Arrested and Taken Away – Mark 14

Joy: You’re listening to Season 2 of the Lifting Her Voice podcast.   This is Episode #294 and today we’ll read Mark chapter 14 together.   The disciples still don’t get it, even as Jesus is arrested and taken away.  

Welcome

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Season 2!  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me – from the beginning – simply reading God’s word together.  We built some spiritual muscles in 2020 with just the New Testament.  But this year we’re going all out, cover-to-cover, Old Testament and New.  So, whether with your first cup in the morning, your commute to work, or as the last thing on your mind before sleep, God’s Word will equip you for every good work.  I’m really glad you’re here!

Mark Chapter 14

The Plot to Kill Jesus

It was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a cunning way to arrest Jesus and kill him. “Not during the festival,” they said, “so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”

The Anointing at Bethany

While he was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head. But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this perfume been wasted? For this perfume might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they began to scold her.

Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for me. You always have the poor with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body in advance for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him money. So he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.

Preparation for Passover

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb, his disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare the Passover so that you may eat it?”

So he sent two of his disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” So the disciples went out, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Betrayal at the Passover

When evening came, he arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me — one who is eating with me.”

They began to be distressed and to say to him one by one, “Surely not I?”

He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve — the one who is dipping bread in the bowl with me. For the Son of Man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”

The First Lord’s Supper

As they were eating, he took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Peter’s Denial Predicted

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away, because it is written:

I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.

But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away, I will not.”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”

But he kept insisting, “If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And they all said the same thing.

The Prayer in the Garden

Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He said to them, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.” He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.”

Then he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Once again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. And again he came and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open. They did not know what to say to him.

Then he came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. See, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up; let’s go. See, my betrayer is near.”

Judas’s Betrayal of Jesus

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. His betrayer had given them a signal. “The one I kiss,” he said, “he’s the one; arrest him and take him away under guard.” So when he came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. They took hold of him and arrested him. One of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.

Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture me? Every day I was among you, teaching in the temple, and you didn’t arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”

Then they all deserted him and ran away. Now a certain young man, wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following him. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.

Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin

They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes assembled. Peter followed him at a distance, right into the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the servants, warming himself by the fire.

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they could not find any. For many were giving false testimony against him, and the testimonies did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, stating, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’” Yet their testimony did not agree even on this.

Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus, “Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?” But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

“I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision?” They all condemned him as deserving death.

Then some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to beat him, saying, “Prophesy!” The temple servants also took him and slapped him.

Peter Denies His Lord

While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s maidservants came. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”

But he denied it: “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about.” Then he went out to the entryway, and a rooster crowed.

When the maidservant saw him again, she began to tell those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.”

But again he denied it. After a little while those standing there said to Peter again, “You certainly are one of them, since you’re also a Galilean.”

Then he started to curse and swear, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”

Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Close

Mark 14 covers the betrayal, the Passover and first Lord’s Supper, and the arrest and trial of Jesus.  For so many Easters, we’ve heard the story again and again.  How did Mary know that Jesus was about to die? Although, maybe she didn’t.  Maybe anointing Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume was just a way for her to lavish devotion on Him.  No price was too high.  

And it was all just a little too much for Judas, wasn’t it?  This may have been the thing that put him over the edge.  Or maybe he saw his gravy train coming to an end.  He was, after all, the thieving treasurer of the group.  Had that perfume been sold as he suggested, the 300 denarii would have been securely in his money bag.  Easy reach for his sticky fingers.

Peter’s Denial

And then Peter.  He reacted so vehemently when Jesus predicated that they would all fall away.  And he couldn’t imagine denying his Lord even once, much less three times.  The weakness of his flesh was certainly apparent when he couldn’t even stay awake to pray in the hour of Jesus’ greatest challenge.  But none of them got it yet, did they?  It wasn’t just Peter…it was all the disciples.  They eventually got it.  The Holy Spirit brought all these things to mind when Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to His Father’s right hand.

Yes, we’ve heard these stories again and again.  But are we allowing them to change us?  Are we being transformed by our belief that Jesus is indeed God in the flesh?  Be of good cheer if you think the process is too slow. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says this:  Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Prayer

Let’s pray.  Father God, we thank You, daily and forever, that You don’t give up on us. When we are over-confident like Peter and fail to get it over and over, You still love us.  Like a good father who beckons his child beginning to walk to come to him, You do the same for us.  But Holy Spirit, don’t let us stay there.  Spur us on to grow.  Discipline us when we sin.  Remind us of Mary’s extravagant offering to Jesus so that we might do the same.  Make us like You, Lord.  We pray these things in the awesome name of Jesus, Amen.

How about you?  Who in this chapter do you relate to most?  Please share at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray that by spending time in His Word every day, you will be changed.  Visit me at Lifting Her Voice.com with your comments and questions.  And don’t forget to visit the Blog page while you’re there.  If you like the podcast, it would be great if you’d give it a five-star review and share it with everyone you know.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you tomorrow!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.