Hi friends, I'm Annie F. Downs. Let's read the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are the stories of Jesus Christ's life on earth, the friendships, the parables, the sacrifices, the meals, the miracles. So here is how it works. I'll read three chapters to you. You can listen or read along in your own Bible or online, and then I'll pray, and that's it. So today is day 15, and I'll be reading

Mark, chapters 14 through 16. And this month, I'm reading from the CSB.

Mark 14. It was two days before the Passover in the festival of unleavened bread. The chief priest and the scribes were looking for a cunning way to arrest Jesus and kill him. Not during the festival, they said, so that there won't be a riot among the people. While he was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table,

a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard.

She broke the jar and poured it on his head.

But some were expressing indignation to one another.

Why has this perfume been wasted?

For this perfume might have been sold for more than 300 denari and given to the poor, and they

began to scold her. Jesus replied, leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble

thing for me. You always have the poor with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want,

but you do not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body in

advance for burial. Truly, I tell you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world,

what she has done will also be told in memory of her. Then Judas Ascariot, one of the 12,

went to the chief priest to betray Jesus to them. And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him

money. So he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him. On the first day of unleavened

bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples asked him, where do you want us to go

and prepare the Passover so that you may eat it? So he sent two of his disciples and told them, go into the city and a man

carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house,

the teacher says, where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? He will show you a

large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there. So the disciples went out,

entered the city, and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. When

evening came, he arrived with the 12. While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said,

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