The Plot to Kill Jesus
1 It k was two days before the Passover l and the Festival m of Unleavened Bread. n The chief priests and the scribes o were looking for a cunning p way to arrest Jesus and kill him. q 2 “Not during the festival,” they said, “so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”
The Anointing at Bethany
3 While r he was in Bethany s at the house of Simon the leper, ,t as he was reclining at the table, u a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head. v 4 But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 For this perfume might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii ,w and given to the poor.” x And they began to scold her.
6 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing y for me. 7 You always have the poor z with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me. a 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body b in advance for burial. c 9 Truly I tell you, d wherever the gospel e is proclaimed in the whole world, f what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
10 Then g Judas Iscariot, h one of the Twelve, i went to the chief priests j to betray Jesus k to them. 11 And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him money. l So he started looking for a good opportunity to betray m him.
Preparation for Passover
12 On n the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb, o his disciples p asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare the Passover so that you may eat it? ”
13 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. 14 Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher q says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? ” ’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” 16 So the disciples r went out, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
Betrayal at the Passover
17 When s evening came, he arrived with the Twelve. t 18 While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
19 They began to be distressed and to say to him one by one, “Surely not I? ”
20 He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping bread in the bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man u will go just as it is written v about him, w but woe x to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”
The First Lord’s Supper
22 As y they were eating, he took bread, z blessed and broke a it, gave it to them, b and said, “Take it; this is my body.” c 23 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, d he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, ,e which is poured out f for many. g 25 Truly I tell you, h I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine i until that day when I drink it new ,j in the kingdom of God.” k
26 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. l
Peter’s Denial Predicted
27 Then m Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away, because it is written: n
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep o will be scattered. ,p
28 But after I have risen, q I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” r
29 Peter s told him, “Even if everyone falls away, I will not.”
30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” t
31 But he kept insisting, “If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And they all said the same thing.
The Prayer in the Garden
32 Then u they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, v “Sit here while I pray.” w 33 He took Peter, x James, y and John z with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 He said to them, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.” a 35 He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour b might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father! c All things are possible d for you. Take this cup e away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.” 37 Then he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, f are you sleeping? g Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray h so that you won’t enter into temptation. ,i The spirit j is willing, but the flesh k is weak.” 39 Once again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open. They did not know what to say to him. l 41 Then he came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. See, the Son of Man m is betrayed into the hands of sinners. n 42 Get up; o let’s go. See, my betrayer is near.”
Judas’s Betrayal of Jesus
43 While p he was still speaking, Judas, q one of the Twelve, r suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, s and the elders. t 44 His betrayer had given them a signal. “The one I kiss,” he said, “he’s the one; arrest him and take him away under guard.” 45 So when he came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi! ” u and kissed him. 46 They took hold of him and arrested him. 47 One of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.
48 Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture me? 49 Every day I was among you, teaching in the temple, v and you didn’t arrest me. But the Scriptures w must be fulfilled.” x
50 Then they all deserted him and ran away. y 51 Now a certain young man, wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following him. They caught hold of him, 52 but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked. z
Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin
53 They a led Jesus away to the high priest, b and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes c assembled. d 54 Peter e followed him at a distance, right into the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the servants, ,f warming himself by the fire.
55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin g were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death, h but they could not find any. 56 For many were giving false testimony i against him, and the testimonies did not agree. 57 Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, stating, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands, j and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’ ” 59 Yet their testimony did not agree k even on this.
60 Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus, “Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you? ” 61 But he kept silent and did not answer. l Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, m the Son n of the Blessed o One? ”
62 “I am,” p said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man q seated at the right hand r of Power and coming with the clouds s of heaven.” ,t
63 Then the high priest u tore his robes v and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? w 64 You have heard the blasphemy. x What is your decision? ” They all condemned him as deserving death. y
65 Then some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to beat him, saying, “Prophesy! ” z The temple servants a also took him and slapped him.
Peter Denies His Lord
66 While b Peter c was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s maidservants came. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.” d
68 But he denied it: “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about.” Then he went out to the entryway, and a rooster crowed.
