WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN HOLY WEEK? Part 5
WEDNESDAY (2)
Mark 14.1-11
The Temple: Court of Israel, Court of Priests, the Holy Place. Israel Museum
We don’t know what happened on Wednesday during the day, except that Jesus went to the temple again. As he said to the soldiers arresting him on Thursday night, “Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me.”
But there was activity going on. Mark records a private meeting between the chief priests and scribes, ‘looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”’
(How do we know this? Was there a leak? It has been known).
The reason is clear. With pilgrims from Galilee outnumbering the total population of Jerusalem by perhaps two to one, it would be incredibly risky to arrest Jesus during Passover. Much better to wait until everyone has gone home, and then with some good intelligence surely they would be able to find Jesus’ hideout and do the deed. But that was not how it happened. Jesus clearly forced their hand.
Meanwhile Jesus’ headquarters was in the village of Bethany, the house of Simon the leper. (Leprosy then covered a wide range of skin diseases, some of which could get healed. They would then register their healing with the priests at the Temple and literally get a clean bill of health). He had supper there, reclining as did all the participants, when an unnamed woman came in weeping and opened a jar of extremely expensive perfume and poured it over his hair. (In Roman times you opened a perfume jar by breaking the glass neck. Once that was done you had to use all of it).
(Note: According to John, it was in the house of Eleazar, Jesus’ friend, in Bethany that Eleazar’s sister Mary poured the ointment over Jesus’ feet. Lazarus is the Greek form of Eleazar. We just have to choose which version to go with).
Anyway, this certainly brought a reaction. The disciples, particularly Judas Iscariot, were appalled at the waste. “Why was the ointment wasted this way? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor. You stupid, inconsiderate woman!” (I made up that last bit, but we are told they scolded her).
But Jesus said, “‘Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”
That must have really confused the disciples. After all, Jesus was still alive! And as for this story being spread all over the world – ridiculous! But for one person it was the final straw. Judas Iscariot, the only Judaean southerner among the disciples, was perhaps fed up with Jesus not taking any decisive action to get rid of the Romans. And now he was going all pinky liberal over this woman! So he ‘went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.’
At last the priests had an opportunity. A risky one, which would require very careful handling. So perhaps there was anther stage to the drama of which we have no record. Did Caiaphas, the high priest, try to get the Roman governor, Caius Pontius Pilatus, on board with his plans? It would have been the prudent thing to do.
I wonder who slept least well that night: Pilate, Caiaphas, Jesus or Judas?
Tomorrow: what happened on Thursday. Including an action unprecedented in human history.