I.       Observation

A.     Outline

Plot to Arrest and Kill Jesus (14:1-2)

Jesus Anointed at Bethany (14:3-9)

Judas Iscariot Betrays Jesus (14:10-11)

The Passover Meal (14:12-26)

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial (14:27-31)

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane (14:32-42)

B.     Key Words/Phrases

Arrest, kill, perfume, burial, betray, body, blood, fruit of the vine, fall away, deny, pray, watch, Father, “what You will”, asleep, temptation

II.    General Analysis

1. Woman—poured pure nard on Jesus’ head to prepare Him for His burial (3, 8)

2. Jesus—forgave Judas (by washing his feet [Jn 13:1-5]); repeatedly warned His betrayer (Jn 13:11, 18, 21, 26); told His disciples how He felt (34); asked them to keep watch and pray with Him (38); fell to the ground and prayed to God (35)

3. Disciples—saddened (19); determined to stand by the Lord (31); fell asleep (37, 40)

I.       Segment Analysis

1. It was a contrast between a “beautiful thing” (6, NIV) and the hidden evil that would soon manifest itself.

2. Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins. He had been a thief, and Satan worked through his greed. He did not confess his sins when Jesus gave him a chance to repent. Instead, he plotted to hand Jesus over when no crowd was present.

3a.  To them, the perfume’s monetary value was greater than its function. In their eyes, Jesus was not important enough to spend that money on. They self-righteously believed that they had a better use for the perfume and judged the woman with their own values. In fact, they probably wished that they could have the money themselves (cf. Jn 12:4-6). However, the woman used the perfume as it was intended, and she used it on the best possible recipient—Jesus.

4. The woman’s deed was the only one in the four gospel books that Jesus praised as “beautiful” (NIV) or “good” (NKJV). It was evidence of her spiritual wisdom; she knew more about the Lord’s suffering than the disciples did. The Holy Spirit worked through her faith to prepare Jesus for His burial. Just as Jesus said, today we have much to learn from the woman’s beautiful offering to Jesus Christ.

5. In both cases, God prepared the materials beforehand. The disciples’ job was to obey and go, as the Lord commanded. They did not doubt Jesus’ words and did not fear embarrassment for asking a stranger for something. Because they obeyed without question, they enjoyed the fruit of their labor (sharing Jesus’ glory when they entered Jerusalem; dining with Him during Passover).

6. The sacrificial animal was without defect. Similarly, our Lord Jesus was without sin. The lamb was slaughtered, and its blood was put on the doorframe so that the people inside would be spared. Like the lamb, Jesus became the sacrifice of atonement to spare us from sin and death (Rom 3:25).

7. Jesus wanted Judas to know the severity of his actions, and warned him clearly (Mt 26:25). The man who betrayed the Lord would bear a sin so great that “it would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Mt 26.24). Prophecy must be fulfilled; Jesus must be betrayed and crucified. However, God does not cause anyone to sin (Jas 1:13-15). The one who betrayed Him could not use prophecy as an excuse. Judas bore the great sin and responsibility because it was his decision to go to the chief priests.

8. The Passover meal had been a symbol of the Hebrews’ salvation from Egypt. During the Last Supper, Jesus revealed the deeper spiritual meaning behind it. His words were soon fulfilled when He died on the cross. Today, the Passover has taken on a new meaning. During the Holy Communion, the bread and the cup are Jesus’ body and blood. When we eat and drink the Holy Communion, we have the promise of eternal life, which was made possible through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

9a.  Jesus made it clear that the Holy Communion is more than symbolism. He did not say, “My body is like this bread” or “My blood is like this cup.” He said, “This is My body” (22) and “This is My blood” (24). And He said clearly, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (Jn 6:54). This is a spiritual mystery that we must accept by faith.

