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Lesson 12: The Arrest and Trial of Jesus, Mark 14:27-15:20
Lesson 12: The Arrest and Trial of Jesus,
Mark 14:27-15:20 by Brad Anderson
We now come to the events immediately preceding
the crucifixion. Remember the context here: Jesus and the disciples
had just finished the Last Supper. Jesus had identified Judas as
his betrayer, and the group had gone out into the Mount of Olives.
The Prediction of Peter's Denial (14:27-31)
Jesus probably spoke the predictions recorded here as he walked
with his disciples from the Upper Room to the Mount of Olives. Jesus
is predicting, not that the disciples will lose their faith in him,
but that their courage will fail and they will forsake him. When
the Shepherd (Jesus) is struck, the sheep (the disciples) will be
scattered. The quotation is from Zechariah 13:7. How was this prophecy
fulfilled? The disciples scattered when Jesus was arrested. John
was the only one of the Twelve present at the foot of the cross.
How does Peter react to Jesus' prediction? He disagrees. The other
disciples may forsake Jesus, but Peter would not.
What does Jesus say in response? That Peter most certainly would
deny him; in fact, he’d do so three times. Jesus' reply emphasizes
the absolute certainty of Peter's denial (v. 30). Not only does
Jesus use the amen (“I tell you the truth”) formula,
but he also uses the emphatic “today--yes, tonight.”
The denial is not only certain, it is imminent.
The Agony of Gethsemane (14:32-42)
The name “Gethsemane” (.32) is probably from the Hebrew
gat semani (“press of oils”). It was a garden located
somewhere on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives, in which there
were olive trees and olive presses. It was one of Jesus' favorite
spots (cf. Luke 22:39; John 18:2), no doubt often used by him and
his disciples as a place to be alone.
Who did Jesus take with him to pray? Peter, James, and John (v.
33). He must have felt his need for their presence in this time
of crisis.
The two verbs translated “deeply distressed and troubled”
together describe an extremely acute emotion, a compound of bewilderment,
fear, uncertainty and anxiety, nowhere else portrayed in such vivid
terms as here. Why do you think Jesus wanted his disciples to witness
his agony? Probably because he wanted them to know something of
the depths of suffering he was about to experience for the redemption
of the world.
Under a great burden and severely distressed, Jesus addressed his
prayer to “Abba, Father” (.36). The word “Abba”
is the Aramaic intimate form for father (“Daddy”)—a
word the Jews did not use to address God because they thought it
disrespectful. Since Jesus was the unique Son of God and on the
most intimate terms with him, it was natural for him to use it.
What is the “cup” that Jesus is talking about? This
cup is the same one Jesus referred to in 10:38-39--the cup of the
wrath of God. In the OT it is regularly used as a metaphor of punishment
and judgment. Here it obviously refers to Jesus' death. Jesus' desire
was for the removal of the cup. But he willingly placed his will
in submission to his Father's will.
What were the disciples doing when Jesus returned to them? Sleeping.
They were doubtless very tired; the hour was late, probably past
midnight, and they had experienced some exciting events during the
long day.
Nevertheless it was a critical time, and they
were expected to be awake. Note that Peter, who said he was ready
to die for Christ, could not even “watch and pray” for
one hour.
This same scenario is repeated again twice. The third time Jesus
returns and tells his disciples that he’s about to be arrested.
What “hour” is Jesus talking about? “The hour
has come,” i.e., the time of his betrayal and death. Up to
this point, Jesus always avoided arrest and other trouble, saying
that his “hour” had not yet come. Now his “hour”
had arrived.
The Betrayal and Arrest (14:43-52)
A crowd sent from the three groups of the Sanhedrin accompanied
Judas: chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders. As John's
Gospel tells us, this group of perhaps 400 men consisted of a detachment
of soldiers and some official attendants of the Sanhedrin (18:3).
What was the prearranged “signal” or means of identifying
Jesus? For Judas to kiss him (v. 44). This suggests that the members
of the arresting party did not know Jesus, or perhaps since it was
dark they wanted to be sure not to arrest the wrong person (v. 46).
Rabbis customarily were greeted by their disciples with a kiss.
Thus Judas's act would not be suspected for what it really was.
What’s so repulsive about being betrayed with a kiss? A kiss
was a sign of friendliness and love. To betray someone with a kiss
was the height of disloyalty. In fact, the structure of the language
shows that Judas kissed him several times.
