In 2025, we're working our way through the gospels and invite you to join us as we seek to learn from Jesus. Find all our notes, from this year and past years, at the Faith Food tab. Welcome, friends, we're so glad you're journeying with us. Let's grow together!

Our notes on Mark 14 include:

An Overview: Topic, Themes, and Summary.
An Outline of our thoughts and questions.
An Exploration of the Significance of Unnamed People
A Reflection on Redemption
An Invitation to Respond to the God who sees, is seen, and will be seen.

Mark 14

Chapel in the Fall by Goodlynx at Pixabay

Overview

General Topic

Events unfold that lead to Jesus' fated arrest.

Key Themes

The unnamed worshiper. Omniscience. Denial.

Summary

Passover is here. And while the priests choose to pass over Jesus' arrest until after the festival, God cements Jesus' fate by denying Jesus' request. Peter also denies Jesus three times, and Judas betrays Him to the high priests. The high priests sentence Jesus for being who He is: the I am. Something everyone already knew and many accepted and adored, as is evidenced in His anointing by an unnamed woman who used costly perfume, an unnamed servant who hosted the Passover meal, an unnamed bystander who cut off an enemy's ear, and an unnamed man who left his robes behind.

Thoughts, Questions, and Connections

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, x a cross reference, and ! a connection. Researched answers are in italics. Behold requires our attention; it marks our partnership with God.

On the Chief Priests' Plotting (Mark 14:1-2)

Read Matthew 26:2-5 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 26 notes.)

While Jesus was in Jerusalem, the chief priests recognized an opportune time to arrest Him, but chose to wait until after Passover festivities so they could avoid an uproar.

* The KJV reads, "the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft..." and the CEB "...through cunning tricks..."

On Being Anointed for Burial (Mark 14:3-9)

Read Matthew 26:6-13 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 26 notes.)

While at a dinner party, a woman anointed Jesus with expensive perfume and was scolded by the guests.

x So Jehu got up and went inside. The prophet then poured oil on his head and said to him, "This is what the LORD, Israel's God, says: I anoint you king over the Lord's people, over Israel. 2 Kings 9:6 CEB
x A good name is better than fine oil, and the day of death better than the birthday. It is better to go to a house in mourning than to a house party, because that is everyone's destiny; and the living should take it to heart. Ecclesiastes 7:1-2 CEB

Jesus defended her saying she was preparing His body for burial.

*Imagine Jesus speaking up for you like that, filled with compassion.
x Poor persons will never disappear from the earth. That's why I'm giving you this command: you must open your hand generously to your fellow Israelites, to the needy among you, and to the poor who live with you in your land. Deuteronomy 15:11 CEB
x "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all that he owned and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46 CEB (See our Matthew 13 notes.)

On Judas' Meeting (Mark 14:10-11)

Read Matthew 26:14-16 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 26 notes.)

Judas negotiated Jesus' betrayal with the chief priests.

? Why did he even need to identify Jesus? They already knew who He was? Or perhaps it strengthened their case having an inside man be part of their case against Jesus.

On the Passover Meal (Mark 14:12-26)

Read Matthew 26:17-30 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 26 notes.)

The disciples made arrangements to eat the Passover meal.

? Who is the man that directed the disciples to his owner's house where the Passover meal was hosted? He had to have been the servant of a wealthy family, otherwise a woman would carry the water jar. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
? How did the owner of the house know to have the room already prepared?

At the Passover meal, Jesus foretold His betrayal and betrayer.

The betrayal of a rabbi by a disciple shamed the leader. Furthermore, eating at a table together establishes a covenant relationship. So, betraying a table companion is especially despicable. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
The phrase, "It would be better for him if he had never been born," was commonly used in those days to describe how extremely horrible an outcome is likely to be. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

x Cursed be the day that I was born. May the day my mother gave birth to me not be blessed. Cursed be the one who delivered the news to my father, "You have a son!" - filling him with JOY. May the bearer of that news be like the cities that the LORD destroyed without mercy. May he hear screams in the morning, and the battle cries at noon, because he didn't kill me in the womb and let my mother become my grave, her womb pregnant forever. Why was I ever born when all I see is suffering and misery, and my days are filled with shame? Jeremiah 20:14-18 CEB
x Perish the day I was born, the night someone said, "A boy has been conceived." That day - let it be darkness; may God above ignore it, and light not shine on it...Why is light given to the hard worker, life to those bitter of soul, those waiting in vain for death, who search for it more than for treasure, who rejoice excitedly, who are thrilled when they find a grave? Why is light given to the person whose way is hidden whom God has fenced in?... Job 3:3-26 CEB

Then Jesus used bread and wine to symbolize the covenant made with His body and blood.

