Mark 14

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Mark 14 details the plot to kill Jesus, his anointing at Bethany, and Judas Iscariot's agreement to betray him. During the Last Supper, Jesus institutes the new covenant, foretells his betrayal and Peter's denial, then prays in agony in Gethsemane. He is subsequently arrested, tried before the high priest, and condemned, while Peter denies knowing him three times.

The Plot to Kill Jesus 1–2

Now after two days wasthe feast ofthe passover and the unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him with subtlety, and kill him:

for they said, Not during the feast, lest haply there shall be a tumult of the people.

A Woman Anoints Jesus 3–9

And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of ointment of pure nard very costly; and she brake the cruse, and poured it over his head.

But there were some that had indignation among themselves, saying, To what purpose hath this waste of the ointment been made?

For this ointment might have been sold for above three hundred shillings, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

But Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.

For ye have the poor always with you, and whensoever ye will ye can do them good: but me ye have not always.

She hath done what she could; she hath anointed my body beforehand for the burying.

And verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus 10–11

And Judas Iscariot, he that was one of the twelve, went away unto the chief priests, that he might deliver him unto them.

And they, when they heard it, were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently deliver him unto them.

Preparation for the Passover 12–16

And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the passover, his disciples say unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and make ready that thou mayest eat the passover?

And he sendeth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him;

and wheresoever he shall enter in, say to the master of the house, The Teacher saith, Where is my guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?

And he will himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready: and there make ready for us.

And the disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal 17–21

And when it was evening he cometh with the twelve.

And as they sat and were eating, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you shall betray me, even he that eateth with me.

They began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I?

And he said unto them, It is one of the twelve, he that dippeth with me in the dish.

For the Son of man goeth, even as it is written of him: but woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had not been born.

Institution of the Lord's Supper 22–26

And as they were eating, he took bread, and when he had blessed, he brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take ye: this is my body.

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them: and they all drank of it.

And he said unto them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

Verily I say unto you, I shall no more drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives.

Peter’s Denial Foretold 27–31

And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered abroad.

Howbeit, after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.

But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.

And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that thou to-day, even this night, before the cock crow twice, shalt deny me thrice.

But he spake exceeding vehemently, If I must die with thee, I will not deny thee. And in like manner also said they all.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane 32–42

And they come unto a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I pray.

And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly amazed, and sore troubled.

And he saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death: abide ye here, and watch.

And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; remove this cup from me: howbeit not what I will, but what thou wilt.

And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest thou not watch one hour?

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

And again he went away, and prayed, saying the same words.

And again he came, and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they knew not what to answer him.

And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough; the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Arise, let us be going: behold, he that betrayeth me is at hand.

The Arrest of Jesus 43–52

And straightway, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

Now he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he; take him, and lead him away safely.

And when he was come, straightway he came to him, and saith, Rabbi; and kissed him.

And they laid hands on him, and took him.

But a certain one of them that stood by drew his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a robber, with swords and staves to seize me?

I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but this is done that the scriptures might be fulfilled.

And they all left him, and fled.

And a certain young man followed with him, having a linen cloth cast about him, over his naked body: and they lay hold on him;

but he left the linen cloth, and fled naked.

Trial Before the Sanhedrin 53–65

And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and there come together with him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.

And Peter had followed him afar off, even within, into the court of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers, and warming himself in the light of the fire.

Now the chief priests and the whole council sought witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found it not.

For many bare false witness against him, and their witness agreed not together.

And there stood up certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,

We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.

And not even so did their witness agree together.

And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and saith unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.

And the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What further need have we of witnesses?

Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be worthy of death.

And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the officers received him with blows of their hands.

Peter Denies Jesus 66–72

And as Peter was beneath in the court, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest;

and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and saith, Thou also wast with the Nazarene, even Jesus.

But he denied, saying, I neither know, nor understand what thou sayest: and he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.

And the maid saw him, and began again to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.

But he again denied it. And after a little while again they that stood by said to Peter, Of a truth thou art one of them; for thou art a Galilæan.

But he began to curse, and to swear, I know not this man of whom ye speak.

And straightway the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word, how that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Mark 14

Verse 1

the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread — Pascha and azymos name the two joined observances: the lamb killed on the fourteenth day (Ex 12:6), then unleavened bread to the twenty-first (Ex 12:18). 'By craft' is dolos, guile or deceit; Luke adds 'for they feared the people' (Luke 22:2).

Verse 3

ointment of spikenard very precious — Nardos is nard; the added pistikos means genuine, unadulterated, and polytelos 'very precious' is extremely costly. The scene is Bethany, 'the house of Simon the leper' (Matt 26:6). 'Brake' is syntribo, to shatter, so the whole vessel was given up on his head.

Verse 5

three hundred pence — Denarion, the Roman denarius; the labourer's wage was 'a penny a day' (Matt 20:2), so the sum is about a year's pay. John gives the same figure and names Judas as the speaker (John 12:4–5). 'Murmured' is embrimaomai, to snort with anger, a stronger word than grumbling.

Verse 8

to anoint my body to the burying — Prolambano, to take beforehand; entaphiasmos is preparation for burial. John records 'against the day of my burying hath she kept this' (John 12:7). The women bought 'sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him' after the sabbath (Mark 16:1); her anointing came beforehand.