69 When the maidservant saw him again, she began to tell those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.”
70 But again he denied it. After a little while those standing there said to Peter again, “You certainly are one of them, since you’re also a Galilean.” ,e
71 Then he started to curse and swear, f “I don’t know this man you’re talking about! ”
72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, g and Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
14:1–2. The Jewish Passover was celebrated annually (Ex 12) by ritually slaughtering a year-old male lamb or goat on the afternoon of the fourteenth of Nisan (March-April). The Passover meal, eaten in family gatherings after sunset (i.e., 15 Nisan), commenced the weeklong Festival of Unleavened Bread (Ex 12:15–20). The plot of the Sanhedrin (14:1) is described with blunt realism: they intend to seek out Jesus, arrest him by guile, and kill him. Jerusalem, the only place where Passover could be celebrated, drew enormous crowds for the festival; this increased the potential of an uprising as well as the need for security precautions on the part of the Romans. The Jewish authorities hope to seize Jesus without provoking his Galilean sympathizers (14:2).
14:3–9. Mark now inserts the story of the anointing of Jesus by an unnamed woman, whose compassion stands in stark contrast to the plot of the religious authorities. It was normally a breach of etiquette for a woman to interrupt Jewish male fellowship, but Mark portrays the woman’s intrusion as an act of faith (also 5:34). Mark’s profuse description of the ointment (14:4), which amounted to the equivalent of a year’s earnings, is an attempt to convey the value of the woman’s sacrifice. Smashing the jar symbolizes the totality and irrevocability of the gift (14:3). No gift or act of generosity from either crowds or disciples approximates what this woman does. Some of those present regard the act as a “waste,” a judgment that both demeans the woman and insinuates Jesus’s unworthiness of it (14:4).
14:10–11. Mark closes the sandwich by returning to Judas. Identifying him as “one of the Twelve” (14:10) may warn readers that closeness to Jesus does not guarantee faithfulness. Mark is silent about Judas’s motives for betraying Jesus, although money played a role (14:11). Judas’s betrayal is more premeditated, but all the disciples will defect as well (14:50).
14:12–16. The preparation of the Passover in 14:12–16 is reminiscent of the preparation of the entry into Jerusalem in 11:1–6; both show Jesus’s foreknowledge and governance of events as his “hour” (14:35) approaches. “The first day of Unleavened Bread” (14:12) technically began at sundown on the fifteenth of Nisan (Thursday evening), but Mark appears to place the beginning of Passover on Thursday afternoon, the fourteenth of Nisan, when Passover lambs were slaughtered in the temple. The disciples are given what appear to be undercover instructions to meet “a man carrying a jar of water” (14:13). This must locate the meeting place at or near the pool of Siloam or the Gihon Spring, the two water sources of Jerusalem. Carrying water was normally women’s (or slaves’) labor; a man carrying a water jug would have caught the eye of the disciples. Jerusalem residents customarily made spare rooms available for Passover pilgrims, and the target water bearer, perhaps in accordance with previous arrangements by Jesus, ushers the disciples to a well-appointed banquet room (14:14–16).
14:17–21. Mark sets the Last Supper (14:22–26) in another sandwich construction, placed between Jesus’s predictions of the betrayal (14:17–21) and defection (14:27–31) of the disciples. The sandwich dramatically illustrates the self-sacrifice of Jesus in contrast to the infidelity of the disciples. Reclining was the customary position of feasting in the ancient world (14:18a). The announcement of betrayal in a context of sacred feasting and intimacy is bitterly ironic (14:18b).
14:22–26. At the centerpiece of the sandwich, Mark places the Last Supper, narrated with liturgical form and brevity. The account is built on seven Greek verbs in 14:22 (eat, take, bless, break, give, say, take), signifying the gracious activity of Jesus on behalf of the disciples. In pronouncing the bread and wine his “body” and “blood,” Jesus signifies the gift of himself, wholly and without reserve. Of the four Gospel writers, only Mark adds “and they all drank from it” (14:23). The Last Supper is a table of grace, not of merit, for the “all” who drink (14:23) and swear allegiance (14:31) also fall away (14:27) and flee (14:50).
14:27–31. Mark closes the sandwich construction with a conversation between Jesus and Peter that recalls the theme of 14:17–21, where Jesus predicted “one of you will betray me” (14:18). Following the Passover, Jesus announces, “All of you will fall away [Gk skandalizō]” (14:27). The Greek word is used in a passive sense, implying that the disciples will not willfully defect but fall away through weakness. Jesus supports his announcement by quoting Zch 13:7. The “I” refers to God, the shepherd to Jesus, and the sheep to the disciples. This quotation repeats the paradox of 14:21: evil is used by God to fulfill his greater purpose. The Zechariah quotation (like Is 53:10) also implies that Jesus understands his impending passion in Jerusalem not as an accident but as divinely ordained.
