Mark 14:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”

NIV: But not during the festival,' they said, 'or the people may riot.'

NASB: for they were saying, 'Not during the festival, otherwise there will be a riot of the people.'

CSB: "Not during the festival," they said, "so that there won't be a riot among the people."

NLT: But not during the Passover celebration,' they agreed, 'or the people may riot.'

KJV: But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.

NKJV: But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”

The chief priests, scribes (Mark 14:1), and elders (Matthew 26:3) of the Sanhedrin are trying to figure out how to arrest Jesus while avoiding any backlash from the people who think He is the Messiah. "The feast" has two possible definitions. It may refer to the crowd of celebrants who have flooded Jerusalem. This would explain why the Jewish leaders don't arrest Jesus during the day in Jerusalem but wait until the dead of night, when He is away from the crowds (Mark 14:49; Luke 22:53).

Or "the feast" may mean the time frame, including the Passover and the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread that directly follows. Although the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are technically two different events, their proximity to each other leads people to use their titles collectively. Jewish men from throughout the Roman Empire, especially Judea, Galilee, and Perea, congregate every year for the eight days.

Although Jesus' hometown of Nazareth rejected Him (Mark 6:1–6), the people of Galilee love Him—or, at least, they love what He can do for them (John 6:24–26). The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem know that to kill Him while Jerusalem is swollen with visitors from Galilee would risk the threat of a rebellion against the Roman occupiers. Their fears are not unfounded. The historian Josephus records that in the hundred years before Jesus' crucifixion, Rome had crucified thousands of Jewish rebels. The Sanhedrin fears the Romans would respond to a Jesus-inspired revolt by flattening Jerusalem. Something similar will, in fact, happen decades later in AD 70.

We don't know if the Sanhedrin wanted to wait until after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a week hence, or just until Jesus is relatively isolated, but the former proves impossible. After a woman anoints Jesus' head with perfumed ointment, Judas coordinates with the chief priests to betray Jesus (Mark 14:10–11). During the Passover meal, Jesus tells Judas to go out and proceed with his plan (John 13:27). We don't know what Satan's preferred timeline is, but it is Jesus who writes the schedule for His death, not the council.

Mark 14:1–2 shows that the Jewish leadership is desperate. They have been trying to destroy Jesus since shortly after His ministry began. Jesus is finally back in Jerusalem, where they can corner Him and convince the Romans to execute Him. But a crowd of Galileans is also in town, many of whom publicly declared their assertion that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah (Mark 11:1–10). The Jewish leaders need to arrest Jesus away from the crowd. Before long, they will gain the aid of an unlikely ally (Mark 14:10–11). The chief priests and scribes' machinations are also found in Matthew 26:1–5 and Luke 22:1–2.

Jesus is anointed in a symbolic anticipation of His death. Judas decides to secretly cooperate with local religious leaders to arrest Jesus in secret. During the Passover meal, Jesus predicts His betrayal by Judas, and Peter's denial. He also institutes the Lord's Supper, also known as communion. After praying on the Mount of Olives, Jesus is captured when Judas identifies Him to a hostile mob sent by Jewish authorities. He endures a corrupt, prejudiced trial, ending in a conviction for blasphemy. Peter, fearing for his life, lies about knowing Jesus, before remembering Jesus' prediction and breaking down in sobs.

Jesus has finished His public teaching ministry and now prepares for the crucifixion. His sacrificial loyalty will provide the means by which the disciples' abandonment will be forgiven. Next, the Romans, as representatives of Gentiles throughout history, will join the Jews and kill Jesus. Jesus will be buried, but He will rise again with the promise that His sacrifice will redeem the world. Matthew 26 and Luke 22 follow Mark 14 more closely while John 13:1—18:27 records more of Jesus' teaching in the upper room.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.