesus?
11. One day’s wages
12. One week’s wages
13. One month’s wages
14. One year’s wages
15. Why did the Jewish leaders want to eliminate Jesus according to John 11:48?
16. He broke Roman law
17. They feared Roman retaliation if people followed Him
18. He refused to perform miracles
19. He avoided the temple
20. Jesus said Mary had anointed His body beforehand for __________.  
21. What three individuals or groups are highlighted in this passage?

Discussion

1. To prepare to answer this series of questions you can review this section of the message in this link to the video:  Today we turn our attention to Wednesday (Timestamp start to 7:53)
2. According to the sermon, why can’t people ultimately find peace apart from God?
3. What is the key question the sermon asks about each character in the passage?
4. What was Caiaphas’ definition of peace?
5. Discuss the following questions in this link to the video: Caiaphas (Timestamp 7:55 to 20:05)
6. Why did the religious leaders want to arrest and kill Jesus?
7. What did Caiaphas believe was the solution to their problem?
8. How can people today fall into the same thinking as Caiaphas?
9. To prepare to answer this series of questions you can review this section of the message in this link: Judas (Timestamp 20:06 to 30:42)
10. What does the payment of thirty pieces of silver reveal about Judas’ view of Jesus?
11. Why might Judas have become disillusioned with Jesus?
12. What was Judas ultimately using Jesus for?
13. What important truth does the sermon emphasize about expectations of faith?
14. To prepare to answer this series of questions you can review this section of the message in this link: Mary (Timestamp 30:43 to end)
15. What makes Mary’s act so extraordinary?
16. What does Mary’s act reveal about her understanding of Jesus?
17. Why does Jesus honor Mary’s act so strongly?
18. Why is devotion to Christ sometimes viewed as foolish by others?
19. What does this passage teach about the relationship between peace and worship?
20. Have you given over your life to Christ so that you would sacrifice all for Him? 

Sermon Outline

 Today we turn our attention to Wednesday in the life of Jesus. Something that took place on that day will help us continue unfolding this theme for us. At the heart of our discussion is the assumption that peace is something every human being longs for. All people, in one way or another, desire peace and order their lives in pursuit of it.

St. Augustine of Hippo centuries ago expressed this insight. In his work The Confessions, he wrote what has become one of the most well-known lines from any Christian writer outside of Scripture, when he said: You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You. Augustine is pointing to the very truth we have just described. God made us. He is the Creator, and we are His creatures—made for Him. Because of that, apart from the Lord, our hearts remain restless. It is fair to say that apart from Him we do not truly have peace. But in God, the One for whom we were made, our peace is finally found.

That brings us to our message this morning: “Man’s Search for Peace.” Every human being is on that journey—searching, striving, and longing for peace. Yet the Scriptures teach us that the peace we seek is ultimately found in the Lord Himself.

To explore this, we are going to look at an event that took place on Wednesday of Jesus’ Passion Week. The account comes from Mark chapter 14. In this passage Jesus is having dinner, and during that meal something remarkable happens. Mark deliberately frames this extraordinary moment with two other events—one before and one after—creating a contrast that helps us understand what truly leads to peace.

So we will consider the whole scene together. Everyone is searching for peace, but peace is found only in Christ.

As we walk through the passage, we will look at three episodes.

We will view the first through the lens of the high priest at the time—Caiaphas, the man who would later preside over Jesus’ trial. The second we will consider through the lens of the woman who pours the costly perfume on Jesus. Mark does not name her, but John tells us that she is Mary, the sister of Lazarus, the man whom Jesus raised from the dead. Finally, we will look at Judas.

Each of these individuals is pursuing something they believe will bring peace. The question we must ask is this: How does their search for peace intersect with Christ?

Caiaphas

Caiaphas was the high priest at the time of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. Although our passage does not name him directly, verse 1 refers more generally to the chief priests and the scribes.

Mark 14:1 – ¹And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him.

The chief priests were a smaller group within the Sanhedrin, and they were largely drawn from the Sadducees. The Sadducees were the aristocratic class who oversaw the temple and much of the religious life centered in Jerusalem, especially everything connected with the sacrificial system and the activities within the temple precincts.

The scribes, on the other hand, were experts in the law—essentially lawyers. It is almost as if the chief priests are gathering together and bringing in their legal counsel to determine what they can do about their problem. And their problem is Jesus.

At the head of the chief priests stood one man: the high priest. According to the Torah, the high priesthood was a lifetime appointment, typically passed down within the same family from father to son. The first high priest was Aaron, the brother of Moses, and the office continued through his descendants.

However, this changed in AD 6 when Judea became a Roman province. When the Romans established their authority and installed a Roman governor, they also took control of appointing the high priest. As a result, the position remained religious in nature, but it also became highly political, carrying significant prestige, power, and influence tied to Rome.

Between AD 6 and AD 66—just before the Jewish uprising that led to the destruction of Jerusalem—there were eighteen different high priests. The average tenure was about three years.

There was, however, one notable exception: Caiaphas. During the time of Jesus, Caiaphas served as high priest for eighteen years—six times longer than the typical term. He was clearly a remarkably shrewd and politically skilled man.

