Mark 14
1 It was two days before Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread,a and the lead priests and Bible scholars were looking for a way they could arrest Jesusb connivingly and kill him. 2 They said, “Not during the feast so there won’t be an uproar among the people.”
3 While Jesusc was in Bethany at the house of Simeon,d the one who had leprosy, reclining at a meal,e a woman came holding an alabaster jar of expensive ointment perfumed with genuine nard,f and after breaking open the jar, she poured it over his head. 4 Some of the people who were there expressed indignation to each other, “What was the point of wasting expensive ointment? 5 That ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denariig and it been given to people experiencing poverty!” So they confronted her.
6 However, Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you harassing her? That was a beautiful thing she did for me.h 7 You see, you always have people experiencing poverty among you, and you are able to do generous things for them whenever you want, but you don’t always have me. 8 She used what she had. She used it to anoint my body as preparation for burial. 9 Honestly, I’m telling you, wherever the triumphant messagei is announced throughout the whole world, what she did will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
10 Judah,j “the Man of Kerioth,”k the one who was among the Twelve, went to the lead priests to hand him over to them. 11 When they heard that, they were overjoyed and promised to give him money, and he began looking for an opportunity to hand him over.
12 On the first day of the feast, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’l students said to him, “When we go, where do you want us to prepare to eat the Passover meal?”
13 He sent two of his students and told them, “Go into the city, and someone will meet you carrying a water jar; follow them. 14 Wherever they enter, say to the managerm of the house that the teacher says, ‘Where is the guest room for me where I can eat the Passover meal with my students?’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. You can get everything ready for us there. 16 The students left and went into the city and found it just as he told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Honestly, I’m telling you that one of you will hand me over, one of you eating with me.
19 They started getting upset and saying to him, one-by-one, “Certainly not I?”
20 “It’s one of the Twelve,” he told them, “Someone who dips into the bowl with me. 21 Although, the Son of Humanity is going just like it is written about him, yet still how hard it will be on that person because of whom the Son of Humanity is handed over! It would be preferable for that person not to have been born.”
22 While they were eating, Jesusn took bread, and after speaking praise,o he broke it and gave it to the others.
“Take it,” he said. “This is my body.”
23 Then, taking a cup and, after giving thanks,p he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24 “This is my blood of the covenant,” he said, “poured out lavishly for the sake of many. 25 Honestly, I’m telling you that I absolutely will not drink anymore from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new during God’s Reign.”
26 After singing praise, they went to the Mount of Olives.
27 “You will all be tripped up,”q Jesus told them, “as it is written,
I will strike the shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered.r
28 However, after I’m raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
29 “Even if they are all tripped up,” Peter reacted to him, “I won’t be!”
30 “Honestly,” Jesus said to him, “I’m telling you that today—this very night—before the rooster even crows twice, you will disowns me three times.”
31 Peter repeatedly insisted, “Even if I bind myself to you to die together, I will absolutely not disown you.” They others also all said the same.
32 Then they went to a place by the name of Gethsemane, and Jesust said to his students, “Sit here until I’ve prayed.” 33 He brought along Peter, Jacob,u and John and began to be terrified and distressed. 34 He told them, “My very being is distressed to the point of death. Stay here and stay alert.”
35 After going a short distance, he sank to the ground and prayed that if it were possible, the hour would pass him by, 36 and he said, “Abba (‘Father’), all things are possible for you; remove this cupv from me. However, not what I want but what you want.”
37 Then he went and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simeon,w you’re sleeping? You didn’t have the strength to stay alert for one hour? 38 Stay alert and prayx so that you won’t come to trial. Though the Life-breath is willing, the body is fatigued.” 39 After leaving again, he prayed the same thing he had spoken before. 40 And again, when he went back, he found them sleeping because their eyes were heavy; they didn’t know what to say. 41 He went a third time and said, “You’re still sleeping and resting! Enough! It’s time. Look, the Son of Humanity is being handed over into the hands of those who deviate. 42 Get up, let’s go. Look, the one handing me over is approaching.”
43 Straightaway, while he was still speaking, Judahy showed up—the one who was one of the Twelve—and a crowd armed with swords and clubs was with him, sent by the lead priests, Bible scholars, and elders. 44 (The one handing him over had established a signal for them, saying, “The one I kissz is him. Arrest him and take him away securely.”)
45 When Judahaa arrived, straightaway, he went up to Jesusbb and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him repeatedly.cc 46 The crowddd rushed to lay hands on him, and they arrested him. 47 Someone who was standing nearby drew their sword and struck the worker enslaved to the high priest and removed his ear.
48 Jesus responded and said to them, “Have you come out here with swords and clubs to take me prisoner like you would an insurrectionist?ee 49 Each day, I was with you at the sacred grounds teaching, and you didn’t arrest me. However, the result is that the scriptures are fully lived out.”ff
50 Leaving him, everyone fled. 51 Some young man followed along with him, wrapped only in a linen cloth, and they seized him, 52 but abandoning the cloth, he fled naked.
53 They took Jesus away to the high priest, and all the lead priests, elders, and Bible scholars came together. 54 Peter followed him at a distance until he was inside the high priest’s courtyard, where he was sitting with the servants and warming himself by the fire.
55 The lead priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus for putting him to death, but they didn’t find any. 56 You see, though many people were giving false testimony against him, their testimonies were not consistent. 57 Some who stood up were falsely testifying against him, saying, 58 “We heard him saying, ‘I will tear apart this temple made with hands, and I will build another one not made with hands in three days.’” 59 However, even about this their testimony was not consistent.
