UST MARK Chapter 14

14 It was only two days before the people would begin to celebrate the week-long festival that they called the Passover. During those days they also celebrated the festival which they called The Feast of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the men who taught the Jewish laws were planning how they could arrest Jesus deceitfully. They wanted to accuse him in front of the Roman authorities so that they would execute him. 2 They were saying to one another, “We must not do it during the celebration because if we do it then, the people will be very angry with us and riot!”

3 Jesus was a guest in the village of Bethany, in the house of Simon, who previously had leprosy. While they were eating, a woman came to him. She was carrying a stone jar that contained an expensive, fragrant ointment which was made of very expensive, pure nard. She opened the jar and then poured all the fragrant ointment on Jesus’ head. 4 Some of the people who were present became angry and said to themselves, “It is terrible that she wasted that fragrant ointment! 5 It could have been sold for a year’s wages, and then the money could have been given to poor people!” They rebuked her. 6 But Jesus said, “Stop scolding her! She has done to me what I consider to be very appropriate. So you should not bother her! 7 You will always have poor people among you. So you can help them whenever you want to. But I will not be here with you much longer. 8 It is appropriate that she has done what she was able. It is as if she knew that I was going to die soon and has anointed my body for their burying it. 9 I will tell you this: Wherever my followers preach the good news throughout the world, they will also tell what she has done, and people will remember her.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests to talk about helping them to capture Jesus. He did that even though he was one of the Twelve Representatives. 11 When the chief priests heard what he was willing to do for them, they were very happy. They promised that they would reward him with money in return. Judas agreed and began watching for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them.

12 On the first day of the celebration that they call Unleavened Bread, when they kill the lambs for the Passover, Jesus’ apprentices said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare the meal for the Passover celebration so that we can eat it?” 13 So Jesus chose two of his apprentices to prepare everything. He said to them, “Go into the city of Jerusalem. You will meet a man who will be carrying a large jar full of water. Follow him. 14 When he enters a house, say to the man who owns the house, ‘Our teacher wants us to prepare the meal of the Passover celebration so that he can eat it with us his apprentices. Please show us the room.’ 15 He will show you a large room that is on the upper floor of the house. It will have carpets, eating couches, and an eating table, and it will be ready for us to eat a meal in it. Then prepare the meal there for us.” 16 So the two apprentices left. They went into the city and found everything to be just as he had told them. Then they prepared the meal for the Passover celebration. 17 When it was evening, Jesus arrived at that house with the Twelve Representatives.

18 As they were all lying back beside the table and eating, Jesus said, “Listen carefully to this: One of you will enable my enemies to arrest me. It is one of you who is eating with me right now!” 19 The apprentices became very sad, and each one said to Jesus, one after another, “Certainly it is not I who will betray you, right?” 20 Then he said to them, “It is one of you Twelve Representatives, the person who is dipping bread into the sauce in the dish along with me. 21 It is certain that I, the Son of Man, will die, because that is what the prophets have written about me. But there will be terrible punishment for the man who will help my enemies seize me! In fact, it would be better for that man if he had never been born!”

22 While they were eating, he took a flat loaf of bread and thanked God for it. Then he broke it into pieces and gave it to them and said to them, “This bread is my body. Take it and eat it.” 23 Afterwards, he took a cup that contained wine and thanked God for it. Then he gave it to his apprentices, and they all drank from the cup. 24 Jesus said to his apprentices, “This wine is my blood, which is about to flow from my body when my enemies kill me. With this blood I will confirm the agreement that God has made to forgive the sins of many people. 25 I want you to know this: I will not drink any more wine until the time when I drink it again when God rules everywhere as king.” 26 After they sang a song praising God, Jesus and his apprentices went out toward the Mount of Olives.

27 While they were on their way, Jesus said to his apprentices, “Zechariah the prophet wrote in the Scriptures that God said about me, ‘I will kill the shepherd and his sheep will scatter.’ Those words will come true. You will all leave me and run away. 28 But after God makes me alive again, I will go ahead of you to the district of Galilee and meet you there.” 29 Peter said to Jesus, “Perhaps all the other apprentices will leave you, but not I! I will not leave you!” 30 Then Jesus said to Peter, “The truth is that this very night, before the rooster crows two times, you yourself will say about me three times that you do not know me.” 31 But Peter replied strongly, “Even if they kill me, I will never say that I do not know you.” And all the other apprentices said the same thing.