The reason Caiaphas stayed in power for so long is that he, better than any of his predecessors or successors, was able to discern the steps needed to maintain stability in the region and thus keep Rome content. – Jason Porterfield Fight Like Jesus

As long as you kept order and maintained the favor of both the people around you and the Roman authorities above you, you could remain in your position. But if things began to get out of control, you were quickly replaced by someone who could restore stability.

So the chief priests—with Caiaphas at the head—are saying, “We need to get rid of Jesus.” Why did they want Him removed? Mark does not tell us directly. But John’s Gospel does, and it explains the reason.

John11:48 – ⁴⁸If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.

This was not good news for them. If people continued believing in Jesus because of the signs He was performing and because of His authoritative teaching—which left the crowds amazed—then many would begin to follow Him. And if the people rallied around Jesus, it could spark an uprising.

If such a movement began, they feared the Romans would intervene. And when Rome intervened, they would take away both their position and their nation. What does it mean for Rome to “take away our nation”? Looking back at history helps us to understand. The Romans had actually granted Judea a considerable amount of freedom. There was a level of flexibility and self-governance that Rome allowed.

But the leaders feared that if an uprising occurred, all of that freedom would disappear. The iron heel of Rome would come down hard, crushing them. The position, power, and prestige they enjoyed would be stripped away.

Into that moment steps the shrewd high priest, Caiaphas, who says:

John 11:49-50 – ⁴⁹“You know nothing at all. ⁵⁰Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”

Right after this, we are told that Caiaphas—without realizing it—was actually speaking prophetically by the Holy Spirit about the death of Jesus, who would die for the whole nation. But was that what Caiaphas intended? Not at all. Caiaphas was a shrewd political operator. In his mind, if Jesus continued down this path, it would only lead to trouble. Better for one man to die, he reasoned, than for them to lose their position and invite the crushing response of Rome.

If we expressed his thinking as a simple formula, it might look like this: Jesus < Peace. In other words, Jesus was getting in the way of peace. For Caiaphas and the other leaders, peace meant stability—the preservation of their position, the maintenance of their power and prestige, and a secure relationship with Rome. If Jesus threatened that stability, then Jesus had to be sacrificed. In their minds, the good of the nation meant placing Jesus on the altar of national security.

But if we are not careful, we can think the same way. We may begin to believe that peace is found somewhere outside of Jesus, and when Jesus interferes with that source of peace, the temptation is to set Him aside.

This can happen in our own lives. What if our peace is financial stability and security? Then Jesus calls us to generosity. He reminds us that what we have been given is meant to be stewarded, not hoarded for our own safety, and that our resources are meant to bless others. Scripture even says it is more blessed to give than to receive. But when that challenges our sense of security, the temptation is to push Jesus aside because He disrupts what we think will bring us peace.

The same thing can happen in other areas of life. Many people believe that peace, fulfillment, and flourishing are found in certain pleasures—sometimes sexual, sometimes in other ways. Yet Jesus speaks clearly about these things, teaching that sexual expression is beautiful within the context God designed, but not outside of it. When His teaching confronts our desires, the temptation again is to remove Jesus from the picture.

In subtle ways, we can all sacrifice Jesus on the altar of our own version of peace whenever our lives are not aligned with Him.

Judas

Judas was a disciple—one of the inner twelve. He had followed Jesus for years. So what happened to him? In our passage, we read that a woman—whom we know to be Mary—comes in with an ointment. And among those present, there was a strong sense that what she did was an extraordinary waste.

Mark 14:4-5 – ⁴“Why was the ointment wasted like that? ⁵For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.”

Again, Mark does not tell us this, but John does. It was Judas who was leading the complaint, saying:

John 12:6 – ⁶Judas scolded her, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Immediately after this, he goes to the chief priests and tells them that he is willing to betray Jesus.

Mark 14:10 –¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.

Something at this dinner seems to have triggered Judas, though it was likely the culmination of something that had been building for a long time. We can gain some insight into what Judas ultimately received by thinking carefully about his motives. It may be that Judas felt Jesus had somehow betrayed him. Why might we say that? Notice what Judas receives in return for betraying Jesus. He goes to the chief priests and says that he is willing to hand Him over, and they offer him money. Mark does not tell us how much, but Matthew does.

Matthew 26:14-15 – ¹⁴Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.

That number is significant, and it tells us something about the mindset of Judas. Thirty pieces of silver is not a random figure. It appears in Zechariah 11, but even earlier it is mentioned in Exodus 21. In that passage, thirty pieces of silver was the compensation that had to be paid if a man’s ox got out of control and gored a slave to death. If the owner knew the ox had been dangerous before, he was required to pay the slave’s master thirty pieces of silver.

In effect, what the chief priests were saying was that Judas’ rabbi was worth no more than the price of a dead slave. And Judas accepts it. In essence, he agrees—Jesus is worth no more than that. By the way, thirty pieces of silver would amount to roughly three hundred dollars today.

Judas was finished with Jesus. So what happened to him? It may be that Judas felt betrayed because Jesus had completely failed to meet his expectations. Judas was probably thinking much like the other disciples. Remember when Jesus asked, “Who do people say that I am?” and Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” What was Peter saying? He was declaring that Jesus was the Messiah.