60 The high priest stood up in the center and demanded of Jesus, “Are you not going to give an answer? What are they testifying against you?” 61 But he was silent and did not respond to anything.
Again, the high priest demanded of him, “Are you the meshiah, the son of one who is praised?”gg
62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Humanity sitting at the right handhh of Powerii and coming with the clouds of the sky.”jj
63 The high priest, tearing his clothes, said, “Do we still need witnesses? 64 You heard the disrespect!kk What is made clearll for you?” They all decided against him as being deserving of death.
65 Then some people began to spit on him and put a cover over his face and beat him with their fists, saying, “Prophesy!” The attendants held him while theymm beat him.
66 Peter was below in the courtyard when one of the little girls enslaved to the high priest arrived. 67 Seeing Peter warming himself, after looking right at him, she said to him, “You were also with the Nazarene, Jesus.”
68 But he denied it, “I don’t know or even understand what you’re saying!” He went outside to the gateway of the courtyard, and a rooster crowed.
69 The little girl, seeing him, started to say again to people standing nearby, “This person is one of them.” 70 Again, he denied it. A little while later, the people standing nearby again said to Peter, “You really are one of them because you’re also Galilean.”
71 He began to cursenn and swear,oo “I don’t know this person you’re talking about!” 72 Straightaway, a rooster crowed a second time. Peter was reminded of what Jesus had said to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will disown me three times,” and after falling to the ground, he wept.
FOOTNOTES:
a Called Hag HaMatzot in Hebrew
b Literally, ‘him’
c Literally, ‘he’
d Traditionally, ‘Simon’
e The custom was to recline on cushions next to a table with feet pointed away from the table. People did not sit in chairs like modern westerners do.
f A fragrant plant from the region of the Himalayas
g A denarius was the wage for a day’s labor. If estimated at $15/hour for an 8-hour workday, then 300 denarii would be approximately $36,000 dollars.
h More literally, ‘the action she enacted regarding me was admirable/kind/generous.’
i Traditionally, ‘gospel’ or ‘good news.’ The word ‘gospel’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, which means ‘good story.’ The Greek euangelion literally means ‘good message’ and was used specifically of a message announced publicly, which fits the use of the word ‘news.’ The historical context comes from when rulers and military leaders returned to a city after victory in battle, and a herald would be sent ahead to announce the victory and the ruler’s impending arrival. The writers of the Bible took this word and applied it to Jesus’ victory of a different kind. The use of “triumphant message’ here is intended to communicate the full meaning of the word in context and not the narrow dictionary definition.
j Traditionally, ‘Judas’
k Traditionally, ‘Iscariot.’ It was likely not his name, however. It means ‘men of Kerioth’ which was a city of Moab that was condemned for its actions against Israel, and it was likely used as a label regarding his betrayal of Jesus. See Jeremiah 48:21-47 (especially verses 21-27).
l Literally, ‘his’
m Or ‘owner’
n Literally, ‘he’
o This is not the wording for ‘gave thanks’ used in Mark 8:6 or 14:23. It is the word for speaking praise or well-wishes, just like in Mark 6:41.
p This is the word for ‘giving thanks,’ not ‘speaking praise. It matches Mark 8:6.
q Traditionally, ‘fall away’ or ‘stumble’ or ‘be offended.’ The word literally means to have one’s foot caught in a snare. It is part of the family of images related to walking a path.
r Quotation of Zechariah 13:7
s Traditionally, ‘deny.’ It could also be translated as ‘reject’ or ‘disavow.’
t Literally, ‘he’
u Traditionally, ‘James’
v The reference to a cup is connected to imagery found in Psalm 11:6, Psalm 75:8-9, and Isaiah 51:17, 19, 22.
w Traditionally, ‘Simon’
x The instances of ‘you’ in verse 37 are singular, directed to Peter. The verbs for ‘stay alert and pray’ in verse 38 are plural, addressing all three.
y Traditionally, ‘Judas’
z This word is phileo, which can mean to feel or show affection, to feel attached to someone, or to care for them. It can refer to a kiss specifically, but also many other forms of connection.
aa Literally, ‘he’
bb Literally, ‘him’
cc Or ‘affectionately’ or ‘tenderly’
dd Literally, ‘they’
ee Or ‘usurper’ or ‘revolutionary’
ff Traditionally, ‘fulfilled.’
gg “The one who is praised” seems to be David in this question, referring to Psalm 118:26, which is also cited in Mark 11:9-10
hh Reference to Psalm 110:1
ii This word literally means ‘power’ or ‘ability’ or ‘authority’ or other related words. It seems to be used here in place of referring to God directly, as was often the customary practice of the time, though it is common to use ‘God’ throughout the book of Mark.
jj Reference to Daniel 7:13
kk Traditionally, ‘blasphemy,’ though the word blasphemeo was not specifically a religious word and simply meant slander or any speak that seemed to disrespect or belittle someone. In this instance, it actually seems to be disrespectful not toward God but toward Caesar.
ll Traditionally translated in a variety of ways, this word literally means ‘to shine light on,’ typically within a context of being more easily seen.
mm “They” seems to be referring to some of the members of the Sanhedrin.
nn This is not ‘curse’ as in cast a spell, nor is it ‘curse’ as in say bad words. When the bible uses ‘curse’ it’s about speaking ill-wishes against someone. It seems he is muttering or shouting ill wishes at the people who won’t leave him alone. He fully lost his temper.
oo Similarly to the note on ‘curse,’ this is not about saying bad words. He is swearing an oath meant to promise them, convince them he’s not lying, which of course, he is.