Mark 14

Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a sly way to arrest Jesus and put him to death.

1After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.

NotePassover was the yearly festival that remembered Israel's escape from slavery in Egypt. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was the week attached to it, during which no bread made with yeast could be eaten; in ordinary speech the two ran together as one festival. Jerusalem swelled with pilgrims for it, which is why the authorities feared trouble. The "scribes" were the trained experts in the law of Moses, the men who copied, interpreted and taught it.

2But they said, "Not during the feast, or the people may riot."

2But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.

NoteThe worry is practical rather than moral: a crowd of festival pilgrims, many of them from Galilee and sympathetic to Jesus, could turn into a riot, and a riot would bring the Roman garrison down on everyone.

3Jesus was in Bethany, in the home of Simon the leper, lying at the table to eat. A woman came with a stone jar of costly perfume made of pure nard. She broke the jar open and poured the perfume on his head.

3And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.

NoteBethany was a village about two miles east of Jerusalem, over the shoulder of the Mount of Olives. "Simon the leper" is how he was known; the word covered a range of skin conditions, and since a person with an active case had to live apart from the community, a man hosting a dinner under that nickname had presumably been healed of it. Guests at a formal meal did not sit on chairs but lay on their left sides on low couches around a low table, feet away from the food, which is what the KJV's "sat at meat" describes. Alabaster is a soft, translucent stone; a flask of it was sealed at the neck, so the only way to use the contents at once was to snap it. Nard, or spikenard, was a perfumed oil pressed from a plant grown in the Himalayas and carried the whole way by trade, which is why it cost what it did.

4Some of the people there were angry about it and said to each other, "Why waste this perfume?

4And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?

5It could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they spoke harshly to her.

5For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

NoteA denarius was the standard day's pay for an ordinary laborer, so three hundred of them came to roughly a year's wages. The KJV's "pence" is simply the 1611 translators' nearest English coin, not a small sum.

6But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why are you giving her trouble? She has done a good thing for me.

6And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.

7You will always have the poor with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have me.

7For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.

NoteThe saying picks up the wording of Deuteronomy 15:11, "the poor shall never cease out of the land," which in that passage introduces a command to give openly and often.

8She did what she could. She has put perfume on my body ahead of time, to prepare it for burial.

8She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.

NoteBodies were washed and treated with perfumed oils and spices before burial, and the perfumes were normally applied after death rather than before it.

9I tell you the truth: wherever this good news is preached in the whole world, what she has done will also be told, so that she is remembered."

9Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

10Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the chief priests to hand Jesus over to them.

10And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.

Note"The twelve" was the fixed inner group of disciples Jesus had chosen, so the phrase is not counting heads but marking how close Judas stood. The verb behind the KJV's "betray" means plainly to hand over or deliver up, the same word used later for handing a prisoner to the authorities; the treachery is implied by the situation rather than carried by the word itself.

11They were glad to hear it and promised to give him money. So Judas began watching for a good chance to hand Jesus over.

11And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.

Note"Conveniently" in 1611 English meant at a fitting opportunity, not comfortably or easily. Judas is watching for a moment when Jesus is away from the crowds.

12On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the day the Passover lamb was killed, his disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and get the Passover meal ready for you?"

12And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?

NoteThe days are being counted in the Jewish way, from sunset to sunset. On the afternoon of the fourteenth day of the month, lambs were killed in the temple, and the Passover meal was eaten after dark, which by that reckoning had already become the next day. Mark's phrase folds the slaughter and the festival together the way ordinary speech did.

13So he sent two of his disciples and told them, "Go into the city. A man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him.

13And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.

NoteCarrying water in a jar was normally women's work, so a man doing it would stand out in a street and served as a workable signal.

14Wherever he goes in, say to the owner of that house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover meal with my disciples?'

14And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?

Note"Goodman of the house" is old English for the master or owner of the household. "The Master" here translates a word meaning teacher, the ordinary title for someone with disciples, not a title of lordship.

15He will show you a large upstairs room, furnished and ready. Get the meal ready for us there."

15And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.

