Gospel of Mark Commentary Act 6. Scene 8

This is the forty-fifth installment, comprising Act 6, Scene 8, chapter 14:66-72, in the online commentary on the Gospel of Mark, which I am blogging on throughout the liturgical year. Please see the forty-fourth installment here. Links to the entire series are available in one spot at The Complete Gospel of Mark Online Commentary.

This is my division of the Gospel:

Prologue,  1:1-13;

Act  1, 1:14-3:6;

Act 2, 3:7-6:6;

Act 3, 6:7-8:26;

Act 4, 8:27-10:52;

Act 5, 11:1-13:37;

Act 6, 14:1-16:8(20).

Scene 8: 14:66-72

66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, "You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth." 68 But he denied it, saying, "I do not know or understand what you are talking about." And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. 69 And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them." 70 But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, "Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean." 71 But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know this man you are talking about." 72 At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, "Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and wept. (NRSV)

This entire scene revolves around two thematic issues which have been developed by Mark throughout the whole Gospel: the fecklessness of the apostles; and Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy, especially as these prophecies are made manifest in the events of his life. In Act 5, Scene 6, Jesus prophesied Peter’s denial of Jesus, which Peter vehemently denied. In the previous scene, Peter has followed Jesus at a distance, attempting to be both present and hidden in the shadows. It is clear that he is drawn to his teacher, but also filled with fear when he sees the physical abuse Jesus suffers.

He is drawn out of the shadows here by “one of the servant-girls of the high priest” (14:66). The Greek paidiskê means in the first instance “little girl,” but the diminutive in this context clearly refers to “female slave” and probably denotes a young slave. It seems likely that Peter came to her attention when Jesus was arrested. When she sees “Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth’”(14:67). Mark by including "she stared at him," demonstrates the initial tension in this scene. She has her eyes fixed on Peter. It is not obvious that she identifies Peter in a threatening way - she is after all a little girl and a slave- but any identification of Peter as a follower of Jesus might imply a threat. It might simply be curiosity which attracts her to Peter. Certainly Peter would not have been hiding himself, though, if he were at ease with the circumstances or his relationship with Jesus.

He senses the threat in being identified with his arrested Messiah and plays dumb, denying any knowledge of Jesus: “I do not know or understand what you are talking about” (14:68). When Peter leaves the area to go to the forecourt, the cock crows.  

The second identification by the slave girl has more of an edge to it, as the dramatic tension is built by Mark. Mark also creates a greater sense of danger to Peter, as the girl now tells the bystanders, “This man is one of them” (14:69). By speaking to the crowd in general and identifying Peter to them, the girl seems to be interested in creating mischief.  She also speaks with greater certainty. Who knows what the result will be if the crowd knows this is Jesus’ disciple? Percolating beneath the surface is the potential for menace from the mob, the same or similar mob as that which came to arrest Jesus. Peter denies that he is a follower of Jesus for the second time (14:70).

The third time that Peter is challenged, it is the crowd itself, the bystanders, who turn on Peter. When the bystanders become engaged in this identification, it is clear that Peter’s life is threatened.  The bystanders say to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean” (14:70). At this point, Peter takes it upon himself to make his denial more formal or “official.” He “began to curse, and he swore an oath, ‘I do not know this man you are talking about’”(14:71). By swearing an oath, Peter has placed his life on a lie.  He senses that his life is in danger and he preserves it by denying Jesus and the life that he has led by following him. He has chosen himself over Jesus. He wants to continue as a follower of Jesus, as even after Jesus' arrest Peter continues to follow at a distance or in the shadows. Yet, Peter cannot maintain this strength of character or purpose. He preserves his own life. Mark has created a scene in which each challenge to Peter has created greater danger. Each time Peter could have acknowledged his relationship with Jesus, but each time he becomes more vociferous in his denial. Peter has shown himself to be a human being, striving to be faithful but often weak and afraid.

At the point of his third denial, “the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ And he broke down and wept” (14:72). This scene, when imagined visually, creates tension both at the level of physical danger to Peter – the previous scene, which Peter might have been watching, shows Jesus being physically abused – and at the level of prophetic fulfillment. Jesus knows what is to occur to him; he knows how strangers and bystanders will act; he knows how his disciples will behave. These prophetic fulfillments both relieve and create tension. They relieve tension because what occurs is known to Jesus and a part of the divine plan; they create tension because however much Jesus is aware of what is to happen, we still cannot imagine how these events will lead to God’s conquest of sin and death.

