Month: July 2022

14 ⁵³ They took Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled. ⁵⁴ Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire. ⁵⁵ Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. ⁵⁶ For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. ⁵⁷ Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, ⁵⁸ “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” ⁵⁹ But even on this point their testimony did not agree. ⁶⁰ Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” ⁶¹ But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” ⁶² Jesus said, “I am; and
‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’” 
⁶³ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?
⁶⁴ You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death. ⁶⁵ Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him over and beat him. 

Peter denies Jesus

⁶⁶ While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.” ⁶⁸ But he denied it, saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. ⁶⁹ And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” ⁷⁰ But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.” ⁷¹ But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” ⁷² At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept. 

Jesus before Pilate

15As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. ² Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” ³ Then the chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” ⁵ But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed. 

Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified

⁶ Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. ⁷ Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. ⁸ So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. ⁹ Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰ For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. ¹² Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³ They shouted back, “Crucify him!” ¹⁴ Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” ¹⁵ So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. NRSV

Get into the Word

1. What is happening as this section opens? Who is with Jesus? Where do they take him? Who is present? Who else has followed Jesus? What does this person do?

2. What is the purpose of this gathering? What do the people want to accomplish? How does the meeting proceed? What finally happens?

3. What is the testimony against Jesus? How does the leader of the session react? What does he ask Jesus? How does Jesus answer? How does the leader react to this? How does the group respond? What happens to Jesus?

4. What is Peter doing while Jesus is inside? Who confronts him? What does this person say about Peter? How does Peter answer? Who else confronts Peter? How does he respond to them? What happens next? How does Peter react to this event?

5. What happens next to Jesus? Where do they take him? How does this person respond to Jesus? What does he ask? How does Jesus answer these questions?

6. What does Pilate propose to the Jews regarding Jesus? Why does he suggest this? Who else is involved? How does the crowd respond to Pilate’s proposal? Who is behind this reaction? What do they want Pilate to do? What does Pilate finally do? Why? How do the other Gospel writers describe this “trial” [see Notes]?

Get Personal

Where are you in this situation? Are you one of the disciples? Peter? In the courtyard? One of the elders or scribes? Pilate? How does God help you understand the meaning of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion? How does this affect your walk with Christ?

(Cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

14:53-65. Jesus before the Council — Matthew names the high priest: Caiaphas, who tells Jesus, I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus’s response is You have said so, not “I am.” Matthew does not mention any guards, [Matt 26:57-68]. Luke’s report of the “trial” is briefer, but with the same result. [Luke 22:66-71].
14:66-72. Peter denies Jesus — Matthew reports only one cock crow, and says two different servant girls challenged Peter, [Matt 26: 69-75]. Luke puts this incident before his report on Jesus’ trial. He mentions one servant girl and two men challengers, but only one cock crow, [Luke 22:54-62].
15:1-5. Jesus before Pilate — Matthew

inserts a report about Judas’ attempt to return the blood money, his suicide and the purchase of the “Potter’s” field, [Matt 27:3-10]
Matthew’s report of Jesus’ “trial” before Pilate is very similar to Mark’s, [Matt 27:11-14]. Luke includes Pilate’s first statement that Jesus is innocent, and then says Pilate sends him to Herod, who questions Jesus but then sends him back to Pilate. [Luke 23:1-12].
15:6-15. Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified — Matthew includes Pilate’s wife’s admonition to “have nothing to do with that innocent man,” and Pilate’s claim of innocence of Jesus’s blood along with the Jewish peoples’ answer: His blood be on us and on our children, [Matt 27 15-26]. Luke says that Pilate again says Jesus is innocent, but he finally gives in to the Jews’ shouts and hands Jesus over, [Luke 23:13-25].

14²⁶ When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. ²⁷ And Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters; for it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’ 
²⁸ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” ²⁹ Peter said to him, “Even though all become deserters, I will not.”
³⁰ Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” ³¹ But he said vehemently, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And all of them said the same. 

Jesus prays in Gethsemane

³² They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. ³⁴ And said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” ³⁵ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” ³⁷ He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? ³⁸ Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹ And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
⁴⁰ And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. ⁴¹ He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
⁴² Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.” 

The betrayal and arrest of Jesus

⁴³ Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. ⁴⁴ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” ⁴⁵ So when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. ⁴⁶ Then they laid hands on him and arrested him. ⁴⁷ But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? ⁴⁹ Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰ All of them deserted him and fled. 

⁵¹ A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, ⁵² but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked. NRSV

Get into the Word

1. Where does Jesus head after dinner? What does he tell the disciples? Why does he say this? How does Peter react to this prophecy? What does Jesus tell Peter? How do the disciples respond?

2. What does Jesus do in the garden? Who does he take with him? What does he ask them to do? How does Jesus pray? What does he ask? What does he say? Is there a response to his prayer?

3. What are the disciples doing during the prayer? How does Jesus respond to this? What does he say? What does he do next? What happens this time? What happens next? What does Jesus do this time?

4. Who comes to the garden? What does this person call Jesus? What does he do? What do his followers do? What does one of the bystanders do in response? How does Jesus respond to the crowd? What does he say to them? What do the disciples do as a result?