Verse 10

Judas Iscariot — Iskariotes is taken to mean a man of Kerioth. 'Betray' is paradidomi, to hand over, the verb used of the Son of man throughout this chapter (vv.21, 41–42). Luke says 'Satan' entered him (Luke 22:3); Ps 41:9 had spoken of a familiar friend who 'hath lifted up his heel against me'.

Verse 12

when they killed the passover — Thyo, to sacrifice. The lamb was killed on the fourteenth day 'in the evening' (Ex 12:6), so the disciples ask where to prepare the meal that same day. Paul names the fulfilment: 'Christ our passover is sacrificed for us' (1 Cor 5:7).

Verse 13

a man bearing a pitcher of water — Kerameion, an earthenware jar. Luke names the two sent as 'Peter and John' (Luke 22:8) and repeats the sign (Luke 22:10). Jesus' foreknowledge of an unseen detail matches the colt of Mark 11:2–6; both come true 'as he had said' (v.16).

Verse 21

woe to that man — Ouai, the exclamation of grief and judgment. The Son of man 'goeth, as it is written of him', as Isa 53:12 says he 'was numbered with the transgressors', yet the betrayer answers for his own act. Matthew has almost the same words (Matt 26:24); Ps 41:9 lies behind v.18.

Verse 22

this is my body — Artos, bread, broken (klao) and given at the Passover meal. Paul gives the words as 'this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me' (1 Cor 11:24); Luke adds 'which is given for you' (Luke 22:19). The Lord's body is the offering the Passover lamb foreshadowed.

Verse 24

my blood of the new testament — Diatheke, covenant. It recalls the blood Moses sprinkled: 'the blood of the covenant' (Ex 24:8), and the promise 'I will make a new covenant' (Jer 31:31). 'For many' echoes Isa 53:12, 'he bare the sin of many'; Matthew adds 'for the remission of sins' (Matt 26:28).

Verse 27

All ye shall be offended — Skandalizo, to trip up, cause to stumble. The quotation, 'I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered', is from Zech 13:7, where the LORD of hosts says 'smite the shepherd'. John records the same scattering: 'ye shall be scattered, every man to his own' (John 16:32).

Verse 30

before the cock crow twice — Dis, twice; aparneomai is to deny utterly. The word is kept to the letter: the cock crows after the first denial (v.68) and 'the second time' after the third (v.72). Matthew's shorter form is 'before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice' (Matt 26:34).

Verse 32

Gethsemane — Gethsemane, 'oil-press', a place on the way to the mount of Olives (v.26; Luke 22:39). John calls it a garden beyond 'the brook Cedron' (John 18:1). Jesus sets the disciples to 'sit' while he prays apart, taking only Peter, James and John (v.33).

Verse 36

Abba, Father — Abba is the Aramaic 'father', here joined to the Greek pater. It occurs only three times in the New Testament, here and in Rom 8:15 and Gal 4:6. 'This cup' is the one he had asked James and John about (Mark 10:38) and takes up again: 'the cup which my Father hath given me' (John 18:11).

Verse 38

Watch ye and pray — Gregoreuo, to keep awake, the command of the Olivet discourse, 'Watch ye therefore' (Mark 13:35). 'Ready' is prothymos, willing; 'weak' is asthenes, strengthless. The 'temptation' (peirasmos) is the trial about to break on them, when all forsook him (v.50).

Verse 44

a token — Syssemon, a prearranged signal; it occurs only here in the New Testament. The kiss (phileo) was a greeting, so the sign hid the arrest. 'Safely' is asphalos, securely. 'The kisses of an enemy are deceitful' (Prov 27:6).

Verse 49

the scriptures must be fulfilled — Jesus points to his open teaching 'in the temple' (cf. Mark 12:35) against this night arrest; Luke records 'this is your hour, and the power of darkness' (Luke 22:53). He had said of himself 'he was reckoned among the transgressors' (Luke 22:37; Isa 53:12).

Verse 51

a linen cloth — Sindon, fine linen cloth, the same word as the burial linen in which Joseph wrapped the body (Mark 15:46). The neaniskos ('young man') is not named; this episode and v.52 stand only in Mark. He escapes by leaving the cloth behind (v.52).

Verse 54

afar off — Makrothen, from a distance. Peter goes 'even into the palace' (aule, the open court), where the servants had made 'a fire of coals; for it was cold' (John 18:18). Seated among them, he is placed for the three questions that follow (vv.66–70).

Verse 58

made with hands… made without hands — Cheiropoietos and acheiropoietos, the latter found three times in the New Testament (here, 2 Cor 5:1, Col 2:11). Jesus' actual words were 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up' (John 2:19), and John explains: 'he spake of the temple of his body' (John 2:21).

Verse 61

the Son of the Blessed — Eulogetos, blessed, used of God: 'the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore' (2 Cor 11:31). The high priest's double title, 'the Christ, the Son of the Blessed', asks about Messiahship and divine sonship. The silence before it matches Isa 53:7.

Verse 62

I am — Ego eimi, a plain and full assent to the question. 'Sitting on the right hand of power' draws on Ps 110:1, and 'coming in the clouds of heaven' on Dan 7:13; 'power' stands for God. The coming he describes is the one foretold in Mark 13:26, and it brings the charge of blasphemy (vv.63–64).

Verse 71

to curse and to swear — Anathematizo, to bind oneself under a curse, and omnyo, to take an oath. Peter, who had said 'I will not deny thee in any wise' (v.31), here calls down a curse in support of his denial. Matthew has the same sequence: 'Then began he to curse and to swear' (Matt 26:74).