John W. Martens

Follow me on Twitter @BibleJunkies

Gospel of Mark Commentary Act 6. Scene 7

This is the forty-fourth installment, comprising Act 6, Scene 7, chapter 14:53-65, in the online commentary on the Gospel of Mark, which I am blogging on throughout the liturgical year. Please see the forty-third installment here. Links to the entire series are available in one spot at The Complete Gospel of Mark Online Commentary.

This is my division of the Gospel:

Prologue,  1:1-13;

Act  1, 1:14-3:6;

Act 2, 3:7-6:6;

Act 3, 6:7-8:26;

Act 4, 8:27-10:52;

Act 5, 11:1-13:37;

Act 6, 14:1-16:8(20).

Scene 7: 14:53-65

53 They took Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled. 54 Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. 56 For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. 57 Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, 58 "We heard him say, "I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.' " 59 But even on this point their testimony did not agree. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?" 61 But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62 Jesus said, "I am; and "you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,' and "coming with the clouds of heaven.' " 63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "Why do we still need witnesses? 64 You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?" All of them condemned him as deserving death. 65 Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" The guards also took him over and beat him. (NRSV)

In Act 6, Scene 7, the dramatic tension which Mark has been building throughout the whole Gospel begins the final ascent to the summit. Jesus has been arrested and has been taken to the high priest, who is surrounded by “all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes” (14:53). Thecrowd, once again, is no longer a friend to Jesus; the crowd is Jesus’ opposition. The scene places in relief, too, the fact that Jesus is now alone. In the previous verse (14:52), all of Jesus’ friends had abandoned him. Jesus solitariness is only increased by the note that “Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire” (14:54). The one friend whom Mark names skulks in the background. One can visualize a panorama of the scene, in which a camera pans over the whole crowd to pick Peter out in the courtyard. Peter is hoping he is not seen, but he is drawn to his teacher, unable to let him or the hope he had in Jesus go. As the camera remains on Peter, we see fear on his face.

This night trial begins with “the chief priests and the whole council…looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree” (14:55-56). This detail from Mark about the nature of the trial indicates that however much the authorities desired Jesus’ death, they would not take trumped up charges and were willing to distinguish between false and true testimony.  If this truly was meeting of the “whole council” (synedrion; Hebrew: Sanhedrin), that is, the official Temple council, it would not do to try someone unjustly. Even if it was an ad hoc meeting of the council, justice must be seen to be done. The question on our minds should be of what they will find him guilty. What exactly has he done wrong?

Mark continues to give us details of the trial scene:

Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” But even on this point their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” (14:57-60)

Here is the “Messianic Secret,” perhaps better named the “Messianic Silence,” on display. Jesus was “silent and did not answer” (14:61). Even if the charge is true – “I will destroy this temple” - they do not understand who Jesus is and what he means by “building another.” Everything in the trial hinges on identity or “mistaken identity:” who is Jesus to do or say the things he does? Who is Jesus to claim to destroy the Temple? If the officials at the trial do not understand Jesus’ identity, how can they make sense of his identity?  As readers, we have seen Mark unravel, bit by bit, the nature of his mission and so his identity, but the Council seeks to understand his deeds and sayings in the context of a man they have already decided cannot be the Messiah, cannot be the one the people await. His words must be foolish, futile and perhaps even against the law.

The high priest presses the case, with the only question that in this trial’s context can mean anything: “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” (14:61). It is here that Jesus breaks his silence, not for a small inner circle, not for the Apostles, but for a crowd and a crowd which comprises the official opposition to Jesus. Asked directly, he cannot deny the truth:

 Jesus said, “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,’ and “coming with the clouds of heaven.’” (14:62)

Jesus responds by citing a part of Daniel 7:13, but he evokes the entire passage, including the apocalyptic scenario as a whole. His “yes” is placed in the context of the eschatological end and his role as the agent of God who will accompany the end. He equates the Messiah, the Son of God, with the eschatological redeemer, called in Daniel the “Son of Man.”[1]