5. What happens to one of the men following Jesus?

Get Personal

Have there been occasions when you have not “stayed with” Jesus? How did you feel when you realized the situation? How has God helped you to be a more consistent follower of Jesus?

(Cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)
14:26-31. Peter’s denial foretold — Matthew uses the same words for this incident, except the cock crows only once, [Matt 26:30-35]. Luke’s version starts with the disciples’ argument about who is the greatest, and Jesus’ response: The greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. “You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers,” and concludes with Jesus’s remark about Peter’s three denials, [Luke 22:24-34; check Mark 9:33-36 for a similar discussion]. Luke also includes reference to Isaiah: He was counted among the lawless, [53:12]. 
14:27. Deserters — Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7 in describing the disciples’ response to his arrest. The Greek word is very similar to the current military meaning of “deserter.”
14:28. Raised up — Jesus keeps telling the disciples he will be resurrected and they keep focusing on the predicted arrest, trial and death.

14:32. Gethsemane — literally “oil press” – a garden near the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem. 
14:32-42. Jesus prays in Gethsemane — Matthew’s report about Jesus’ praying is very similar to Mark’s, [Matt 26:36-46]. Luke says Jesus prayed at the Mount of Olives “as was his custom.” He does not mention the three disciples accompanying Jesus, but does report that, an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling on the ground, [Luke 22:39-46].
14:43-50. Jesus’s betrayal and arrest — Matthew also reports Jesus’s arrest similarly to Mark’s version, except he includes Jesus’s statement to Judas: Friend, do what you are here to do, and Jesus’s statement about violence: Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But then how would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way? [Matt 26:47-56].
Luke’s version is similar to Matthew and Mark, except he reports Jesus saying to Judas, Is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man? Luke also reports that Jesus healed the servant’s ear, [Luke 22:47-53].
14:51. Young man — only Mark mentions this incident and the man is not identified.

14 It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him;
² for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.” 

The annointing at Bethany

³ While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. ⁴ But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? ⁵ For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. ⁷ For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. ⁸ She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. ⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.” 

Judas agrees to betray Jesus

¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. ¹¹ When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him. 

The Passover with the disciples

¹² On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” ¹³ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, ¹⁴ and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” ¹⁶ So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal. 

¹⁷ When it was evening, he came with the twelve. ¹⁸ And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” ¹⁹ They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, “Surely, not I?” ²⁰ He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me. ²¹ For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” 

The institution of the Lord’s Supper

²² While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” ²³ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. ²⁴ He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. ²⁵ Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” NRSV

Get into the Word

1. What is going on as this chapter opens? Who is involved? What do they want?

2. What is Jesus’ doing at this point? Where is he? What happens to him next? How do the disciples react to the situation? How does Jesus respond? What does he say to the disciples? How does he interpret what happened?

3. What does Mark mention next? Who is involved? What agreements do they make?

4. How does the next incident begin? Who is involved here? What are they talking about? Why is this important to them? To Jesus? To us?

5. What does Jesus tell the men to do? Who are they to look for? What is unusual about this [see Notes]? What are they looking for? How does this work out?

6. What happens during the meal? What does Jesus tell the disciples? How do they react to his statement? How does Jesus identify the person? What does he say about this person? About himself?

7. What else happens during the dinner? What does Jesus do with the bread? How does he refer to it? Why does he use this term? What does he do with the wine? What does he say about it? Why does he refer to it this way? How do the other Gospels describe this incident [see Notes]? How do you think the disciples reacted to this idea?

Get Personal

How do you feel about the Lord’s Supper? How often do you celebrate it? How has God helped you understand its role in your faith life? How has it affected your walk with Christ?

(Cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

14:1. The Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread — actually two events: the Passover commemorated the night in Egypt that the angel of death passed over the Israelite homes; the seven-day festival of Unleavened Bread marked the haste of the Israelite departure from Egypt.
14:3-9. The anointing — a common practice for special guests; but Jesus gives it significance by relating it to his coming death and burial. Matthew’s report on this incident is almost identical to Mark’s [Matt 26:6-13]. Luke does not include this anointing. (John includes this event but places it before Jesus triumphal entry.)
14:10-11. Judas agrees to betray Jesus — Matthew agrees with Mark that Judas went to the chief priests [Matt 26:14-16], while Luke reports that “Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot,” [Luke 22:3-6].
14:12-16. The Passover meal — Matthew refers only to “a certain man,” but does include Jesus’ remark that “my time is near,” [Matt 26:17-19]. Luke says Jesus sent Peter and John and includes the

man carrying a jar of water, (which was extremely unusual in that culture) [Luke 22:7-13].
14:17-21. Jesus predicts his betrayal — Matthew tracks Mark’s report of this incident, but adds Judas’ comment, “Surely not I, Rabbi,” [Matt 26:20-25]. Luke puts Jesus’ announcement after the institution of the Lord’s Supper: But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed. Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this, [Luke 22:21-23].
14:22-25. Institution of the Lord’s Supper — Matthew’s version is similar to Mark’s except Jesus says the cup is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins, [Matt 26:26-29]. Luke places the institution at the beginning of the meal: Then he took a loaf of bread and broke it and gave it to them, saying “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood,” [Luke 22:19-20].