Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

14:1 The reference to the upcoming Passover feast renders a sense of urgency to the plan of Jesus' opponents. Their efforts to capture him by stealth would circumvent the protective popularity of Jesus (cf. 11:18; 12:12; Luke 22:6).

14:3-4 Bethany. See note on Matt. 21:17. The aromatic and pure nard oil is extracted from an Indian or Arabian root. The sale of such costly oil would have yielded more than 300 days' wages of a laborer. Some disciples are indignant over such "waste" (but see John 12:4-6). This story is also reported in Matt. 26:6-13 and in John 12:1-8, where the woman is identified as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. The story in Luke 7:36-50 is a different event, occurring at a different time in Jesus' ministry, with a different woman, different actions, different critics, and a different response from Jesus.

14:6-9 Jesus describes the woman's action (v. 3) as beautiful, since she anointed his body beforehand for burial. Thus Jesus again predicts his death (see note on 10:32-45). you always have the poor with you. See note on Matt. 26:8-12. Jesus speaks realistically about the poor: the disciples are encouraged to do good for the poor, without encouraging the utopian dream of being able to completely eradicate poverty in this age (cf. Deut. 15:11). The inclusion of this story in the written Gospels fulfills Jesus' prediction that the story would be told wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world.

14:10 The Jewish authorities had issued orders seeking the (inconspicuous) arrest of Jesus (John 11:57). Judas Iscariot could help them because he was one of the Twelve and would be able to tell them where Jesus could be found (fulfilling Ps. 41:9) when there were no crowds present. Judas is to identify Jesus to his opponents by night. Without modern lighting systems, finding and identifying someone at night would be a difficult task.

14:11 Mark, like Luke (Luke 22:5), is more general in his report and simply says Judas was given money in exchange for betraying Jesus, but Matthew records the exact amount: "thirty pieces of silver" (Matt. 26:15). In the OT, this was the price of a slave accidentally gored to death by an ox (Ex. 21:32), probably equivalent to about four months' wages. See note on Luke 22:3.

14:12 The first day of Unleavened Bread (Ex. 12:15, 18) could refer either to Nisan 14 or Nisan 15 according to Jewish reckoning in the NT era, and Passover lambs were apparently killed on both days, but here Mark is referring to Nisan 14 (Thursday). (Nisan usually falls somewhere in March/April in the Gregorian calendar; cf. note on Matt. 26:17; and The Hebrew Calendar.) The Passover lamb is to be eaten within the walls of Jerusalem. Preparations for the meal have to be made inconspicuously, as Jesus is already a marked target.

14:13 a man carrying a jar of water. See note on Luke 22:7-13.

14:16 just as he had told them. Jesus had either made prior arrangements with friends in Jerusalem in order to avoid the Jewish authorities, or the encounter was a miraculous work of God. the Passover. On the significance of this Passover meal, see note on Luke 22:15.

14:17 After sunset, with the beginning of Nisan 15 (see note on v. 12), the Passover meal begins. The celebrants remember the beginning of Israel's deliverance from slavery, when the Lord brought judgment by killing the firstborn in every Egyptian house but "passed over" the Israelite houses where the blood of the Passover lamb had been applied (Ex. 12:7, 12-13, 22-28). Those who celebrate the Passover also look forward to the ultimate liberation (Ex. 12:42; cf. note on John 2:13). From now on, Jesus' blood will protect from judgment those who take refuge in him (1 Cor. 5:7).

14:18 reclining at table. See note on Matt. 26:20. Despite intimate fellowship, Judas will betray his master (Ps. 41:9).

14:21 Jesus confirms that the Son of Man goes as it is written (cf. Ps. 55:13-14; Isa. 53:1-12; Dan. 9:25-26; Mark 8:31). but woe to that man. Despite the fact that the Scriptures have predicted that Jesus would suffer a substitutionary death, Judas is responsible for his evil deed. This is one of many scriptures that simultaneously affirm God's sovereign ordering of events and also human responsibility for those events (see notes on Gen. 50:18-21; Acts 2:23; 4:28; 18:9-11; 27:30; 2 Tim. 2:10).