NoteHouses of any size had a room built above the ground floor or on the flat roof, reached by an outside stair. "Furnished" means the dining couches and cushions were already laid out.

16The disciples left and went into the city. They found everything just as he had told them, and they got the Passover meal ready.

16And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.

17When evening came, Jesus arrived with the twelve.

17And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.

18While they were lying at the table eating, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth: one of you who is eating with me will hand me over."

18And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.

NoteEating from a shared table put people under an obligation of loyalty to one another, so "one of you which eateth with me" names the treachery as sharply as possible. The wording echoes Psalm 41:9, about a trusted friend who shared the psalmist's bread.

19They became sad, and one after another they said to him, "Surely not I?"

19And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?

NoteThe Greek way of asking the question is shaped to expect the answer no, which is why the rendering has "Surely not I?" rather than a flat "Is it I?"

20He answered them, "It is one of the twelve, the one dipping into the bowl with me.

20And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.

NoteA common bowl of sauce stood on the table and everyone dipped pieces of bread into it, so this identifies the man as someone eating at close quarters with Jesus rather than singling out one individual by name.

21The Son of Man is going away, just as the Scriptures say about him. But how terrible for the man who hands the Son of Man over! It would be better for that man if he had never been born."

21The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

Note"Son of man" is the phrase Jesus regularly uses of himself in Mark. In ordinary Hebrew and Aramaic it can simply mean a human being, but it also carries the vision of Daniel 7:13, where "one like the Son of man" comes with the clouds and is given authority; the expression keeps both senses in play. "Woe to that man" is not a curse laid on him but a cry of dismay over what lies ahead of him.

22While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave a blessing, and broke it. He gave it to them and said, "Take it, eat. This is my body."

22And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

NoteAt a Jewish meal the blessing is spoken over God, not over the food: the head of the table thanks God for bringing bread out of the earth, then breaks the loaf and distributes it. Bread was torn rather than cut.

23Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

23And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

NoteWine was drunk from a shared cup passed around the table; several cups were drunk in the course of the Passover meal.

24He said to them, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.

24And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

NoteThe KJV's "testament" is the older English word for covenant, a binding agreement, and does not mean a will. The phrase recalls Exodus 24:8, where Moses throws blood on the people and says, "Behold the blood of the covenant." Some early manuscripts read simply "my blood of the covenant" without "new."

25I tell you the truth: I will not drink the fruit of the vine again until the day I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

25Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

Note"The fruit of the vine" is the set phrase from the Jewish blessing spoken over wine, so it means the wine on the table in front of them.

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

26And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

NoteThe hymn would have been the last part of the Hallel, Psalms 113 to 118, sung at the close of the Passover meal. The Mount of Olives is the ridge just east of Jerusalem, across the Kidron valley from the temple.

27Jesus said to them, "Tonight you will all fall away and leave me. For the Scriptures say, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'

27And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.

Note"Offended" in the KJV does not mean insulted. The Greek word means to be tripped up, to stumble and fall away, and that is the sense here. The quotation is from Zechariah 13:7.

28But after I am raised to life, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."

28But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.

NoteThe verb translated "go before you" can mean either to travel ahead of them or to lead them as a shepherd leads a flock, and after the shepherd image in the previous verse both senses are probably in play.

29But Peter said to him, "Even if everyone else falls away, I will not."

29But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.

30Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth: today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you do not know me."

30And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

NoteThe KJV's "cock" is a rooster. Cockcrow was also a rough way of naming a time of night, the small hours before dawn, so the prediction marks both an event and an hour. "Deny" here means to disown, to publicly say you have nothing to do with someone.

31But Peter insisted even more strongly, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never say I do not know you." And all the others said the same thing.

31But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.

32They came to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."

32And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

NoteGethsemane is an Aramaic name meaning something like oil press, fitting for a plot of ground among olive trees on the Mount of Olives.

33He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply shaken and troubled.

33And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;

Note"Sore amazed" and "very heavy" are strong old expressions, not mild ones. The first Greek word describes being stunned or appalled, the second a distress close to anguish; together they are the heaviest such pair Mark uses anywhere.

