Mark 14

Christ in the Bible: Mark’s Gospel

Keith Simons

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Chapter 14

An expensive gift for Jesus

Verses 1-2

The important *priests had decided that Jesus should die. But they did not know how to take him away from the crowds. During each day, large crowds listened while Jesus taught them. So these *priests needed to know where Jesus was by night.

Usually, nobody would tell them. But some *disciples were not happy with Jesus. This happened because of the event that Mark describes next (Mark 14:3-9). Among those *disciples was Judas (Mark 14:10-11; John 12:3-5).

Verses 3-9

We know many things about the woman. The Bible tells us who she was (John 12:3). And we know many things about her family (Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44). But Mark does not tell us these things. He only tells us how she showed her love for Jesus.

She gave something that was both beautiful and expensive. And she gave it all.

Some *disciples thought that Jesus would be angry. They were not rich men. They knew that the gift was expensive. They wanted to use the money so that they could help poor people. And they thought that the woman had wasted her gift.

But the woman did not waste her gift. She had a short time to show her love to Jesus. And she showed that she loved him completely. Soon Jesus would die. But this woman had prepared.

Those *disciples knew that poor people needed money. But they did not know what God was doing. By her gift, the woman showed that she knew. She was preparing Jesus’ body for his death. That is why it was right to give this gift.

It was right to give an expensive gift because Jesus is a king. And the woman had to give it before Jesus’ death. The women would not have the time to give these gifts after his death (Mark 16:1-8).

Judas decides to help the *priests

Verses 10-11

Because of the last event (Mark 14:3-9), some *disciples were not happy. But only Judas went to the important *priests. Judas knew that they were against Jesus. And Judas decided that he would be against Jesus too.

Perhaps Judas did not want Jesus to die. We do not know. But we know that Judas liked money (John 12:4). The important *priests offered him some money.

So Judas agreed to lead the important *priests to Jesus.

The *Passover meal

Verses 12-16

The *Passover is an important holiday that the *Jews have each year. For their special meal, they ate lamb (a young sheep). And for a week, they ate flat bread. Today, the *Jews still have the flat bread. But they do not still eat the lamb at *Passover.

Jesus told the *disciples how to find the room. Some people think that Jesus had already chosen the room. Other people think that Jesus did not know the right place. But God showed Jesus where the *disciples should go.

Some people think that the room was, perhaps, in Mark’s own house (Acts 1:12-13; Acts 12:12).

Verses 17-21

Jesus knew that a certain *disciple was against him. That *disciple was Judas. Judas was present with Jesus and the other *disciples. And Judas ate the special meal with them. But he left during the meal.

Jesus knew about the troubles that he would soon have. He knew that the rulers would take him away. He knew that he would die. The Bible says that all these things would happen. (See Psalms 22; Psalms 41:9; Isaiah chapter 53).

Bread and *wine

Verses 22-25

During the *Passover meal, the *Jews break bread and they drink *wine. They often do that at meals. Jesus told the *disciples that these things meant something.

The bread meant Jesus’ body. Jesus broke it. So he showed the *disciples that he would die. Then Jesus gave a piece to each *disciple. They all ate it. Jesus had broken the bread so that they would all eat. Soon, Jesus would die on behalf of them all.

Then Jesus took the cup. He asked all the *disciples to drink a little *wine. That *wine was red, like blood. The blood meant Jesus’ life. He would lose his life; in other words, he would die. And because of that, God had made a promise to many people. He would be their king; and they would be his people.

When God ruled his people’s lives, Jesus would be with them again. They would not always be sad, because God was doing something new. That good thing was like the first *wine that comes from a new garden. People are very happy when they taste it. It is fresh and new. And it is the beginning of something good.

Verse 26

This song was from the Book of Psalms. Bible students think that it was, perhaps, Psalms 113:118. The *Jews sing those Psalms at the *Passover.

Peter’s promise

Verses 27-31

If sheep have nobody to lead them, they go in every direction. If someone hits the *shepherd, the sheep run away. Jesus talked about Zechariah 13:7. People would take Jesus away. Then the *disciples would not remain together. Like the sheep, the *disciples would run away.

But after those troubles, Jesus would become alive again. He told the *disciples that he would meet them in Galilee.

Peter promised that he would not leave Jesus. Peter even said that he was ready to die with Jesus.

But Peter did not know how afraid he would be. He would tell people that he did not know Jesus. Peter would do it during that same night. And Peter would do it three times.

Jesus in Gethsemane

Verses 32-41

Jesus went to the garden called Gethsemane. There the *disciples slept while Jesus prayed. Jesus asked them to pray too. They needed to pray because of the troubles that they would soon have. They wanted to do the right things. But they needed God’s help. If they did not pray, they would not be strong. And they would not be able to do the right things during their troubles.

But the *disciples were not able to pray. They felt too tired. So Jesus had to pray alone. He knew that his death would happen soon. He felt very sad. His troubles felt like a cup of bad *wine that he had to drink. He even asked God the Father to save him from his troubles, if possible. But Jesus did not choose to do the things that he himself wanted. Jesus obeyed God his Father completely. So Jesus chose to do the things that God wanted.

