On Wednesday—just two days before Jesus’ death—Jesus may have gone back to the Temple for another day of teaching.
Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach + each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. 38 The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him. —Luke 21:37-38 NLT
The last week of His life, Jesus filled it by pouring into the lives of others. He healed the sick + He taught the Word of God.
Then this message came to me from the LORD: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? 3 You drink the milk, wear the wool + butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve.
4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away + are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness + cruelty. 5 So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd + they are easy prey for any wild animal. 6 They have wandered through all the mountains + all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them. —Ezekiel 34:1-6 NLT
Jesus leveled some of the same charges against the religious leaders in Matthew 23:
“They crush people with unbearable religious demands + never lift a finger to ease the burden.” —Matthew 23:4 NLT
But Isaiah had prophesied that a shepherd would come who would actually do what a shepherd is called to do:
O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout + do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah,“Your God is coming!” 10 Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. —Isaiah 40:9-11 NLT
Jesus was the good shepherd + in the final days of His life, He was caring for His sheep by feeding + nurturing them.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” —John 10:11 NLT
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep + they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me + I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.” —John 10:14-15 NLT
While Jesus was pouring into the lives of others, Matthew, Mark + Luke—all three of the Gospel writers—describe the Jewish religious leaders of that day—a group known as the Sanhedrin—getting together to plan, plot + brainstorm how they were going to get rid of Jesus.
When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, Passover begins in two days + the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 At that same time the leading priests + elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, 4plotting how to capture Jesus secretly + kill him. 5 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”
—Matthew 26:1-5 NLT (Cf Mark 14:1-2; Luke 22:1-2)
On Wednesday, evil plots + plans were considered, weighed + hatched by people who thought they were in power + control.
They make the decision: “Jesus has to die. We’ve got to kill him, but it can’t be during Passover.” The inference is, “Let’s wait until after Passover . . . Maybe until the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the crowds disperse + the people go back home.”
They’re willing to sit tight, bide their time + wait for their moment.
What they’re completely unaware of + blind to is the fact that they are not calling the shots. Jesus is!
He will not die on their timetable. He will die during Passover. In fact, some Bible scholars believe that at the very moment the Passover Lamb was being slaughtered, Jesus Himself breathed his last.
Amazingly, on the same day that the members of the Sanhedrin were planning Jesus’ execution—that evening—Jesus went back to Bethany, to the home of a man named, Simon, who had evidently been healed of leprosy.
On the day that representatives from the most elite group of religious experts in Israel were plotting a murder, Jesus went to the home of another friend, a complete outcast—a woman—interrupts the dinner party to worship Jesus + anoint Him again, in preparation for His death + burial.
Wednesday is often referred to as a day of silence. But you could also call it a day of worship. Because on that day, Jesus honored the Father by shepherding His people. He probably took the time to spend time with His Fathe —He needed to hear from Dad. He needed to spend time in His presence. He also received worship.
On Wednesday afternoon/evening, Jesus went back to Bethany + spent time with good friends, evidently one of whom He had healed of leprosy.
Here it is from The Passion Translation, because I love the way it paraphrases these verses:
Then Jesus went to Bethany, to the home of Simon, a man Jesus had healed of leprosy. A woman came into the house, holding an alabaster flask filled with fragrant + expensive oil. She walked right up to Jesus + in a lavish gesture of devotion, she poured out the costly oil + it cascaded over his head as he was at the table.—Matthew 26:6-7 TPT
There are a variety of opinions on the anointing of Jesus.
Some believe that Jesus may have been anointed two times just days before His arrest + execution.
For instance, these people believe that on Friday, He was anointed by Mary in the home of Mary, Martha + Lazarus (John 12:1-11). We went over this earlier.
Then, on Wednesday, two days before Passover, He was anointed again.
Some believe these anointings coordinate with the experience of the Passover Lamb.
It’s interesting that the Passover Lamb was chosen on the Tenth Day of Nissan—five or six days before Passover. This allowed the lamb to be brought into the family’s home, to become part of the family + to also be inspected for blemishes or defects. As part of that inspection, anointing oil would be rubbed into the feet + ankles of the Lamb.
This is exactly what Mary did for Jesus in John 12:1-11. She anointed Jesus’ feet + wiped them with her hair! She anointed the same feet that days later would be pierced with nails.
Then, just two days before Passover, the Passover Lamb would be anointed a second time, this time on the head. This was to announce that the lamb was free from defects, sickness + blemishes + ready to serve as a sinless, perfect substitute.
This is one of the reasons I believe that a second anointing took place + it’s the anointing that gets referred to + recorded in Matthew 26 + Mark 14.
It probably took place on Wednesday. Jesus’ head was anointed with oil. The same brow that hours later would wear a crown of thorns.
