Lesson 10: Betrayal & Arrest

Mark 14 begins the best known section of the gospel. We will rapidly study how Jesus was betrayed, arrested, put on trial, crucified and then resurrected in triumph. While many may know some of the details in these passages, they remain extremely important when used in evangelism. Two points will deserve particular emphasis: First, Jesus’ willingly went to the cross and second the faith of the disciples utterly failed.

Notes from the text:

• 14.1-2: “Since Passover (like Tabernacles and Pentecost) was one of the pilgrim feasts, great throngs of people invaded the Holy City to celebrate it. It is said that the population doubled (from twenty-five thousand to fifty thousand) during the week. The chief priests and teachers of the law (the two main bodies that made up the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court) realized that it would be too risky to move in on Jesus With such a highly excitable crowd present.” (Expositors)
• 14.3:
  • John’s gospel places this event before Jesus’ triumphal entrance (see John 12.1). Mark’s placement may be more thematic, showing a contrast between Mary’s actions and those of the chief priests and scribes (vss. 1-2) and the betrayal of Judas (vss. 10-11).
  • “Alabaster jars were made from translucent calcite stone and stood five to nine inches high. A narrow neck restricted the flow of oil or perfume. Breaking the whole jar indicates that its entire contents were used. Nard was a highly valued plant from India. Its value is pegged here at three hundred denarii, which represented almost a year’s wage for a day laborer. According to Mark 6:37, two hundred denarii was sufficient to provide a meal for five thousand people.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary)
• 14.4: specifically Judas (see John 12.4-6).
• 14.8-9: recall that the twelve refused to believe Jesus’ revelation that He would be rejected and crucified (see Mark 8.31-32; 9.30-32; 10.32-34). Mary, by contrast, demonstrated at least some faith that what Jesus foretold would come to pass. Thus she acted in faith and why her act is a part of the gospel message.
• 14.10-11: Judas’ betrayal seems to be primarily related to finding a convenient place and time for the authorities to seize Jesus. Remember that they were “seeking how to arrest him by stealth” (vs. 1).
• 14.13: “Jewish custom required that if a person had a room available, he must give it to any pilgrim who asked to stay in it, in order that he might have a place to celebrate the Passover.” (Expositors Bible Commentary).
• 14.18-20: see Psalm 41.9. Note vss. 10-11 where even though the Psalmist is betrayed, the Lord vindicates him.
• 14.21: the crucifixion was not an accident, but according to the God’s plan (see Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; etc.). However, the fact that the crucifixion was according to God’s plan, Judas was still responsible for betraying the Christ. “The fact that God turns the wrath of man to his praise does not excuse the wrath of man” (Cranfield quoted in Expositors Bible Commentary).
• 14.22: “At every meal, the head of the family took the bread, lifted it up, and said, ‘Praise be Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who causes bread to come forth from the earth.’ After the “Amen” response, the bread was broken and distributed, mediating the blessing to each one who ate. Jesus gives the traditional blessing of the bread a new twist by saying that it is his body.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary)
• 14.24: see Exodus 24.8. Jesus’ crucifixion at the time of the Passover is significant in that His blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. But here Jesus also revealed that His blood was the means by which we are brought into covenant with God, the covenant God had promised (Jeremiah 31.31-33).
• 14.25: while Jesus’ words would have been ominous to the disciples (His blood being poured out for many), He ends on a note of triumph. His death would not prevent the establishment of the Kingdom, but would usher it in. What Jesus had proclaimed (Mark 1.15) was being fulfilled.
• 14.26: Psalm 115-118 was traditionally sung at the conclusion of the Passover meal. Note the triumph proclaimed in Psalm 118.14-17.
• 14.27: see Zechariah 13.7.
• 14.31: note that it wasn’t just Peter who protested that he would never deny the Lord, but all of the apostles. Jesus had said they would all fall away (vs. 27) and they would.
• 14.32:
• 14.33-34: note that Jesus shared His anguish with His disciples. He may have willingly gone to the cross (see Mark 8.31; 9.30-31; 10.33-34) but it was at a tremendous cost.