 The high priest’s response to Jesus is that he “tore his clothes” and asked, “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” (14:63-64). This is a difficult charge, not in terms of the drama of the scene, as Jesus reveals who he is and his opponents, finally hearing what they have suspected all along from his own mouth, seize the chance to condemn him. The difficulty of the charge is the charge itself: is what Jesus has said blasphemy?  Leviticus 24:16 reads, “One who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death.” Has Jesus blasphemed the name of the Lord by claiming to be God’s eschatological redeemer, the Messiah, the one who comes with the clouds at the end of time? Scholars are divided on the answer, with some pointing out that the Messiah was not equated with God at this time, so why would Jesus’ claim be blasphemous? Others have said that making such a claim about oneself reveals a hubris that is equivalent to equating oneself with God and so could lead to a charge of blasphemy. What we can say for certain is that even if Mark uses the charge loosely, which is possible, it is Jesus’ Messiahship and authority that is on trial. It is Jesus’ identity that leads to the court’s charge.

Once the charge is made, “All of them condemned him as deserving death. Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, ‘Prophesy!’ The guards also took him over and beat him” (14:64-65). Though the trial seemed to be scrupulous in determining what was false and true testimony, it is clear that the intention and hope was for Jesus to be found guilty. Why else would the authorities seek out a betrayer so that they could arrest Jesus late at night with a crowd? Why else did they desire to arrest him if not suspicious of who he was or who he claimed to be?

The violence against Jesus begins immediately after his response to the question of whether he is the Messiah. Mark has drawn the lines here clearly: they cannot see the Messiah in their midst because they have known from the beginning it is not him. As they hit him and say to him, ‘Prophesy!,’ they have no idea that the blows themselves which he now suffers are indeed the beginning of the fulfillment of prophecy. In the Passion predictions, Jesus said that he will suffer violence and be beaten in order for the Messiah to complete his mission. Every time they strike him they believe him to be an imposter; each blow against Jesus is a sign for Mark’s readers that the plan is being realized.

 

John W. Martens

Follow me on Twitter @BibleJunkies

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[1] Current thinking sees this phrase as indicating not a title but a description and so the NRSV translates Daniel 7:13 as “one like a human being.” The writing on “Son of Man” is voluminous, but much of it worthy of reading.  A good place to start is with a recent blog post by Larry Hurtado which has some good suggestions for readings on the topic. Whether "Son of Man" is titular, I think it is clear in Mark 14:62, however, that Mark has Jesus use the phrase like a title in his answer to the chief priest.

Gospel of Mark Commentary Act 6. Scene 6

This is the forty-third installment, comprising Act 6, Scene 6, chapter 14:43-52, in the online commentary on the Gospel of Mark, which I am blogging on throughout the liturgical year. Please see the forty-second installment here. Links to the entire series are available in one spot at The Complete Gospel of Mark Online Commentary.

This is my division of the Gospel:

Prologue,  1:1-13;

Act  1, 1:14-3:6;

Act 2, 3:7-6:6;

Act 3, 6:7-8:26;

Act 4, 8:27-10:52;

Act 5, 11:1-13:37;

Act 6, 14:1-16:8(20).

Scene 6: 14:43-52

43 Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard." 45 So when he came, he went up to him at once and said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him. 46 Then they laid hands on him and arrested him. 47 But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 48 Then Jesus said to them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled." 50 All of them deserted him and fled. 51 A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked. (NRSV)

Mark, in a few short sketches, manages to capture the chaos and the fear that suffuses the arrest of Jesus. These are captured precisely because Judas’ hidden role, skulking in the background of the actual life of the Apostles and the life of Mark’s account, must now show himself, he must reveal who he is for all to see. He steps out of the shadows to turn Jesus over to the Temple authorities. Mark does not describe the reactions of the Apostles when they see Jesus; whether Judas had always been suspected due to his absence or whether this is a shock, we do not hear their voices or see their faces. No reaction to Judas’ betrayal is described by Mark, but shock might be suspected not only in the fact that Judas has come but that he has not come alone.

