RELATIVE VALUES
Play Audio
If you prefer listening to today’s Bible guide reading, play this audio file.
If the audio bar is not appearing, click here to play the audio.
Opening Prayer
As I prepare to read your Word today, Father, I come thanking you for your goodness and ask that you speak to me through it; use it to give me greater understanding of who you are and of how you purpose to use me as a light in this world.
Read MARK 14:1–11
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
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[a] 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,[b] 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.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘What can I give him, poor as I am?’1 Bring your day, your community and yourself as an offering to God.
‘It’s all about the timing’, as the comedian says—but this is no laughing matter. For the Jewish authorities, the arrest of Jesus and his subsequent death could not be delayed much longer. The threat he represented to the whole of the Sanhedrin was reaching tipping point. ‘But not during the festival’ (v. 2). Why? Secrecy and the right timing for the arrest were important because the city was teeming with crowds and Jesus’ public popularity was clearly evident.
Meanwhile, in a village just outside the city a private event takes place, one that has far-reaching consequences. A woman interrupts a meal for Jesus and his followers. Was she a gatecrasher or one of the party? More significant is what she does and the value of the perfume with which she anoints the head of Jesus, an act of pure devotion and worship.
There is bickering around the table, ‘more than a year’s wages,’ ‘money given to the poor’ (v. 5). The reactions have a ring of indignant moral superiority. By contrast, Jesus’ reaction is to jump to the woman’s defense. Rather than giving a rebuke, he describes her act of anointing him as a thing of beauty. It is worship in its purest form, a prophetic act, both foretelling and preparing him for his imminent death and burial. Seizing the opportunity, she has painted the clearest picture of Jesus’ mission. It’s a memorable moment. Her ‘inappropriate’ use of a valuable luxury and Jesus’ commendation of what she’s done are enough to persuade Judas into making a critical decision, to hand Jesus over and provoke the final act of the confrontation.
Apply
To Jesus, the widow’s ‘small copper coins’2 and this woman’s perfume are both priceless. By contrast, the fee paid to Judas is worthless. So—what can I give him?
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you—what you have given me is great beyond measure. Give me a heart that is eager to sacrifice for you, to serve you with extravagance.
1 ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, Christina Rossetti, 1830–94, 2 Mark 12:42
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2025 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.