34He said to them, "My soul is so full of sorrow that I feel I could die. Stay here and keep watch."

34And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.

NoteThe wording echoes the refrain of Psalms 42 and 43, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" "Tarry" means stay, and "watch" means stay awake and alert, the way a guard keeps watch at night.

35He went forward a little, fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him by.

35And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

Note"The hour" is an idiom for the appointed moment, the crisis already fixed and now arriving, rather than sixty minutes of time.

36He said, "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want."

36And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Note"Abba" is the Aramaic word for father, the word actually on his lips, which Mark keeps and then translates for his Greek readers. It was ordinary family speech, used by grown children as well as small ones. "This cup" draws on a common image in the Hebrew scriptures, where the cup a person is handed stands for the portion allotted to them, often a portion of suffering or judgment.

37He came back and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?

37And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

38Keep watch and pray, so that you do not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

38Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

Note"Ready" in 1611 English means willing or eager. "Flesh" here means human beings in their ordinary physical weakness, not sinful appetite. The word behind "temptation" means a test or trial as much as an enticement to do wrong, and both senses fit.

39He went away again and prayed, saying the same words.

39And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.

40When he came back, he found them asleep again, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

40And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.

Note"Wist" is the old past tense of a verb meaning to know: they did not know what to say to him.

41He came a third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough. The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is being handed over to sinners.

41And 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.

NoteThis verse is hard in the Greek. The opening words can be read as a command, "sleep on now," or as a question, "are you still sleeping?", and translators differ. The phrase rendered "it is enough" translates a single word whose sense here is genuinely disputed; it can mean the account is settled, or the matter is closed, or simply enough of this.

42Get up, let us go. Look, the man who is handing me over is here."

42Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.

43Right away, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd carrying swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.

43And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

Note"Staves" are wooden clubs. The three groups named, chief priests, scribes and elders, were the составные parts of the ruling council in Jerusalem, so this is an official arresting party rather than a mob.

44The man who was betraying him had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him and lead him away under guard."

44And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely.

NoteA kiss on the cheek or hand was the normal respectful greeting from a disciple to his teacher, which is what makes it usable as a signal: nothing about it would look out of place. "Lead him away safely" means under secure guard, so that he cannot be rescued in the dark.

45As soon as he arrived, he went straight to Jesus and said, "Teacher, Teacher," and kissed him.

45And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.

NoteThe KJV's "Master, master" translates the Aramaic title Rabbi, the ordinary form of address for a teacher.

46Then the men grabbed Jesus and arrested him.

46And they laid their hands on him, and took him.

47One of those standing nearby drew a sword, struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his ear.

47And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

NoteMark does not say who drew the sword, and the high priest's "servant" here is a member of his household staff rather than a hired laborer.

48Jesus said to them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me, as if I were a robber?

48And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?

NoteThe KJV's "thief" is misleading. The Greek word means a robber or armed bandit, and in this period it was also used for insurgents who fought the Romans, so the complaint is that they have turned out in force as if against a violent outlaw.

49Day after day I was with you in the temple, teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this is happening so that the Scriptures come true."

49I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.

NoteThe teaching took place in the temple's outer courts, which were open public ground where teachers gathered listeners; arresting him there would have been done in full view.

50Then all of them left him and ran away.

50And they all forsook him, and fled.

51A young man was following Jesus, wearing only a linen cloth around his bare body. The men grabbed hold of him,

51And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:

NoteThe linen cloth is a single outer wrap thrown over an otherwise unclothed body, the sort of thing a man would grab if he came out at night in a hurry. Mark alone reports this incident and does not name the young man.

52but he slipped out of the linen cloth and ran away naked.

52And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.

53They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes came together there.

53And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.

NoteThe high priest was the senior priestly official, head of the temple and president of the ruling council, holding office with Roman approval.

54Peter followed at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest's house. He sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

54And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.

NoteThe KJV's "palace" here means the open courtyard that a large house was built around, not a grand building; Peter is outdoors at a fire in the middle of the house. The "servants" are the officers or guards attached to the high priest.

55The chief priests and the whole council were looking for evidence against Jesus so they could put him to death, but they found none.

