Discovery BoxMatthew 26:1-16 
Context26:1 When 1 Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, 26:2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over 2 to be crucified.” 3 26:3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people met together in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas. 26:4 They 4 planned to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 26:5 But they said, “Not during the feast, so that there won’t be a riot among the people.” 5
26:6 Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 26:7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar 6 of expensive perfumed oil, 7 and she poured it on his head as he was at the table. 8 26:8 When 9 the disciples saw this, they became indignant and said, “Why this waste? 26:9 It 10 could have been sold at a high price and the money 11 given to the poor!” 26:10 When 12 Jesus learned of this, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She 13 has done a good service for me. 26:11 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me! 14 26:12 When 15 she poured this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 26:13 I tell you the truth, 16 wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
26:14 Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 26:15 and said, “What will you give me to betray him into your hands?” 17 So they set out thirty silver coins for him. 26:16 From that time 18 on, Judas 19 began looking for an opportunity to betray him.
Mark 14:1-11
Context14:1 Two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the chief priests and the experts in the law 20 were trying to find a way 21 to arrest Jesus 22 by stealth and kill him. 14:2 For they said, “Not during the feast, so there won’t be a riot among the people.” 23
14:3 Now 24 while Jesus 25 was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, reclining at the table, 26 a woman came with an alabaster jar 27 of costly aromatic oil 28 from pure nard. After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his head. 14:4 But some who were present indignantly said to one another, “Why this waste of expensive 29 ointment? 14:5 It 30 could have been sold for more than three hundred silver coins 31 and the money 32 given to the poor!” So 33 they spoke angrily to her. 14:6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a good service for me. 14:7 For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want. But you will not always have me! 34 14:8 She did what she could. She anointed my body beforehand for burial. 14:9 I tell you the truth, 35 wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
14:10 Then 36 Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus into their hands. 37 14:11 When they heard this, they were delighted 38 and promised to give him money. 39 So 40 Judas 41 began looking for an opportunity to betray him.
Luke 22:1-6
Context22:1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, 42 which is called the Passover, was approaching. 22:2 The 43 chief priests and the experts in the law 44 were trying to find some way 45 to execute 46 Jesus, 47 for they were afraid of the people. 48
22:3 Then 49 Satan 50 entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve. 51 22:4 He went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard 52 how he might 53 betray Jesus, 54 handing him over to them. 55 22:5 They 56 were delighted 57 and arranged to give him money. 58 22:6 So 59 Judas 60 agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus 61 when no crowd was present. 62
1 tn Grk “And it happened when.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
2 tn Or “will be delivered up.”
3 sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.
4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
5 sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him.
6 sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.
7 tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205).
sn Nard or spikenard is a fragrant oil from the root and spike of the nard plant of northern India. This perfumed oil, if made of something like nard, would have been extremely expensive, costing up to a year’s pay for an average laborer.
8 tn Grk “as he was reclining at table.”
sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
9 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
10 tn Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
11 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (as the proceeds from the sale of the perfumed oil).
12 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
13 tn Grk “For she.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
14 tn In the Greek text of this clause, “me” is in emphatic position (the first word in the clause). To convey some impression of the emphasis, an exclamation point is used in the translation.
15 tn Grk “For when.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
16 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
17 tn Grk “What will you give to me, and I will betray him to you?”
18 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 tn Or “the chief priests and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
21 tn Grk “were seeking how.”
22 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23 sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.
24 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
25 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
27 sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.
28 tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The adjective πιστικῆς (pistikh") is difficult with regard to its exact meaning; some have taken it to derive from πίστις (pistis) and relate to the purity of the oil of nard. More probably it is something like a brand name, “pistic nard,” the exact significance of which has not been discovered.
sn Nard or spikenard is a fragrant oil from the root and spike of the nard plant of northern India. This aromatic oil, if made of something like nard, would have been extremely expensive, costing up to a year’s pay for an average laborer.
29 tn The word “expensive” is not in the Greek text but has been included to suggest a connection to the lengthy phrase “costly aromatic oil from pure nard” occurring earlier in v. 3. The author of Mark shortened this long phrase to just one word in Greek when repeated here, and the phrase “expensive ointment” used in the translation is intended as an abbreviated paraphrase.
30 tn Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
31 tn Grk “three hundred denarii.” One denarius was the standard day’s wage, so the value exceeded what a laborer could earn in a year (taking in to account Sabbaths and feast days when no work was done).
32 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (as the proceeds from the sale of the perfumed oil).
33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
34 tn In the Greek text of this clause, “me” is in emphatic position (the first word in the clause). To convey some impression of the emphasis, an exclamation point is used in the translation.
35 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
36 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
37 tn Grk “betray him to them”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
38 sn The leaders were delighted when Judas contacted them about betraying Jesus, because it gave them the opportunity they had been looking for, and they could later claim that Jesus had been betrayed by one of his own disciples.
39 sn Matt 26:15 states the amount of money they gave Judas was thirty pieces of silver (see also Matt 27:3-4; Zech 11:12-13).
40 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
41 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42 sn The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week long celebration that followed the day of Passover, so one name was used for both feasts (Exod 12:1-20; 23:15; 34:18; Deut 16:1-8).
43 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
44 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
45 tn Grk “were seeking how.”
46 tn The Greek verb here means “to get rid of by execution” (BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2; cf. also L&N 20.71, which states, “to get rid of someone by execution, often with legal or quasi-legal procedures”).
47 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
48 sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.
49 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
50 sn The cross is portrayed as part of the cosmic battle between Satan and God; see Luke 4:1-13; 11:14-23.
51 tn Grk “Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”
52 tn The full title στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ (strathgo" tou Jierou; “officer of the temple” or “captain of the temple guard”) is sometimes shortened to στρατηγός as here (L&N 37.91).
53 tn Luke uses this frequent indirect question to make his point (BDF §267.2).
54 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
55 tn Grk “how he might hand him over to them,” in the sense of “betray him.”
56 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
57 sn The leaders were delighted when Judas contacted them about betraying Jesus, because it gave them the opportunity they had been looking for, and they could later claim that Jesus had been betrayed by one of his own disciples.
58 sn Matt 26:15 states the amount of money they gave Judas was thirty pieces of silver (see also Matt 27:3-4; Zech 11:12-13).
59 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the arrangement worked out in the preceding verse.
60 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
61 tn Grk “betray him to them”; the referent of the first pronoun (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
62 tn Grk “apart from the crowd.”
sn The leaders wanted to do this quietly, when no crowd was present, so no public uproar would result (cf. v. 21:38; 22:2).
