Mark 14 1-11 Observation

Mark 14:1-11 is a story about a dinner before the Passover. This passage has three developing stories. Money is a common denominator in all three stories. I had never paid attention to the fact there were three parts to this story. This exercise broadened my questioning abilities when looking at the words and actions within the passage. Finding fifteen observations was challenging because it is not how I usually approach the Bible. It is a more interactive process and required slowing down and digging beyond the familiar story known through repetition to the actual stories held within the words.
The first developing story is the plan to arrest and kill Jesus. The high priests are not comfortable with the popularity of Jesus and want him to be removed so they can keep status quo. The high priests wanted to maintain emotional and financial control over

Was it acceptable to be in the home of a Leper? Wasn’t that a contagious disease? Did the listeners pick up on Jesus foretelling his death? Why did Judas know to go to the High Priests? If Judas knew of the plot, did others not also? Why would “they” scold the woman? Was there significance to her being in a room with men, or their judgment of a better way to ‘spend’ value of nard? Each of these questions is part of exegesis but will go beyond the scope of this assignment. They are a result of the project and worthy of being included in this write-up.
This exercise was about Mark 14:1-11. It began with a quick read, as I thought I knew the story. Taking the time to break out fifteen observations highlighted the reality of three stories within the passage. I take away from this assignment the desire to reevaluate other passages to see what I am missing. This highlights to me also how the priests could control the information of the masses that could not read and interpret for