Глава 14

1–11. The plans of the enemies against Christ, the anointing of Jesus in Bethany, the agreement of Judas to betray Christ. – 12–16. Preparations for the Easter supper. – 17–25. Easter supper. – 26–31. Removal of Christ with his disciples to the Mount of Olives. Prediction about the abdication of the Apostle Peter. – 32–42. Christ in Gethsemane. – 43–52. The betrayal of Christ by Judas and His taking into custody. – 53–65. Christ on trial in the Sanhedrin. – 66–72. Denial of the Apostle Peter. Mark 14:1. Two days later was the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and scribes sought how to take Him by cunning and kill Him; Evangelist Mark generally conveys the story of the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ in accordance with Matthew. However, there are some peculiarities in his story: Mark, sometimes shorter and sometimes more detailed than Matthew, describes the events included in this section of the history of Christ. “In two days...” In Matthew these are the words of Christ Himself (Matthew 26:1), in Mark there is his own remark, made, of course, in accordance with the saying of Christ. “The Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread” (see Matthew 26:18). “Take Him by stealth...” (see Matt. 26:3–4). Mark 14:2. but they said: just not on a holiday, so that there is no indignation among the people. Mark 14:3. And when He was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, and was reclining, a woman came with an alabaster vessel of ointment made of pure, precious nard and, breaking the vessel, she poured it on His head. Mark 14:4. Some were indignant and said among themselves: Why this waste of peace? Mark 14:5. For it could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they grumbled at her. Mark 14:6. But Jesus said: Leave her; Why are you embarrassing her? She did a good deed for Me. Mark 14:7. For you always have the poor with you and, whenever you want, you can do them good; but you don’t always have Me. Mark 14:8. She did what she could: she prepared to anoint My body for burial. Mark 14:9. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the whole world, what she has done will also be told in her memory. Evangelist Mark notes that the myrrh was prepared “from nard” - in Hebrew “nered” (Song. 1:12, 4:13 et seq.), i.e. from a flower growing in the mountains of the East Indies, belonging to the valeriana species, a span long. The juice extracted from it was used to prepare a special aromatic liquid, which was best extracted in the city of Tarsus and sent from there for sale in small alabaster jars. "Pure" (πιστικῆς), i.e. without foreign impurities. “Breaking the vessel” (verse 3). The jar probably had a device for pouring the world out of it, in the form of a neck, and the woman, not wanting, without thinking, to leave anything for her needs from the world in the jar, directly broke off the neck and poured the entire contents of the jar onto the head of Christ. “Three hundred denarii” (verse 5) – about 60 rubles, which corresponds to the cost of 1200 g of silver (a denarius is 20 kopecks, i.e. 4 g of silver). “They murmured against her” (ἐνεβριμῶντο, cf. Mark 1:43) - they were very angry with her. “She did what she could” (verse 8), more precisely: what she received, she did or gave (ὁ ἔσχεν ἐποίησεν). The Lord seems to be making it clear here that the woman gave, sacrificed for Him the gift that she herself had received before. Mark 14:10. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. Mark 14:11. When they heard, they rejoiced and promised to give him pieces of silver. And he looked for how to betray Him at a convenient time. The anointing of Christ with myrrh took place “six days before Easter” (see John 12:1), and if Mark, like Matthew, depicts it as if it happened just before the very day of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, then he does this in order to reveal the entire vileness of Judas’s act in contrast to the love shown towards Christ by the woman, the apostle of Christ is His traitor! Therefore, verse 10 should, in fact, immediately follow verse 5 of the chapter in question. Church tradition considers Wednesday to be the day of the tradition or agreement of Judas with the high priests. Mark 14:12. On the first day of unleavened bread, when they slaughtered the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do you want to eat the Passover?” we'll go and cook. Mark 14:13. And he sends two of his disciples and says to them: go into the city; and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water; follow him Mark 14:14. and where he enters, tell the owner of that house: The Teacher says: Where is the room in which I can eat the Passover with My disciples? Mark 14:15. And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready: there prepare for us. Mark 14:16. And His disciples went and came into the city, and found it as He had told them; and prepared Passover. "When the Passover lamb was slaughtered". The Evangelist Mark adds this in order to more accurately indicate for his readers, pagan Christians, on what day the disciples came to Christ. One expression, “the day of unleavened bread” (Matt. 26:17), was not precise enough, because the days of unleavened bread lasted a whole week (see Ex. 12). Although, strictly speaking, the first day of unleavened bread or Passover began only on the