On Predictions of Scattering (Mark 14:27-31)

Read Matthew 26:31-35 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 26 notes.)

Jesus foretold that every one of them would falter in their faithfulness to Him.

x Sword, arise against my shepherd, against the man responsible for my community, says the LORD of heavenly forces! Strike the shepherd in order to scatter the flock! I will turn my hand against the little ones. Zechariah 13:7 CEB

Peter said he would not falter.
But Jesus contradicted Peter telling him that before the night was over, Peter would deny Him three times.
Peter insisted, "Even if I must die with you, I won't deny you."

*It is easier to die than to suffer in shame. It's hard to sit in shiva. (For more about sitting in shiva, listen to "Wisdom and Meaning" a BEMA Discipleship podcast episode on Ecclesiastes.)

All the disciples echoed Peter's promise.

On Jesus' Prayer at Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42)

Read Matthew 26:36-46 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 26 notes.)

In agony, Jesus went to pray at Gethsemane. He asked Peter, James and John to keep watch. They fell asleep three times.
Twice, Jesus prayed that God might release Him from what was coming, but surrendered to God's will.

"Abba" was a unique title Jesus used to address God. Later, His followers adopted it. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

x You didn't receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15 CEB
x Because you are sons and daughters, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father!" Galatians 4:6 CEB

"The Cup of Suffering" symbolizes divine judgment. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

x Wake yourself, wake yourself! Rise up, Jerusalem, who drank the cup of wrath from the LORD's hand. You drank; you drained the goblet of reeling. Isaiah 51:17 CEB (See our Isaiah 51 notes and Habakkuk 2:16.)
x This is what the LORD, God of Israel, said to me: Take this seething cup of wine from my hand and make all the nations gulp it down where I am sending you. They will drink and stagger about half-crazed because of the sword that I am sending them. So I took the cup from the LORD's hand, and I made all the nations drink from it where the LORD had sent me. Jeremiah 25:15-17 CEB
x Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD's hand; it made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine and went mad. Jeremiah 51:7 CEB (See also Zechariah 12:2.)

! Jesus' prayer to His Father to spare His life reminds me of David's prayer to God that his own son's life might be spared. Both of them knew it was not God's will but prayed anyway because of the chance that God might spare the life. (See 2 Samuel 12:16-23.)

When Jesus aroused Peter, James, and John from their slumber a third time, He told them the betrayer had arrived.

Passover tradition required participants to stay awake and recount God's redemptive acts. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
* The disciples falling asleep seems especially weighty following the end times warning, "Don't let him show up when you weren't expecting and find you sleeping." Mark 13:36 CEB (See our Mark 13 notes.)
🎶Could you not tarry with Me one hour? / Could you not watch in prayer? / While I carry the weight of the world on My shoulders / Will you just sleep the night away?🎵 ("Could You not Tarry with Me?" performed by Tim Sheppard)

On Jesus' Arrest (Mark 14:43-52)

Read Matthew 26:47-56 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 26 notes.)

Judas, accompanied by a mob, kissed Jesus so they would know who to arrest.

*Perhaps Judas had to kiss Jesus for legal proceedings. So that Jesus was positively identified.
? On what grounds was Jesus arrested? Or do they not have to tell Him at the time of His arrest?

In defense of Jesus, an unnamed person cut off a slave's ear.

*Again, this shows those who followed Jesus were ready to fight.
? If this is Peter's gospel, as recorded by Mark, why didn't he just identify himself? (John 18:10-15)
*It's interesting that nothing was done to retaliate. In Mark's gospel, Jesus remains silent and the priests also say nothing.

Jesus questioned why the chief priests came with violence.
Then, Jesus allowed the chief priests to lead Him away.

It was a cause for shame, that all of Jesus' disciples deserted Him. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
? Even though, in Mark 14:33, it says Peter, John, and James were with Jesus, here another unnamed man emerges who runs away naked. Is there more to this story? *R

It possibly was the garden's owner. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
x The bravest warrior will flee away naked in that day, says the LORD. Amos 2:16 CEB

On Jesus' Trial (Mark 14:53-65)

Read Matthew 26:57-68 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 26 notes.)

They brought Jesus before the Sanhedrin, but could not find any credible testimony against Him.

Meeting in the high priest's home violated conventional ethics. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
The main testimony against Jesus was a misinterpretation of John 2:19 (CEB): Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple and in three days I'll raise it up."

