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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; 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. The council against Christ was drawn up on Wednesday. And this is the reason why we fast on Wednesdays. The enemies wanted to wait out the holiday time, but they did not allow it. The Lord, having determined suffering for Himself, deigned to give Himself up to Crucifixion on Easter itself, for He Himself was the True Easter. Here one must marvel at His power. For when the enemies wanted to take Him, then they could not, and when they did not want to, because of the holiday, then He Himself willingly gave Himself up to them. “And while He was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, and was reclining, a woman came.” All four evangelists mention peace. And some people think that of course they all have the same wife. But it’s unfair: these are two different wives, one of whom is mentioned in John (John 12:3), she is also Lazarus’ sister, the other is mentioned in the other three evangelists. And if you look closely, you will find that there were three of them: one is mentioned in John, the other in Luke (Luke 7:37-38), and the other two evangelists mention the third. For the one mentioned in Luke was a harlot and anointed the Lord in the midst of His preaching, and the one mentioned in Matthew did the same around the time of suffering, and moreover, she was not an open harlot. The Lord accepts her zeal as one who spent so much on the ointment. “Some were indignant,” notes the evangelist. And John says that Judas was indignant (John 12:3-5). One might think that the other apostles also reproached their wife, since they constantly heard from Christ the teaching on almsgiving. But Judas was indignant at his wife not with the same thought as others, but out of love of money, for the sake of vile self-interest. For this reason, John mentions him alone as one who reviled his wife with evil intent. “And they murmured against her,” that is, they were indignant, reproached, and reviled. 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. The Lord reproaches the apostles for not restraining their wife’s zeal at the right time. “Why,” he says, “are you embarrassing her,” pushing her away with your reproaches after she has already brought the gift? And at the same time he denounces Judas, saying: that she did this while preparing Me for burial, and reveals his lack of conscience, as if saying to him: when you betray Me to death, you do not reproach yourself, but does she really deserve reproach from you for bringing myrrh to prepare Me for burial, and, moreover, according to a special, as it were, inspiration from God? Here the Lord makes two prophecies: first, that the Gospel will be preached throughout the world; secondly, that the wife’s actions will also be preached. May those who prefer the poor to Christ be ashamed! For I have heard goldsmiths who say that if you break a church vessel into pieces and give it to the poor, there will be no sin. Let them hear how Christ values ​​serving Him above serving the poor. And on the golden paten is the true Body of Christ, and in the chalice is the Blood of Christ. Therefore, whoever takes away a precious paten from the church and forces the Body of Christ to be laid down on a bad paten, referring to the poor, let him know whose participant he is becoming. 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. When the wife has shown due honor to Christ, then the disciple is at enmity against Him, and, moreover, one of the twelve. For it was not in vain that it was said: “one of the twelve,” but to show that he was one of the most chosen disciples. What does the expression mean: “to betray Him”? that means: let him know them when Christ will be alone. They were afraid to attack Him during the teaching, so as not to incur trouble on the part of the people; therefore, Judas promised to betray Him to them when He retired from everyone. 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. The Evangelist calls the first day of unleavened bread the Thursday, which immediately preceded the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for the Jews began to eat unleavened bread on Friday. The students come up and ask where they can eat Easter? From this it is clear that neither Christ had his own home, nor the disciples had their own houses; if they had, they would have accepted Him to themselves. He sends two of His disciples, Peter and John, as Luke says, to a stranger, showing them through this that He could not suffer if He wanted. For He who disposed a stranger to receive Him, what would He not have done in others? Meanwhile, he gives the students a sign of how to find the house they are looking for, namely: he tells them to follow a man carrying a jug of water, but this can also be explained in a figurative sense. The “jug of water” is worn by the baptized person. He goes “to a house” suitable for his rational (spiritual) state. For he who bears baptism comes to rest according to the word of life, and rests in this state as in a home. The “master of the house” is the mind that shows the “great upper room” - the sublimity of its thoughts. But this upper room is “lined”, that is, although elevated, it does not have anything harsh and proud; on the contrary, it is covered and cornered with humility. Here, in such a mind, I say, Easter is prepared for Christ by two disciples, Peter and John, that is, by activity and contemplation, for Peter was ardent and active, and John, as a Theologian, was contemplative. Mark 14:16. And His disciples went and came into the city, and found it as He had told them; and prepared Passover. 