Big Idea: The theological motif that unites the Last Supper narrative is Jesus’s sovereign awareness of and control over all that transpires. In its preparation and execution, Jesus redefines the paschal meal as fulfilled in his own sacrificial death.

Understanding the Text

The woman’s act of worship in anointing Jesus for burial leads to the Last Supper scene, which explains the significance of his coming death. The lengthy preparation (vv. 12–14) shows that Jesus deliberately planned this event so that he could use the Passover Seder to explain the meaning of his sacrificial death.1Then Jesus’s prophecy of his coming betrayal shows his awareness of (and God’s sovereign control of) the coming betrayal. So there is another chiasm:

A Judas’s decision to betray (vv. 1–2, 10–11)

B The wom…