Mark does not say who wielded the sword, but we know from John that
it was Peter and that the ear belonged to Malchus, a servant of
the high priest (John 18:10). Apparently Peter aimed at his head;
but Malchus sidestepped, and Peter only caught his ear. Jesus' rebuke
to Peter (Matt 26:52) and the restoration of the ear (Luke 22:51)
are not recorded by Mark
Why did the arrest take place at night? They feared the people's
reaction to Jesus' arrest. So they carefully chose both the time
and the place
Only Mark records this mysterious episode. The “young man”
(.51) is not identified, but some suggest that he is Mark, the author.
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin (14:53-65)
The trial of Jesus took place in two stages: a religious trial [conducted
by the Jewish religious authorities] followed by a civil one [conducted
by the Roman authorities]. Compiling the information from each of
the Gospel accounts, we find that each had three parts. The religious
trial included (1) the preliminary hearing before Annas, the high-priest’s
father-in-law (John 18:12-14, 19-23); (2) the trial before Caiaphas
the high priest and the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:53-65); and (3) the trial
before the same group just after daybreak (Mark 15:1). The three
episodes of the civil trial were (1) the trial before Pilate; (2)
the trial before Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6-12); and (3) the trial
before Pilate continued and concluded.
Where was Peter during the trial? He followed at a distance because
he was afraid, but he did follow. Apparently he could not bring
himself to desert Jesus completely. Eventually he arrived at the
high priest's palace.
What problem developed at the trial? (.56) the false witnesses could
not agree with one another. According to the law (Num 35:30; Deut
17:6; 19:15), it was necessary in cases that required the death
penalty to have two witnesses. These witnesses must, however, give
consistent evidence.
What charge did they finally stick Jesus with? (.64) Blasphemy.
Jesus’ confirmation of his messiahship is followed by a quotation
that brings together Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1. The two main ideas
are the enthronement of the Son of Man and his future coming. Caiaphas
and the Sanhedrin are sitting in judgment on him. In that future
day, Jesus will pass final judgment on them.
What was the significance of the tearing of one's clothes? a sign
of great grief. These were not the official robes of the high priestly
office—these were worn only on special occasions.
Is blasphemy a capital crime? Yes, according
to Lev 24:16.
Note verse 65: the members of the Sanhedrin themselves began to
abuse Jesus. This judicial body, the Supreme Court of the Jews,
probably well-educated, respected men, showed their true nature—
“low-down rabble of the coarsest type” (Lenski).
Peter's Denial of Jesus (14:66-72)
While Jesus was being mocked, spit upon, and beaten in the upstairs
room of the high priest's palace, Peter was below in the courtyard,
waiting to see what would happen to Jesus.
Who recognized Peter? The servant girl (probably the “girl
at the door,” John 18:17).
Peter's second denial (.70) was not convincing. So the next time,
not the servant girl, but the others accused him. Peter was now
like a cornered animal. He called down curses on himself if he was
lying and swore that he didn't know “this man you're talking
about” (.71).
The second crowing of the rooster (.72) followed the third denial.
Luke (22:61) tells us that at that very moment the Lord “turned
and looked straight at Peter.” Jesus was at this time probably
being taken from one place to another by the Temple guards. Peter
then remembered what Jesus had said about his denial of him. The
look of Jesus and the reminder of the crowing rooster proved too
much for Peter. “He broke down and wept.”
The Trial Before Pilate (15:1-15)
Mark is apparently describing the final stages of the meeting of
the Sanhedrin that had begun late the night before. The Jews decided
to charge Jesus not with blasphemy, but with treason. The Roman
government would not have considered blasphemy a punishable crime
because one’s religion was of little or no concern to the
Roman authorities. But high treason was a crime they could not overlook.
The Sanhedrin then hands Jesus over to Pilate and the Roman authorities.
The official residence of the Roman governors of Judea, whenever
they came to Jerusalem, was the palace of Herod. It was here that
the trial of Jesus before Pilate took place. Early in the morning
Jesus was led from the palace of the high priest, located in the
southwestern part of the city, through the streets of Jerusalem
to Herod's palace.
Pilate's first question to Jesus—“Are you the king of
the Jews?”—shows that the charges against Jesus had
already been made known to Pilate. Mark gives us only a summary
of the trial. According to Luke, the Sanhedrin brought before Pilate
three charges against Jesus: (1) he is “subverting our nation”;
(2) he “opposes payment of taxes to Caesar”; and (3)
he “claims to be Christ, a king” (Luke 23:2). Pilate
was primarily interested in the third accusation. This is clear
from his question: “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus’
answer to Pilate's question was “Yes, it is as you say.”
The releasing a prisoner at the Passover Feast (.6) was a Roman
custom. Who was Barabbas? He was probably a member of the sect of
the Zealots, who deeply resented the Roman occupation of Palestine.
He had been thrown in prison for revolution and murder. The crowd
was likely there in the first place to ask for Barabbas’ release.
