Mark 14

(1)  After 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.
(2)  But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
(3)  And 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.
(4)  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
(5)  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
(6)  And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
(7)  For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
(8)  She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
(9)  Verily 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.
(10)  And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
(11)  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
(12)  And 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?
(13)  And 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.
(14)  And 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?
(15)  And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.
(16)  And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
(17)  And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.
(18)  And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.
(19)  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?
(20)  And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.
(21)  The 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.
(22)  And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
(23)  And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
(24)  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
(25)  Verily 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.
(26)  And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
(27)  And 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.
(28)  But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.
(29)  But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.
(30)  And 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.
(31)  But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
(32)  And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
(33)  And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
(34)  And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
(35)  And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
(36)  And 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.
(37)  And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
(38)  Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
(39)  And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.
(40)  And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.
(41)  And 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.
(42)  Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
(43)  And 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.
(44)  And 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.
(45)  And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.
(46)  And they laid their hands on him, and took him.
(47)  And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
(48)  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?
(49)  I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.
(50)  And they all forsook him, and fled.
(51)  And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:
(52)  And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
(53)  And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.
(54)  And 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.
(55)  And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
(56)  For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
(57)  And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
(58)  We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
(59)  But neither so did their witness agree together.
(60)  And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
(61)  But 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?
(62)  And 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.
(63)  Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?
(64)  Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
(65)  And 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.
(66)  And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:
(67)  And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
(68)  But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
(69)  And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
(70)  And 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.
(71)  But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
(72)  And 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.

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Study Questions

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1. Who wanted to put Jesus to death and why didn’t they want to take Him on the feast day? Verses 1-2.

2. Since lepers were to dwell alone according to Leviticus 13:45-46, what may we say about a feast at Simon’s house? Verse 3.

3. What woman at Bethany was given to acts of hospitality to Jesus? Verse 3. (See Luke 10:38-42)

4. If the house in Luke 10:38-42 is the same as the house of Simon, who were there besides the disciples? Verse 3. (See John 12:1-11)

5. Do we know who started the “indignation” over the anointing of Jesus? Verses 4-5. (See John 12:4-6)

6. Do we know who anointed the head and feet of Jesus? Verse 6.

7. On what basis did Jesus defend the one who anointed Him with the costly ointment? Verses 7-8.

8. What was the reaction of the chief priests when Judas offered to betray Jesus? What could have caused Judas to do it? Verses 10-11.

9. What did Jesus tell the disciples about a place to eat the Passover? Verses 12-15.

10. What had to be done to make ready the Passover? Verse 16.

11. What startling statement did Jesus make that caused self-examination among the disciples? Verses 17-19.

12. From Jesus’ answer, do you think He knew who would betray Him and what His fate would be? Verses 20-21.

13. Do we know what kind of bread Jesus used and what its significance was? Verse 22.

14. When Jesus commanded the disciples, “Drink ye all of it,” did they understand and obey His command? Verse 23.

15. What leads us to believe that Jesus partook of the last supper also? Verses 24-25.

16. What did Jesus and the disciples do after the last supper and before going to the Mount of Olives? Verse 26.

17. How many disciples did Jesus say would be offended or stumble because of Him? Verse 27.

18. What did Jesus promise He would do after His resurrection? Verse 28.

19. What boast did Peter make? Verse 29.

20. When and how many times did Jesus predict Peter would deny Him? Verse 30.

21. Did Peter agree with Jesus’ prediction? Verse 31.

22. Did the other disciples say they would also die rather than deny Jesus? Verse 31.

23. Where was Gethsemane in relation to the Mount of Olives? Verse 32.

24. What was Jesus’ purpose in going to Gethsemane? Verse 32.

25. What do you think was Jesus’ frame of mind as indicated by the expressions, “sore amazed,” “very heavy,” and “exceeding sorrowful unto death”? Verse 33-34.

26. Would “the hour” be the same as “the cup” that Jesus prayed would pass? What was meant by these terms? Verses 35-36.

27. What would prevent the disciples from entering temptation according to Jesus? Verses 37-38.

28. How many times did Jesus pray the same prayer and what ended His prayer vigil? Verses 39-43.

29. Identify these characters in the drama in the garden in verses 43-50:
The traitor who greeted Jesus with a kiss:
Those responsible for the arresting mob:
The one who drew his sword and struck one blow:
The ones who were afraid and fled:
The one who was serene in the face of danger:

30. Can you think of any possible reason that Mark would include the account of the young man in the linen cloth? Verses 51-52.

31. Mark’s short account does not include a side trip mentioned by John that happened before Jesus was taken before Caiaphas, the high priest. What was it and what was its significance? Verse 53. (See John 18:13)

32. Who followed Jesus “afar off” and how did it happen that he was admitted into the palace of the high priest? Verse 54. (See John 18:15-18)

33. After Jesus had spoken and ministered to thousands of people, how was it that no witnesses could be found? Verses 55-59.

34. Why do you think Jesus made no answer to the charge that He had been heard to say, “Destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands”? Why didn’t He explain what was meant? Verses 60-61.

35. Can you think of one of our laws (and probably theirs) that was violated by the high priest’s question? Verses 61-62.

36. Why did the high priest rend his clothes and why was Jesus condemned to death on the charge of blasphemy? Verse 63-64.

37. What did the servants do to Jesus when He was condemned to death? Why did they tell Him to prophesy? Verse 65. (See Luke 22:64)

38. Who first identified Peter as being with Jesus of Nazareth? Verses 66-67.

39. What little deception or evasion did Peter make in his first denial? Verse 68.

40. What happened after the first time Peter denied Jesus? Verse 68.

41. What occasioned the second denial of Jesus by Peter? Verses 69-70.

42. What would the speech of a Galilean have to do with being one of Jesus’ disciples? Verse 70.

43. Whose relative was the servant of the high priest who asked if he did not see Peter in the garden? Verse 70. (See John 18:26)

44. How did Peter finally convince them that he was not a disciple of Jesus? Verse 71.

45. What happened after Peter had made his third denial? Verse 72.

46. Who predicted the event that would occur after Peter’s third denial? Verse 72.

47. What was Peter’s reaction to his own denial of Jesus? Verse 72.