Matthew 2:1-12

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Comments

I find it interesting that the astrologers in this story are the ones who are seeking Messiah. Following their own means of discovering truth leads them to people who know Scripture and are able to more specifically guide them. But none of the people who knew Scripture bothered to go with them to Bethlehem. The Magi exhibit the deepest of all human longings here – they longed for the savior, longed to mee him, honor him, worship him. They went to a lot of trouble and expense to fulfill this great longing. And God led them by various means to Jesus. Also note how Matthew begins by referring to Herod as king, then stops referring to him as king. That’s because there is a new king of the Jews – the one the Magi came looking for. Herod’s illegitimate crown stops being recognized once the true king arrives.

Mark 14:1-11

1 It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”

3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.

6 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, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and 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 and discussed.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Comments

The juxtaposition here could not be more stark. Like Hemingway, Mark’s brevity contributes to the tension. An anonymous woman pours out her life savings onto Jesus’ head (nard came in an lidless alabaster container, it only opened by breaking, an early example of one-time use disposable packaging). Not because she knows he is about to die. Jesus provides that interpretation of her act. She acts solely out of focus on, devotion to, Jesus. It was strong stuff and she poured it in his hair. I wonder if he could still smell it a little as the wind blew through his hair while he suspended in mid-air. Other smells were there too of course. Competing smells. But maybe her gift was still lingering enough to give some measure of sweetness to Jesus’ last moments of struggle.

A trusted disciple loses focus and does the unthinkable. The religious leaders weren’t even going to attempt anything until after the Passover crowds had left Jerusalem. Their timetable was a week out. But an opportunity falls in their lap and they seize it violently. There is much speculation about Judas’ motivation. Why did he do this? Other Gospel accounts give some indication (though none clearly explains his motive), but Mark does not discuss it. Perhaps from his view it did not matter. No motive can explain this. Any explanation that lessens the blow of the betrayal is a detriment to the story. It occurs as a brute fact, with no foreshadowing or explanation, it just is. In this way, it stands as a warning to us all. Keeping our focus on Jesus leads us to do beautiful, amazingly generous things. Losing that focus leads to pain for us and those around us and at times to unspeakable evils. Take hope from the woman. Take warning from Judas. Keep your compass pointed toward Jesus.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Mike Raburn

God speaks to you. Listen. Act on what you hear.

Tag: Jerusalem

Red Letter Year: 3/7

Matthew 2:1-12

Red Letter Year: 2/22

Mark 14:1-11