Three times, Jesus came back to the *disciples. When he returned the last time, he did not again ask them to pray. There was no time for them to pray. Judas was coming. Bad men would take Jesus away.

Judas kisses Jesus

Verses 42-52

Men often kissed their friends. They kissed the side of the face. So it did not seem strange that Judas did this to Jesus. But Judas did not do this because he wanted to be friendly.

Judas had led many men into the garden. These men came from the important *priests. The men carried knives and heavy sticks. They had come to take Jesus away. Judas kissed Jesus so that the men would recognise Jesus.

Immediately, everyone became very confused. One *disciple tried to fight against the men. (It was Peter – see John 18:10.) Other *disciples were running away. One young man even left his clothes behind. People often say that this young man was Mark. But really, we do not know.

Jesus was the only person present who was not confused. He knew the things that would happen to him. He said that the men did not need to take him away by night. He taught all the people. He was not doing anything secretly.

But Jesus knew the things that the Bible said. And so these things had to happen.

Jesus and Caiaphas

Verses 52-59

The men led Jesus away. They reached the house of the most important *priest. This *priest was called Caiaphas.

Many important men came to the house. They had to decide what they would do to Jesus. They already knew that they wanted his death. But they had no proper reason to decide that. He had not done anything that was against the *law. He had not taught anything that the Bible does not teach. Everything that he did was completely good.

Some people gave reports about him. But their reports were not true. These people did not agree. So they argued with each other.

Other people said that Jesus had spoken about *God’s Great House. Mark says that their reports were not true. They were trying to cause trouble for Jesus. But they said things that were like Jesus’ words in John 2:19. Perhaps those people changed Jesus’ words so that they seemed to be bad words. These people did not agree also.

Caiaphas’s question

Verses 60-64

God’s *law says that people must never say bad things against God (Deuteronomy 5:11). People had died because they had done this (Leviticus 24:10-23).

Caiaphas and the other leaders wanted to say that Jesus had done this wrong thing. Then they would say that Jesus should die. But they had a problem. Nobody had ever heard Jesus say anything against God. There were some people who spoke against Jesus. Those people were saying things that were not true. But they did not agree with each other.

In the end, Caiaphas asked Jesus to reply to those people. But Jesus would not say anything.

Then Caiaphas asked Jesus whether he was the Christ. The word ‘Christ’ means the future king that God would send to save his people. Usually, the teachers called the Christ: ‘the son of David’. Jesus had taught that those words did not really show the importance of the Christ (Mark 12:35-37). But here, Caiaphas wanted everyone to remember the importance of the Christ. So Caiaphas called the Christ: ‘the son of God’. But Caiaphas did not use the word ‘God’. Instead, he used a word that means God. Caiaphas wanted everyone to know that he would only use God’s name in a proper way.

Jesus replied with a clear answer. He said that he was the Christ. And he told Caiaphas clearly about the Christ. Jesus, the Christ, would receive the most important place in *heaven. God would give authority and power to Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ will return to be the future king.

Caiaphas understood Jesus’ words. That is why Caiaphas tore his own clothes. People did that if they heard very bad words. They wanted everyone to know how sad or angry they were.

Caiaphas said that Jesus’ words were false. And if they were false, they were very bad words. They would be words that Jesus had spoken against God. So all the leaders agreed that Jesus should die.

We believe that Jesus’ words were true. He is the Christ. He already rules the lives of those people who believe him. And he will return to rule everyone.

The leaders should not have done these things. But we believe that these things had to happen. It was the only way for God to save his people. God *forgives us because Jesus died for us. We cannot save ourselves. We can only ask God to come into our lives. He saves us because of Jesus.

People hurt Jesus

Verse 65

People were cruel to Jesus. They hurt him. They covered his face. They showed that they did not want him to live. They asked him to speak God’s words. But they did not really believe that he ever spoke God’s words.

We too have done wrong things against Jesus. We did not hurt him. But we refused to believe him. We refused to let him into our lives. Like those men, we were against him.

The Bible said that this would happen (Isaiah 53:3). God let it happen so that Jesus would die on behalf of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6). But now we must ask God to come into our lives. Now, we must ask him to *forgive us.

Peter is afraid

Verses 66-72

Peter had promised to remain with Jesus. Peter had even said that he was not afraid to die with Jesus (Mark 14:29-31).

Peter tried to do the things that he had promised. He followed Jesus to Caiaphas’s house. And Peter sat with Caiaphas’s servants. There, people would tell him what was happening to Jesus.

But it was a dangerous place for Peter to be. People knew Peter. The girl soon recognised him. And when he spoke, people heard him. He spoke as someone from Galilee speaks.

Peter was very afraid. He tried to save himself. He forgot his promise. So he said that he did not know Jesus.

Peter said this three times. Then he heard the sound of a bird. (This may mean that he heard the soldiers. They made loud sounds at certain hours. They did this so that people would know the time during the night. This happened at the same time that the birds began to make sounds. So people called the soldiers’ alarm ‘the bird’s sound’.) This noise caused Peter to remember Jesus’ words in Mark 14:30. Jesus spoke those words earlier that same night. Since then, Peter had already said three times that he did not know Jesus.

