Plots and Preparation

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Text:  Mark 14:1-9

Mark 14:1,8

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him,…. ⁸ She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial

The term snake oil salesman refers to charlatans who would come into a town selling some miracle elixir that would be the cure-all for anything and every sickness or illness one might have.  Fortunately, medical science has replaced the snake oil salesman and conducts tests and observations in search of facts so trained physicians and healthcare professionals can address the real problem and find solutions.  Unfortunately, the political system has not experienced such a transformation and still has its share of snake oil salesmen that propose cure-all programs to lure voters, only for the voters to be disappointed when the candidate takes office and fails to deliver on his or her promises.  President Trump has delivered on many of his promises resulting in a thriving economy and a reduction in illegal border crossings based upon facts and not political rhetoric.  (1) (2) My prayer during this election year is that voters would seek facts and not fall prey to the slick marketing of political snake oil salesmen. 

We can equate the chief priests and scribes in Mark 14:1 to snake oil salesmen who face having their religious schemes exposed by the truth of scripture pointing to Jesus as Messiah.  Instead of surrendering to Messiah and finding spiritual new birth and eternal life as Jesus told Nicodemus, they want to remain the center of religious authority and must get Jesus out of the way.  However, the many miracles performed by Jesus during His ministry have made Him popular and they fear alienating themselves from the very people they seek to have religious authority over (Mark 14:2).  These plots to silence the message of the Gospel are still present in our world with individuals still facing persecution from friends, government, and other religions threatened by the Gospel. 

However, Christians must remain focused on the mission of spreading the Gospel and making disciples (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20) and not obsess on any persecution they encounter.  Instead of obsessing on the persecution, Christians must be like Simon the Leper and the woman with the alabaster flask.

1)      Simon the Leper – The only mention of Simon the Leper in the Bible is in Matthew 26:6 and Mark 14:3.  Since both these passages of Scripture refer to the same account in the ministry of Jesus, we do not know what interaction Simon had with Jesus prior to inviting Him over to his house.  However, the fact that this leper is in his house with others, including Jesus indicates he may have been one of the lepers healed by Jesus.  In fact, he possibly could be one of the 10 lepers healed by Jesus that took the time to go back and thank Jesus (Luke 17:11-19).  It is possible that Simon was so thankful for his healing that when he found out Jesus was in Jerusalem, he invited Jesus to his home to offer more praise and thanks to God for his healing.  Individuals and even churches that began with a focus on spreading the Gospel may lose focus when facing a challenge or struggle.  Simon the Leper is an example of one that turned to God in his time of need and continued to give thanks to God for what he received from Him.     

2)      The woman with the alabaster flask – This passage does not mention the woman by name so there is no way to search scripture to determine what her connection was to Jesus.  However, there are two women Jesus had an encounter with who may have wanted to offer praise and worship to God because both women experienced forgiveness of sin.  These women are the woman at the well (John 4:1-45), and the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11).  Both women had great sin and reason to rejoice and a desire to worship God by pouring expensive oil over Jesus’ head in preparation for his burial.  Christians have great reason to rejoice in their salvation but sadly can take it for granted and either use God’s grace as a reason to sin (Romans 6:1-4) or become arrogant and moralistic in our position as Children of God (1 John 3:1).  Instead, we as Christians must have the attitude of the woman with the alabaster flask and remember we are sinners deserving of death (Romans 3:23, 6:23) who have been saved by God’s grace so we can now worship God in spirit and truth and sin no more (Ephesians 2:8; John 4:24, 8:11). 

While we live in a world of snake oil salesmen that seek to deceive people for their own gain, we have a savior and the truth of the scripture to help us detect deception for true liberty is knowledge of the truth (John 8:32).  It is, therefore, crucial for everyone to immerse themselves in the truth of God’s Word through regular study and meditation on its truth so when deception comes, we can quickly reject it.  It is also important to live a thankful life like Simon the leper and offer worship to God like the woman with the alabaster flask.  However, to spend eternity with God, one must be born again by accepting Jesus as his or her savior.  If you have not done so, I invite you to accept Jesus as your savior now by praying with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

I encourage those that just prayed to begin immersing themselves in truth by studying the Bible and finding a church teaching from the Bible to inoculate yourself against deception and lies.  May God bless everyone reading this post. 

1. Puzder, Andy. Andy Puzder: Trump economy is booming – Good news for America, bad news for Democrats. www.foxnews.com. [Online] Fox News, January 12, 2020. [Cited: February 25, 2020.] https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/andy-puzder-trump-economy-is-booming-good-news-for-america-bad-news-for-democratic-candidates.

2. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Southwest Border Migration FY 2020. cdp.gov. [Online] U.S. Department of Homeland Security, January 2020. [Cited: February 25, 2020.] https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration.