1. Devarim
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2. Devarim Devarim = “Words” Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22 Gospel: Mark 14:1-16
The 44th Torah Portion Readings
1st readings in the Book of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22
Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1-27
Gospel: Mark 14:1-16
Deuteronomy 1:1 (KJV) Dt 1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

3. Deuteronomy Chapter 1 Moses’ speech, in the fortieth year
Briefly reviewing the story
Of sending the spies to search the land
Moses is reviewing the journeys of the children of Israel and interpreting a great deal of what had taken place. All of that generation is now dead, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua. He is preparing the new generation to enter the land, and rehearsing the experiences of their fathers so that they might profit from them rather than repeat the failures.
At the close of their time of wandering, Moses delivers his first oration to them. Obviously his words were first given orally and then were written down later. The critics formerly found fault with this, claiming there was no writing at the time of Moses. Of course, now it has been shown that writing was in existence long before Moses. Moses was the spokesman who gave the oration, yet he makes it clear that this was given him by the Lord.

4. Deuteronomy Chapter 2
The story is continued, that they were not to meddle with the Edomites
But Shion the Amorite was subdued by them
This discourse of Moses gives a continuation of his review of their journeys. After they turned back from Kadesh-barnea, the children of Israel went to Mount Seir.
This land that God allowed Israel to conquer and possess had formerly belonged to the Moabites. The Amorites under King Sihon's leadership had driven out the Moabites from this section of land and had taken over this territory. God permitted him to dispossess the Moabites, but when he led the attack against Israel, he was killed and his forces scattered. His capital was taken and the territory given to Israel. This episode is often referred to as a reminder to Israel of what God had done for them and became a source of encouragement to them. God is showing them that He is with them and will keep His promises to them.

5. Deuteronomy Chapter 3 The story of the conquest of Og, king of Bashan
The distribution of his lands to the two tribes and a half
Continuing the rehearsal of Israel's experience in the wilderness, Moses tells of the resistance of another Amorite king and the victory God gave to Israel.
The fact that Israel was able to conquer this great, well-fortified kingdom was evidence that God fought for Israel. This was a great encouragement to them as they faced giants and the cities "walled up to heaven" in the Promised Land.

6. Haftarah - Isaiah 1:16-20
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Judgment = to seek a positive judgment, to be held worthy, to measure up to
May refer as well to unmarried mothers, or mothers on their own with families
Judge = plead or pray for, to defend, or to govern
Again this also may refer to unmarried mothers, women who are separated, or divorced.
Reason together = work with God to understand, God giving us the reason, understanding that reasoning.

7. Mark 14:1-2
1 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. 2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
The Passover was observed on the fourteenth day of the first month, which is the Jewish month Nisan and corresponds to our April. "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord'S passover" (Lev. 23:5). Then the Feast of Unleavened Bread was on the fifteenth day of the same month and it continued for seven days thereafter. "And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread" (Lev. 23:6). It was, I think, the intention of these eleven rulers to take Jesus at the end of the Passover season, after the crowds had left Jerusalem, and then put Him to death.
They decided they would not do it on the feast day -- that is, during the Passover season, which is the Feast of Unleavened Bread and which extended for seven days. You see, at the end of that seven days the people would begin to leave Jerusalem and then they would reach out and put their hands upon Him. The reason they didn't want to touch Him during the feast days was that they feared an uproar or a riot. The crowds were in Jerusalem for the feast and the people held Jesus in high esteem. The common people heard Him gladly. He fed and healed them.
Mark’s Passion narrative begins with a new chronological starting point (cf. introduction to 11:1-11), the first of several time notations that link the following events. The chronology of the Passion Week events is complicated partly because two systems of reckoning time were in use, the Roman (modern) system in which a new day starts at midnight and the Jewish system in which a new day begins at sunset (cf. 13:35).

8. Mark 14:3
3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
John's Gospel places this incident six days before the Passover (see John 12:1). Then have Matthew and Mark erred in placing this incident just before the Passover? No. We must remember that neither Matthew nor Mark is attempting to give a chronological order. Their obvious purpose is to place this lovely incident next to the dark deed of Judas -- that is, the plot to betray Jesus. They are portraying a vivid contrast and conflict of light and darkness, and that is the reason they are brought together like this. Matthew and Mark do not attempt to give a chronological biography of Christ. Both friend and foe are moving toward the Cross but by different routes. Mary of Bethany is coming the way of light and love. Judas is moved by foul and dark motives. And, by the way, it is John who tells us that this woman was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (see John 12:3).

9. Mark 14:4-5
4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
The pious suggestion that proceeds be used for charitable purposes has covered up the real reason. Judas wanted to appropriate it for his own selfish ends. Sad to say, sometimes we find the same sort of thing today in Christian work. If they had given the money to Judas, where do you think it would have gone?
Some of the disciples, led by Judas (cf. John 12:4), voiced angry (cf. Mark 10:14) criticism of this apparent wasteful extravagance. In their view the act was uncalled for because the perfume... could have been sold for more than a year’s wages (lit., “more than 300 denarii,” roughly a year’s wages; cf. comments on 6:37) and the money given to the poor. This was a legitimate concern (cf. John 13:29), but here it concealed the disciples’ insensitivity and Judas’ greed (cf. John 12:6). So they were scolding (same verb in Mark 1:43) her, a comment unique to Mark.

