Park 1

Hae Chan Park

Mr. Gregory Malczewski

Bible 11 Life of Christ

13 May 2019

Jesus’ Final Moments Analyzed

The key verse that Mark 14 circles upon is verse 36, which states, “Abba, Father,” he

said, “Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you

will (Holy, Mark 14:36).” This verse shows the deep inner conflict that Jesus was facing

moments before his death. Jesus knew the pain and the torture that he was going to experience,

yet he Put God’s will before his. This was no easy task. It is a fact that Jesus was one hundred

percent man and God. The human part of him knew the horrible act of crucifixion. The Romans

did not crucify people simply to kill them, but to make them suffer immensely and for a long

period of time. When looking at crucifixion at a physiological point of view, one must question if

the Romans were no barbaric. To commence the procedure, the Roman soldiers would flog the

victim with whips. The whips that the Romans utilized were not normal whips; they were ones

with metal balls at the tip for the purpose to bruise the skin, and other sharp objects like sheep

bones to hasten the bleeding and to tear apart the victims’ skin and muscles (Gidley). Next, the

victim forcefully carried the cross to the site where the nailing would take place. Once the victim

arrived at the scene, soldiers would drive nails into the wrist and sever multiple nerves which

would produce excruciating pain (Gidley). Because of the position, the victim would suffocate

and die a slow, but painful death. One lesson to learn from this is that Christianity is a road full

of hardships and that all must stand up for their faith and must learn to put God’s will first.

Although the time in this world may be painful, true believers must keep their eyes upon heaven.
 Park 2

Mark 14: Jesus’ Final Moments Before Crucifixion

A. Jesus Anointed at Bethany (1-11)

B. The Last Supper (12-26)

C. Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial (27-31)

D. Gethsemane (32-42)

E. Jesus Arrested (43-52)

F. Jesus Before Sanhedrin (53-65)

G. Peter Disowns Jesus (66-72)

When readers first begin to read Mark 14, the first notable piece of writing is the title of

the first story: Jesus Anointed at Bethany (Mark 14). It is not uncommon for readers to come

across a passage where the main protagonist gets anointed with a liquid, frequently oil. What

readers do not expect is a woman to pour a jar of expensive perfume on Jesus' feet; the perfume

was pure nard that came out of an alabaster jar, two objects that many are not familiar with. To

fully understand the story, one may do research on the historical context of the two objects: nard

and alabaster jar. To begin with, an alabaster jar is a container that was made from crystalline

gypsum or sulfate of lime (Bible Study Tools). In another explanation, the jar was one of the

woman’s most valuable belongings (Break). Furthermore, the content inside the jar was pure

nard or spikenard (Houdmann). Spikenard has very similar value – or can be highly regarded –

like gold or diamonds in our twenty-first-century world (Houdmann). There is a wide belief, in

fact, a truth, that the woman who anointed Jesus with the expensive perfume was Mary

Magdalene herself. Before choosing to follow Jesus’ path, she made a living off her body:

prostitution. William Barclay, a professional theologist, stated that the fragrance came from

India, an area far off from Jerusalem. The commentary also provides readers with an answer why
 Park 3

the woman broke the jar; the woman broke the jar to signify that she was giving Jesus all of what

she had, which was no understatement – the jar filled with perfume was her most prized

belonging (Barclay).

Readers may note several observations from this excerpt. First, readers can see that the

woman poured the total content of the perfume onto Jesus’ feet. Second, there were bystanders

who reprimanded her for “wasting” such a large sum of money, when there were “better”

alternatives to the usage of the perfume. From these two simple observations, the Bible compels

readers to make a logical interpretation; The woman offered Jesus all she had, but the world

viewed this act as very wasteful. Finally, readers can extract an application from completing the

observation and interpretation: though we may not be wealthy, or have the financial stability, to

give offerings to God, we should always give him our all, even though the world will bash us for

it.