In fact, Judas has arrived with an ochlos, a “crowd.” From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry until his entry into Jerusalem, crowds have been following Jesus, listening to him, seeking healing, welcoming him. In Act 5, Scene 2, when the chief priests and scribes seek “to kill” Jesus, it is the “whole crowd” (pas ho ochlos) that protects Jesus from arrest. Even more recently, in Act 6, Scene 1,  it is still the people who are Jesus’ protection from arrest. Now it is a "crowd" that comes to arrest him with “swords and clubs” (14:43). While we cannot, naturally, identify the exact composition of this crowd, Mark tells us they are “from (para) the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders,” the people seeking Jesus’ death most diligently since his arrival in Jerusalem. It is most probable, of course, that the opposition to Jesus would emerge in Jerusalem from the Temple authorities, who actually had a wide range of political and legal authority upon which to act. Interestingly, the Pharisees and Herodians, who first sought Jesus’ death in Act 1, Scene 9, have fallen out of the picture. It is possible that Mark might have marked the Pharisees as the group that sought Jesus' death earlier in the Gospel in order to combine all opposition to Jesus. In this case, even if the Pharisees’ opposition was grounded in different modes of interpretation of the Torah, dramatically it is more powerful to see the human opposition to Jesus as united.

It is Judas, however, who is the main player here initially, as he fulfills his pre-arranged role for the chief priests and scribes and in the divine drama itself, by stepping out to Jesus and carrying out his script. He names Jesus as his teacher (“Rabbi!”) and greets him in the manner of a student greeting his teacher: a kiss upon the cheek. This is not the sign of affection, though, but the sign of betrayal: “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard” (14:44). Why does he do it? To get to the heart of Judas’ betrayal is impossible. Whether he thinks he is protecting Jesus or the people, whether he has lost faith in Jesus or his mission, whether he desires money or fame, Mark gives us no clues. Judas plays his part and his inner life remains a mystery to us. It is his actions that tell us all that Mark wants us to know. After he kisses Jesus, he becomes lost in the crowd. It is the crowd, “they,” who now act, “seizing him” and arresting Jesus (14:46).

Jesus’ apostles and disciples, who have been extras in the scene, jump to the fore, but Mark leaves them as extras, nameless. This anonymity is maintained when “one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear” (14:47). His name is not given.[1] Jesus does not remonstrate with his own disciple in Mark’s Gospel, but chastises the Temple authorities for bringing a mob with clubs and swords. Jesus asks, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit?” (14:48). The final word, lêstês, “bandit, robber, brigand,” is important. In denying that he is a lêstês, he is not just denying that he is a common criminal, which should be obvious to all, but that he is not a revolutionary. His goal is not an overthrow of the Temple or the Roman occupation, but of the oppressive structures that bedevil all human life: sin and death.

He tells them that “day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me,” which indicates, I think, only that Jesus was teaching publicly for the previous few days not that he was present constantly for a long period in the Temple (14:49).[2] It does raise the question, however, of why the Temple authorities needed Judas to identify Jesus. Since there were run-ins with Jesus on the Temple Mount, basically from the time Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, would they not have known what he looked like? It is probable, even likely, that they knew Jesus by sight, but I think Judas’ main task was to tell the authorities where Jesus was in order to arrest him quietly and only secondarily to identify him for them. It would not have been unhelpful, though, to get a secure identification.

As for Jesus, he is calm in the midst of his betrayal, the commotion and the arrest, and for this there is an obvious reason: it is the purpose and the goal for his life as Mark has told us throughout the narrative. More recently, he has prophesied what is to take place, in Act 5, Scene 1 and Act 6, Scene 4, prophecies which have come to pass. Jesus knows what is happening before it happens and it is not his will, but God’s will, as we saw in Act 6, Scene 5. So Jesus can say in response to his arrest: “let the scriptures be fulfilled” (14:49). At the moment that Jesus expresses that what is happening is simply the fulfillment of his destiny, yet another prophecy is fulfilled, the one made in Act 6, Scene 5 that all of his disciples would desert him. Mark, again, is the master of droll understatement in describing the disciples’ behavior. What happened? “All of them deserted him and fled” (14:50). The image of his disciples, so near and so dear to Jesus, turning tail and running is encapsulated by the simple statement of the fulfillment of the prophecy: yeah, Mark says, they did it. They ran.