And so Peter wept.

Mark tells us about the things that Peter did. Perhaps this is because Mark knew Peter well (1 Peter 5:13). But all the *disciples were doing the same things (Mark 14:27). They were all very afraid.

This book is in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).

Gospel ~ a book that tells about the things that Jesus did. And it includes some things that he taught. There are 4 Gospels in the Bible. They are the books by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
priest ~ a man who offered gifts to God on behalf of other people. The Jews had priests who worked in *God’s Great House.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
disciple ~ a student of a great teacher. Usually, the disciple travelled with his teacher and he worked for his teacher.
Passover ~ an important holiday for the Jews. They eat a special meal on this day every year. They remember that God took them away from Egypt. They were slaves in Egypt and Moses led them away.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
wine ~ a drink that people make from the fruit called grapes. It has alcohol in it.
shepherd ~ a person who works with sheep. He feeds them and he keeps them safe.
law ~ a country’s rules; the rules that God gave to Moses; one of these rules. The Jews had to obey the laws that God gave to Moses.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
heaven ~ God’s home.'forgive, forgave ~ not to remember wrong things that a person has done. God forgives us for the wrong things that we have done. He chooses to do this, but we must change our minds. We must ask him to come into our lives.

Mark’s Good News

Mark’s Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 14

The plot to kill Jesus 14:1-2

v1 It was two days before the *Passover and the *feast of *Unleavened Bread. The chief priests were looking for a way to arrest Jesus in secret. They wanted to kill him. v2 They said, ‘Not during the *feast. The people might cause trouble.’

Verse 1 The *Passover is a *feast. At that time, *Jews remember how God, by means of Moses, rescued the *Jewish people. He rescued them from Egypt, where they were slaves. It was on the 14th of the month of Nisan, which is about the middle of April. The *feast of *unleavened bread was once an agricultural *feast, when the barley harvest began. (Barley was a kind of corn.) But because it was from 15th-21st Nisan, the two *feasts joined to become one great *feast. *Jews came from all over the world to Jerusalem. The *Jewish writer Josephus estimated that as many as three million *Jews would be in the city for the *feast. Soldiers came from where they lived in Caesarea. They came in order to make sure that there was no trouble from an excited crowd. There were people who wanted freedom from Rome. It would be easy for them to begin to disturb the peace.

Verse 2 If the priests arrested Jesus in public, the crowd would be on his side. There would be trouble, and the *Romans would punish them. They might take away the power of the *Jewish leaders.

A woman *anoints Jesus 14:3-9

v3 Jesus was in Bethany. He was at the table in the house of Simon. Simon had a skin disease. A woman came with a jar of very expensive *perfume. It was called nard and it was pure. She broke the jar and she poured the *perfume over Jesus’ head. v4 Some of the people there became angry. They said to each other, ‘The *perfume should not have been wasted like this. v5 She could have sold this *perfume for more than a man’s wages for one year. Poor people could have received the money.’ So they blamed her. v6 But Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. Stop worrying her! She has done a beautiful thing to me. v7 You always have poor people among you. You can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. v8 She has done what she could. She poured *perfume on my body in order to prepare me for *burial. v9 What I tell you is true. People will remember what she has done. They will remember it, wherever people *preach the *gospel in the whole world.’

Verse 3 Simon would probably not have shared a meal if he still had a skin disease. Maybe he had recovered. Or perhaps Mark knew that he became ill later. Or perhaps it was in Simon’s house but he was not there. Mark does not say who the woman was. John says that it was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (John 12:1-3). It was usual for a host to pour a few drops of *perfume on the head of his guests. This woman had a special jar that contained very expensive *perfume. This pure *perfume came from India. She broke the jar. She did so as a sign that she was using all the *perfume. She wanted to show her love by giving as much as possible. Also, people who *anointed the body of a dead person left the broken pieces of jar in the rock grave.

Verses 4-5 The people who were there estimated the value of the *perfume as more than 300 denarii. A denarius was a coin that paid a man’s wages for a day. So, she was probably ‘wasting’ more than the wages for one year.

Verses 6-7 Jesus answered them with words from Deuteronomy (15:11). ‘You will always have poor people with you.’ They had plenty of opportunity to help poor people. But they did not have much more time to do anything for Jesus. Jesus did not mean that poor people must always be poor. Christians should work to remove the things that make people poor. And they should give generous help to those who are already poor.

Jesus said that the woman had done a good thing.

Verse 8 The *Jews *anointed kings. Samuel *anointed David (1 Samuel 16:13). Elisha sent a young man to *anoint Jehu (2 Kings 9:6). The word ‘*Messiah’ means ‘the *anointed man’. So the woman had shown by her action that Jesus was the *Messiah. He was the king that the *Jews had hoped for.

Jesus said that she had *anointed him before his *burial. Some women came to his grave in order to *anoint his body. But they could not do so. He had already risen from death (Mark 16:1-6).

