What I Noticed Today (Matthew 26; Mark 14)
Matthew 26
In verses 1-2, as soon as He was finished with the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24-25), Jesus reminded the disciples that Passover was only two days away and that at that time, he would be delivered to be crucified.
In verses 3-5, the chief priests and elders gathered together with Caiaphas, the high priest, and plotted how to arrest and kill Jesus.
In verses 6-13, Jesus was in Bethany (east of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives) in the home of Simon, the leper. A woman (Mary, John 12:3) anointed Jesus with a jar of expensive ointment (oil worth a year’s wages). A disciple (Judas Iscariot, John 12:4) complained the oil could have been sold to the poor. Jesus commended the woman saying she did it to prepare Him for burial.
In verses 14-16, Judas betrayed Jesus by going to the chief priests and taking 30 pieces of silver to deliver Jesus over to them.
Note: 30 pieces of silver was the common redemption price for a slave (Exodus 21:32).
In verses 17-25, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Thursday of Passion Week), the disciples asked Jesus where they would prepare the Passover. Jesus answered a certain man in the city would host them. They gathered the food, prepared it, and began the Passover meal that evening. Jesus told them the one He dips bread with would betray Him. Judas asked if it was him, and Jesus confirmed it was.
Note: Judas referred to Jesus as Rabbi, not Lord. The other disciples now recognized Jesus as Lord.
In verses 26-29, Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper. The bread is representing His body and the cup representing His blood.
Note: The elements of the bread and the cup represent Jesus’ body and blood, a new covenant for the forgiveness of sins.
In verses 30-35, after singing a hymn, they went to the Mount of Olives, and Jesus told them they would all fall away that night, but after He was raised up, He would meet them again in Galilee. Peter said he would never fall away, and Jesus told him he would deny Him three times before the rooster crows (in the morning).
In verses 36-46, Jesus went with the disciples to a place called Gethsemane (means olive vat or olive press). Jesus asked the disciples to sit and wait for Him while He prayed. Taking Peter, James, and John (Matthew 4:21) with Him, he asked them to watch over Him while he went a little further and prayed. He returned to Peter, James, and John and found them asleep. He told them to pray that they might not enter into temptation. When he returned a second time, he found them sleeping again. He left them and went to pray for the third time. When Jesus finished praying, he woke them and told them it was time to go; his betrayer was at hand.
In verses 47-56, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas came with a large crowd, including the chief priests and elders. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and the soldiers grabbed Him. Peter (John 18:10) grabbed his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest (John 18:10). Jesus reprimanded Peter saying if He desired He could call twelve legions of angels to protect Him, but this must happen to fulfill the scripture.
Note: A Roman legion was 6,000 soldiers, so twelve legions of angels would be 72,000 angels.
Jesus asked them why they came this way at night when they could have captured Him anytime while He was teaching in the synagogue. The disciples abandoned Jesus and fled.
In verses 57-68, Jesus is brought before Caiaphas, the high priest surrounded by the chief priests and elders, with Peter in the background. The chief priests and the Council (the Sanhedrin) solicited false testimony against Jesus, but they could find none. Finally, a man came forward saying that Jesus had said he would destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days. Ultimately, the high priest accused Jesus of blasphemy for saying He was Christ, the Son of God, and condemned him to death.
Note: Jesus endured a total of six trials: three religious and three civil trials.
- Religious. Before Annas (John 18:12-14).
- Religious. Before Caiaphas (Matthew 26:57-68).
- Religious. Before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 27:1-2).
- Civil. Before Pilate (John 18:28-38).
- Civil. Before Herold (Luke 23: 6-12).
- Civil. Before Pilate (John 18:39-19:6).
In verses 69-75, while the trial before the Sanhedrin was going on, Peter was asked three times if he was with Jesus. At first, he denied he was with Jesus, then he took an oath that he was not with Jesus, and finally, he swore a curse upon himself saying he was not with Jesus. As soon as he finished denying Jesus three times, the rooster crowed.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- When Jesus returns, the righteous and the foolish will be separated.
- There will be a time of accountability in which people will be evaluated based on what they did with the gifts God gave them.
- Many kingdom-building opportunities come our way to accept or reject. Mary chose to serve while Judas chose to reject.
Mark 14
In verses 1-2, (See also Matthew 26:1-5), two days later was Passover (Thursday) and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and scribes were plotting to have Jesus arrested and killed, but because of His popularity, they delayed acting until after the festival.
Note: Jerusalem would have been crowded with people coming to celebrate Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
In verses 3-11, (See also Matthew 26:6-16), while Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came and anointed Jesus with an expensive jar of oil. Some of the disciples rebuked her extravagance saying the oil could have been sold for about a year’s wages and given to the poor. Jesus rebuked them, saying she had anointed Him for burial. Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and betrayed Jesus promising to hand Him over to them.