32 Jesus and his apprentices went to the place that people call Gethsemane. Jesus said to some of his apprentices, “Stay here while I pray!” 33 He took Peter, James, and John with him. Jesus became extremely emotionally anguished. 34 He said to them, “I am very sorrowful. It is as if I were about to die. You men stay here and keep watch!” 35 Jesus went a bit farther and threw himself on the ground. Then he prayed that if it were possible, he would not have to suffer. 36 He said, “O my Father, because you are able to do everything, rescue me so that I do not have to suffer now! But do not do what I want. Instead, do what you want!” 37 Then Jesus returned to where he had left Peter, James, and John. He found these apprentices sleeping. He woke them up and said to Peter, who was also called Simon, “Simon! I am disappointed that you fell asleep and that you were not able to stay awake for just a short time!” 38 And Jesus said to them, “You want to do what I say, but you are not strong enough. Keep awake and pray so that you can resist when you are tempted!” 39 Then he went away again and prayed again what he had prayed before. 40 When Jesus returned, he found that they were sleeping again; they were so sleepy that they could not keep their eyes open. Because they were ashamed, they did not know what to say to him when he awakened them. 41 Then Jesus went and prayed once more. He returned a third time and found them sleeping again. He said to them, “I am disappointed that you are sleeping again! You have slept enough. The time for me to suffer is about to begin. Look! Someone is about to enable sinful men to seize me, the Son of Man. 42 So get up! Let us go! Look! Here comes the one who is enabling them to seize me!”

43 While he was still speaking, Judas arrived. Even though he was one of Jesus’ Twelve Representatives, he came to enable Jesus’ enemies to capture him. A crowd who carried swords and clubs was with him. The leaders of the Jewish Council had sent them. 44 Judas, who was helping Jesus’ enemies to seize him, had previously told this crowd, “The man whom I kiss is the one whom you want. When I kiss him, seize him, and lead him away while you guard him carefully.” 45 So, when Judas arrived, he immediately approached Jesus and said, “My teacher!” Then he kissed Jesus. 46 Then the crowd grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 47 But one of his apprentices, who was standing nearby, drew his sword. He struck the servant of the high priest with it, but he only cut off the servant’s ear. 48 Jesus said to them, “It is surprising that you have come here with swords and clubs to arrest me, as if I were a bandit. 49 For many days I was with you in the temple courtyard teaching the people. Why did you not try to arrest me then? But this is happening in order that what the prophets wrote in the Scriptures about me may happen.” 50 Then all Jesus’ apprentices left him and ran away. 51 At that time, a young man was following Jesus. He was wearing only a linen cloth around his body. The crowd grabbed the young man, 52 but, as he pulled away from them, he left behind the linen cloth in their hands, and then he ran away naked.

53 The men who had seized Jesus led him away to the house where the high priest lived. All of the Jewish council were gathering there. 54 Peter followed Jesus at a distance. He went into the courtyard of the house where the high priest lived, and he sat there with the men who guarded the house of the high priest. He was warming himself beside a fire. 55 The chief priests and all the rest of the Jewish council tried to find people who would tell lies about Jesus so that they could convince the Roman authorities to execute him. They did not succeed. 56 A number of people spoke lies about Jesus, but the statements they made did not agree with each other. 57 Finally, some people stood up and accused Jesus falsely by saying, 58 “We heard him when he said, ‘I will destroy this temple that was built by men, and then within three days I will build another temple without help from anyone.’” 59 But what some of these men said did not agree with what others of them said.

60 Then the high priest himself stood up in front of them and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to reply to anything that they have said? What do you say about all the things that they are saying in order to accuse you?” 61 But Jesus was silent and did not reply. Then the high priest tried again. He asked him, “Are you the Messiah? Do you say that you are the Son of God?” 62 Jesus said, “I am. Furthermore, you will see me, the Son of Man, ruling beside God, who is completely powerful. You will also see me coming down through the clouds in the sky!” 63 In response to Jesus’ words, the high priest tore his outer garment in protest, and the high priest said, “We surely do not need any more witnesses to testify against this man! 64 You have heard his blasphemous claim to be God!” They all agreed that Jesus was guilty and that he deserved to be killed. 65 Then some of them began spitting on Jesus. They put a blindfold on him, and then they began striking him and saying to him, “If you are a prophet, tell us who hit you!” And those who were guarding Jesus struck him with their hands.

66 While Peter was outside in the courtyard of the high priest’s house, one of the girls who worked for the high priest came near him. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself beside the fire, she looked at him closely. Then she said, “You also were with Jesus, that man from the town of Nazareth!” 68 But Peter denied it by saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about!” Then he went away from there to the gate of the courtyard. 69 The servant girl saw him there and said again to the people who were standing nearby, “This man is one of those who have been with that man they arrested.” 70 But he denied it again. After a little while, those who were standing there said to Peter again, “The way you speak shows that you also are from the district of Galilee. So it is certain that you are one of the men who accompanied Jesus!” 71 But he began to exclaim, “I do not know the man about which you are talking! For God knows that I am speaking truthfully, and may he punish me if I am lying!” 72 Right then the rooster crowed again. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him earlier, “Before the rooster crows a second time, you will deny three times that you know me.” When Peter realized that he had denied Jesus three times, he was extremely sad. Peter wept.

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