Verse 9 Jesus knew that his *disciples would *preach the *gospel through the whole world. What the woman had done was good news in itself. She had shown that Jesus was king. He would be a king who would die. Her action also reminded Christians of the *resurrection that prevented the women from *anointing his body.

Judas plans to hand Jesus over 14:10-11

v10 Judas Iscariot was one of the 12 *apostles. He went to the chief priests in order to hand Jesus over to them. v11 They were pleased when they heard that. They promised to give him money. Judas looked for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to his enemies.

Verses 1-2 and 10-11 record the priests’ wish to kill Jesus and Judas’s plan to help them. The story of the woman who *anointed Jesus comes in between. Mark contrasts the generous love of the woman with the hate of Jesus’ enemies.

Verses 10-11 ‘One of the 12’ emphasises how wicked Judas’s action was. He should have been loyal to the Master who had chosen him specially. Jesus trusted him as a friend. Nobody knows why Judas agreed to help the priests. He would tell them where they could find Jesus away from the crowds.

Possible reasons why Judas agreed to help the priests are:

1 He may have wanted a lot of money. John says that Judas was in charge of the *disciples’ money. He used to steal small amounts for himself (John 12:6). Thirty (30) pieces of silver was not a large sum of money. But Judas may have expected a larger reward. He asked the priests what they would give him. (See Matthew 26:15.)

2 His name ‘Iscariot’ may mean ‘man from Kerioth’. Kerioth was in Judea. So, he was the only *apostle who did not come from Galilee. He was perhaps jealous of Peter, James and John. Only these three men had been with Jesus on some special occasions. Perhaps Judas thought that he deserved more honour. But Jesus had not given it to him.

3 He may have belonged to the ‘Eager Men’. They wanted to free the nation from *Roman rule by force. Judas was disappointed that Jesus was not going to establish a political *kingdom on earth. He was hoping for an important place in that *kingdom. His selfish ambition made him turn against Jesus. Perhaps he wanted to cause a situation that would force Jesus to show his power. Judas thought that he knew what Jesus should do. He thought that he knew better than Jesus.

4 Judas could see that soon Jesus would be in serious trouble. So he helped the priests in order to protect himself.

Preparations for the *Passover meal 14:12-16

v12 It was the first day of the *Feast of *Unleavened Bread. It was the time when the priests *sacrificed the young sheep for *Passover. Jesus’ *disciples said to him, ‘We will get ready for you to eat the *Passover. Where do you want us to do that?’ v13 So Jesus sent two of his *disciples. He told them, ‘Go into the city. A man who is carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him.’ v14 Wherever he goes into a house, say to the owner, “The Teacher says, ‘Where is my guest room? Where can I eat the *Passover with my *disciples?’ ” v15 He will show you a large upstairs room. It will be furnished and ready. Prepare for us to eat there.’ v16 The *disciples set out and they went into the city. They found things exactly as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the *Passover meal.

Verse 12 The first day of the *Feast of *Unleavened bread was on the 14th of the month called Nisan. *Jews had to remove every sign of *yeast from their houses. This was because the *Jews escaped from Egypt in a great hurry. They had no time to make bread with *yeast in it (Exodus 12:15-19). *Yeast makes bread rise. They killed the young sheep on 13th Nisan. A new *Jewish day began at 6 in the evening, after sunset. So 14th Nisan began at 6 in the evening on the 13th Nisan.

Verse 13 A man who was carrying a jar of water would be unusual. People who carried water had skin bottles. Women carried jars of water on their heads.

Verse 14 Jesus had made arrangements already. He probably wanted to prevent the authorities and Judas from knowing the place. He calls the room ‘my’ guest room.

Verse 15 An upstairs room would be suitable, because they could reach it by an outside stone staircase. We do not know the name of the owner. But the house may have belonged to Mary, the mother of John Mark. Her house was a meeting place for the *disciples after the *resurrection (Acts 12:12).

Verse 16 The *disciples were going to prepare the *Passover meal. They would need a young sheep that they had cooked in an oven. The young sheep reminded them of the young sheep that the people killed in Egypt. Its blood on the door-posts of the *Jews’ houses made the ‘*angel of death’ pass over. Therefore their first-born sons remained alive (Exodus 12:3-8). Special leaves that tasted bitter were necessary. These leaves reminded them how bitter their life had been as slaves in Egypt. They also had a mixture of fruit and nuts called ‘Charosheth’. This mixture was to remind them of the earth from which they had made bricks. Wine at different times in the meal was to remind them of the four promises that God had made (Exodus 6:6-7). ‘I will bring you out. I will free you from being slaves. I will pay the price for you. I will take you for my people.’

The Last Supper 14:17-26

v17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the 12 *disciples. v18 While they were eating at the table, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth. One of you who is eating with me will hand me over to my enemies.’ v19 The *disciples began to be sad. They said to Jesus, one after another, ‘Is it I?’ v20 Jesus replied, ‘It is one of the 12 *disciples. It is the man who puts his bread into the same dish with me. v21 The Son of Man will go exactly as *Scripture says about him. But how terrible it will be for that man who hands the Son of Man over to his enemies. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.’

v22 As they were eating, Jesus took bread and he gave thanks for it. He broke the bread and he said, ‘Take it. This is my body.’ v23 And he took a cup of wine. When he had given thanks, he gave it to them. They all drank from it. v24 Jesus said to them, ‘This is my blood of the new agreement between God and people, which I will pour out for many. v25 I tell you the truth. I shall not drink the fruit of the *vine again until I drink it in God’s *kingdom.’

v26 Then they sang a song to praise God. And they went out to the *Mount of *Olives.