Finally, the high priest asked if He is the Messiah, Son of the blessed one?
Jesus responded with, "I am," and prophesied about His second coming.

x God said to Moses, "I Am Who I Am. So say to the Israelites, 'I Am has sent me to you.'" Exodus 3:14 CEB

The high priest tore his clothes and asked the crowd what Jesus' fate should be for the blasphemy uttered.
The crowd demanded Jesus' death and treated Him horribly.

The behavior shown here also violated all ancient ethics. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
To spit on someone was to express that you thought them impure or disgusting. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
While Jesus is teased to prophesy, the irony is that a prophesy of His is currently being fulfilled: Peter is outside denying Him. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

x The prophet or dream interpreter must be executed because he encouraged you to turn away from the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt, who redeemed you from the house of slavery; they tried to lead you away from the path the LORD your God commanded you to take. Remove such evil from your community! Deuteronomy 13:5 CEB
x Here's the answer: The prophet who speaks in the LORD's name and the thing doesn't happen or come about - that's the word the LORD hasn't spoken. That prophet spoke arrogantly. Don't be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18:22 CEB

On Peter's Denial (Mark 14:66-72)

Read Matthew 26:69-75 for another perspective. (See our Matthew 26 notes.)

Peter, outside by the fire, was recognized three times as Jesus' follower and denied it three times.

* This death that Jesus was about to undergo, one of shame, was not the way Peter wanted to die. He was willing to die fighting, not under the law shamed by a guilty sentence.
It was easy to recognize Peter because he was a Galilean, an uneducated peasants, in a high priest's courtyard. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

As the rooster crowed a second time, Peter's sobs broke the dawn.

* This was a trial of Peter's. What did he show God though his trial? How did Peter grow in God? Perhaps that God knows him and still loves him.

Explore

What messages are we to learn from all the unnamed people in this chapter? Where else can we find unnamed people who play a significant role?

Verses of Reference

"...a woman came in with a vase made of alabaster and containing very expensive perfume..." Mark 14:3-9 CEB
"...A man carrying a water jar will meet you...[the owner of the house] will show you a large room upstairs already furnished...." Mark 14:13-16 CEB
One of the bystanders drew a sword and struck the high priest's slave and cut off his ear. Mark 14:47 CEB
One young man, a disciple, was wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They grabbed him, but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked. Mark 14:51-52 CEB

A Look at Each Story

The woman who anointed Jesus.

The word for "break" used here is also used when the paralytic's friends broke through the roof (Mark 2:4). The roof and the jar were broken or crushed entirely, beyond hope of repair.
This woman is named in John 12:2-3 as Mary, Martha and Lazarus' sister. So why is she unnamed here?
Perhaps Mark desired to focus on her profound devotion instead of her identity.

The man who carried the water jar.

Preparing for Passover was a solemn religious act.
Tradition says that the owner of this house was John Mark, the author of Mark.
So, the man carrying the water jar was likely a servant of John Mark's.
Even if it wasn't John Mark's house, the servant very likely was a disciple of Jesus.
Peter returns to this house after being delivered from prison by an angel.

The bystander who cut off the slave's ear.

It was Peter. (See John 18:10.)
*Matthew and Mark leave the person unnamed in their gospels. Perhaps to keep the focus on the action not the identity. (See Matthew 26:51.)

The disciple in the linen cloth.

It is possible this disciple was the owner of the garden who was roused from sleep by the noise. A linen cloth would be common sleeping attire for the time period.
Contrast his actions with the disciples who fled. (See Matthew 26:56.)
She grabbed his garment, saying, "Lie down with me." But he left his garment in her hands and rain outside. Genesis 39:12 CEB

Other Examples in Scripture

Saul's unnamed servant who recommends David to play his lyre to soothe Saul. I Samuel 16:18
The slave of Naaman's wife who suggested Elisha could cure Naaman of his skin disease. 2 Kings 5:2
The boy who gave his lunch to feed a crowd of five thousand. John 6:9
Widow who gave two coins, which was all she had. Mark 12:43-44 (See our Mark 12 notes.)
The Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal from afar. Matthew 8:5-9 (See our Matthew 8 notes.)
The Canaanite woman who asked for her daughter's freedom from demonic possession. Mark 7:24-30 (See our Mark 7 notes.)
The criminal dying on the cross who asked for forgiveness. Luke 23:39-43
The woman at the well. John 4
The widow who feeds Elijah during the drought. I Kings 17:8-16
The four friends who bought the paralytic to Jesus. Mark 2:1-2 (See our Mark 2 notes.)

