Journey Through Lent – Day 5
Mark 14:1-2
Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or the people may riot.”
Throughout his Gospel, Mark is vague about time. Occasionally referencing a harvest or season, but most of the time it’s unclear when events happen. But suddenly in chapter 14, things are locked into time. It’s as if to say “all that came before this was good, but here’s where I really want you to pay attention.” Now we know the precise time of year, even the date (Wednesday, the 13th day of the month called Nisan). It quickly places Jesus and His passion in the scope of human time. It’s not a “once upon a time” story anymore. It’s now a historical event, and it’s starting now.