After the anointing of Jesus, readers see a change in scenarios, and the disciples are now

eating with Jesus: his final or last supper. The reoccurring question that arises from reading this

excerpt is: “what did Jesus mean by ‘his blood and his body’?” (Mark 14:22-24). Readers do

have the freedom to use Blue Letter Bible but will find that Strong’s definition will state that the

body and blood was, maybe, being used in a literal or figurative sense (Blue). Furthermore, by

looking at the harmony of the gospels, readers will notice that the other two synoptic gospels use

the same words: ‘body and blood’ (Blue). Jesus was, of course, speaking metaphorically since he

was not physically in the shape of wine and bread at the time.

Transitioning, readers come across the prediction Jesus made about Peters’ denial. To

fully understand the whole concept of Peters’ denial, one must first understand what “denying”

meant within its historical context. Through the usage of Blue Letter Bible, one can see that deny
 Park 4

means to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone (Blue). Readers now

know why Peter opposed the idea of him denying Jesus; Peter loved Jesus, and for him to cut off

all ties was something irrational and an unimaginable act of betrayal. It was logical and very

much reasonable for Peter to have such a reaction to Jesus’ statement. After this basic

observation, one can form an interpretation of the text: Peter refused to deny Jesus at that

moment, but Jesus said otherwise. One application we may make today is that Jesus knows us

better and knows our true hearts that lie within us.

After the final supper, one arrives at the scene of Jesus going to Gethsemane to pray.

Many readers are familiar with the famous scene where Jesus prayed until Jesus sweat blood and

water. It is evident that Jesus was feeling distressed at this certain moment since Mark recorded

Jesus saying that the dark future was overwhelming him to the point of death. This saying may

resemble a metaphor, but utilizing Blue Letter Bible, one can see that this was no

understatement: there are no mentions of this being a figurative saying, which leads readers to

the belief that the painful future for Jesus overwhelmed him, or grieved as Blue Letter Bible,

used to the point of death (Blue). Readers see examples such as Peter’s denial, Jesus asking Peter

if he loves him, and Jesus praying three times in the garden of Gethsemane. From this simple

observation, readers may interpret it as the following: Jesus asked the disciples to perform a task,

yet they could not because of their flesh, and when the time came when Judas Iscariot came to

arrest Jesus, they were not spiritually and physically ready. It is evident that they were not ready

for Judas Iscariot because Mark recorded the disciples to be sleeping minutes before Judas came

(Mark 14:41-42). They would have been groggy and not clear-minded. Their spiritual state

would have been very similar to that of their physical state. Readers should apply the lesson that

they leave with in any circumstance of their lives: believers must be awake and alert to be ready
 Park 5

for the opposition in this world. Jesus had to face it himself, and we must overcome the flesh just

as he did. If we do not overcome the flesh, we will not be ready for when the time comes for us

to stand up for our faith. Approaching the end of Jesu’ life, Mark exposes readers to the

hardships that Jesus had to go through in order to fulfill the prophecies and save everyone’s

lives. He is first kissed by Judas Iscariot so the soldiers could better identify him. From this

scene, a question arises: why did Judas Iscariot kiss Hess? Many theologists claim that Jesus

could change his appearance. Although this may sound odd, it is backed by evidence in the

Bible. While Jesus was out completing his ministry, there were many instances where people

tried to kill him. The reason why he could escape from such situations was because of his ability

to change appearances (Shank). In order to try to prevent the arresting of Jesus, there was one

person, who many believe to be Peter, who cut off the ear of a soldier, but he too left Jesus when

Jesus was arrested. The time came for when Jesus had to be tried before the Sanhedrin. The chief

priests and the entirety of the Sanhedrin attempt to testify against Jesus. There were various

attempts to bring Jesus under justice, and ultimately condemn him to death. Finally, the High

Priest asked Jesus the question: Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One (Mark 14:61)?”