10. Mark 14:6-9
6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. 7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. 8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. 9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
If they were sincere, there would be many opportunities to help the poor, and they could avail themselves of those opportunities. The presence of the poor is one of the characteristics of this age. There will be no elimination of poverty until Jesus comes. This idea today that you can eliminate poverty by handing out dollars is a big mistake. There are so many other things that are wrong in the world that must be corrected first.
She had done what she could. That is all that God has ever asked any person to do. But the important thing to notice here is that Mary had a spiritual discernment which was sadly lacking even in the apostles at this particular time. She anointed His body for the burial. Just think of it. This frail woman stood on the fringe of the events which were leading to the Cross, and she let the Lord Jesus know that she understood. None of the apostles sensed this, but she did. The fragrance of the box of ointment she broke that day has been borne across the centuries by the Holy Spirit unto our day. It still fills hearts with its sweetness even at the present hour. Here in the shadow of His suffering there was one who understood.
Jesus rebuked Mary’s critics and defended her action, calling it a beautiful thing (lit., “a good [kalon, ‘noble, beautiful, good’] work”). Unlike them, He saw it as an expression of love and devotion to Him in light of His approaching death as well as a messianic acclamation.

11. Mark 14:10-11
10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
Here we see Judas in his act of darkness. This man is now plotting to put Jesus to death. The plot was to wait for a convenient time to betray Him. But, you see, the Lord upset the apple cart. We find in the Gospel of John that the Lord said to Judas, "...That thou doest, do quickly" (John 13:27). So Judas must have rushed out to the Pharisees and said, "You'd better go get Him now because our plot has been discovered. He told me to do quickly that which I planned to do. He may leave town." So they got the officers immediately, and they went out to arrest Him.
They welcomed this unexpected offer, one they would have never dared solicit. They promised to give him money (30 pieces of silver, in response to his demand; cf. Matt. 26:15). So Judas was seeking (ezētei; cf. Mark 14:1) the right opportunity, without the presence of a crowd, to hand Him over (paradoi; cf. v. 10; 9:31) into their custody.
Why did Judas offer to betray Jesus? Various suggestions have been made, each of which may contain an element of truth: (1) Judas, the only non-Galilean member of the Twelve, may have responded to the official notice (John 11:57). (2) He was disillusioned by Jesus’ failure to establish a political kingdom and his hopes for material gain seemed doomed. (3) His love for money moved him to salvage something for himself. Ultimately he came under satanic control (cf. Luke 22:3; John 13:2, 27).

12. Zechariah 11:12-13
12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

13. Mark 14:12-13
12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
Now the disciples here were meticulous in following the letter of the Mosaic Law. They wanted to know where they were going to eat the Passover. They were going to do it right. In a few hours Jesus was to fulfill the meaning of the Passover.
The Passover took place on one night and at one meal, but the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was celebrated with it, continued for a week. The first day of the feast was technically the day after Passover, but the two were often equated. Thus, this was either Wednesday night (the day before Passover) or Thursday of Jesus’ last week (the night of the Passover meal). The highlight of the festival was the Passover meal, a family feast with the main course of lamb. The sacrifice of a lamb and the spilling of its blood commemorated Israel’s escape from Egypt when the blood of a lamb painted on their door frames had saved their firstborn sons from death. This event foreshadowed Jesus’ work on the cross. As the spotless Lamb of God, his blood would be spilled in order to save his people from the penalty of death brought by sin.
Jesus’ disciples assumed that they would eat the Passover meal together with Jesus. However, the meal had to be eaten in Jerusalem, so the disciples asked Jesus where they should go in order to make preparations.

14. Mark 14:14-16
14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. 16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
Now again, I think this reveals the human side of our Lord, and it also reveals the fact that there were those who loved Him at this time and were preparing the Passover for Him. It also reveals the fact that our Lord was the omniscient God. Apparently the "goodman of the house" was some unnamed follower of the Lord. There is no reason to doubt that there had been a previous offer of the guest room to Jesus. I'm of the opinion that sometime during those three years of His public ministry this man had come to the Lord Jesus and had offered this room. I think he told Jesus, "Now, when You come up to Jerusalem to the Passover, I have this room for You and it will be prepared just for You." I tell you, this was a wonderful service which he performed. There are many things which we can do for the Lord Jesus, and this is what this man did.
You will recall that we noted a former experience like this when Jesus sent the disciples for a donkey for Him to ride into Jerusalem. They found it as He said they would. I think there had been a previous arrangement made for the little donkey. I think our Lord was making arrangements as He went along.
A man carrying a jar of water would meet the two disciples, presumably near the eastern gate. This unusual, eye-catching sight suggests that it was a prearranged signal because normally only women carried water jars (men carried wineskins). They were to follow this man, apparently a servant, who would lead them to the right house. They were to tell the owner... The Teacher (cf. Mark 4:38) asks: Where is My guest room. . . ? The single self-designation “Teacher” implies Jesus was well known to the owner and the possessive pronoun “My” implies His prior arrangement to use the room.

15. Devarim
A Study of Devarim

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