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. How did they recline when the Law commanded them to eat Passover standing? One must think that the Lord first celebrated the Pascha under the law, and then lay down to teach His own Pascha. The disciples began to mourn when the Lord said: “One of you will betray Me.” Although they were strangers to this sin, they were nevertheless embarrassed, for they believed more in God, who knew their hearts, than in themselves. Notice the word “goes”, for the death of Christ was only a departure, not a death. “It would have been better for that person not to have been born.” This is said in relation to the execution that the traitor will undergo. For it is better not to be born at all than to be born into torment. Thus, in relation to the final fate, it turns out that it would be better if Judas did not exist at all. For God created him for good deeds, but since he himself fell into such terrible villainy, it really would have been better for him not to have been born at all. 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. Some say that Judas did not partake of the Holy Mysteries, but left before the Lord taught these Mysteries. On the contrary, others claim that the Lord also included this ungrateful person in His Holiness. Having blessed, that is, thanked, the Lord broke the bread. This is what we do when we say prayers. “This,” he says, which you now accept, “is My Body,” for bread is not an image of the Body of the Lord, but the very Body of Christ into which the bread is transformed. And the Lord says: “The bread that I will give is My flesh” (John 6:51); did not say: the image of My Flesh, but “My Flesh.” And again: “unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man” (John 6:53). But how is it? Maybe someone will say: after all, the Flesh is not visible here? This is for the sake of our weakness, man! Since bread and wine are ordinary things for us, and to see the Flesh and Blood offered to us would be unbearable for us, and we would turn away from them, then the Lover of Mankind, God, out of condescension towards us, retains the appearance of bread and wine, but they are transformed into the power of Flesh and Blood. He called His blood the Blood of the “New Testament,” in contrast to the Old Testament, for the Old Testament also had blood, with which both the people and the books of the Law were sprinkled. “I will not,” He further says, “drink of the fruit of the vine” until the Resurrection (He here calls the Resurrection the Kingdom, since having risen from the dead, He reigned over death). After the Resurrection, He again ate and drank with His disciples, thus assuring them that He was the One who suffered. But he was already drinking new wine, that is, he was drinking in a new and unusual way, for he had Flesh that was no longer suffering and in need of food, but incorruptible and immortal. But you can understand it this way: the Vine is the Lord Himself, the fruit of the Vine is the secrets and hidden knowledge that He gives birth to, teaching man knowledge. Thus, “in the Kingdom of God,” Christ will drink with His disciples mysteries and wisdom, teaching us new truths and revealing what is now hidden. Mark 14:26. And having sung, they went to the Mount of Olives. Mark 14:27. And Jesus said to them: You will all be offended because of Me this night; for it is written: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Zech. 13:7). 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. That's what everyone said. They gave thanks before drinking, and they gave thanks after drinking, so that we too would know that we should give thanks and sing both before food and after food. By this the Lord also shows that death for our sake is not terrible for Him, so that He glorifies God even when He goes to be handed over to death. This, without a doubt, teaches us not to lose heart when we fall into sorrow for the sake of the salvation of many, but to thank God, who through our sorrow brings about the salvation of many. The Lord goes “to the Mount of Olives” so that the Jews, having found and taken Him in solitude, would not cause confusion among the people. For if they had attacked Him in the city, the people might have been indignant on His behalf; and in this case, the enemies, taking advantage of this plausible pretext, would begin to think that they killed Him justly, as a rebel. Christ predicts to the disciples that they too will be tempted. And so that they do not consider this an obvious reproach that applies to everyone, he cites the testimony of the prophet Zechariah that they will “be scattered” (Zech. 13:7). Finally, he gives them consolation: “I will anticipate,” he says, that is, the meeting, “you in Galilee.” But Peter disagrees; That’s why he hears the following: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” It was like this: after Peter denied for the first time, the rooster crowed; then, when Peter denied the second and third time, the rooster crowed again. This is what the words mean: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” Expressing vain ardor, all the other disciples, like Peter, promised not to leave the Lord, as if thus turning the word of the Self-Existing Truth into a lie. Therefore, the Lord allows it, and human nature reveals its weakness. For there is no doubt that the Lord was able to preserve them, especially Peter; however, he allowed it so that they, as well as us, would not be arrogant. “I will strike the shepherd” - this is what God the Father says. Since He allowed the Son to be struck, it is said that He struck the Slain by His permission. And He called the apostles “sheep” as gentle people. 