9b.  remember Christ (Lk 22:19); proclaim His death; remember how Christ shed His blood to forgive our sins (Mt 26:28); renew the hope of resurrection and eternal life; await for the coming of the kingdom of God (25)

9c.  This new covenant is the fulfillment of God’s promise in Jer 31:31-34, i.e. the forgiveness of sins, God’s acceptance of believers as His own, and the inner workings of God in the hearts of His people. Through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, we have entered into a new relationship with God.

10a. We praise the Lord for raising us to sit with Jesus Christ (Ps 113:7-8). Jesus leads us out of sin (“Egypt”) to the one true God (Ps 114:1; 115:3-7). Because Jesus died and was resurrected, death no longer has power over us (Ps 116:3-6; Rom 8:34).

11a. When Jesus told the twelve disciples, “One of you will betray me” (18), they seemed to assume that the betrayal would take place further down the road; they had no idea that Jesus would be arrested that very night (Jn 13:25-29). At that moment, it did not seem possible that one of them would betray Jesus. In this case, although the disciples did not have the spiritual wisdom to understand, at least they showed spiritual maturity. They looked at themselves first (asking, “Is it I?” [19]) instead of blaming each other.

However, when Peter said emphatically, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You” (31), each of them followed suit. They were caught up in the moment and made promises they could not keep. In not wanting to appear cowardly, disloyal, or, worse, like a traitor, they lost the humility and the heart of self-examination that they had in the Passover meal.

12a. He was confident in his own strength. He was sincere, but did not know his weakness. He claimed that he would die with Jesus. A few moments later, he fell asleep in Gethsemane. Later, when he was questioned about Jesus, he emphatically denied that he knew Jesus (Mk 14:71).

13.  This was the only time recorded in the Bible when Jesus told His weakness to His disciples. The bitter cup was too much for Him. His human weakness was too much for Him to handle. He knew His closest disciples would soon betray, deny, and desert Him. The people who cheered Him a few days before would soon be yelling, “Crucify him!” To save us, He had to take on the sins of the world upon Himself.

14a. their eyes were heavy (40); they expected that Jesus would still be with them the next day; they did not know that Jesus would be arrested soon

14b. Peter was the one who was so sure that he would not fall away. He turned out to be the first to fall into temptation to deny Jesus. Jesus had specifically warned Peter that Satan would tempt him (Lk 22:31-32), and still Peter did not remain alert.

14d. Comfort, warmth, not aware of surroundings; random, uncontrolled dreams; don’t remember the dreams when you wake up.

Similarly, if we do not keep watch (Mk 13:36-37), we would become blind to the signs of the times and God’s will in our life. We would lose our sense of direction, swayed by false teachings (Eph 4:14). We would rather hide in the world’s comforts, even though we know it will end when Jesus comes again.

15a. Jesus came to see if they’d learned their lesson, to see if they were alert and praying. In His most distressing moment, Jesus needed His disciples to support Him, but He had none. Even though they were physically there with Him, they had already deserted Him emotionally and spiritually.

16a. The disciples either did not take Jesus’ words to heart or did not have the power to overcome their physical tiredness.

17.  There are times when no one but God can help us. Not our friends, not our spouse, not our earthly father and mother. God “is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). He is not apathetic to our needs. He is always ready to listen to us and help us. We can tell Him everything, and trust Him like a small child having complete faith in her parents. God loves us with a love that is purer and greater than the love of our earthly parents (Mt 7:11). His Holy Spirit lives in our hearts to guide and comfort us. Today, we too can cry to Him, “Abba, Father!” (Rom 8:15-16)

18a. God the Father probably said to Jesus as He did to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2Cor 12:9). Through Jesus’ death, God would decisively defeat sin and death (1Cor 15:55-57). After praying three times, Jesus said to His disciples, “Rise, let us be going” (42), not “Rise, let us flee!” Once He knew God’s will, He took action to face the persecution.

18b. If God’s answer is contrary to our wishes, we must still obey and act accordingly, just like Jesus did. We must believe in faith that He does not give us more than we can bear (1Cor 10:13). He loves us and makes all things work to our benefit (Rom 8:28).