• 14.35: note that Jesus approached the Father in the same way that others approached Him (see Mark 5.22; 7.25).
• 14.36: Jesus had previously referred to the cup (see Mark 10.38-39), it was the cup of God’s wrath. Jesus, the true Servant of the Lord (see Isaiah 53) will do the Father and not His own.
• 14.37: note that the Passover was to be a night of watching (see Exodus 12.42). A greater event than the Passover was occurring, but the disciples failed at keeping watch.
• 14.38: Jesus had already told them that they would all fall away (vs. 27), but they could still seek aid in avoiding the temptation.
• 14.41: the Father’s answer to Jesus’ prayer that the “hour might pass” (vs. 35) was no.
• 14.43: Judas’ betrayal was providing the opportunity for the chief priests and scribes to do what they could not when Jesus was surrounded by the crowds (see vss. 1-2).
• 14.47: this was Peter according to John 18.10.
• 14.48-49: Jesus understood the motives and fears of the Jewish leadership (see vss. 1-2).
• 14.50: fulfilling what Jesus foretold (vs. 27).
• 14.51-52: “The ‘young man’ is not identified, but the consensus is that he is Mark. Why else would he insert such a trivial detail in so solemn a story? Was this Mark’s way of saying, ‘I was there’? Why he was there is not explained… Perhaps the main point of the story—and the reason Mark included it—was to show that the forsakenness of Jesus was total. Even this youth forsook him.” (Expositors Bible Commentary)
• 14.53: “The trial of Jesus took place in two stages: a religious trial followed by a civil one. Each had three episodes. The religious trial included (1) the preliminary hearing before Annas (reported only in John 18:12–14, 19–23); (2) the trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:53–65); and (3) the trial before the same group just after daybreak (Mark 15:1). The three episodes of the civil trial were (1) the trial before Pilate; (2) the trial before Herod Antipas (recorded only in Luke 23:6–12); and (3) the trial before Pilate continued and concluded. In Mark, since there is no account of Jesus being sent to Herod Antipas, the trial before Pilate is a continuous and unbroken narrative (Mk 15:2–15).” (Expositors Bible Commentary)
• 14.56: the Law required two witnesses AND that those witnesses agree (Numbers 35.30; Deuteronomy 17.6; 19.15).
• 14.58: see John 2.19.
• 14.61: see Isaiah 53.7.
• 14.62: note Daniel 7.13; Psalm 110.1. Jesus words are significant for two reasons. First, by affirming that He is the Son of God, He answered the one question that would insure His death for they would use His words as grounds for a charge of blasphemy (vs. 64). Second, they may have been seated in judgment against Him, but He would judge them!
• 14.67: referring to Jesus as “the Nazarene” was likely a sign of contempt (see John 1.46). Peter may have some demonstrated courage in following Jesus, but he was in enemy territory. Thus, he would deny His Lord.
• 14.68: Peter moving toward the gateway was an attempt to avoid further questioning.
• 14.71: “The importance and relevance of Peter’s denial for the church to which Mark writes is obvious. To a church under severe pressure of persecution it provided a warning. If denial of Jesus Christ was possible for an apostle, and one of the leaders of the apostles at that, then they must be constantly on guard lest they too deny Jesus. The story also provided assurance that if anyone did fail Jesus under the duress of persecution, there was always a way open for repentance, forgiveness, and restoration (cf. 16:7).” (Expositors Bible Commentary)
• 14.72: see vs. 30.

Using the text in evangelism:

1. Jesus is a willing savior. It can be easy to get lost in all of the details in chapter 14 and miss the point that Jesus willingly died for us. Yes, He prayed that the cup could be removed from Him (vs. 36), but He willingly submitted to the Father’s will fulfilling the Servant prophecy of Isaiah 53. He could have taken steps to save Himself by staying in crowded areas or leaving Jerusalem or even refusing to answer Caiaphas’ question (vss. 61-64), but Jesus did what was necessary for His blood to be poured out for many (vs. 24).
2. The disciples lost faith. Jesus had tried to prepare His disciples for His arrest and death (Mark 8.31; 9.31; 10.33-34), but they refused to believe Him. As a result, they forsook and denied Him (Mark 14.50, 66-72). It is important to note how the disciples forsook Jesus because these same men would go on to proclaim the gospel to the world (Mark 16.15). Their journey from denying Jesus to proclaiming Him is one of the great faith building lessons in Scripture.