Mark 14:12–15:47

The Last Supper

14:12–26pp—Mt 26:17–30; Lk 22:7–23 14:22–25pp—1Co 11:23–25

¹²On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb,^k Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹³So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵He will show you a large room upstairs,^l furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

¹⁶The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

¹⁹They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”

²⁰“It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me.^{m 21}The Son of Manⁿ will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

²²While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it^o and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

²³Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.^p

²⁴“This is my blood of the^c covenant,^q which is poured out for many,” he said to them. ²⁵“Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”^r

²⁶When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.^s

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

14:27–31pp—Mt 26:31–35

²⁷“You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:

“ ‘I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.’^dt

²⁸But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”^u

²⁹Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”

³⁰“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice^e you yourself will disown me three times.”^v

³¹But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you,^w I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

Gethsemane

14:32–42pp—Mt 26:36–46; Lk 22:40–46

³²They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³He took Peter, James and John^x along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ³⁴“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,”^y he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

³⁵Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour^z might pass from him. ³⁶“Abba,^f Father,”^a he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup^b from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”^c

³⁷Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? ³⁸Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.^d The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”^e

³⁹Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. ⁴⁰When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

⁴¹Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour^f has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Jesus Arrested

14:43–50pp—Mt 26:47–56; Lk 22:47–50; Jn 18:3–11

⁴³Just as he was speaking, Judas,^g one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

⁴⁴Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” ⁴⁵Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!”^h and kissed him. ⁴⁶The men seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁴⁷Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

⁴⁸“Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? ⁴⁹Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts,ⁱ and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”^{j 50}Then everyone deserted him and fled.^k

⁵¹A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, ⁵²he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

Jesus Before the Sanhedrin

14:53–65pp—Mt 26:57–68; Jn 18:12,13,19–24 14:61–63pp—Lk 22:67–71

⁵³They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. ⁵⁴Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.^l There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.^m

⁵⁵The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrinⁿ were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. ⁵⁶Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.

⁵⁷Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: ⁵⁸“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another,^o not made with hands.’ ” ⁵⁹Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” ⁶¹But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.^p

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”^q

⁶²“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”^r

⁶³The high priest tore his clothes.^s “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. ⁶⁴“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

They all condemned him as worthy of death.^{t 65}Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.^u

Peter Disowns Jesus

14:66–72pp—Mt 26:69–75; Lk 22:56–62; Jn 18:16–18,25–27

⁶⁶While Peter was below in the courtyard,^v one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷When she saw Peter warming himself,^w she looked closely at him.

“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,”^x she said.

⁶⁸But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,”^y he said, and went out into the entryway.^g

⁶⁹When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” ⁷⁰Again he denied it.^z

After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”^a

⁷¹He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”^b

⁷²Immediately the rooster crowed the second time.^h Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twiceⁱ you will disown me three times.”^c And he broke down and wept.

Jesus Before Pilate

15:2–15pp—Mt 27:11–26; Lk 23:2,3,18–25; Jn 18:29–19:16

15Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law^d and the whole Sanhedrin,^e made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.^f

²“Are you the king of the Jews?”^g asked Pilate.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

³The chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”

⁵But Jesus still made no reply,^h and Pilate was amazed.

⁶Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. ⁷A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. ⁸The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

⁹“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”ⁱ asked Pilate, ¹⁰knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. ¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas^j instead.

¹²“What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

¹³“Crucify him!” they shouted.

¹⁴“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged,^k and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

15:16–20pp—Mt 27:27–31

¹⁶The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace^l (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. ¹⁷They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. ¹⁸And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”^{m 19}Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. ²⁰And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him outⁿ to crucify him.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

15:22–32pp—Mt 27:33–44; Lk 23:33–43; Jn 19:17–24

²¹A certain man from Cyrene,^o Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus,^p was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.^{q 22}They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ²³Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh,^r but he did not take it. ²⁴And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots^s to see what each would get.

²⁵It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.^t

²⁷They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. ^{[28]a 29}Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their…