14:22 Jesus declares this is my body while he is still in his body, thus establishing a particular connection with bread as representing his own, once-and-for-all sacrifice. On the differing views regarding the significance of the communion elements, see notes on Luke 22:19 and 1 Cor. 11:24.

14:23-24 he took a cup. See note on Matt. 26:27. The communion wine corresponds to the covenant-establishing, once-and-for-all shed blood of Jesus as atonement for many (Mark 10:45; cf. Ex. 24:8; Isa. 53:12; Jer. 31:31-34).

14:25 that day when I drink it new. Jesus is confident that his impending death does not jeopardize his celebration (as exalted Lord of David; cf. 12:35-37; Ps. 110:1, 5) in the future kingdom of God.

14:26 hymn. See note on Matt. 26:30. went out to the Mount of Olives. Passover celebrants were to remain in Jerusalem for this night (Deut. 16:7); therefore Jesus did not return to Bethany.

14:27-28 You will all fall away. Jesus interprets the impending desertion by all of his disciples (v. 50; cf. John 16:32) in light of Zech. 13:7 (strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; cf. Mark 6:34). The striking of the shepherd, who "stands next to" God (Zech. 13:7), occurs in order to purify the people (Zech. 13:1, 7, 9). Jesus is confident that, following this dispersion, he will once again gather his flock (after I am raised up; see Mark 16:7). It is unclear why Jesus chooses Galilee as the place for this post-resurrection gathering--perhaps it is to draw the disciples' attention away from expecting a revolutionary event in Jerusalem (cf. Acts 1:6). At any rate, the disciples would naturally return to their home region of Galilee.

14:30 before the rooster crows twice. Each morning, roosters would crow a number of times separated by a few minutes. Jesus here specifies the first two individual crowings (cf. v. 72). Matthew, Luke, and John, however, refer to the entire time of several crowings.

14:31 I will not deny you. . . . they all said the same. See note on Matt. 26:33-35.

14:32 On Gethsemane, see note on Matt. 26:36. while I pray. Jesus prays, aware of his impending arrest and the weight of bearing the judgment of God (Mark 10:38).

14:36 The cup is a metaphor for the wrath of God, which he would pour out on sinners in righteous judgment (see note on 10:38; also Isa. 51:17-23; Jer. 25:15-18; and notes on Luke 22:42; John 18:11; Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2). Since Jesus satisfies God's wrath by becoming a propitiation for sin (see note on Rom. 3:25), the continued passing of the cup to the disciples (Mark 10:38-39: "The cup that I drink you will drink") turns judgment on Jesus into purification for them. In this intense time of trial, Jesus entrusts himself into the personal hands of his Father. On the word Abba, see note on Matt. 6:9.

14:37 Jesus is totally forsaken; his disciples are sleeping (contrast this with Peter's statement in v. 29). Could you not watch? Despite his own suffering, Jesus still calls his disciples to trusting prayer and watchfulness in the midst of temptation (cf. vv. 50-52, 66-72).

14:38 The spirit indeed is willing is not a reference to the Holy Spirit but to the disciples' human spirits, which desired to follow Jesus and be faithful (see v. 31). But they quickly gave in to physical fatigue: the flesh is weak. Well-intentioned believers can easily fail to fulfill their calling by merely giving in to various physical needs or desires.

14:39 Saying the same words does not mean the "empty phrases" that Jesus had taught against (Matt. 6:7); this was earnest repetition expressing the deep longing of his heart (for repetition in prayer, cf. Ps. 136:1-26; Isa. 6:3; 2 Cor. 12:8; Rev. 4:8).

14:41 It is enough may mean (1) enough prayer and wrestling with God--it is settled, and Jesus is going to the cross; (2) enough time--the end has come; or (3) enough sleep--it is time for the disciples to awake. The hour refers here to the time of Jesus' death and of his bearing divine judgment (as in vv. 35-36). This is also the time of his being given into the hands of sinners (cf. 9:31). Jesus accepts the reality of his coming death (cf. 10:45; Isa. 53:1-12).

14:43-46 Armed temple officials, employed by the Jewish leaders, arrest Jesus (vv. 46, 53). As a traitor, Judas misuses familiar actions of respect and friendship: he calls Jesus Rabbi and greets him with a kiss. Though it is dark, Judas knows Jesus well enough to pick him out from the group.

