Albert Barnes Commentary Mark 14
Albert Barnes Commentary
Mark 14
Albert Barnes Commentary
Mark 14
"Now after two days was [the feast of] the passover and the unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him with subtlety, and kill him:" — Mark 14:1 (ASV)
And of unleavened bread. It was so called because at that feast, only bread made without leaven or yeast was used.
By craft. By subtlety (Matthew), that is, by some secret plan that would secure possession of him without arousing the opposition of the people.
"And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of ointment of pure nard very costly; [and] she brake the cruse, and poured it over his head." — Mark 14:3 (ASV)
Ointment. This word does not convey quite the proper meaning. This was a perfume: it was used only to give a pleasant scent, and was liquid.
Of spikenard. The nard, from which this perfume was made, is a plant of the East Indies, with a small slender stalk and a heavy, thick root. The best perfume is obtained from the root, though the stalk and fruit are used for that purpose.
And she brake the box. This may mean no more than that she broke the seal of the box, so that it could be poured out. Boxes of perfumes are often sealed, or fastened with wax, to prevent the perfume from escaping. It was not likely that she would break the box itself when it was unnecessary; and when the perfume, being liquid, would have been wasted, especially since it was very precious. Nor from a broken box or vial, could she easily have poured it on his head.
"For this ointment might have been sold for above three hundred shillings, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her." — Mark 14:5 (ASV)
Three hundred pence. About 41 dollars 40 cents.
"She hath done what she could; she hath anointed my body beforehand for the burying." — Mark 14:8 (ASV)
She has done what she could. She has shown the highest attachment in her power; and it was, as it is now, a sufficient argument against there being any real waste, that it was done for the honor of Christ.
"And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the passover, his disciples say unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and make ready that thou mayest eat the passover? And he sendeth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him;" — Mark 14:12-13 (ASV)
They killed the passover. The paschal lamb, which was slain in keeping the passover.
Go and prepare. Go and prepare a lamb, have it roasted, and properly prepared with the usual things to eat with it.
The city. The city of Jerusalem. They were now in Bethany, about two miles from the city.
A man bearing a pitcher of water. This could have been known only by the infinite knowledge of Christ. Such a thing could not have been conjectured, nor was there any prior arrangement between him and the man that he would be in a particular place at that time to meet them, for the disciples themselves proposed the inquiry.
If Jesus knew a circumstance like that, then he, in the same way, must have known all things. Then he sees all the actions of humankind, hears every word, and marks every thought. Then the righteous are under his care, and the wicked, much as they may wish to be unseen, cannot escape the notice of his eye.
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