We are at Mark 13:33. Jesus has just given the disciples a description of what signs to look for when the destruction of the temple is imminent. He tells them to be on their guard and watch out, because the coming events might take them by surprise.
We are now in chapter 14. It is two days before the passover and the feast of unleavened bread. The chief priests and teachers of the law want to arrest Jesus and kill him, but they don't want to cause a riot during passover. Jesus is again in Bethany, his home base for the time he has been visiting Jerusalem. He was eating at the home of a man named Simon the leper when a woman pours an alabaster jar of expensive perfume (made of pure nard) on his head.
The woman was rebuked for wasting what could have been sold for money to give to the poor. The text does not say who rebuked her. Jesus told them to leave the woman alone because they would always have the poor, they wouldn't always have him. She was preparing his body for burial. Then he predicts that wherever the gospel is preached, what this woman did will be remembered. That is very interesting. Paul preached the gospel fervently and never spoke about her, as far as we know. In fact this writing may be the first time she was ever mentioned in relation to the gospel. The fact that it is included in this book may be the very reason anyone "remembered" it at all.
Next we see Judas betray Jesus to the chief priests for a promise of money. He was just waiting for an opportunity to hand him over. Notice it does not say how much money. Also, the last supper hasn't even happened yet.
We move on to the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb. We are not told what day of the week this was. It could have been any day that fell on the 14th day of the month of Nisan. Also, remember that a Jewish day began at dusk one day and ended at dusk the next. So, since the day in the text would be the 14th day of the month of Nisan. At dusk, which was the 15th day, the passover would begin. The Jewish calendar was based on the moon, so Passover would have fallen on the night of the full moon, no matter what day of the week. That night of the full moon is when the spirit sent out by god killed all the first born of the Egyptians, in the book of Exodus.
Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem to make preparations for the passover in a large upper room of a house that has already been prearranged for the purpose. They did that. (Part of the preparation for passover was supposed to be killing and roasting a lamb.) In the evening Jesus and the twelve arrive at the house. It is now passover. Notice that Jesus has not been killed on the day that the passover lamb is killed. Mark does not equate him with the passover sacrifice. Not only that, Jesus is eating the passover meal with his disciples, which traditionally included roast lamb which must be completely eaten before the next morning. This is not mentioned in the text because it would have been obvious to anyone who knew the ritual. In christian communion rituals, that are said to have been established at this moment in time, it is never mentioned that it is almost certain the meal contained more than bread and wine.
In verse 17, Jesus and the twelve are eating and Jesus announces that one of them will betray him. They are all concerned and each asks if he will be the one. Jesus tells them it will be one of those who dips bread into the bowl with him. What bowl? Jesus is probably referring to the main dish on the table. Each person would have been using their bread as a spoon or scoop to eat with, out of a communal bowl. Jesus pronounces a curse on his betrayer but does not name him.
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