14:47 cut off his ear. See note on John 18:10.

14:50 they all left him. See note on vv. 27-28.

14:52 he left the linen cloth. This incident is recorded only in Mark's Gospel, leading many commentators to think that Mark himself, the author of this Gospel, was this young man, but that out of modesty he did not include his own name.

14:53 Before daybreak on Friday, Nisan 15, Jesus is brought before the high priest Caiaphas (see notes on Matt. 26:57-58; John 18:24) and the Sanhedrin (consisting of prominent Sadducees and Pharisees; see note on Matt. 26:59) for prosecution.

14:56 their testimony did not agree. The testimony of the many witnesses is contradictory (cf. Ex. 20:16; Deut. 5:20) and thus could not be used in a formal charge (Deut. 17:6).

14:58 Jesus never stated that he would destroy the temple (cf. John 2:19). He is innocent of this charge, as the high priest, acting as judge, is surely aware.

14:61-62 he remained silent. Jesus' silence complicates the high priest's task. He thus assumes the role of prosecutor. Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? This question may be drawn from Jesus' public teaching in the temple (12:1-12, 35-37; cf. 3:5-11), in which he claimed to be the Son of the God of Israel and the messianic Lord of David, who shares exclusive honor with God himself. I am. Jesus answers affirmatively and then applies to himself messianic prophecies from Ps. 110:1 (cf. Mark 12:35-37) and Dan. 7:13-14.

14:64 Jesus' statement is considered blasphemy in that he claims divine Sonship and an exclusively exalted position at the right hand of God. Following the high priest's lead, they all condemned him as deserving death. The one option they fatally disregard is that Jesus is indeed speaking the truth and that he enjoys the full endorsement of his heavenly Father (cf. v. 28; Acts 3:13; Col. 2:9).

14:65 and to strike him. Mistreatment follows the verdict of v. 64 (cf. Isa. 50:6; 53:2-3). The execution of the sentence is reserved for Roman authorities (see note on Mark 15:1), and Jesus thus has to be taken to Pilate.

14:68 he denied it. Contrast Peter's denial with his affirmations of three to four hours earlier (vv. 29, 31). Peter fears for his life.

14:71 The accusations and denials grow rapidly, culminating in Peter's oath-like swearing (cf. 8:38 and notes on Matt. 26:71-72; 26:74).

14:72 the rooster crowed a second time. See notes on v. 30; John 13:38.

15:1 The whole Council is the Sanhedrin. It did not have the right to execute a person convicted of a capital crime. That right was reserved for Roman authorities, especially when dealing with popular figures. Pilate, the Roman governor, was temporarily in Jerusalem "to keep the peace" during the Passover (on Pilate, see note on Luke 23:1; cf. also note on Luke 3:1). The Jewish authorities did not want to be busy with the case during the festive Passover day of Nisan 15.

15:2 When they brought him to Pilate, the Jewish authorities did not accuse Jesus of blasphemy (a religious crime that would have made no difference to Pilate) but rather of claiming to be King of the Jews, thus challenging Caesar's rule (in the eyes of Rome, a capital crime).

15:5 No further answer fulfills Isa. 53:7.

15:6-7 release . . . one prisoner . . . Barabbas. See note on Matt. 27:15-18.

15:10 Pilate realizes that the Jewish leaders are motivated by envy, and thus that their accusation of Jesus is ill-founded. However, he does not understand the theological issues at stake (i.e., blasphemy; see note on 14:64).

15:11-13 release . . . Barabbas instead. Ironically, Pilate will free a convicted rebel against Rome instead of a righteous man who has not spoken against Rome. Crucify him. Pilate is in a precarious position; he will execute Jesus in Roman fashion (crucifixion) based on a Jewish verdict.

15:14 what evil has he done? Pilate's last recourse is to protest that Jesus has been accused of nothing worthy of death (cf. Ps. 38:20-21; Isa. 53:9; Acts 3:13). While Pilate thus tried to make the Jewish authorities solely responsible for the death of Jesus, the fact remains that it occurred under his jurisdiction.

