Mark 14:1-2 1Now it was two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how in deceit after arresting him might kill him, 2 for they were saying, “Not during the feast, lest there might be an uproar from the people.”
Mark returns to the theme of the opposition to Jesus. This theme has been present throughout the Gospel, appearing at critical times to present the readers with a choice about what to do with Jesus. Who will the reader respond like: the confused disciples, the opposing Jewish leaders, or seekers of miracles? Chapter 14 marks a significant shift in Mark’s Gospel. The time for confrontation had come. All of eternity looked in on the following few days because the salvation of humanity rested upon the events that unfold. The chapter begins with Jesus with the disciples having fellowship at Simon’s house and ends with everyone scattered and Jesus arrested and alone. This chapter records the test of the disciples’ commitment and provides a lesson to us about the cost of discipleship. Verses 1-11 form a three-part unit following an ABA pattern. The two A’s represent opposition to Jesus, and the B represents the opposite of adoration and worship of Jesus.
Mark notes the time of the events of the day as being two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which in the Jewish method of timekeeping would make the events of this chapter be on Wednesday. Passover was a major celebration for the Jews stretching back to the original Passover recorded in Exodus 12. Each year, the Jews remembered how God saved them from Egyptian bondage through the tenth plague of death. They would sacrifice a male sheep or goat and eat unleavened bread. The Passover meal was the start of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus would share this meal with his disciples in this chapter.
Mark notes that the religious leaders of the people were acting in deceit. They knew what they were doing and did not want to confront the truth about Jesus. They let their power and position supersede God’s revelation and call. Their deception was joined to their fear of the people. Many pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem every year, and so the city was crowded. Many people had no doubt heard and maybe even seen Jesus. It is likely that many had come from Galilee, where Jesus was popular. The Jewish leaders were afraid to act because of Jesus’ popularity. Their fear may have been influenced by the power of the occupying Roman forces. If problems erupted, such as a riot, the Romans could come in with force, like they did almost forty years later. The positions of power of the Jewish leaders could even be threatened or lost. The leaders of the Sanhedrin saw only one solution: to kill Jesus. The plot had been determined, but the surprise twist at the end would change eternity.
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