The final description in this scene of “a certain young man (neaniskos)” who was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth” (14:51) has led to a lot of speculation of his identity. Mark gives us no clues. To connect him to the young man (neaniskos) in 16:5 seems a stretch, both in terms of their function and how they are dressed (stolê in 16:5; sindōn in 14:51). I think he is an image of the collective disciples, who follow but run when confronted. It might also serve double duty as a fulfillment of another prophecy, that of Amos 2, in which God explains what is to come due to the poor treatment of the prophets and God’s word :

11 And I raised up some of your children to be prophets and some of your youths to be nazirites. Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel? says the Lord. 12 But you made the nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, "You shall not prophesy." 13 So, I will press you down in your place, just as a cart presses down when it is full of sheaves. 14 Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain their strength, nor shall the mighty save their lives; 15 those who handle the bow shall not stand, and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves, nor shall those who ride horses save their lives; 16 and those who are stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, says the Lord.

 The Temple authorities actually “caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked” (14:51-52). He ran off, that is, like all of the other bold disciples, revealed as naked in the face of the harsh truth of Jesus’ arrest. He deserts Jesus to face his fate alone. Like the others, he flees not as a betrayer, but naked in the harsh light of his fears, shorn of faith.

John W. Martens

Follow me on Twitter @BibleJunkies

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[1] He is named as Peter, of course, in John 18:10 and the slave is Malchus; Luke 22:50-51 leaves both unnamed as does Matthew 26:51, but Luke has Jesus heal the slave’s ear.

[2] Some scholars believe the "day after day" as at odds with Mark’s chronology. I think it is simply a figure of speech to indicate the public ministry and activity of Jesus at the Temple in the previous few days.

Gospel of Mark Commentary Act 6. Scene 5

This is the forty-second installment, comprising Act 6, Scene 5, chapter 14:26-26, in the online commentary on the Gospel of Mark, which I am blogging on throughout the liturgical year. Please see the forty-first installment here. Links to the entire series are available in one spot at The Complete Gospel of Mark Online Commentary.

This is my division of the Gospel:

Prologue,  1:1-13;

Act  1, 1:14-3:6;

Act 2, 3:7-6:6;

Act 3, 6:7-8:26;

Act 4, 8:27-10:52;

Act 5, 11:1-13:37;

Act 6, 14:1-16:8(20).

Scene 4: 14:26-42

26 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters; for it is written, "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." 29 Peter said to him, "Even though all become deserters, I will not." 30 Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times." 31 But he said vehemently, "Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you." And all of them said the same. 32 They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33 He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. 34 And he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake." 35 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 He said, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want." 37 He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? 38 Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. 41 He came a third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."(NRSV)

Verse 14:26 is both the end of Scene 4 and the transition to Scene 5. The end of the meal is not described, only that when the Hallel Psalm was sung, they went to the Mount of Olives. Mark does not explain why Jesus has gone to the Mount of Olives or who exactly has gone with him. This is particularly intriguing with respect to the betrayer Judas: Is he with Jesus and the other disciples? If not, does he know that Jesus is going to the Mount of Olives? Had Jesus already planned this visit to the Mount? What was the purpose for it? Again, Mark describes nothing of the plan, if such a plan existed, or if the plan was revealed to the apostles as whole. So Jesus’ first words to the apostles on the Mount are striking and sharp.

And Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even though all become deserters, I will not.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said vehemently, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And all of them said the same. (14:27-31)

 Jesus states bluntly that “you will all become deserters,” drawing on a prophecy found in Zechariah 13:7. It is yet another prophecy from Zechariah since the Gospel has moved into Jerusalem (see Act 5, Scene 1  and Act 5, Scenes 2 and 3) and, even more importantly, another sign since Jesus has reached Jerusalem that all which is now occurring and will occur is known to Jesus and in his control.

The content of the prophecy itself, though, is not insignificant, for the apostles who wondered if they are to be betrayers now learn they will be deserters. When the shepherd is struck, the sheep will be scattered. Certainly this refers in the first instance to those who surround Jesus now, but as we saw in Act 3, Scene 3 (cf. 6:34) he is the shepherd for all the lost sheep upon whom he has lavished compassion and who welcomed him into Jerusalem. Mark, though, by adding Jesus’ next prediction subtly demonstrates that their desertion is not final, for when Jesus foresees his resurrection he tells them that “I will go before you to Galilee.” While the focus is on Jesus’ resurrection and return to Galilee, it shows that they will meet him at some point in the future.

