Holy week – Wednesday – A day of rest for the Savior, but not for those who served Him or for those who would betray Him.

Mark 14:1-11 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. 3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. 4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. 6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. 7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. 8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. 9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. 10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.

Wednesday is referred to as a day of rest for Jesus. While in Bethany, a woman anointed Jesus with perfume. Mary, of Bethany (John 12:1-3) used all of her “very precious” spikenard ointment to anoint Jesus for His coming death. She also broke the costly alabaster box so it could never be used again. In one act of worship this woman surrendered the very best of what she had to Her Savior. A deeper study of this woman would give profound meaning what she actually surrendered to Jesus that day concerning repentance and worship, belief and faith.

I wonder if maybe this was symbolic of her devotion and thankfulness for what her Lord was about to do to save her. Maybe this is the kind of surrender Paul spoke about in 2 Corinthians 5:15 and Romans 6:11.

Some also call this day “Spy Wednesday” because While Jesus rests in Bethany, the plot of the high priests and the authorities to kill Jesus is coming together. We can see in the scripture that they were not trying to decide if they would kill Him, they were trying to figure out how to entrap Him so they could kill Him.

Finding an open opportunity in the greed of Judas, Satan entered him. Judas went to the chief priests and authorities, and from that moment he looked for an opportunity to betray Him. His agreement was to betray Jesus for the price of a slave. (Zechariah 11:12)

Once that was accomplished the twelve would scatter. No one will be left at the foot of the cross as Jesus dies but John and His mother.

As the hour comes, Jesus knows He has to bear this burden alone. There will be no more team effort, But still, He keeps them close as long as He can, as long as He can. The Christ must go forward by Himself, as his friends and followers betray him, deny him… run and hide while He is condemned and dies.

Today we face a choices too. Will we repent and surrender all to Him in faith as Lord, King and Savior? Or, will we reject Him and seek out our own way?