The Events Leading Up to the Betrayal

It was now two days before the Passover and feast of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought to arrest Yeshua through deception and kill him. But they said, Not during the feast for that might cause a disturbance of the people. And while Yeshua was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, reclining at a meal, there came a woman having an alabaster vase of expensive nard oil; and she broke the seal and poured it on his head. And there were some that were indignant by this and said, Why was this oil wasted? For this oil could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they sternly blamed her. But Yeshua said, Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good to them whenever you want: but you will not always have me. She hath done what she could: she has anointed my body prior to the burying. I tell you truly, Wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be spoken as a reminder of her.

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to betray him to the chief priests. And when they heard this they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how to conveniently deliver him to them.

The Preparation for Passover

And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, Where will you have us go to prepare to eat the Passover? And he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, Go into the city, and there will meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And whatever place he will enter, say to the householder, The Teacher asks, Where is the guestroom, where I will eat the Passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready: there prepare for us. And his disciples set out and went to the city, and found it as he had said: and they prepared the Passover. And when it was evening he came with the twelve.

Yeshua Predicts His Betrayal

And as they reclined and ate, Yeshua said, Truly, One of you eating with me will betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and asked him, one by one, Is it I? He said to them, it is one of the twelve who is dipping with me in the dish. For the Son of man indeed goes, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It is better that he had never been born.

And as they were eating, Yeshua took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and he gave it to them, and said, Take and eat: this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said to them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. I say to you truly, I will not drink again the fruit of the vine until that day when I will drink it new in the kingdom of YHWH. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. And Yeshua said to them, You will all stumble because of me tonight: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter. But after that I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter said, Even though they all stumble, I will not. And Yeshua said to him, Truly I say to you, that in this night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times. But he spoke more excessively, saying, If I died with you, I would not deny you in any way. The others said the same.

And they went to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. And he took Peter, James and John with him, and began to be utterly astounded and weighted down; And he said to them, My soul is extremely sad, to the point of deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God.: remain here, and stay awake and alert. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to you; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

The Arrest and Betrayal of Yeshua

Simon are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch for one hour?
38 Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit truly is willing but the flesh is weak. 39 And he went away again and prayed, and said the same words. 40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy, and they did not know what to say to him. 41 And he came a third time, and said to them, Continue sleeping and reclining, it is enough, the hour has come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise up and let us be going; look, he that betrays me is at hand.

Judas and the Capture

43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, came Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 And the one who betrayed him provided them a sign, saying, Whomever I will kiss, that is him; seize him and securely bear him away. 45 And when he came he went immediately to him, and said, Master, master; and kissed him. 46 And they laid hands on him, and took him. 47 But one of them that stood by drew a sword and struck a servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 48 And Yeshua said to them, Have you come out to take me as you would a robber with swords and clubs? 49 I was in the temple teaching with you daily, and you didn’t take me then: but let the scriptures be fulfilled.

50 And they all forsook him, and fled. 51 And a young man followed him, having only a linen cloth tossed around his nakedness, and the male youth laid hold of him: 52 but he abandoned the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. 53 And they led Yeshua to the high priest: and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes were assembled. 54 And Peter followed him from a distance, and went right into the palace yard of the high priest: and he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire.

False Testimonies and Peter’s Denial

55 Now the chief priests and all of the council sought for witness against Yeshua to put him to death; but they found none. 56 For many bore false witness against him, but their witness did not agree with each other. 57 And some that bore false witness against him said, 58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, that is not made with hands. 59 But neither did their testimonies agree. 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Yeshua, Do you not have any reply? What is it that these witnesses say against you? 61 But he was silent and did not reply. Again, the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Yeshua said, I am: and you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. 63 And the high priest tore his clothes, and asked, Why do we still need witnesses? 64 You have heard his blasphemy: decide! 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 to him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

66 And while Peter was down in the palace yard, there came a young maid of the high priest: 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, You were also with the Nazarene, Yeshua. 68 But he denied it, saying, I don’t know nor do I understand what you are saying. And he went out into the porch. 69 And again a maid saw him, and began to say to others standing by, This man is one of them. 70 But he denied it again. After a little, the bystanders again said to Peter, Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean. 71 But he began began to invoke a curse upon himself, swearing, I know not this man of whom you speak. 72 And immediately the cock crew a second time. And Peter remembered how Yeshua has said to him, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times. And when he broke down and wept.