Note: Mark is jumping back in time in verses 3-11 to the week prior to Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem (probably Friday).
In verses 12-16, (See also Matthew 26:17-19), on the first day of the Festival of Unleavened bread and the day for preparation for the Passover (Thursday) Jesus sent Peter and John to go into the city (Jerusalem) to meet a man who would have a room prepared for them to prepare for the Passover.
In verses 17-21, (See also Matthew 26:20-25), Jesus joined the disciples in the evening (Friday), and they began to eat the Passover meal when Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him. Each one, in turn, denied it, and Jesus said it was the one with whom he was dipping the bread. This fulfilled Psalm 41:9.
Note: Judas would have been in a place of honor reclining at the left side of Jesus.
In verses 22-26, (See also Matthew 26:26-30), Jesus established the Lord’s Supper explaining the bread was a symbol of His body and the cup of wine a symbol of His blood. The eating and drinking established a new covenant of promised forgiveness through Jesus’ death on the cross.
Note: Jesus gave thanks for the bread and wine. The Greek word for “giving thanks” is eucharistēsas from which we get the word Eucharist.
In verses 27-31, (See also Matthew 26:31-35), Jesus announced the disciples would all scatter (quoting Zechariah 13:7) after His death but that after He was resurrected He would join them in Galilee. Peter vehemently denied that he would fall away. Even if he had to die with Jesus, he said he would not fall away. All the other disciples said the same thing.
Note: It is interesting that all the disciples focused on the first part of Jesus’ statement that they would fall away, but none of them brought up the meaning of resurrection or the fact that Jesus would see them again in Galilee!
In verses 32-42, (See also Matthew 26:36-47), they journeyed to Gethsemane to an olive grove. Jesus told the disciples to sit and wait while he prayed. He took Peter, James, and John with Him a short distance away and told them to keep watch. Jesus went a little further and began to pray. He returned to Peter, James, and John and found them sleeping. He left them a second time to continue praying and returned to find them asleep again. He left them again to pray, and returning found them asleep a third time. He told them it was time to get up because His betrayer was near.
Note: Gethsemane means “olive press, or “press of olives.”
In verses 43-52, (See also Matthew 26:47-56), while Jesus was still speaking, Judas arrived with the chief priests, scribes, elders, and a mob of men with weapons. Judas kissed Jesus, referring to Him as Rabbi. They arrested Jesus. One of the disciples standing nearby cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave (from John 18:10 we know it was Peter who cut off the ear of the servant named Malchus).
Jesus rebuked them for coming out at night to capture Him as though He was a criminal when they could have arrested Him anytime He was teaching in the temple. With that, all the disciples ran away.
A young man who was with them attempted to run away and was caught by his linen cloth. He left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.
Note: Most scholars believe that the young man Mark referenced was Mark himself. Jesus was staying at Mark’s father’s house. Mark had gone to bed in a linen sleeping garment, and hearing the commotion had hurried outside into the olive grove.
In verses 53-65, (See also Matthew 26:57-68), Jesus was taken from Gethsemane to Jerusalem to the high priest for trial with the chief priests, scribes, and elders all in attendance. Peter followed at a distance and stood in the courtyard surrounded by the temple police.
The chief priests and the Sanhedrin conducted a trial looking for testimony that they could use to convict Jesus, but none of their false testimonies agreed.
Note: The Sanhedrin was a 71-member court headed by the high priest (Joseph Caiaphas). A quorum of 23 members was needed to conduct a trial.
The high priest asked Jesus two questions: Are you going to answer these charges, and Are you the Messiah?
Note: The first question is stated in emphatic form, meaning a positive response is expected, but Jesus said nothing. According to Jewish custom, not defending yourself was usually taken as an admission of guilt.
In answer to the second question, Jesus answered, yes, He was the Son of Man. With that, the high priest tore his robe and declared Jesus guilty of blasphemy. The court agreed, condemning Jesus to death.
Note: The punishment for blasphemy was stoning (Leviticus 24:15-16).
Some members of the Sanhedrin spit on Jesus, blindfolded Him, and beat Him. The temple police joined by assaulting Jesus.
In verses 66-72, (See also Matthew 26:69-75), while Peter was still in the courtyard of the high priest, one of the high priest’s servants accused Peter of being a Nazarene who was with Jesus. Peter denied it and moved to the entryway. Another servant approached Peter and accused him, and again, he denied being a disciple. A third servant accused Peter of being a Galilean and a disciple of Jesus, and again he denied it calling curses on himself.
Note: Galileans spoke an Aramaic dialect that was different from those in Jerusalem, so his accent stood out.
Note: Peter calling curses on himself was like swearing before God that what he was saying was true, but of course, it was not.
Immediately a rooster crowed, and Peter realized he had denied Jesus three times just as Jesus had said. He wept, realizing what he had done.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
