The Plot, the Anointing at Bethany, and Judas’s Betrayal

Two days before Passover, chief priests and scribes look for a way to arrest and kill Jesus without provoking the crowd. At Bethany, an unnamed woman pours costly ointment over Jesus’ head. Some complain about waste, but Jesus defends her: she has done a beautiful work and has anointed his body beforehand for burial. Judas then goes to the chief priests to betray him.

Where this fits in the story: Mark places extravagant devotion between a murder plot and betrayal. The woman understands more through her action than the disciples who have repeatedly resisted Jesus’ teaching about death. Royal anointing imagery is present, yet Jesus himself interprets this anointing toward burial.