Mark 14 and it reads.
Mar.14:1] After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
On the 14th. day of Passover, the Passover lamb was to be killed. Christ became our Passover, not our Easter. 1Cor.5:6-7. Easter is a pagan holiday, Grove worship. Many of our fathers in history (Israel), partook of this and in Gods fury he would punish them. But, let’s go to Exodus 12, and it reads.
Exo.12:1] And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
[2] This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
[3] Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
[4] And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
[5] Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
[6] And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
That means Christ would be taken on the 14th.day and all night they would hold trial (which was illegal) and crucify him on the 15th.day which is the Passover day. Back to Mark 14 and verse 2 reads.
Mar.14:2] But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
They knew that the people would never have that. They feared the people.
Mar.14:3] And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
Many scholars say this woman was related to Lazarus the man that Christ raised from the dead.
Mar.14:4] And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
[5] For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
[6] And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
This woman anointed him for his burial. Think about that for a minute. Christ just told them again he would be crucified, and this woman anointed him now for his burial. They are not getting it, they would soon deny it again.
Mar.14:7] For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
[8] She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
[9] Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
And we just memorialized her by reading this now. Jesus, “the Word of God” said we would always know her, and memorialize her.
Mar.14:10] And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
[11] And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
This was written 1,000 yrs. before it ever happened, in Psa.41:9-12. Let’s go and read it.
Psa.41:9] Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
[10] But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.
[11] By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.
[12] And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.
Judas, I think, had been given the most difficult task. Again, I think he was chosen before to do this at this time so the Word of God could come to pass exactly as it was written. Either way you want to look at it, he repented. And I know that on repentance we all are forgiven. Back to Mark 14, and verse 12 reads.
Mar.14:12] And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
[13] And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
[14] And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
[15] And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.
They will find it exactly as he said it would be, always prepared ahead of time.
Mar.14:16] And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
[17] And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.
This is called the last supper, and many of us have this picture in our homes. This represents our sacraments that we take for communion. The bread for his body, the wine for his blood.
Mar.14:18] And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.
[19] And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?
None of them could imagine any of the others, so they questioned, is it I.
Mar.14:20] And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.
[21] The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.
I still believe that Judas may have volunteered when he was still in heaven with the Lord. If not, he still repented. And upon repentance all can be forgiven.
Mar.14:22] And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
[23] And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
[24] And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
[25] Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
Many a debate of whether or not Jesus drank of the wine. Let’s go to 1Cor.11:24-25 and read what Paul wrote. And it reads.
1Cor.11:24] And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
[25] After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
[26] For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
When He had supped, showing He had drank of the cup with them. But more important, notice why we do this. To show “We” know of his death, and that He will come again. Back to Mark and verse 26 reads.
Mar.14:26] And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
These Hymns are Psalms 115-118. At Passover it is good to read them.
Mar.14:27] And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.
It is written, where? We go to Zec 13:6-7 and read.
Zec.13:6] And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
[7] Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
In Rev.1:15-16 we read that the sword of the Lord is his tongue, the Word of the Lord. But how about that “wounds in thine hands”. This is written about 500 years before it happened. That’s prophesy. Back to Mark and verse 28 reads.
Mar.14:28] But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.
Again, he tells them to meet him in Galilee, after he is risen.
Mar.14:29] But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.
[30] And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.
At this point Peter is in a bad way, when the Word of God speaks, it will come to pass exactly as he says. Jesus knows that Peter loves him, but Peter needs to remember what is written. All this is written and they should have known it. But out of love Peter and the others could not have thought this would happen. At least not without a fight.
Mar.14:31] But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
This is not just Peter but all said this. But Peter would learn the hard way. Sad, but for our sake, Jesus did this. Did not he say “smite the shepherd and the sheep will scatter”. Remember always, what is written will come to pass. We’ll finish this chapter tomorrow. Let’s go to his throne.
Father, we thank you for your word and ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible