8. LOVE WILL NEVER FAIL (
Mark.14:1-9
)
BACKGROUND:
The leader should tell briefly what the following passages teach us about Mary of Bethany:
Luke 10:38-42
,John 11
andJohn 12:1-11
. (Mary shouldn’t be mixed up with Jesus’ mother or the woman in Luke 7:36-50). The parents of
Martha, Mary and Lazarus were obviously dead. Perhaps they had left some money to their unmarried daughters to be used
either for a dowry or for support in their old age. The last week of Jesus’ life on earth was just starting.
-
What kind of present would you like to give to your friend if you knew he/ she was dying?
- Jesus mentions here his own funeral (1-2, 8)? Do you think Mary, unlike the disciples, realized he was going to die
soon? Give your reasons.
-
To buy a jar of perfume made of nard you had to pay as much as an average worker earned in a whole year (3). That is
why it was only used one drop at a time. How much would the jar be worth in our currency today?
- How long does it usually take to save a sum equal to one year’s salary?
- As Mary bought this costly perfume, what might she have been thinking about her dowry or pension?
-
Why did Mary pour all the contents of the jar on the head of Jesus, instead of only a few drops (3-4)?
- The words "Messiah" and "Christ" mean "the anointed one." Jewish kings were usually anointed in the beginning of
their career. Why was Jesus not anointed until just before his funeral?
-
Mary had spent all her savings for the jar of perfume. What part of the criticism may have hurt her most (4-5)?
- How could a year’s wages have been used to benefit the poor of the town (5)? Think of various possibilities.
-
In what different ways did Jesus defend Mary (6-9)?
- Do you think Jesus could say about you as he said about Mary: "He/she did what she could" (8)?
- What should you do for Jesus from now on?
-
What does Mary's deed have in common with Jesus' deed (his death on the cross, i.e. the "gospel" in verse 9)?
- Which do you think is a bigger "waste": that Mary poured her expensive perfume for Jesus' sake or that Jesus poured
out his blood for Mary's sake?
-
What in Mary's behavior is so unique that it will be remembered forever (9)?
- What kind of memory would you like to leave behind when you die (9)?
-
How do you think Mary felt later about the money she "wasted" on Jesus that day?
- How had Mary learned to love Jesus so much?
- How could we learn to love Jesus as much as Mary did?
GLAD TIDINGS:
Mary had learned to love Jesus by listening to him. That is why she also was able to serve him at the
right time. Mary had first believed in the forgiveness of her sins, and this faith of hers had made her willing to offer
everything for the Lord. It was because of her that Jesus carried the scent of nard with him everywhere during his last
days on the earth.