Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem before his crucifixion is a volatile and pressure-filled situation – a perfect environment to find out the kind of relationship that people had with Jesus. In our passage we find two very different kinds of relationships exposed; relationships that can be paradigmatic for our own relationships.

Mark invites us to compare the giving to Jesus by the woman and the selling of Jesus by Judas. Looking at your own relationships you can probably figure out which of them are takers and which ones are givers. A giver is someone who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. A taker is someone who, well, seems to be always taking from you. We can all use more givers in our lives. But we tend to have more takers.

What I want to do this morning is examine these two very different relationships and ask the question, what kind of relationship do you have with Jesus? What you will find is that your answer to this question will reveal something about the nature of all your relationships. One kind leads to something beautiful. The other leads to betrayal, or something like it. Once we’ve answered this first question we have another, perhaps even more important – how do we go from relationships on the road to betrayal to relationships on the road to beauty. In the end we find that Jesus’ burial is the key.

Mk 14:1-11 The Alabaster Jar – Discussion guide

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