Peter, the apostle whose voice we are now used to hearing above all others, rejects Jesus’ claim and the surprise, it seems to me, is that more of the apostles do not do it. On the other hand, all of them in Act 6, Scene 4 have wondered if they might betray Jesus, so the charge that they will only desert Jesus, for a time, might seem a relief. Peter properly speaks up, though, and says he will not desert Jesus, and certainly he must mean it. Jesus then makes the powerful prediction that, in fact, Peter will deny Jesus three times. Just as with Jesus’ other predictions – in Act 5, Scene 1: “you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it;” and Act 6, Scene 4: "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you” – the specificity of Jesus’ prophecy is breathtaking: “Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times” (14:30). Again, Peter speaks up, as he must, with a vehement denial: “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you” (14:31). After he speaks his piece, the other disciples finally chime in:  “And all of them said the same” (14:31). Bold they might not be, but they do know that here is a time when their voices must be heard. 

What makes Mark’s Gospel so dramatically powerful is the way in which he lets scenes or vignettes end; each character, Jesus, Peter, the other disciples have said their piece and we are most often allowed to consider them without narrative explanation. This is the feature that allows a narrative to gain strength from what is not said, but which we as readers or listeners are forced to consider. Included for our consideration is whether Judas is one of those who has chimed in with Peter, denying that he will deny Jesus. Is he present with them? If not, do they now suspect him? If he is absent, has Jesus mentioned him?

They then go to a garden called Gethsemane, which means “oil press,” and Jesus tells his disciples to “Sit here while I pray” (14:32). Jesus does bring his inner circle (see Act 4, Scene 2) with him, Peter and James and John, and Mark’s description of Jesus’ emotional state stresses that he is suffering. Jesus begins to be “distressed and agitated” (14:33), which is somewhat of a surprise, since all that is occurring and is to occur has been predicted by Jesus. And yet, Jesus’ predictive power does not remove his humanity or his concern for his future: “I am deeply grieved, even to death” (14:34). He instructs his inner circle to stay awake while he prays. The prayer is, again, a moment of powerful tension as Jesus “threw himself on the ground” and asked that “if it were possible, the hour might pass from him” (14:35). Mark’s next line seems to dissipate some of the tension, at least in his readers, who might wonder if Jesus now doubts the mission for which he has been prepared. Jesus prays as the obedient son, asking, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want” (14:36). This line resonates for those reading the text, for Jesus’ point of weakness becomes his point of power: not what he wants, but what God wants.

And his inner circle? They are asleep. Their task was to remain awake, whether to bear witness to Jesus’ emotional suffering or to have his back from those who would betray him, but they are not able to do it. Peter gets the brunt of recrimination:  “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (14:37-38). In fact, Jesus’ claim that “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” sums up all of Jesus’ apostles. Mark adds a truly interesting claim that Jesus “again he went away and prayed, saying the same words” (14:39). When we think of the impact of those words in 14:24-26, the emotional distress, Jesus’ throwing himself on the ground, his cry to God to allow him a way out if it is possible, it is remarkable that Peter, James and John are unable to remain alert or not to actually hear Jesus’ prayers and groans. Most importantly, Jesus must pray again for strength to fulfill his mission, to remain the obedient son. So, when Jesus returns to his best friends “and once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him” (14:40), it feels as if they have not learned a thing since they began to follow him in Galilee. 

It is easy to skip over the fact, though, that it is not two times, but three times that this occurs, Mark has simply grown weary of describing their failure. But is that truly it? Or is it just that the normal wear and tear, the normal daily weariness, breaks everyone down and Mark mentions it in a similarly matter of fact manner. This time, though, it is anything but matter of fact.

Jesus “came a third time and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand’ ” (14:41-42). Jesus’ death is moving from prophecy to fact right in front of the disciples’ eyes; they have been prepared for this almost from the moment they began to follow Jesus, but now when the time of crisis is on them, they are not ready. The sheep are already scattered.

John W. Martens

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