Prelude to the Passover

Alright, let’s jump back to verse one and work through this fourteenth chapter. It was now two days before the passover and feast of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought to arrest Yeshua through deception and kill him.

The Anointing at Bethany

Jews took the blood of a lamb and put it on the doorposts to protect them from death (by YHWH passing over them), so was the eternal Lamb of an eternal Passover, Yeshua, that would be offered up at this time. (see, Exodus 12:1-12).

2But they said, Not during the feast for that might cause a disturbance of the people.

PO Under Roman rule in Jerusalem the Jews had relative freedom unless there were disturbances to the peace which the Roman curators despised.

The Anointing with Nard Oil

3And while Yeshua was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, reclining at a meal, there came a woman having an alabaster vase of expensive nard oil; and she brake the seal and poured it on his head. There are two women, both named Mary, who anointed Yeshua in his life – Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene. This was Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus.

PO Nard is a plant (Nardostachys jatamansi) of the valerian family from the East Indies where the stalk and root are used to make an exquisite perfume.

4And there were some that were indignant by this and said, Why was this oil wasted?

PO Matthew 26:9 says it was the disciples but John 12:4 says it was Judas Iscariot. CLA: (see, Understanding Gospel Inconsistencies) PO Note the verbiage – “why was this oil wasted.” The implication is that the oil could have been used in a much more profitable manner (sold for money – verse 5) and that the way it was used (on Yeshua) was irresponsible, inappropriate and foolhardy.

This is an illustration in priorities – specifically, are priorities on Him, the Son of God, or on the things of this world and their value. Yeshua clears it all up in this sitting, making His preeminent in all things readily apparent.

5For this oil could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they sternly blamed her.

Yeshua's Response

6But Yeshua said, Let her alone; why do you trouble her? she has done a beautiful thing to me. 7For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good to them whenever you want: but you will not always have me.

The poor you will ALWAYS have with you.

8She hath done what she could: she has anointed my body prior to the burying.

PO The burying of Yeshua’s body is paramount to the Good News. Taking the sins of humankind upon himself, into his very body, he was put to death for all of humanity and the world was buried with Him, dying, as it were, through his substitutionary death on its behalf (see, 2nd Corinthians 5:14). In this way, the sinful fallen world has been reconciled to YHWH. He has forgiven all of every sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. because of the death and burial of His only human Son. What remains then, for all, is how will they then live? What good will they choose to embrace and do, by and through His resurrection or rising up from the grave? (see, 2nd Corinthians 5:15).

9I tell you truly, Wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be a spoken as a reminder of her.

PO This prophecy is fulfilled at this moment in our reading of this text! Additionally, this is one of the few passages in the Record where either Yeshua or His apostles reference the whole world (in a future tense) that has a direct application to believers today.

10Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to betray him to the chief priests. 11And when they heard this they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how to conveniently deliver him to them.

PO Judas Iscariot appears to have had problems with money from the start of ministry. (see, John 12:4 and 6) (see, Genesis 37:28).

12And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, Where will you have us go to prepare to eat the passover? 13And he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, Go into the city, and there will meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.

PO Either we are lacking information in this text or this was an expression of Yeshua and omniscience. The Lord and disciples were presently in Bethany, two miles from Jerusalem. For him to tell them to go.

Supernatural Insight and Spiritual Discernment

Into the city and look for a man bearing a pitcher of water was far too vague of instructions and required both His supernatural insight and the disciple’s ability to spiritually discern things as there must have been many men bearing pitchers of water.

14And whatever place he will enter, say to the householder, The Teacher asks, Where is the guestroom, where I will eat the Passover with my disciples? 15And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and ready: there prepare for us. 16And his disciples set out and went to the city, and found it as he had said: and they prepared the Passover. 17And when it was evening he came with the twelve. 18And as they reclined and ate, Yeshua said, Truly, One of you eating with me will betray me.

19And they began to be sorrowful, and asked him, one by one, Is it I? 20He said to them, it is one of the twelve who is dipping with me in the dish.

PO It is possible that Judas, in consummate darkness, placed himself closest to the Lord to feign loyalty.

