Holy Week – Wednesday
Wednesday Reading
- Mark 14:1-11
Wednesday Discussion
- Today we see the religious leaders accelerating their plans to arrest and kill Jesus. With Passover right around the corner, they want to act quickly. They are forced to delay, however, because they fear the people would be outraged. The religious leaders know that Jesus has captured the attention and love of the people—just days ago they welcomed him to the city and they have been coming to hear him teach day and night. Although it seems their plans may need to be put on hold, a breakthrough for the religious leaders comes when Judas agrees to betray Jesus for money.
- While the religious leaders plot against him, Jesus is in Bethany, at the home of a leper named Simon. During his time there, a woman uses extremely expensive perfume to anoint Jesus’ head. While some couldn’t believe the woman would “waste” such expensive perfume, Jesus teaches us that giving sacrificially to honor God is a beautiful thing. Indeed, the woman has helped prepare Jesus for his death and burial by anointing him. Jesus knows that his life is nearly over, soon to be given as a sacrifice to reconcile God and humanity.
Wednesday Questions
- Why did the religious leaders fear the people so much that it stopped them from arresting Jesus and killing him in secret?
- The people could see what the religious leaders refused to see—that Jesus taught with authority from God—and so they loved and followed him.
- The woman in Simon’s house want to honor Jesus with her perfume. In what ways can you honor Jesus too?
- Jesus knows that he is about to die—why did he have to die? Why couldn’t he live instead?
- Free Download — The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die by John Piper — http://tiny.cc/i2jaay
- How does it make you feel to know that God won’t let anything, even death, get in the way of his love for you?
Additional Resources
- The Final Days of Jesus: Wednesday — https://vimeo.com/89420035
- Holy Week Timeline Visualization — http://tiny.cc/s7iaay
We are praying for you and your family as you seek the Lord together this week. May you find hope and joy in God’s love for you!
Calvary Discipleship Team