Jesus could not lie and answered the question truthfully by stating that he was the Messiah. After

the statement was given by Jesus, the Sanhedrin condemned him to death and beat him. One

thing that readers can learn from this court trial is that when we are facing opposition because of

our faith, we must speak the truth only, even though it means our imminent death.

Finally, Peter disowned Jesus. Although stated implicitly, Peter was vulnerable and open

to attacks; the courtyard served as a catalyst leading to his denial of Christ (Why). It was not a

wanted situation. In the passage, Mark describes Peter warming himself by the fire (Mark 14:67).

This implies that it was cold and a place where many people would be. In a sense, it was foolish
 Park 6

of Peter to go to the place where most of the people were gathered around. Then the servant girl

calls him out as a follower of Jesus. This also implies that the courtyard was filled with

unbelievers. Peter denied Jesus for the first time and went to another place but did not flee the

scene entirely. For the second time, the servant girl claimed that Peter was with Jesus, and again

Peter denied Jesus. Yet, Peter decided to remain in the place where he was being attacked. For

the last time, people surrounding started noticing him, and they also stated that he was a believer

of Christ. Peter, then, denies Jesus for the last time, and the rooster crows for the last time. The

detail that many readers decide to ignore is that the servant and the people surrounding him

simply said that he was a follower of Jesus. Never did they beat him or advance towards him in

an aggressive manner, at least according to Mark 14. This shows that Peter was having an

internal crisis. It was within that Peter was denying Jesus, not because of the people. From these

observations, readers can interpret that Peter was putting himself in danger and denied Jesus

from inside. The important thing that believers to remember from this tragic scene is to prepare

for situations like these and surround ourselves by people who will help us grow physically and

spiritually.

In conclusion, there are many lessons that believers may take from Mark 14. Like Jesus,

we must prepare ourselves to face opposition on this earth. Opposition does indeed exist in the

modern age, and it is our job to prepare ourselves and the coming generations. Believers must

also remember that they must give everything they have to Jesus. God was the one to give us life

in the first place, so logically we should always be ready to give our all to him, even our lives.

We must learn to put God’s will first. Jesus is the perfect example. We must remember that God

knows best and knows everything, not only in the spectrum of the material world but about our

lives and what is best for us. Readers must also surround themselves with believers that will help
 Park 7

them grow spiritually. As stated before, opposition towards the truth is growing. It is our jobs as

believers to do our best to get the good news out there.

 Park 8

Works Cited

Barclay, William. "Mark 14 Commentary - William Barclay's Daily Study Bible."

StudyLight.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2019.

<https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/mark-14.html>.

"Blue Letter Bible." Blue Letter Bible - Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. www.blueletterbible.com

65 < 12 May 2019>.

"Break Your Alabaster Jar." Break Your Alabaster Jar (1) | United Christian Broadcasters. N.p.,

12 Mar. 2018. Web. 13 May 2019. <https://www.ucb.co.uk/content/break-your-alabaster-

jar-1-0>.

Gidley, Robert. "The Facts of Crucifixion." Catholic Education Resource Center. N.p., n.d. Web.

12 May 2019. <https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/controversy/common-

misconceptions/the-facts-of-crucifixion.html>.

Holy Bible Nueva Version International. Biblica, 2011

Houdmann, S. Michael. "What Is Spikenard in the Bible?" GotQuestions.org. N.p., 19 Jan. 2017.

Web. 12 May 2019. <https://www.gotquestions.org/spikenard-in-the-Bible.html>.

Shanks, Hershel. "Why Did Judas Identify Jesus with a Kiss?" Biblical Archaeology Society.

N.p., 08 May 2019. Web. 12 May 2019.

<https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-

jesus/why-did-judas-identify-jesus-with-a-kiss/>.

"Why Did Peter Deny Jesus Christ?" Christianity.com. N.p., June-July 2010. Web. 12 May 2019.

<https://www.christianity.com/jesus/life-of-jesus/disciples/what-led-peter-to-deny-

jesus.html>.
Park 9