The symbolism is powerful! Jesus experienced both anointings because He is our Passover Lamb (See John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7).[1]
I love the way Leonard Sweet + Frank Viola describe this in their excellent book, Jesus: A Theography. They write:
“Picture the scene. The disciples were reclining on the floor, probably on mats, around a low table, eating from a common bowl, dipping chunks of bread into olive oil. Suddenly a woman crashed their party + crashed on Jesus’ head a flask of perfume. She broke the expensive vial (or “snapped off the neck,” meaning she used the entire flask) + poured out all the costly ointment. The magic of spikenard, the pleasure of this perfume, is made clear in this simple phrase: ‘the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.’
“Given spikenard’s high price tag, the reaction of Jesus’ disciples to the alabaster jar being broken over Jesus’ head is understandable: they were irate at Jesus + indignant with the woman.”[2]
Rabbinical teaching of that day indicated that if a guest entered your home, it was okay to anoint them with perfume. That was viewed as hospitable. But it wasn’t okay to anoint them with pure nard. That was viewed as wasteful. That’s one of the reasons some of those at the table went ballistic! They felt that this was in violation of the Torah.
The Bible says that they “were indignant” + “scolded her harshly” (Mark 14:4-5).
Sweet + Viola continue:
“Messiah’ literally means ‘Anointed One.’ There were diverse, even conflicting understandings + ideas of messiahship. But one thing was sure: when someone said ‘the Anointed One’ in first-century Judaism, he or she was referring to the King of the Jews, whom God would raise up at the end of times. By pouring this perfume over Jesus’ head, this unnamed woman was symbolically proclaiming Him to be the Messiah, the Anointed One of God . . . ”[3]
Jesus was anointed Messiah + King, not by kings, heads of state or world leaders, but by an unnamed woman.
Jesus was anointed Messiah + King, not in the Holy City, the Capital Building or the Temple of God, but in the home of a former leper, in a town called Bethany.
Get this:
“Jesus entered this world smelling what? Barnyard smells of straw, stable dung + smelly shepherds.
“Jesus left this world smelling what? Perfume.
“Ancient Israelites didn’t take baths every day. They washed their hands frequently before every meal, but they washed their bodies even less frequently than the Egyptians did.
“Part of the cruelty of crucifixion was the emotional as well as physical torture. Yes, Jesus’ physical agonies were beyond imagining. But the emotional agonies were even worse—the humiliation of being stripped naked, with all bodily parts + functions exposed for the humiliating gaze of the public; the mixture of blood, sweat, urine, feces + refuse creating a nauseating stench, the smells of death that kept even the families of the crucified at a distance . . . ”[4]
But the aroma of this woman’s worship accompanied Jesus through everything He went through + experienced.
From His battle with the evil one in the garden, to His torture when He was beaten with a rod + then flogged with a whip, to His crucifixion, as He breathed in the reality of the moment, He would also breathe in the aroma of this woman’s worship!
No wonder, when people in the house began to criticize this woman, Jesus jumped to her defense by replying:
But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you + you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could + has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered + discussed.” —Mark 14:6-9 NLT
I love the way Harold Best described worship in a book titled, Unceasing Worship. Best wrote:
“Worship is the continuous outpouring of all that I am, all that I do + all that I can ever become in light of a chosen or choosing god.” —Harold Best
In other words, worship doesn’t start + stop. It can’t be limited to a specific day of the week or time slot on Sunday morning. Worship is a lot bigger than music or the hour + fifteen minutes we spend together every Sunday. Worship is all of life. It’s non-stop + continuous.
In Matthew 26, Mark 14 + Luke 7, an unnamed woman gave all she had, all she was + poured it all on the head of Jesus.
A life of extravagant worship is the only reasonable response to the extravagant love of God.
“All in” is the only way to live when you realize that God went “all out” for you!
We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin + the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered + died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. 13 So let us go out to him, outside the camp, + bear the disgrace he bore. 14For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. 16 + don’t forget to do good + to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. —Hebrews 13:10-16 NLT
Today’s Verse: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” —John 10:11 NLT
Today’s Prompt: Can you imagine sacrificing your life for someone else?
Today’s Gratitude: I am grateful that the Good Shepherd calls me His own.
Today’s Prayer: Father, help me to extravagantly worship the One who extravagantly loves me. I pray that I am like the woman who gave all she was + all she had to pour out her worship on Jesus. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
[1] https://inspired2think.wordpress.com/2015/04/11/understanding-the-significance-of-jesus-being-anointed-by-oil/
[2] Sweet, Leonard; Viola, Frank. Jesus (p. 229). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
[3] Sweet, Leonard; Viola, Frank. Jesus (p. 231). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
[4] Sweet, Leonard; Viola, Frank. Jesus (pp. 233-234). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.