Mark 14

Chapter 14.

14 ¹Two days before Passover and Unleavened Bread, the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to seize Jesus by trickery and kill him. ²For they said, "Not during the feast, or the people might riot."

³While he was in Bethany, in Simon the leper's house, reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of pure nard perfume, very costly. She broke the flask and poured it on his head. ⁴There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was this perfume wasted like that? ⁵For this perfume could have sold for over 300 denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her.

⁶But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. ⁷For the poor are always with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want; but you won't always have me. ⁸She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. ⁹Truly, I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached worldwide, what she did will be told in memory of her."

¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹Hearing this, they were glad and promised him money. So he looked for a chance to betray Jesus.

The Disciples Prepare the Passover

¹²On 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 for you to eat the Passover?"

¹³He sent two of his disciples, "Go into the city; a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, ¹⁴and wherever he enters, tell the house's owner, 'The Teacher says: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' ¹⁵And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us."

¹⁶The disciples left, went to the city, found things as he had told them, and prepared the Passover.

¹⁷And when it was evening, Jesus came with the twelve.

¹⁸While they reclined and ate, Jesus said, "Truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me, one eating with me."

¹⁹They began to grieve and ask him, one by one, "Is it I?"

²⁰He said to them, "One of the twelve, dipping bread with me into the dish. ²¹The Son of Man goes as the Scriptures said about him, but how terrible for that man who betrays him—better if he had never been born."

²²As they ate, he took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body."

²³He took a cup, gave thanks, gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

²⁴He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many. ²⁵Truly I tell you, I will not drink wine again until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of our Father." ^a a v25 The kingdom Jesus came to bring is our Father's own reign — the family home he is preparing for his children.

²⁶And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial

²⁷Jesus said to them, "You will all stumble, for it's written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' ²⁸But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee."

²⁹Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not."

³⁰Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, today, this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times."

³¹But he insisted, "Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you." They all said the same.

The Son Surrenders to the Father

³²They arrived at a place called Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."

³³He took Peter, James, and John, and began to feel deep distress and anguish.

³⁴He said to them, "My soul is crushed with grief, to death. Stay here and stay alert."

³⁵Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, the hour would pass from him.

³⁶He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup from me—but let it be your will, not mine." ^b b v36 "Abba" is the intimate, child-trusting name Jesus used for our Father. Paul tells us our Father gives this same Spirit-cry to every restored child (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

³⁷He returned, found them asleep, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Couldn't you stay awake one hour? ³⁸Watch and pray, so you don't fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

³⁹And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. ⁴⁰Again he found them sleeping, eyes heavy, not knowing how to answer him.

⁴¹He came a third time and said, "Still sleeping and resting? Enough—the hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is handed over into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is here."

Jesus Handed Over to Sinners

⁴³While he was still speaking, Judas—one of the twelve—arrived, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs from the chief priests, scribes, and elders. ⁴⁴His betrayer had given them a signal: "The one I kiss is him—seize him and take him away securely." ⁴⁵He came up to Jesus at once, said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him. ⁴⁶And they laid hands on him and seized him. ⁴⁷One of the bystanders drew his sword, struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸Jesus said to them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to seize me, like a robber? ⁴⁹Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you didn't arrest me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled."

⁵⁰And they all left him and fled. ⁵¹And a young man followed him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. And they seized the young man, ⁵²but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

Jesus Before the High Council

⁵³They led Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests and elders and scribes gathered. ⁵⁴Peter had followed at a distance, all the way into the high priest's courtyard, and sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire. ⁵⁵The chief priests and the whole council sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but found none. ⁵⁶For many gave false testimony against him, but their testimony did not agree. ⁵⁷And some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, ⁵⁸"We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple made by hands, and in three days build another not made by hands.'" ⁵⁹Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰The high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, "You have no answer? What are these men testifying against you?" ⁶¹He stayed silent, answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" ^c c v61 "The Blessed" is a Jewish reverent way of saying "God" without speaking the divine name directly.

⁶²Jesus said, "I AM, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming with heaven's clouds." ^d d v62 Jesus answers the high priest with the divine name our Father gave to Moses at the burning bush — 'I AM' (Exodus 3:14). The Sanhedrin understood the claim instantly and condemned him for blasphemy (v.64).

⁶³And the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further witnesses do we need? ⁶⁴You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving death. ⁶⁵Some began spitting on him, covering his face, and punching him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" Then the guards slapped him.

Peter Denies the Son

⁶⁶While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest's servant girls came, ⁶⁷seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus."

⁶⁸But he denied it: "I don't know or understand what you mean." Then he went out to the entrance, and a rooster crowed. ^e e v68 Some early manuscripts do not have "and a rooster crowed." Mark alone records two crowings (14:30), so the line matters to how the account is followed.

⁶⁹The servant girl saw him and again told the bystanders, "This man is one of them." ⁷⁰But he denied it again. A little later the bystanders again told Peter, "You truly are one of them, for you're a Galilean." ⁷¹He began to call down curses on himself and swear, "I don't know this man you're talking about." ⁷²At once a rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered Jesus' words: "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." He broke down and wept.