15:15 Pilate condemned Jesus to crucifixion, which was the means of executing criminals convicted of high treason. having scourged Jesus. Scourging, by itself, could lead to death (see note on Matt. 27:26; cf. note on John 19:1).

15:16-19 On the governor's headquarters, see note on John 18:28. The presence of the whole battalion (about 600 men at full strength) assumes that Jesus is a rebel against Rome. Therefore the soldiers dress, mock, and mistreat him as King of the Jews (Matt. 27:28; Mark 15:9, 12, 26), which, contrary to their view, he truly was. The sarcastic homage paid to Jesus imitates what various emperors in Rome expected of their subjects (see also note on Matt. 27:28-31).

15:21 According to both Jewish and Roman custom, Jesus had to be taken outside the city walls to be crucified. It was the morning of Nisan 15. As allowed by Roman law, Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry Jesus' cross (see note on Matt. 27:32). Crucifixion was the final public deterrent to warn people not to rebel against Rome. The mention of Alexander and Rufus leads many to conclude that they were believers known in the early church at the time that Mark wrote his Gospel. See note on Rom. 16:13.

15:23 Wine mixed with myrrh is intended to have a mildly numbing effect. Jesus would not take this mixture.

15:24 And they crucified him. Jesus' hands were nailed above the wrist on the horizontal beam, and his feet were placed with one above the other and then nailed to the vertical beam (on crucifixion, see notes on Matt. 27:35; John 18:32). Casting lots fulfilled the prophecy in Ps. 22:18.

15:25 it was the third hour. John has "about the sixth hour," but he is not attempting to pinpoint the exact time; the time references should not be seen as contradictory (see note on John 19:14).

15:26 The inscription of the charge against him (see note on John 19:19) is posted above Jesus' head, so that all can see why he was so shamefully executed. "The King of the Jews." With this inscription, Pilate justified his actions (Jesus was crucified as a political rebel) and also provoked the Jewish authorities (John 19:19-22; cf. Mark 15:10).

15:27 The two robbers crucified with Jesus fulfill the prophecy, "he was numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12). On "robbers," see note on Matt. 27:38. Luke alone records that, sometime later, one of the two robbers repented and expressed faith in Jesus (Luke 23:39-43).

15:29-31 Because it was Passover, many passed by the place of Christ's crucifixion. wagging their heads. See Ps. 22:7-8. You who would destroy the temple. See note on Mark 14:58. Jesus' opponents conceded that he saved others (as in 5:23, 28, 34; 6:56; 10:52), but they believed that all of his authority, power, and claims had been nailed to the cross. Jesus appeared to have been silenced and divinely condemned for his blasphemy (cf. Deut. 21:23).

15:33 Between noon and 3:00 p.m. there was darkness. This was not a solar eclipse (see note on Matt. 27:45). Darkness represents lament (Amos 8:9-10) and divine judgment (Ex. 10:21-23; cf. note on Luke 23:44-45).

15:34 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? See note on Matt. 27:46. Jesus utters the opening words of Psalm 22 and in so doing cries out to God in the immense pain of divine abandonment (see Isa. 59:2; Hab. 1:13), which he suffers as a substitute for sinful mankind (see note on Mark 10:45). Yet the following verses of Psalm 22 also anticipate divine intervention on his behalf (cf. Heb. 5:7-9). Jesus knows why he is experiencing God-forsakenness, just as he knows his death will not be the end of his story.

15:35 he is calling Elijah. See note on Matt. 27:47.

15:36 sour wine. Cf. note on Luke 23:36.

15:37 The final loud cry is probably the cry of victory, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Once Jesus dies, all mocking ceases in Mark's account. Subsequently, only the voices of the respectful (centurion) and the mourners (women) are heard. Jesus died around the time of the daily afternoon sacrifice in the temple (see note on Matt. 27:45).

15:38 The inner curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, removing the separation between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (see Heb. 9:2-3, 12, 24; 10:19-20; note on Matt. 27:51). Access to God is now provided by the unique sacrifice of Jesus, rendering the temple sacrifices obsolete.