Verse 18 To share a meal was a sign of friendship. To hand a friend over to his enemies is especially wicked. Jesus was probably thinking about the words of Psalms 41:9. ‘Even my close friend has turned against me. He was the man that I trusted. He shared my food.’

Verse 19 The *disciples did not suspect Judas. Their question to Jesus meant, ‘I am sure that you cannot mean me.’ They did not expect Jesus to say which *disciple he meant.

Verses 20-21 The words ‘one of the 12 *disciples’ emphasise again that Judas should have been a loyal friend. There was a dish that contained a mixture of fruit and nuts. People usually put their bread into it in order to eat it.

Jesus’ words were a last appeal to Judas to change his mind. Jesus was also warning him. The fate of the man who handed him over would be terrible. Jesus could have stopped Judas. If the other *disciples knew, they would have acted at once. They might even have killed Judas. But Jesus knew that his death on the *cross was in the plan of God. However, Judas was responsible for his actions. Nobody forced him to hand Jesus over to his enemies. Jesus knew what Judas planned. But that did not make Judas carry out his plan. To know that something will happen does not make it happen.

Verse 22 Jesus probably used the words of thanks that the head of a family would use before a meal. ‘Thanks be to you, *Lord our God, King of the World, who brings food from the earth.’ He broke the bread as a picture of the fact that he was going to give his life for them. He told them to ‘take it’. They were free to accept what Jesus would do for them by his death. God would forgive them because Jesus died.

Verse 23 They all drank from the same cup of wine as a sign of their unity. There were four cups of wine at the *Passover meal. Jesus probably used the last one, at the end of the meal. Paul says that Jesus took the cup ‘after supper’ (1 Corinthians 11:25).

Verse 24 Jesus said that the wine was the sign of his blood. He also said that he would pour it out. The old agreement was between God and the *Jewish nation. The *Jewish people had to obey God’s laws (Exodus 24:3-8). But the *Jewish people had spoilt that agreement with God. Jeremiah spoke about a new agreement (31:31-34). Men would want to obey God because of his love for them. The blood of an animal ‘signed’ the old agreement. When Jesus gave his life for men, he would have ‘signed’ the new agreement. It was ‘for many’. The old agreement had been between God and the *Jews. The new agreement was for everyone.

Verse 25 In the *Passover ceremony, *Jews gave thanks that God created ‘the fruit of the *vine’. Jesus used the picture language of the *Messiah’s splendid dinner. He would drink wine again when he shared in the joy of the new age of the *kingdom. So, his final words were words of hope. He knew that death was not the end.

Verse 26 The song was one of the Psalms that the *Jews used at *feasts. It may have been Psalms 118. They ‘went out’ from the safety of the upper room to the trouble in the world outside. Christians go out from their *worship to the world. In the world, they suffer troubles and *temptations.

Jesus warns Peter 14:27-31

v27 Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘You will all turn away from me, because it is in *scripture, “I will strike the man who looks after the sheep. So then the sheep will scatter.” v28 But after God has raised me up, I will go before you to Galilee.’ v29 Peter said to him, ‘Even if they all turn away from you, I will not.’ v30 Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you the truth. This same night, you will say three times that you do not know me. You will say it before the male chicken calls twice.’ v31 But Peter made a very strong protest. ‘I will not say that, even if I must die with you.’ And all the *disciples said the same.

Verse 27 The *Greek word that we have translated ‘turn away’ here and in verse 29 is ‘skandalizein’. It meant something that was like a trap to catch an animal. It would be easy for Jesus’ *disciples to lose their *faith in him. It could happen as easily as an animal falls into a trap. He used words from Zechariah (13:7). Sheep soon scatter when there is nobody to look after them.

Verse 28 Jesus would rise again after he died. He was confident about that. He said that he would ‘go before’ them to Galilee. In that country, a man who looked after sheep always went ahead of his sheep. Mark does not record that Jesus appeared to his *disciples in Galilee. But Matthew tells us that Jesus met them there (Matthew 28:10; Matthew 28:16). Jesus might also mean that in Galilee he would gather his scattered sheep together. He would still think of the *disciples as his ‘sheep’, even after they had disappointed him.

Verse 29 Peter felt confident that he would never leave Jesus. He did not realise that he would be in a situation of great danger. He believed that he was strong, like a rock. But he would be weak. It was easy to say that he would die with Jesus. But when the test came, he was afraid.

Verse 30 The male chicken, or ‘cock’, is a bird that calls very early in the morning. But this ‘cock’ might refer to the *Roman soldiers’ *trumpet. It sounded at the end of the third period while they were on guard during the night. That would be early morning, about 3 o’clock. Before the night was over, Peter would have failed to *keep his promise.

