1. Jesus was anointed for burial (1-11)

Was it a little too much? Mary didn't just dabble a little perfume on Jesus. She broke an expensive flask and lavishly poured every last drop of its precious contents on Jesus. Some thought her actions were wasteful, but Mary was different. She had sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to him. She knew his heart, his humility, and his wisdom. She had tasted both his humanity and his divinity. When the Lord called her brother Lazarus from the grave, she personally experienced the power of God and the freedom that Jesus brings. Mary believed Jesus' words. So when she heard him speak of his own death she accepted it and sacrificially offered her love and worship by doing whatever she could. Jesus accepts such acts of worship and folds them into the wonderful history of his gospel.

2. The fate of the betrayer (12-21)

During the Passover meal, Jesus announced that one of his disciples would betray him. The disciples wondered who it could be. From the outside, Judas seemed like everyone else, but Jesus knew what was in his heart. Judas valued money more than the grace Jesus offered him. Such rejection has eternal consequences. Jesus said that it would have been better if he had never been born.