15:39 The centurion has observed the death of many crucified criminals; he recognizes the purity and power of Jesus (in this way) and rightly sees that he is the Son of God (cf. note on Luke 23:47). Like the thief on the cross who expressed faith in Jesus (Luke 23:39-43), the centurion may have had incomplete understanding of Jesus' identity and mission, but Mark seems to record this testimony as an indication of the centurion's faith and the truth about Jesus' identity.

15:40 women looking on. See note on Luke 23:49. Mary Magdalene. See note on Luke 8:2.

15:42 Deuteronomy 21:23 mandates the burial of a corpse on the day of death (taking priority over Passover; see John 19:40). The day of Preparation (see notes on John 19:14; 19:31; 19:42) is idiomatic for "the day before a regular Sabbath."

15:43 Joseph of Arimathea (see note on Matt. 27:57-60), a respected member of the Jewish Council (or "Sanhedrin"; see note on Matt. 26:59), courageously intended to bury Jesus before the Sabbath began at sundown (Nisan 16). He was looking for the kingdom of God, and Matt. 27:57 calls him "a disciple of Jesus."

15:44-45 Pilate had jurisdiction over whether or not the corpse should be buried. Once he ascertained that Jesus was indeed dead, Pilate agreed to it as a benevolent concession.

15:46 Joseph wrapped the corpse in a linen shroud (complemented by Nicodemus's burial spices; see John 19:39-40) and placed it in a tomb . . . cut out of the rock (John 19:41). According to Jewish custom (in part due to Deut. 21:22-23), proper burials were to take place within 24 hours. The main options for Judean burial included shallow trench graves, sarcophagi (coffin-like stone boxes, rarely used above ground), and rock-cut tombs (such as the one described here; see The Tomb of Jesus). Rock-cut tombs were much more expensive than trench graves since they required extensive excavation into existing or manufactured caves; they are thought to have generally belonged to single extended families. Therefore, this tomb would most probably have been Joseph of Arimathea's family tomb. Inside rock-cut tombs, burials would occur in loculi (beds cut into the rock) or arcosolia (beds cut sideways into the rock like ledges with an arched top). Sarcophagi and wooden coffins were also occasionally used in the tombs. After a body had decayed, its bones were removed to allow reuse of the loculus or arcosolium. These bones could be piled elsewhere in the tomb or reinterred in a specially designed box (ossuary), which held one or two bodies. The two main locations where Jesus is thought to have been buried (the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, west of the temple; and the Garden Tomb, north of the ancient city) were rock-cut tombs with rolling stone doors. Both would have been outside the first-century city walls. Early church tradition strongly favors the Holy Sepulchre site, and the area around the Garden Tomb consists largely of Iron Age (OT-era) tombs, thus also favoring the Holy Sepulchre site for a NT-era burial. The Holy Sepulchre Church originally dated from the time of Constantine (dedicated in a.d. 335), though the present structure is largely medieval.

15:47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses (v. 40) were eyewitnesses to Jesus' burial.

16:1-2 Once the Sabbath is over (at sundown on Saturday evening), the women can buy oils for (delayed) embalming of the corpse after sunrise on Sunday morning (the first day of the week). This occurred on the "third day" (8:31; 10:34).

16:5 they saw a young man. An angel. Luke 24:4 and John 20:12 give additional information, specifying two angels, but Mark and Matthew (Matt. 28:2-5) mention only one.

16:6 He has risen; he is not here. The heavenly messenger confirms that Jesus has fulfilled his predictions that he would rise from the dead (8:31; 9:9, 31; 10:32-34; 14:25).

16:7 go, tell his disciples. The women were witnesses of the crucifixion (15:40), burial (15:47), and empty tomb (16:5), as well as the message of the resurrection (v. 6). Mark's report that women were the first witnesses to Christ's resurrection was courageous, since the testimony of women as witnesses was not always given credence in the first-century context, especially in a court of law. After the initial encounters with the risen Jesus in Jerusalem, Galilee again served as a place of preparation (as Jesus had predicted in 14:28). Jesus thus avoided the possibility that the disciples might hold false expectations of a political, messianic kingdom in Jerusalem (see, however, Acts 1:6).

16:8 Trembling and astonishment follow from the women's awe at being eyewitnesses to an act of God that changed all of history. they said nothing to anyone. Their silence would be only temporary (see Matt. 28:8).