Verse 31 All the *disciples said the same as Peter. Perhaps Mark records Peter’s promise and failure in order to encourage Christians in Rome. He was writing when Peter was an important leader in the church. God and Christ had forgiven Peter and later, he *preached the *gospel with great courage. Other Christians might do wrong things. But they could know that God would forgive them too.

Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane 14:32-42

v32 Jesus and his *disciples went to a place called Gethsemane. Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ v33 He took with him Peter, James and John. He began to be afraid and in great mental pain. v34 He said to them, ‘I am very sad. I feel as if I could die. Stay here, and watch.’ v35 He went a little way on. He fell to the ground. He prayed that, if possible, the hour might pass from him. v36 He said, ‘*Abba, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. But let what you want happen; not what I want.’ v37 He returned to the *disciples and he found them asleep. He said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Surely you could watch for one hour. v38 Watch and pray. Then you will not fall into *sin when you are *tempted. The *spirit is willing, but the body is weak.’ v39 Jesus went away again and he prayed with the same words. v40 Then he came back and he found them asleep. They could not keep their eyes open. They did not know what to say to Jesus. v41 Jesus came back the third time. He said, ‘Go on sleeping now and rest! It is enough. The hour has come. They are about to hand over the Son of Man to wicked people. v42 Get up! Let us go now. Look! The man who is handing me over to my enemies has come.’

Verse 32 Gethsemane was a place where there were many *olive trees. The name means that there was equipment with which to squeeze the oil from the *olives. John said that Jesus often went there with his *disciples (John 18:2).

Verses 33-34 Jesus took his three closest friends with him. He was thinking about what would happen. He was completely human as he thought about it. He was still a fairly young man. He had seen people die on *crosses. And he knew how terribly they suffered. But he was willing to die in this painful way in order to obey his Father. He asked his friends to keep watching. He wanted them to stay awake.

Verse 35 ‘The hour’ meant the time of his death.

Verse 36 He said that ‘everything was possible’. He had *faith in the power of God. He used the *Aramaic word ‘*Abba’. Children used (and still use) this word to speak to their father. It describes a close *relationship between father and son. Christians can also call God ‘*Abba, my Father’, because they have become God’s children by means of *faith in Jesus (Romans 8:15).

‘This cup’ means ‘this pain and trouble’. See the note on 10:38-39. Probably the devil was *tempting Jesus to avoid pain and death. But he wanted to obey his Father.

Verses 37-38 Jesus spoke especially to Peter. He called him ‘Simon’ because he was not showing his character as Peter the Rock. Jesus said that they were willing to help him. But they had not been able to control their bodies. They were tired, and they did not understand Jesus’ great struggle against evil *spiritual powers.

Verses 39-41 Jesus was disappointed three times that his friends had not prayed with him and for him. Peter later denied three times that he knew Jesus. Perhaps he remembered then how he had failed to pray for strength three times.

‘It is enough’. The time for sleep had ended. Jesus was ready for those who would arrest him.

Verse 42 Jesus knew that Judas was near. And he knew that Judas was going to hand him over to his enemies.

The arrest 14:43-52

v43 Immediately, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the 12 *disciples, arrived. He had with him a crowd of people who were holding swords and heavy sticks. The chief priests, the *scribes and the other leaders had sent them. v44 The man who was handing Jesus over to his enemies had given them a sign. He said, ‘The man whom I kiss is the man. Arrest him and take him away. And guard him well.’ v45 When he arrived, immediately Judas went near to Jesus. He said, ‘Teacher’, and kissed him. v46 Then they seized Jesus and they held him. v47 One of the men who were standing near drew his sword. He struck the *chief priest’s servant, and he cut off the servant’s ear.

v48 Then Jesus said to them, ‘You have come out with swords and heavy sticks to seize me as if I were a thief. v49 I have been with you in the *Temple day after day. I was teaching there and you did not seize me. But let the *scriptures come true.’ v50 And the *disciples all left him and they ran away.

v51 A certain young man was following Jesus. He was wearing only a sheet. They seized him. v52 But he left the sheet, and he ran away naked.

Verse 43 It was terrible for Judas to hand Jesus over to his enemies. ‘One of the 12 *disciples’ again emphasises that. The *Sanhedrin sent soldiers with tools to fight with. It seems that they expected Jesus to oppose arrest. And perhaps they expected his *disciples to defend him. They thought that Jesus was trying to establish a political *kingdom. They thought that Jesus would try to gain that *kingdom by force.

Verses 44-45 It might have been difficult to identify Jesus in the dark among the trees. So, Judas had arranged to kiss Jesus, so that they would know the right person to arrest. He spoke to him as ‘Teacher’. People usually kissed a teacher. That showed that they respected him. But Judas did not give Jesus that sort of kiss. It was a kiss that normally showed great love.

Verse 47 It was Peter who attacked the servant. John tells us that. John also tells us that the servant’s name was Malchus (John 18:10). The *chief priest was Caiaphas (John 18:13). Luke tells us that Jesus cured the servant’s ear (Luke 22:51).