But what did people expect the Messiah to do? What were the expectations surrounding the coming of the Messiah?

ü Drive out the Romans and restore Jewish sovereignty.

ü Establish a political kingdom with David's throne restored.

ü Exalt his inner circle to positions of governance and authority.

Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” You can imagine Judas standing there listening closely. If Jesus is the Messiah, then everything they hoped for is about to happen. But instead of announcing a kingdom uprising, Jesus says that He will suffer and be put to death.

Peter is shocked. “May it never be, Lord!” That’s not what the Messiah is supposed to do. But Jesus responds, “Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Imagine Judas hearing that and thinking, That’s not what I signed up for.

Then they enter Jerusalem. The crowds wave palm branches and shout, “Hosanna! Son of David!” It feels like the moment has finally arrived. But Jesus rides in on a donkey, looks around the temple, and leaves.

The next day He returns, clears the temple—and leaves again.

The next day He returns once more, teaches—and leaves again.

And then this woman comes in and pours out an incredibly expensive perfume. To Judas, it looks like a complete waste. And then Jesus says this:

Mark 14:8 – ⁸She has anointed my body beforehand for burial.

In Judas’ mind, Jesus had become worth no more than a dead slave. To him, Jesus had betrayed his expectations one too many times. For Judas, Jesus ≠ Peace. The vision of peace he carried in his mind was constantly being overturned by Jesus.

Judas had treated Jesus as a means to an end. He had invested everything in the hope that Jesus would bring about the future he imagined. But when Jesus failed to meet those expectations, Judas decided to cash out: Give me my thirty pieces of silver.

But could that happen to us? Is Jesus ever simply a means to our idea of peace? Many people assume that becoming a Christian means life should generally go well—that because we are “children of the King,” things should work out for us. Yet those expectations are not promises the Bible actually makes.

When we build our faith on those assumptions, it can feel as though Jesus has failed us. In reality, the expectations were never biblical to begin with.

So the question we must ask is this: Is Jesus a means to our end? Is Jesus simply the means to our peace?

Because for Mary, the answer was entirely different.

Mary

Mary is the one who brings in the costly perfume.

Mark 14:3-5 – ³A woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. ⁴There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? ⁵For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her.

We are told that it was worth three hundred denarii. In practical terms, that amount represented about a year’s wages. So if we were to translate that into our setting today—where the average salary in the United States might be somewhere around $45,000 to $50,000—this perfume would have been worth roughly $50,000.

There is no indication that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus came from a wealthy or upper-class family. For them, this would have been an extraordinarily costly possession.

Nard was an expensive perfume made from a root found only in the Himalayan mountains. Sealed in a semi-transparent, marble-like flask, the substance was likely a family heirloom that and was to be left unused so that it could be sold as a last resort to avoid financial ruin. – Jason Porterfield Fight Like Jesus

As one scholar, Ben Witherington, puts it, what Mary did was essentially pour out her Social Security on Jesus. That’s a helpful way to think about it. She took what represented her security—her future—and poured it out on Him. And there is an important detail we should not miss: when she did this, she broke the flask.

Mark 14:3-5 – ³A woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. ⁴There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? ⁵For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her.

She does not simply open the flask and pour out a small amount. She does not hold anything back. Nor does she go home and begin calculating the value of what she has done, the way Judas and Caiaphas were calculating. She does not sit down and say, I have this relationship with God through Christ, so I need to figure out how much that is worth. I have this perfume worth about fifty thousand dollars—how much should I give?

That is the kind of thinking Judas and Caiaphas were doing: Give me a number.

But for Mary, there is no number. For Mary, Jesus = Peace.

She is not playing a calculation game. She is not thinking, If I invest fifty thousand dollars in Jesus, maybe I will receive peace in return. No. Mary already had peace. And because she already had it, she brings the very best she has to Jesus.

This is not an investment. This is worship.

Worship is the offering of our whole selves. In a sense, Mary is pouring out her very life before Christ. It echoes what the apostle Paul later says: “I am being poured out like a drink offering.” It is an act of devotion.

It is so beautiful that Jesus responds by saying:

Mark 14:9 – ⁹And 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.

It raises a searching question for us: have I ever done something so extravagant, so lavish in devotion to God, that the people around me thought I was foolish?

I remember when I left music at a time when my career was finally beginning to flourish and chose instead to go to seminary. Many people around me said, “You’re an idiot.” And from a certain perspective, they were probably right. It seemed like the most foolish thing I could do. But I couldn’t ignore what I knew God was calling me to do.

Mary didn’t go home and start calculating the cost. She didn’t weigh it out like a business decision. She simply knew what she had to do, because she had received something from Christ that was immeasurably valuable—something beyond any price tag. And in an act of devotion, she poured it out upon Jesus.

So think about your own life. What would be your alabaster flask? What in your life would you bring, break, and pour out as an act of worship to the eternal Son of God?

In this passage, Mark—under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—invites each of us to consider that question. What would you bring? Not because you are trying to earn peace, but because in Christ you already have it.