Lessons Learned

God can use "unimportant" people to accomplish important things.
God's grace is not based on popularity.
Those who are now the least will become the greatest. (I Corinthians 1:27-29)
Helps us to see ourselves in the Biblical account. It provides universal application.
Serve faithfully where you are in what you are doing.

*Thoughts: My name is not important; God's name is. So carry it well.

Sources:

"5 'Insignificant' Bible Characters Who Taught us Invaluable Lessons" by Jabez Goh at thirst.sg
Mark 14 commentaries at Bible Hub
"The Role of Unnamed Individuals" at BibleHub.com
"Unknown Children of God in the Bible" at jjude.com

Reflection

Try to imagine Jesus' emotion. I think the only people named in this chapter hurt Him. He was hurt repeatedly by the people He lived and breathed with. It shows the level of betrayal - and not just from Judas.

Our tendency is to say, "If I were there, I would never act like Peter, Judas, the high priests, etc." But, the reality is, we are more likely to act like the named people in this chapter than the unnamed; it’s our sinful nature. Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit, Cain killed his brother, Jacob stole Esau's inheritance, Jacob's sons sold Joseph into slavery, Peter denied Jesus, and Judas betrayed Him.

If you say you would to the right thing and never hurt Jesus, you're only lying to yourself. Every one of us has sinned. We all have missed the mark. We each have betrayed and wounded Jesus.

But, just as He did for Adam, for Eve, for Jacob, for Israel's sons, for Peter, and for Judas, He'll do for you too. He offers redemption by His blood. Though you wound Him, He willingly pays the price to bring you back. As He sits with His betrayer and His denier, He sees the end and knows there is hope for you because He provides it. Will you accept it?

The chapter ends with Peter recognizing a truth: Jesus knows the ugliest parts of him and still associated with him. Judas carried out willing betrayal, whereas Peter's denial was more reactive than premeditated. Yet both received the same message from Jesus: I know you. I know what is in your hearts. I know what the future will bring.

He has the same message for you: He knows you. He knows what is in your heart. He knows what your future brings.

The question we must answer is the same one Peter and Judas had to answer: Will we turn from our fears, from our plans, from our desires, and fully trust Jesus, or will we continue to deny and betray Him as we walk aimlessly toward hopelessness and vain pursuits?

This walk is a continual choosing. With each step, remind yourself: He knows every ugly choice you make, He knows your future, and He chooses to redeem you. Will you let Him?

Things I'm Thinking About

*Mary was told by Simeon a sword would pierce her heart. That Jesus would discern the thoughts and hearts of the people on earth. (Luke 2:34-35) He still does today.
x because God's word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that it separates the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow. It's able to judge the heart's thoughts and intentions. Hebrews 4:12 CEB
*Jesus washed the feet of His betrayer and His denier. Knowing they would soon reject Him and even turn Him in, Jesus still took on the lowly role of a servant and lovingly washed them clean - literally here and spiritually soon after. (Listen to "Be Washed", a sermon by Andrew Thomas)
Our sins are against Him. He takes them on Himself and washes us clean.

Respond

Connect

God sees, is seen, and will be seen.

Reflect

In what ways do you see yourself reflected in each of the four unnamed people:

The woman who anointed Jesus with costly oil.
The man who prepared a room for the Passover.
The man who cut off the soldier's ear.
The disciple who ran away naked.

As you think of the actions of the unnamed characters, consider the idea of the least becoming the greatest and the greatest becoming the least. Imagine what Jesus would say to you if He saw you in each of these situations.
Judas betrays Jesus, Peter denies Him, His most trusted friends fall asleep, and every one of His disciples flee. When have you betrayed, denied, fallen asleep, or fled from Jesus? What happened next?
In Mark 14:62, Jesus says, "I am. And you will see the human one sitting on the right side of the Almighty and coming on the heavenly clouds." Visualize it. Respond as your heart leads you.

Act

Arise! Know that you are seen.
Arise! See the One who is.
Arise! Live in a way that shows you know how valuable He is and that you will be with Him again someday.

In Closing

Father God, You see me for who I am. You see my heart. You see the mistakes I make. You see when I reject You, betray You, deny You, ignore You, and flee from You. And You see my sacrifices, my faithfulness, my repentant heart, and my vulnerability. Thank You for protecting me, pursuing me, redeeming me, awakening me, guiding me, and giving me a voice. You see me and still love me. Know I'm striving to see more and more of you too. Whenever I doubt, struggle, or start to slip away, please fill my head with the image of You enthroned in glory, the great I am, the Lover of my soul, because You are all that matters. Let everything else fall away.

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