Verses 48-49 Jesus said that there had been plenty of opportunity to arrest him in the *Temple. They were trying to arrest him in secret, as if he were a thief. Jesus had once accused them of behaving like thieves (Mark 11:17). The *scriptures were coming true. Mark does not say which *scriptures of the *Old Testament they were. Jesus knew that his arrest was in the plan of God. He also said that the *disciples would leave him.

Verse 50 His words came true as they rushed away.

Verses 51-52 A young man avoided arrest and he ran away naked. The incident is only in Mark’s *Gospel. It is probable that Mark himself was the young man. His home in Jerusalem became a meeting place for *disciples (Acts 12:12). It is possible that the Last Supper was in his house. He had followed Jesus and the *disciples to the garden because he was curious. Judas did not return to the house before he led the crowd to Gethsemane. Otherwise, Mark might have tried to warn Jesus. But Mark had arrived too late.

Jesus in front of the *Sanhedrin 14:53-65

v53 They took Jesus away to the *chief priest. All the chief priests, *scribes and other leaders had gathered there with him. v54 Peter followed from a distance and he went into the place in front of the *chief priest’s house. He sat down there with the guards. He was keeping himself warm at the fire. v55 The chief priests and all of the *religious leaders were trying to find some evidence against Jesus. They wanted to be able to kill him. But they could not find any suitable evidence. v56 Many witnesses told lies about Jesus. But their stories did not agree with each other.

v57 Then some men stood up and they told this lie against Jesus. v58 ‘We heard him say, “I will destroy this *Temple that people have made with their hands. After three days, I will build another one, but I will not make it with hands.” ’ v59 But even they could not make their stories agree. v60 So the *chief priest himself stood up in front of them all. He asked Jesus, ‘Have you no answer to the evidence that these men bring against you?’ v61 But Jesus remained silent and he gave no answer. Again the *chief priest asked him, ‘Are you the *Messiah, the Son of the *Blessed Person?’ v62 Jesus said, ‘I am. And you will all see the Son of Man. He will be sitting on the right hand side of power. And you will see him when he comes in the clouds of the sky.’ v63 Then the *chief priest tore his clothes and he said, ‘We do not need any more witnesses. v64 You heard his evil words against God. What is your decision now?’ They all said that Jesus was guilty. He deserved to die. v65 Some of them began to send water very quickly out of their mouths over Jesus. They put something over his eyes so that he could not see. Then they hit him and they said, ‘*Prophesy! Who hit you?’ And the guards took him and they slapped his face.

Verse 53 There were 71 members of the *Sanhedrin. It was the chief *Jewish court with the power to deal with *religious matters. The Court broke many of the rules for giving a judgement. They were meeting in the *chief priest’s house. They should have met in a special hall in the *Temple area.

Verse 54 Peter had the courage to follow. He wanted to see what would happen to Jesus.

Verses 55-56 No one witness could prove that a man was guilty. Two or three witnesses had to agree with each other in every detail (Deuteronomy 17:6).

Verses 57-58 Some men then accused Jesus of saying that he would destroy the *Temple. Jesus had warned that people would destroy the *Temple (Mark 13:2). Perhaps they knew about that. They had changed words that John recorded: ‘If you destroy this *Temple ---’ (John 2:19-22). John realised that Jesus was speaking about his body. They might destroy the ‘*temple’ of his body, but he would rise again.

Verse 61 Jesus did not answer. He knew that any reply would be of no use. The leaders had already decided to kill him. He was like the servant in Isaiah’s poem, ‘He was like a sheep. A sheep is dumb with those who are cutting its wool. So he did not open his mouth’ (Isaiah 53:7).

The *chief priest’s question was not legal. He should not have asked Jesus to answer a question like that. The priest was very careful not to use the name of God. He said ‘the *Blessed Person’. But he was not obeying the rules of a fair court.

Verse 62 ‘I am’ was the name of God (Exodus 3:14). Jesus agreed that he was the *Messiah. He used words from Psalms 110:1 and Daniel 7:13. They would see his honour when he came with great light. Jesus was confident that he would win in the end.

Verse 63 The *chief priest said that Jesus had insulted God. He tore his special clothes as a sign of anger. He was showing that he did not agree with such ‘evil words against God’.

Verse 64 Because there was a death sentence, there should have been a night between the court’s decision and the punishment. Then there would be time for the members of the *Sanhedrin to change their minds about the sentence. But the *Romans killed Jesus on the same day, because the *Jews made false charges against him.

Verse 65 The guards insulted Jesus and they made fun of him as a false *prophet. They prevented him from seeing. Then they asked him to say who had hit him.

Peter denies Jesus 14:66-72

v66 Peter was below in the court yard. One of the *chief priest’s women servants came by. v67 She saw Peter as he was warming himself. She looked carefully at him and she said, ‘You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.’ v68 But Peter denied it. He said, ‘I do not know him. Neither do I understand what you are talking about.’ He went out to the entrance to the court yard. v69 The woman servant saw Peter there. She said again to the people who were standing about, ‘This man is one of them.’ v70 Again he said that he was not. After a little while, those who were standing near said to Peter, ‘You are certainly one of them. You are from Galilee.’ v71 Peter began to ask God to punish him if he was not speaking the truth. He used a most serious promise and he said, ‘I do not know this man that you are talking about!’ v72 Immediately, the male chicken called for the second time. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him, ‘This same night, you will say three times that you do not know me. You will say it before the male chicken calls twice.’ And when he thought about it, he wept.