55And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.

NoteThe "council" is the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish court in Jerusalem, made up of chief priests, elders and scribes under the high priest's presidency.

56Many people gave false testimony against him, but their statements did not agree with each other.

56For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.

NoteUnder the law of Deuteronomy 19:15 a charge had to be established by at least two witnesses, and if their accounts did not match, the testimony failed. The problem is not that the witnesses lied but that their lies did not line up.

57Then some men stood up and gave this false testimony against him:

57And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,

58"We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple that human hands made, and in three days I will build another one, not made by hands.'"

58We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

Note"Made with hands" and "made without hands" were stock Jewish expressions contrasting what human beings construct, including idols, with what God brings about. Applied to the temple, the phrase was inflammatory.

59But even on this point their testimony did not agree.

59But neither so did their witness agree together.

60So the high priest stood up in front of them all and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer? What is this that these men are saying against you?"

60And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

61But Jesus stayed silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"

61But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

Note"Held his peace" simply means stayed silent. "Christ" is the Greek for the Hebrew word Messiah, the anointed one, the king expected from David's line. "The Blessed" is a reverent substitute for the name of God, which was avoided in speech, so the question means "are you the Messiah, the Son of God?"

62Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

62And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Note"Power" is another reverent substitute for the name of God. The answer combines two scriptures, Psalm 110:1 about sitting at God's right hand, and Daniel 7:13 about one like a son of man coming with the clouds. A few manuscripts read "You say that I am" rather than the plain "I am."

63At this the high priest tore his own clothes and said, "Why do we need any more witnesses?

63Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?

NoteTearing one's own garments was a formal public gesture of grief or horror, and here it functions almost as a legal act, the presiding judge registering that he has heard something outrageous. The KJV's "rent" is the old past tense of tear.

64You have heard him insult God. What is your decision?" And they all judged him guilty and deserving of death.

64Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

NoteBlasphemy meant speech that insulted or usurped God, an offense the law of Leviticus 24:16 punished with death. "Guilty of death" in 1611 English means deserving of death, a verdict rather than an execution.

65Some of them began to spit on him. They covered his face, hit him with their fists, and said to him, "Prophesy!" And the guards took him and slapped him.

65And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

NoteCovering the face and then demanding "Prophesy" makes a game of it: the blindfolded man is struck and challenged to name who hit him. "Buffet" means to strike with the fist, and the blows "with the palms of their hands" are open-handed slaps, the standard insult to a person's face.

66Peter was below in the courtyard, and one of the high priest's servant girls came by.

66And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:

NoteThe house was built around a courtyard lower than the rooms surrounding it, so the girl comes down to where Peter is. The "maids" are household servant girls, most likely slaves, and their word carried no legal weight, which sharpens the scene.

67When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him and said, "You were with Jesus of Nazareth too."

67And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.

68But he denied it. "I do not know or understand what you are talking about," he said. Then he went out to the entryway, and a rooster crowed.

68But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.

NoteThe "porch" is the covered passage or gateway leading from the courtyard out to the street, where Peter could stand near the exit. Some early manuscripts do not include "and the cock crew" here.

69The servant girl saw him there and again said to the people standing nearby, "This man is one of them."

69And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.

70Again he denied it. A little later the people standing there said to Peter again, "You certainly are one of them, for you are a Galilean, and your way of speaking shows it."

70And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.

NoteGalilean Aramaic had a distinct accent, and Galileans were said to blur certain throat sounds, so a northerner in Jerusalem gave himself away the moment he spoke.

71But he began to call down curses on himself and to swear, "I do not know this man you are talking about!"

71But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.

NoteThis is not swearing in the modern sense of foul language. Peter calls down curses on himself and swears an oath, the strongest form of denial available: he is inviting disaster on himself if he is lying.

72Right then the rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him: "Before the rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you do not know me." And when he thought about it, he broke down and wept.

72And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

NoteThe word behind the KJV's "when he thought thereon" is uncertain in Greek. It can mean he thought about it, or he threw himself down, or he burst out, and translators have to choose; the rendering keeps the sense of a man overcome.