44-Mark: "A Costly Devotion and a Dark Conspiracy"

In Mark 14, we see the ultimate contrast in values. While religious leaders plot in the shadows to arrest Jesus by trickery, a woman in Bethany interrupts a dinner party to perform a shocking act of worship. She breaks an alabaster flask of spikenard, worth 300 denarii (approx. $45,000 in today's labor value), and pours it entirely on Jesus' head.

The reaction is immediate and angry. Led by Judas Iscariot, the disciples call this extravagant worship a "waste". But Jesus defends her, declaring that she has done a "good work" by anointing His body for burial.

In this sermon, we explore the start of the Passion Week, the dark spiritual reality of Judas opening his heart to Satan, and the sovereignty of God in the face of betrayal.

In this message, we cover:

-The Passion Week Timeline: From the Triumphal Entry to the Resurrection.

-The Conspiracy: Why the Chief Priests had to use "trickery" to arrest Jesus.

-The Cost of Worship: The significance of the Alabaster flask and why it wasn't a waste.

-Judas vs. The Woman: The contrast between giving everything and selling Jesus for the price of a slave.

-Spiritual Warfare: How Satan entered Judas to facilitate the very plan that would destroy his own works.

📖 Scripture: Mark 14:1–20 📍 Key Scenes: Bethany, The Upper Room, The Chief Priest's Plot