Verses 66-68 The servant saw Peter as he sat by the fire. She was sure that she recognised him as a friend of Jesus. Some copies of Mark’s book add the words, ‘Just then the male chicken called’ after Peter denied Jesus for the first time. Peter moved away from the light of the fire so that he was not so noticeable.

Verses 69-70 The servant told other people that Peter was ‘one of them’. Then someone insisted that Peter certainly was a *disciple. He had a different accent, because he came from Galilee. His way of speaking showed that he followed Jesus. Jesus came from Galilee.

Verse 71 Peter was very frightened. He said that he did not know Jesus. He said it in the strongest way that he could. He asked God to punish him if he was not telling the truth. He said that he did not know ‘this man’.

Verse 72 The sound of the male chicken or of the *Roman *trumpet for the second time reminded Peter about Jesus’ words. He was so ashamed that he burst into tears. He had said that he would never stop being loyal to Jesus. He had failed. He wept because he was so sad. He was sad about his lack of courage to be loyal to Jesus as his Master.

Passover ~ the important day when Jews remember that God freed them. He freed them from being slaves in Egypt at the time of Moses.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
feast ~ a special meal; a religious ceremony.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
unleavened ~ without yeast.
yeast ~ people put yeast into flour and water to make bread; it makes the bread bigger while they are baking it. It spreads through all the bread, so Jesus compared it with other things that spread.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
unleavened ~ without yeast.
yeast ~ people put yeast into flour and water to make bread; it makes the bread bigger while they are baking it. It spreads through all the bread, so Jesus compared it with other things that spread.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
anoint ~ to mark a person with oil; sometimes it showed that God had chosen that person.
perfume ~ something that smells nice to put on the skin.
burial ~ when people put a dead body in a grave.
preach ~ to tell and explain the good news about Jesus to someone or to a group of people.
gospel ~ good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
Gospel ~ one of the first four books in the New Testament.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
disciples ~ people who follow someone in order to learn from him.
resurrection ~ when a dead person becomes alive again.
apostle ~ one of the 12 special men that Jesus sent out.
kingdom ~ people or place that a king rules; or people that God rules.
feast ~ a special meal; a religious ceremony.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
sacrifice ~ a gift to God to ask him to forgive sins; or to thank him for something. A gift to God, often an animal or bird, by the Jews to ask God to forgive their sins. Jesus gave himself to die as a sacrifice for our sins.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
yeast ~ people put yeast into flour and water to make bread; it makes the bread bigger while they are baking it. It spreads through all the bread, so Jesus compared it with other things that spread.
yeast ~ people put yeast into flour and water to make bread; it makes the bread bigger while they are baking it. It spreads through all the bread, so Jesus compared it with other things that spread.
angel ~ God’s special messenger.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
scriptures ~ the books in the Old Testament or in the Bible.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
vine ~ a plant that climbs. Its fruits are called grapes. People make wine from grapes.
mount ~ a short word for mountain; small mountain.
olive ~ a tree with small fruits (or the fruits themselves) that people use to make oil. They burned the oil to give them light. They used it in other ways too.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together in the shape of a cross. People put Jesus on a cross in order to kill him.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
temptation ~ something that tries to make us do wrong things.
scriptures ~ the books in the Old Testament or in the Bible.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
faith ~ belief in someone or something, or things that Christians believe about Jesus.
trumpet ~ musical instrument; you blow into a tube.'keep a promise ~ do what you have promised to do.
Abba ~ Aramaic word for father.
Aramaic ~ the language that the Jews spoke when Jesus was on earth.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.
tempt ~ to try to make someone do wrong things.
spirit ~ the part of a person who is alive that we cannot see. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his angels. And there are bad spirits, like Satan and his angels.
angel ~ God’s special messenger.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
olive ~ a tree with small fruits (or the fruits themselves) that people use to make oil. They burned the oil to give them light. They used it in other ways too.
Aramaic ~ the language that the Jews spoke when Jesus was on earth.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
relationship ~ people have a relationship when they are relatives or good friends; or when they live together.'spiritual, spiritually ~ about the part of us that never dies.
scribes ~ writers, especially the Jewish lawyers.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.

'chief priest ~ the most important priest in the Temple. The chief priest is often called the high priest.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Sanhedrin ~ the group of Jewish priests and other leaders.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
gospel ~ good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
Gospel ~ one of the first four books in the New Testament.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
blessed ~ happy or glad. We call people blessed if they have received good things. But when we call God blessed, it is a way to praise him.
prophesy ~ to tell about things that will happen in the future; to speak with the help of God (or of a false god); to speak on behalf of God (or of a false god).
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
prophet ~ a person who told people what God wanted.