Did Pilate know the real reason why the Jews were seeking Jesus’
death? Yes (.10). He reasoned, and rightly so, that they envied
Jesus' popularity and influence with the people.
Pilate attempted release of Jesus instead of Barabbas. But the Jewish
leaders weren’t about to let that happen. So they urged the
crowd to force Pilate to carry out their request—the release
of Barabbas, not Jesus of Nazareth.
The chief priests had stirred the crowd up to a frenzy. “Crucify
him!” they shouted (.13). And when Pilate, in a final attempt
to save Jesus, asked, “Why? What crime has he committed?”
the crowd, now a mob, ignored his question (.14). They shouted all
the louder, “Crucify him!”
Pilate saw that he could not change the mind of the mob. He would
have to go through with Jesus’ crucifixion. He released Barabbas
and ordered Jesus flogged, hoping that the crowd would be satisfied
with seeing Jesus suffer.
Flogging was no light punishment. The Romans first stripped the
victim and tied his hands to a post above his head. The whip (flagellum)
was made of several pieces of leather with pieces of bone and lead
embedded near the ends. Two men, one on each side of the victim,
usually did the flogging. The Jews mercifully limited flogging to
a maximum of forty stripes; the Romans had no such limitation. By
the end of a flogging, the victim’s back is hanging in long
ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding
tissue. It is not surprising that victims of Roman floggings seldom
survived. This also explains why Jesus didn’t live very long
on the cross.
The Mocking of Jesus (15:16-20)
The Roman soldiers then took Jesus to the Praetorium, Pilate’s
official residence. The whole company then mocked and abused him.
The soldiers thought it was a great joke that this gentle Jew claimed
to be a king. So they took an old purple robe (signifying royalty)
and threw it across his shredded and bleeding back (.17). The crown
was made of some kind of prickly plant such as abounds in Palestine.
This they pressed into his scalp. Again there must have been extensive
bleeding.
The mocking was followed by further physical violence. The blows
hitting his head from the staff drove the thorns more deeply into
Jesus’ scalp and caused even more profuse bleeding. Matthew
(27:29) says that they first forced Jesus to hold the staff as a
mock scepter. They also kept spitting on him, and the climax came
when they mockingly fell on their knees and paid homage to him.
It is difficult to imagine a greater demonstration of inhumanity
and cruelty than the soldiers’ treatment of Jesus.
In John’s account Pilate makes one final appeal to the crowd
(19:4-16). He brings Jesus, badly beaten and with blood streaming
down his face, before them and says, “Behold the man!”
(.5). Perhaps he wanted to appeal to their sympathy. But scourging
was not enough. “Crucify him!” they shouted. John says
that Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, but the Jews’ warning
that if he let Jesus go he was no friend of Caesar forced his hand.
His political future was at stake. So Pilate gave in to their bloodthirsty
cries
Conclusion: From
his arrest to the flogging and to the mockery, Jesus had suffered
exceptionally. The trial is over, but the agony is not through yet.
The stage is now set for the final events in Jesus’ life—his
death by crucifixion and his resurrection.
Applications:
1. Prayer is the proper response to a crisis situation. If Jesus
needed communion with his Father, how much more do we!
2. Pride invariably leads to a fall. Those who think they stand
should take heed lest they fall. [e.g., Peter’s claim to never
deny Jesus]
3. If denial of Jesus Christ was possible for an apostle, and one
of the leaders of the apostles at that, then all believers must
be constantly on guard lest they too deny Jesus. If anyone does
fail Jesus under persecution, there was always a way open for repentance,
forgiveness, and restoration.
4. Believers commonly fail in their commitment and service for the
Lord. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
The Christian life is one of a continual struggle between the spirit
and the flesh (c.f. Gal 5:17f).
5. Christ’s words and God’s plan are utterly infallible.
All things happen exactly as God plans them, and no man can change
them. [e.g., even tho Peter said he would never deny Christ, yet
he did, 3 times. Peter was unable to interfere with God’s
plan. Jesus’ “hour” of suffering and death had
finally come. This was all part of God’s plan.]
6. Man is totally depraved, and thus capable of the worst kinds
of sinful behavior. Torture more gruesome and inhuman than what
Jesus endured can hardly be imagined.
Discussion:
1. Does one lose his salvation if he denies Christ? No. If you’re
truly saved, you will not finally and sincerely reject or deny Jesus.
One may deny Christ under some sort of pressure and still be a believer.
Those who do reject Christ and never repent were not saved in the
first place. Genuine believers persevere in faith.
2. What are some ways believers commonly deny Jesus? Avoiding “religious”
conversations, not speaking up when someone curses using Jesus’
name, living a hypocritical lifestyle, not standing up for Christ
when one