14:32–42. Following the Last Supper, Jesus goes to Gethsemane (14:32), an olive grove in the valley between the Mount of Olives and the Temple Mount where he and the disciples often gathered (Lk 22:39; Jn 18:1–2). Commanding the disciples to remain, Jesus departs a few paces in order to pray (14:34–35). This is the third time in Mark that Jesus prays (cf. 1:35; 6:46); each prayer is set in a context of crisis and decision, this being the most traumatic. According to Mark, the decision to submit to the Father’s will in Gethsemane causes Jesus greater internal suffering than does the physical crucifixion of Golgotha. The “cup” (14:35–36), reflecting apocalyptic imagery, refers not to Jesus’s arrest but to his messianic destiny. Jesus’s distress is the result not of facing his own death but of giving his life as “a ransom for many” (10:45; Is 53:12). Jesus must become the sin-bearer of all humanity, which will result in his complete alienation, even from God (15:34).
14:43–52. In contrast to the intensity and pathos of Gethsemane, the arrest is narrated in resigned objectivity. As if to remind readers that disciples of Jesus can also be betrayers of Jesus, Judas is again named as “one of the Twelve” (14:43a; cf. 14:10; 3:19). Judas’s accomplices are the three constituent bodies of the Sanhedrin, now armed (14:43b). As a disciple, Judas knew Jesus’s daytime movements and nighttime lodgings, and he gives a prearranged sign to the authorities, lest in the darkness of an olive grove at night they fall upon the wrong person (14:45). Why Judas chose a kiss as his sign is unclear—although it had been similarly used at least twice in the OT (Gn 27:26; 2 Sm 20:9–10). Betrayal by an intimate act of affection, and by an epithet of respect, “Rabbi” (“my great one”), is a profound mockery (14:45).
14:53–54. For the third time in chapter 14 Mark employs the technique of sandwiching one story into another. The present sandwich consists of Peter’s denial (14:53–54, 66–72) divided by Jesus’s trial before the Sanhedrin (14:55–65). The theme of the sandwich is bearing witness under persecution, by contrasting Jesus’s faithful witness with Peter’s false witness.
14:55–59. The proceedings against Jesus in 14:55–65 egregiously violate Jewish jurisprudence set forth in the Mishnah. In particular, a verdict of guilty in capital cases required a second sitting the following day; both must be in the daytime, and neither on the eve of the Sabbath or a festival. A charge of blasphemy, moreover, could be sustained only if the accused cursed God publicly, resulting in death by stoning. The manifest departures from stipulated protocol suggest that the Sanhedrin proceeded in the fashion of a grand jury by hearing and condemning Jesus in a single sitting, and perhaps with less than a quorum.
14:60–65. The silence of Jesus throughout the trial (14:60–61a)—in this respect, too, John the Baptist was a forerunner of Jesus (Mk 6:14–29)—again reflects the Suffering Servant of Isaiah (Is 53:7). Jesus breaks silence only at the insistence of the high priest (14:61b). Ironically, Mark places the two most complete christological confessions from humans in the mouths of those responsible for Jesus’s death: the high priest at the trial and the centurion at the cross (15:39). Throughout Mark, Jesus has remained silent about his divine Sonship and commanded the same of others, because until his suffering he cannot rightly be known as God’s Son. Now that his execution is imminent, Jesus fully affirms, “I am [God’s Son]” (14:62). Although he is presently Son of God in humility (Rm 1:3), he will come in the future on the clouds of heaven, seated at the right hand of the Mighty One (14:62). The claim to be the messiah was not a crime in Judaism.
14:66–72. Mark concludes the sandwich unit by returning to Peter, who is warming himself by the fire in the courtyard of the high priest (14:66–67; cf. 14:54). Verses 66–72 focus exclusively on Peter, who alone of the participants is named. Nights in Jerusalem in March and April require the warmth of a fire, the light from which allows Peter to be identified (14:67). While Jesus undergoes a trial by the high priest, Peter undergoes one by a mere servant girl. To her accusation that he was with “the man from Nazareth,” Peter vociferously denies that he knows Jesus either in theory or practice (14:68a).