21For the Son of man indeed goes, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It is better that he had never been born.

The New Covenant

22And as they were eating, Yeshua took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and he gave it to them, and said, Take and eat: this is my body.

(see, 1st Corinthians 11:23-26) PO We note that in 1st Corinthians 11:26 that Yeshua told the disciples to do communion whenever they gathered together “until he comes.” And while the practice of communion in Christian churches remains ubiquitous, if Yeshua came back to them/then, as promised by him and the Apostles, the practice is no longer necessary as believers today, abiding in Him literally, are in constant spiritual memorial of His life and death and have no reason for external reminders. THR: (see, Eschatological Fulfillment).

23And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24And he said to them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

BGT diatheke: covenant, agreement of, will, contract. The wine was of course representational of what Yeshua was about to do – create a new contract, thereby replacing the former or old covenant, which was based on obedience to the Law. The new contract, established in, through and by His shed blood, was to be one of faith (and not the works of the Law) on his life, death and resurrection. (See, Psalm 143:2; Acts 13:38-39; Romans 1:17; Romans 3:20,22,28; Romans 8:3; Galatians 3:11,24; Hebrews 7:18-19; Titus 3:5).

Which is shed for all. (see, 1st Timothy 4:10; John 3:17; 1st John 2:2)

The Coming Kingdom

25 I say to you truly, I will not drink again the fruit of the vine until that day when I will drink it new in the kingdom of YHWH.

BGT kainos – new, as in relative to a new age. I will not drink of the vine until I drink it in the new age of the Kingdom of YHWH. This new age would be in full swing only after the end of the former age, which would be finalized at his coming with judgment and reward on his own and was fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD.

26And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. The Passover was observed by the Jews by singing the 113th, 114th, 115th, 116th, 117th, and 118th psalms. They divided these into two parts. The 118th and 114th psalms they sung during the observance of the Passover itself, and the others at the close of it. There is little doubt that Yeshua and the apostles appealed to these same psalms in their Passover observance.

27And Yeshua said to them, You will all stumble because of me tonight: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter.

(see, Zechariah 13:7)

28But after that I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.

(see, Mark 16:7) PO Again, the Apostles were told by Yeshua that He would rise, but their eyes had yet to open.

29Peter said, Even though they all stumble, I will not.

Classic Peter

30And Yeshua said to him, Truly I say to you, that in this night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times. 31But he spoke more excessively, saying, If I died with you, I

The Garden of Gethsemane

would not deny you in any way. The others said the same.
32 And they went to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray.

Gethsemane was an olive garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The name means, Olive Press. (see Luke 22:44 for insight to this name).

33 And he took Peter, James, and John with him, and began to be utterly astounded and weighted down;

It appears that Yeshua was preparing himself mentally, and emotionally – perhaps even physically – for what he was about to undergo. This was the man preparing for what God was going to do in and through him. We know from verse 41 below that this was not “the hour” he sought to avoid but was in preparation for the hour to come – that of his suffering for sin at the hands of men.

34 And he said to them, My soul is extremely sad, to the point of death: remain here, and stay awake and alert. 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 to you; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

The word Abba is Syriac and is a term that expresses intimate tenderness between a child and father – like papa.

Acknowledging God's Will

We note Yeshua’s admission that all things are possible with YHWH, but this does not mean He will do all things – even things desired of His own human Son. Yeshua acknowledges this fact by adding that even though he personally would like the cup to pass, it was not his will that mattered but that of His Father. And our God. (see, Romans 8:15).

37 And he came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, Simon are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit truly is willing but the flesh is weak.

Human flesh is in automatic opposition to the things of the Spirit. This cannot be fixed or remedied by discipline or religion; flesh will always fall short. Christians therefore focus on the things of Spirit, and not the flesh, as a means to allow the flesh to die though the believer continues to live. (see, Galatians 2:20).

39 And he went away again and prayed, and said the same words. 40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy, and they did not know what to say to him. 41 And he came a third time, and said to them, Continue sleeping and reclining, it is enough, the hour has come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

The term, “it is enough” is difficult to understand. It could mean, “you have had enough sleep,” or perhaps, “all you have done to watch (which was little) is enough – the time has come.”

42 Rise up and let us be going; look, he that betrays me is at hand.

BGT eggizo – approaches, draws nigh. This is the term translated “at hand,” or “draws close.” In every case in scripture it means very close, within reach, about to happen. Consider Peters words in his first epistle to the believers then: “But the end of all things is at hand . . . 1st Peter 4:7

43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, came Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 And the one who betrayed him provided them a sign, saying, Whomever I will kiss, that is him; seize him and securely bear him away. 45 And when he came he went immediately to him, and said, Master, master; and kissed him.

We note that Judas Iscariot was prone to great duplicity in his dealings with the Lord but his use of a kiss of betrayal was unoriginal and proverbial (see, 2nd Samuel 20:9; Psalm 55:21; Proverbs 27:6).

The Heart's Condition

Words, and even deeds of apparent devotion, are often external misrepresentations of a corrupt heart. God judges the heart of every individual. (See, 1st Samuel 16:7; Psalm 7:9; Isaiah 55:8-9; Jeremiah 20:12).

The Spiritual Warfare

evil, only YHWH can change it. (see, Psalm 51:10; Jeremiah 31:33; 32:39; Ezekiel 18:31). The Christian faith begins – and continues – in the heart, not with the hands and mouth. They will follow in thereafter.

46And they laid hands on him, and took him. 47But one of them that stood by drew a sword and struck a servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

The Incident in the Garden

PO John 18:10 informs us that the one striking was Peter and the one struck was named Malchus. This account also informs us that Yeshua tells Peter to “put away his sword.” Luke 22 informs us that Yeshua healed Malchus on the spot. When standing before Pilate in his trial Yeshua when asked if He was a King admits that He is, but that His kingdom was not of this world, for if it was, then His servants would fight (see, John 18:36). The Christian warfare is not material, it is spiritual, and it is waged with humility, prayer, patience and love for God and Man. CLA: (see, His Kingdom is Not of this World)

48And Yeshua said to them, Have you come out to take me as you would a robber with swords and clubs? 49I was in the temple teaching with you daily, and you didn’t take me then: but let the scriptures be fulfilled.

(See, Isaiah 53:12)

50And they all forsook him, and fled.

PO The “they all” appears to refer to all of his chosen apostles. (see, the conclusion of verse 31 above)

51And a young man followed him, having only a linen cloth tossed around his nakedness, and the male youth laid hold of him: 52but he abandoned the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.

Many commentators believe that this young man was actually the writer of this Gospel, Mark as he is the only one who includes the comments in his narrative and the added information does not seem to add anything to the story but a personal insight and an indirect first-hand witness to the events.

The Trial Before the High Priest

53And they led Yeshua to the high priest: and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes were assembled.

54And Peter followed him from a distance, and went right into the palace yard of the high priest: and he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. 55Now the chief priests and all of the council sought for witness against Yeshua to put him to death; but they found none. 56For many bore false witness against him, but their witness did not agree with each other. 57And some that bore false witness against him said, 58We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, that is not made with hands.

COMMENT

59But neither did their testimonies agree. 60And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Yeshua, Do you not have any reply? What is it that these witnesses say against you? 61But he was silent and did not reply. Again, the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62And Yeshua said, I am: and you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.

PO Yeshua told them/then that they would see him coming with the clouds. Note carefully Revelation 1:7: Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. CLA (see, EschatologyStudy of “last things”—TGNN teaches all biblical eschatology was fulfilled in 70 A.D. More)

63And the high priest tore his clothes, and asked, Why do we still need witnesses? 64You have heard his blasphemy: decide! And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

(see, Leviticus 24:10-16)

65And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say to him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

(see, Isaiah 50:6; 53:3)

66And while Peter was down in the palace yard, there came a young maid of the high priest: 67And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, You were also with the Nazarene, Yeshua. 68But he denied it, saying, I don’t know nor do I understand what you are saying. And he went out into the porch. 69And again a maid saw him, and began to say to others standing by, This man is one of them. 70But he denied it again. After a little the bystanders again said to Peter, Certainly you are one of them; for you

The Denial of Peter

Galileans were known to possess certain speech patterns that identified them readily.

71But he began to invoke a curse upon himself, swearing, I know not this man of whom you speak.

72And immediately the cock crew a second time. And Peter remembered how Yeshua has said to him, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times. And when he broke down and wept.

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