Join us as we journey through Mark Chapter 14 with Alan J. Huth, reflecting on critical moments such as the Last Supper, Judas’ betrayal, and Peter’s denial. This episode offers insightful commentary from over three decades of personal devotional study, encouraging listeners to find strength in spiritual discipline and understand the trials Jesus faced before his arrest.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today is Mark chapter 14. It is filled with passion leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. It’s 72 verses, so it’s a long chapter. So let’s listen in to Faith Comes By Hearing’s reading of Mark 14.
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Mark 14. It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people. And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, Why was the ointment wasted like that?
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For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.
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And they scolded her. But Jesus said, Leave her alone.
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Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.
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Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money, and he sought an opportunity to betray him. And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?
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And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, The teacher says, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. There, prepare for us.
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And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me. They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, Is it I?
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He said to them, It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. for the Son of Man goes as it is written of him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.
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And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, Take, this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.
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And he said to them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
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And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
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And Jesus said to them, You will all fall away, 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.
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Peter said to him, Even though they all fall away, I will not.
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And Jesus said to him, Truly, I tell you, this very night before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.
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But he said emphatically, If I must die with you, I will not deny you.
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And they all said the same. And they went to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.
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And he said to them, My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.
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And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
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And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will. And he came and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
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And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
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It is enough, the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.” Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.
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And immediately while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, The one I will kiss is the man.
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Seize him and lead him away under guard.
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And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, And he kissed him, and they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
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And Jesus said to them, Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.
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and they all left him and fled. And a young man followed him with nothing but a linen cloth about his body, and they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. And they led Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter had followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest, and he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree.
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And some stood up and bore false witness 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.
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Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, Have you no answer to make?
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What is it that these men testify against you?
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But he remained silent and made no answer.
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Again the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
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And Jesus said, I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven. And the high priest tore his garments and said, What further witnesses do we need?
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You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?
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And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, Prophesy! And the guards received him with blows. And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, You also were with the Nazarene Jesus.
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But he denied it, saying, I neither know nor understand what you mean.
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And he went out into the gateway, and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, This man is one of them. But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.
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But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know this man of whom you speak.
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And immediately the rooster crowed a second time.
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And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. And he broke down and wept.
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Due to the length of this reading, today I will only look at my journal entries and not summarize the chapter afterwards. In 1986, I wrote, God asks us for the small things. Peter said he would die for Jesus, yet Jesus only asked him to confess him before men. Peter failed and wept bitterly. Jesus prayed not to go to the cross, but he also recognized God’s sovereignty and obedience. And that ends my journal entry in 1986. Because Mark 14 is so long, in 1996, I actually read this chapter in three days. I’ll start by summarizing the first 26 verses. I wrote alabaster flask of very costly oil, broken and poured upon his head. She has done a good work for me, according to verse 6. This lady had money, wealth, and she spent it on Jesus. He appreciated it. It’s okay to have money or wealth and give it to the kingdom of God. The next story is also about money. Judas didn’t have it and wanted it. He was willing to walk away from Jesus for money and wealth. He did as many do today. He got his money, which was fleeting. He gave it back, but lost his soul. Concerning Mark 27 through 52, I wrote, We always say we would like to know our future. Jesus knew his, and it was pure agony. I don’t think we really want to know what’s coming. It’s grace that we don’t know. And then I wrote, Jesus fell on the ground, exceeding sorrow even unto death, but he obeyed. And my third entry in my journal in 1996 was verses 53 through 72. Peter followed him at a distance. We do too. We may not get right into the courtyard. but we keep our cover in the world so we won’t be recognized as one of his. As Jesus was about his greatest work, we, Peter, hide and deny we know him. He didn’t ask Peter to die with him. Peter had to stand up to a servant girl, and he couldn’t do it. And then I wrote, Jesus asks us to be Christians in the little things in life. I hope we don’t deny him by the way we act. And that ends my journal entries in 1996. In 2006, I did the same thing. I read Mark chapter 14 on three different days. Concerning the first 25 verses, I wrote, It still amazes me that Judas betrayed Jesus after all he saw, heard, and experienced being with Jesus. How would he not know Jesus was who he claimed to be? Seeing is not believing. Many know about Jesus today, too, and choose not to believe. The next day, on verses 26 through 52, I wrote, Jesus in the garden said, Not my will, but thy will be done. His Spirit ruled over His flesh. The disciples, however, went the other way. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. We need to live by the Spirit, not the flesh. And on the third day in 2006, I wrote it concerning verses 53 through the end of the chapter. Jesus did not answer most false accusations, but to not answer, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One, would deny his mission. So he answered, I am, the same words God used with Moses. No wonder the high priest considered it blasphemy. In chapter 14, he said, Abba Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. That’s his flesh. Not what I will, but what you will. That’s his spirit. Yet we see Peter and the disciples succumb to the flesh and not the spirit. Jesus says, the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Lord, our flesh is weak. We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Under pressure, like the disciples were in the garden, will we succumb to the flesh or will we be able to stand in the Spirit? By reading these great chapters in Scripture, Lord, build our spiritual strength. Not my will, but thy will be done. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Where are people looking for God today? Many are looking for God in all the wrong places. We want to point them to the best place to find God, right? We have a message called Looking for God in All the Wrong Places. I point out four places and illustrate why we can’t find God in those places. Where is the most reliable place to find God? Find out at EzraProject.net. Pull up the video, Looking for God in All the Wrong Places.