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. Christ always had the custom of praying alone, setting an example for us to seek solitude for prayer. He takes with Him only those three disciples who were eyewitnesses of His glory on Tabor, so that, having seen His glorious state, they would also see His sorrowful state, and thus know that He is a True Man and grieves and yearns like us. For since He perceived the whole man with his natural properties, he grieves and grieves, without a doubt, according to human nature; for we humans by nature turn away from death. Thus, when He says: “Carry this cup past Me,” He reveals a human quality in Himself; and after this he added: “but not what I want, but what You want.” He teaches us, despite the demands of nature, to ask for what pleases God. After prayer, coming to the disciples, He found those three disciples sleeping; but he reproaches only Peter, as if saying to him: “Didn’t you promise to die with Me, but you couldn’t watch for even one hour: and can you despise death? But watch and pray so as not to fall into temptation and deny Me. Let your spirit be ready not to renounce, as you promised Me; but the flesh is weak, and therefore, if God, through your prayer, does not give strength to your flesh, trouble will befall you. And again, moving away from them, he began to pray and say the same words as before, in order to certify through a second prayer that He was essentially and truly a Man, and to teach us to pray more often, and not in such a way that, having said something in prayer once, immediately leave it; one must repeat the prayer with diligence. Seeing the disciples sleeping again, he no longer reproaches them, because they were burdened with sleep. From here know human frivolity and weakness! So we cannot resist sleep, but we often promise the impossible for us! For the third time, Christ prays for the reasons that we spoke about above. And again he comes to the disciples, but does not reprove them, although he should have reproached them, since even after the reproaches they were not strengthened, but indulged in sleep. What does it say: “Are you still sleeping and resting?” He says this to shame them. Since he saw that the traitor was coming, he told them something like this: now is sleep time, sleep, the enemy is already coming. He said this (repeated it), shaming them for sleeping. And that He really said this in the form of a reproach, listen to what He says below: “Get up, let’s go.” He speaks this way not to escape, but to meet his enemies. The expression “My soul grieves unto death” - some understand it this way: I grieve not because I must die, but because the Israelis, My neighbors, are crucifying Me, and for this they will be rejected from the Kingdom of God. 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 came, 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. It is not in vain that he added: “one of the twelve,” but in condemnation of the traitor for the fact that he, being in the first rank of the apostles, plotted against his Master. But look at his madness, how he thought to hide from the Lord with a kiss, hoping to be mistaken for a friend. If you are truly a friend, why did you come with enemies? Truly, senseless deceit! “One of those standing” was Peter. Mark kept silent about his name, so that they would not think that he was praising Peter, his teacher, for his zeal for Christ. But Peter, by the way, cut off the ear of the bishop’s servant: this indicates that the Jews were disobedient, disobedient people and inattentive to the Scriptures. Otherwise, if they had ears to listen to the Scriptures, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. And it was not any other slave that Peter struck down, but the bishop, for the bishops were the first to disobey the Scriptures, becoming slaves of envy and selfishness. Christ said to the crowd: “It was as if you had come upon a robber.” Every day I taught in the church! But this testifies to His Divinity. For when He taught in the church, they could not take Him, although He was in their hands, since the time of suffering had not yet come for Him. When He Himself desired, then He gave Himself up to them, so that the prophetic Scriptures might be fulfilled, that “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter” (Isa. 53:7), without arguing, not crying, but voluntarily following the leaders. 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. 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. The disciples fled, for it was impossible for the Self-Existing Truth and the prophets to lie. Only one young man followed Him. This young man was probably from the house where they ate Passover. Some, however, think that it was James, the brother of God, called the righteous, for throughout his life he walked in the same mantle, and after the Ascension of the Lord he received from the apostles the episcopal throne in Jerusalem. He, they say, left the top blanket and ran. And it is not surprising that when the chief apostles fled, this one also left the Lord. However, Peter, showing the warmest love for the Teacher, followed Christ. The law commanded that the Jews should have one bishop throughout their entire life; Meanwhile, they then had many bishops, who, one after another, bought power from the Romans every year. Thus, the evangelist calls bishops those who, having spent some time in the bishopric, left it. 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. People who themselves are worthy of condemnation form a form of judgment to show that they killed Him (Christ) according to the judgment. But where is the justice of the trial when witnesses are brought in who cannot say anything fair, but only violence and absurdities? And the very ones who thought to say something sensible said a lie. For the Lord did not say: I will destroy the church, but “destroy”; moreover, he did not say “a church made with hands,” but simply “a church.” The bishop, rebelling, questioned Jesus with the intention of forcing Him to answer, and turning the answer into an accusation. But Christ was silent, knowing that they would not listen to His words, as Luke actually notes that when they asked the Lord, He said: “If I tell you, you will not believe; even if I ask you, you will not answer Me” (Luke 22:67–68). 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. The high priest again asks Jesus not so that, having learned the truth, he would believe, but in order to have some pretext for condemnation. To the words “Are you the Christ” (anointed one) he adds “Son of the Blessed One.” For many were anointed, since both kings and high priests were called by this name, but not one of them was the Son of God, who is ever blessed and glorified. Jesus said, “I am.” Although he knew that they would not believe, he was forced to answer, so that they could not subsequently say that if we had heard from Him direct testimony about Himself, we would have believed. Therefore, their condemnation will be all the greater because even when they heard this testimony, they did not believe. “And you will see,” He says, “the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power,” that is, the Father (he calls the Father by power). For He will come again, not without a body, but in such a way that He can be seen and recognized by those who crucified Him. At the same time, the bishop fulfilled the custom (tore his clothes). For when any misfortune or sorrow happened to the Jews, they tore their clothes. In the present case, the bishop tore his clothes as a sign that Jesus allegedly blasphemed God and thus a great evil occurred. But it is proper to say at the same time with David: “I was divided and not moved” (Ps. 34:15). But this tearing was also an image of the tearing and abolition of the Jewish high priesthood, although the high priest was not aware of this. When in this way the bishops unanimously condemned Him (Christ), then the servants, covering Him, began to beat and say: “Guess” who hit you? If our Lord endured so much for us, then how much must we endure for His sake in order to repay equal to the Master? Oh, this is scary! 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. Although Peter was the most ardent of all, however, he turned out to be weak and denied the Lord, being embarrassed by fear. And the maid brought such fear to him! God allowed him to endure this for a special providence, so that he would not become arrogant, so that he would be compassionate towards others who are falling, having learned for himself the depth of human weakness. As for whether there was one slave girl who denounced Peter, or there was another one, Matthew says that there was another, and Mark that both times it was the same slave woman who denounced Peter. But this does not make it at all difficult for us regarding the truth of the Gospel. For here the contradiction of the evangelists does not concern anything important and related to our salvation. They did not say - one that the Lord was crucified, and the other - that he was not crucified. So, Peter, confused by fear and forgetting the word of the Lord - “whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33) - denied Christ, but repentance and tears again returned him to Christ. For it is said: “he began to cry.” That is, covering his face, he began to cry bitterly. Matthew (speaking of Peter’s denial) said unclearly: “before the rooster crows” (Matthew 26:34); Mark explained this: “before the rooster crows twice.” Roosters usually make several calls at a time, then fall asleep, and after some time they begin to sing again. Therefore, the meaning of Matthew’s legend is this: “before the rooster crows,” that is, before he has time to finish his singing for the first time, “you will deny Me three times.” But let the Novatians be ashamed, who do not accept those who have sinned after baptism, repentance and communion of the Holy Mysteries! Here Peter, who renounced after communion of the Most Pure Body and Blood, was again accepted into the apostolic ranks. For the falls of the saints are described for this reason, so that when we fall through our carelessness, we would look at their example and hasten to correct ourselves through repentance.