evening of the 14th of Nisan, in common parlance the morning of that day was obviously already called the day of Passover or unleavened bread. “And you will meet a man carrying a jug...” Evangelist Mark, as before (Mark 11:2 et seq.), depicts Christ here as the Lord of all, possessing the gift of insight. “And he will show you the upper room...” i.e. the upstairs room (ἀνώγαιον), a room covered with carpets and equipped with sofas on which they reclined during meals. "Ready", i.e. having a table, and vessels for cooking and for washing, and cushions for sitting. It is very likely that this house belonged to Mark himself and his mother, Mary, and that Mark was already at that time one of the disciples of Christ and was present at the celebration of Passover with Christ and the apostles (cf. verse 19). Mark 14:17. When evening came, He came with the twelve. Mark 14:18. And as they reclined and ate, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.” Mark 14:19. They became sad and began to say to Him, one after another: Isn’t it me? and another: isn't it me? Mark 14:20. He answered and said to them, “One of the twelve who dipped with Me in the dish.” Mark 14:21. However, the Son of Man comes, as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for that man not to have been born. Mark 14:22. And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take, eat.” this is My Body. Mark 14:23. And he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them: and they all drank from it. Mark 14:24. And he said to them, “This is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many.” Mark 14:25. Truly I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink new wine in the kingdom of God. Mark 14:26. And having sung, they went to the Mount of Olives. “He who eats with Me” (verse 18). Here a hint is given that the traitor at the table is close to Christ. But who he was was still unclear. The meaning of the expression “will betray” was also unclear. If the apostles had seen in it an indication of the conscious betrayal of Christ to His enemies, then they would hardly have asked: “is it not I”? Perhaps they had in mind some accidental action, a carelessly uttered word that could have harmed their Teacher. “And the other: isn’t it me?” (verse 19). This expression, found only in the Evangelist Mark, shows that, in addition to the 12 apostles who asked the question “one after another” (εἷς κατὰ εἷς), there were some other persons at the table, and one of these last (καὶ ἄλλος) turned to the Lord with a question. The fact that there were actually other disciples sitting at the table besides the 12, and perhaps even the Most Holy Mother of God, is also evident from the words: “one of the twelve, dipping into the dish with Me.” There would be no need to express such a particular definition if only 12 apostles were with Christ at that time... “Nevertheless” (verse 21) is a misnomer. Here in the Greek text there is a particle ὅτι, used for causal connection: “since...”. Therefore, the whole of verse 21 should be rendered as follows: “since the Son of Man departs, as it is written about Him, according to the will of God, but since, on the other hand, a bitter fate awaits the man through whom the Son of Man will be betrayed, it would have been better for that man not to have been born!” Throughout this entire narrative, Evangelist Mark never once calls Judas by name, leaving it to the readers themselves to figure out who he is talking about. Judas appears only in verse 43. “And they all drank from it” (verse 23). Evangelist Mark mentions this, probably for the purpose of showing that Judas was not deprived of tasting the Blood of the Lord (“everyone” drank). Mark 14:27. And Jesus said to them: You will all be offended because of Me this night; for it is written: “I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” Mark 14:28. After My resurrection, I will go before you to Galilee. Mark 14:29. Peter said to Him: Even if everyone is offended, yet not I. Mark 14:30. And Jesus said to him: Truly I say to you, today, this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times. Mark 14:31. But he said with even greater effort: even though I had to die with You, I will not renounce You. Everyone said the same thing. “I will take you to Galilee.” According to the generally accepted view, this refers to Northern Galilee, where the Lord preached the Gospel for so long (cf. Matt. 26:32). There is, however, a view among some of the newest interpreters that this refers to a small district (in Hebrew, “galila”) of villages near Jerusalem. The existence of such a district is also spoken of in the Old Testament (Joshua 18:17; Ezek.47:8). This district included both the Mount of Olives and Bethany, where recently, before His suffering, Christ almost constantly spent the night with His disciples (Luke 21:37). This is where Christ directed the gaze of His disciples. There He appeared to them after His resurrection. But such a view contradicts the messages of the Evangelist John about the appearance of Christ in Northern Galilee at the Sea of ​​Tiberias. "The rooster will crow twice." The first time the rooster crows around midnight, the second - before morning. Peter will renounce Christ before the morning of a new day comes - that is, on the same day on which he so assured Christ of his love for Him. In this case, the renunciation will be pronounced three times - with special force... Mark 14:32. They came to a village called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, Sit here while I pray. Mark 14:33. And he took with him Peter, James and John; and began to be horrified and sad. Mark 14:34. And he said to them: My soul is sorrowful unto death; stay here and watch. Mark 14:35. And, going a little way, he fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, this hour would pass from Him; Mark 14:36. and said: Abba Father! everything is possible for You; carry this cup past Me; but not what I want, but what You want. Mark 14:37. He returns and finds them sleeping, and says to Peter: Simon! are you sleeping? couldn't you stay awake for one hour? Mark 14:38. Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Mark 14:39. And, going away again, he prayed, saying the same word. Mark 14:40. And when he returned, he again found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him. Mark 14:41. And he comes the third time and says to them: Are you still sleeping and resting? It is over, the hour has come: behold, the Son of Man is given over into the hands of sinners. Mark 14:42. Get up, let's go; Behold, he who betrayed Me has drawn near. “This hour” (verse 35), i.e. the fatal hour of suffering and death (cf. verse 41). “Abba” (verse 36) – father – is an Aramaic word, which the evangelist considers necessary to translate into Greek ὁ πατήρ. “Simon! are you sleeping?" (verse 37). The question was directed primarily to Simon, who boasted of his devotion to Christ. “Speaking the same word” (verse 39). So the Evangelist Mark briefly mentions the second prayer of Christ, but does not speak about the third at all, making only a hint of it in the words: “and he comes a third time.” Evangelist Matthew speaks in detail about all three prayers of Christ. “It is finished” (verse 41) – more correctly: “enough” (ἀπέχει), i.e. enough sleep (St. Augustine “On the Concord of the Evangelists”, III, 4). Mark 14:43. And immediately, as He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a multitude of people with swords and staves, from the chief priests and scribes and elders. Mark 14:44. The one who betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying: Whomever I kiss, He is the One; take Him and lead him carefully. Mark 14:45. And when he arrived, he immediately approached Him and said: Rabbi! Rabbi! and kissed Him. Mark 14:46. And they laid their hands on Him and took Him. Mark 14:47. One of those standing there drew a sword, struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Mark 14:48. Then Jesus said to them, “You came out as if against a thief with swords and staves to take Me.” Mark 14:49. Every day I was with you in the church and taught, and you did not take Me. But may the Scriptures be fulfilled. Mark 14:50. Then, leaving Him, everyone fled. Mark 14:51. One young man, wrapped in a veil over his naked body, followed Him; and the soldiers seized him. Mark 14:52. But he, leaving the veil, ran away from them naked. “Drive carefully” (verse 44). More precisely, tightly, under close supervision (ἀσφαλῶς), so that He would not somehow escape. “Rabbi! Rabbi! (verse 45). This double appeal of Judas to Christ represents a sign of special respect (cf. Matt. 23:7). “A certain young man...” (verse 51). This contains a description of an incident that occurred during the capture of Christ. Only one evangelist, Mark, reports about this incident, namely the attempt of the soldiers to capture one young man, awakened by a night alarm and dressed only in a light blanket (σίνδονα). It is very likely that he is conveying an incident that happened to him. Mark 14:53. And they brought Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests and elders and scribes gathered to him. Mark 14:54. Peter followed Him from afar, even into the courtyard of the high priest; and sat with the servants and warmed himself by the fire. Mark 14:55. The high priests and the entire Sanhedrin sought evidence against Jesus in order to put Him to death; and were not found. Mark 14:56. For many bore false witness against Him, but these testimonies were not sufficient. Mark 14:57. And some stood up and bore false witness against Him and said: Mark 14:58. we heard Him say: I will destroy this church made with hands, and in three days I will erect another, not made with hands. Mark 14:59. But even such evidence was not enough. Mark 14:60. Then the high priest stood in the middle and asked Jesus: Why don’t you answer? What do they testify against You? Mark 14:61. But He was silent and did not answer anything. Again the high priest asked Him and said to Him: Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? Mark 14:62. Jesus said: I; and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Mark 14:63. Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What more need do we have for witnesses?” Mark 14:64. You have heard the blasphemy; what do you think? They all found Him guilty of death. Mark 14:65. And some began to spit on Him and, covering His face, struck Him and said to Him: Prophesy. And the servants beat Him on the cheeks. “Peter... warmed himself by the fire” (verse 54). More precisely: “basked in the light” (τὸ φῶς). The fire was apparently lit to illuminate the yard. Or maybe the fire was lit so that the watchmen could warm themselves near it, since in the East the nights in the spring can be very cold. “These testimonies were not sufficient” (verse 56), probably because they did not agree with one another. “This church is made with hands...” (verse 58). Evangelist Mark formulates the accusation against Christ more precisely than Matthew. It is obvious that here there is a distorted repetition of the words of Christ spoken by Him at the first appearance in the Jerusalem temple: “destroy this church” (John 2:19). “Then the high priest stood in the midst” (verse 60). The process was moving forward poorly, all the evidence against Christ was not strong enough and did not even agree with each other. Therefore, the high priest comes “to the middle” of the Sanhedrin, intending, like the Pharisees before (Matthew 22:15), to force Christ Himself to speak out about His intentions and views. “Again the high priest asked” (verse 61). More precisely: “asked” (ἐπηρώτα – imperfect past tense), by which the evangelist hints that this time Christ was asked a lot of questions. "Blessed One". Only here in the entire New Testament is God called this way 15. “Tearing the garments” (verse 63), more precisely: “lower garments” (cf. Matt. 5:40). In cold weather, the high priest could wear two lower garments (in Greek χιτῶνας - plural). When the high priest asked Christ if He was the Messiah, the Son of God, Christ gave a direct affirmative answer: “I am” (ἐγώ εἰμι; verse 62). Christ so clearly and directly declares His high dignity only in the Evangelist Mark, while in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke He says: “you say,” or: “you say that I.” The newest critics therefore do not want to recognize the authenticity of these words of Christ in Mark; he, they say, is the only one who conveys Christ’s answer in this way, and the other two synoptics express this answer in agreement with each other. Christ, the critics continue, could not declare His Messianic and Theanthropic dignity, since the high priest and He had completely different ideas about the Messiah. They further point out that Christ had not yet become the true Messiah and King of the Jews - this is what He became after His glorification. Finally, this statement is considered to contradict Christ's previous silence about His high dignity. But all these objections have no evidentiary value. Firstly, there is not the slightest reason to weaken the significance of the authority of the Gospel of Mark over the other two evangelists, and secondly, according to the best experts on the Greek and Hebrew languages, those answers contained in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke also have the meaning of affirmative answers. Further, Christ came to the consciousness of His high dignity not after the resurrection, but had this consciousness for a long time; it manifested itself in Him when He was still a 12-year-old boy. And then, if the high priest saw blasphemy in Christ’s answer, then it means that he also connected with the concept of the Messiah the concept of Him as the Son of God. Finally, the assertion that in the Gospel of Mark Christ is everywhere portrayed as hiding His Messianic dignity is also unfounded; in this Gospel there are many places in which Christ appears recognizing His Messianic dignity. Mark 14:66. While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest's maids came Mark 14:67. and seeing Peter warming himself and looking at him, she said, “You too were with Jesus of Nazareth.” Mark 14:68. But he denied, saying: I don’t know and don’t understand what you are saying. And he went out into the front yard; and the rooster crowed. Mark 14:69. The maid, seeing him again, began to say to those standing there: this is one of them. Mark 14:70. He denied again. After a little, those standing there again began to say to Peter: “You are definitely one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech is similar. Mark 14:71. He began to swear and swear: I do not know this Man of whom you speak. Mark 14:72. Then the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times; and started crying. “In the court below” (verse 66). The evangelist here contrasts the courtyard the upper rooms of the palace of the high priest, in which the trial of Christ was carried out. He, so to speak, forces his readers to go down from these rooms into the courtyard. “And he went out into the forecourt” (verse 68). The Evangelist Mark here more accurately determines the place of the second renunciation than Matthew (“when he went out of the gate” - Matt. 26:71). It was, so to speak, a vestibule (τὸ προαύλιον), surrounding the outside of the high priest's house. “When the maid saw him again...” (verse 69). Apparently, the evangelist Mark is talking about the same maidservant whom he spoke about above (verse 66), while Matthew directly mentions “another.” Perhaps Evangelist Mark, due to his characteristic desire for brevity of speech, did not mention that another servant had now spoken. “Galilean” (verse 70; see Matt. 26:73). “Swear” (verse 71), more precisely: “curse” (ἀναθεματίζειν). Nothing is said about the person or object of the curse; it is important that Peter went so far as to curse. “And he began to weep” (verse 72), more precisely: and throwing himself face down on the ground, he wept (ἐπιβαλὼν ἔκλαιεν). This term was used by rabbis to avoid using the direct name of God. You might be interested in: