Marco 14:70 Commento

In this chapter begins the account which this evangelist gives of the death and sufferings of our Lord Jesus, which we are all concerned to be acquainted, not only with the history of, but with the mystery of. Here is, I. The plot of the chief priests and scribes against Christ (Mar 14:1, Mar 14:2). II. The anointing of Christ's head at a supper in Bethany, two days before his death (Mar 14:3-9). III. The contract Judas made with the chief priests, to betray him (Mar 14:10, Mar 14:11). IV. Christ's eating the passover with his disciples, his instituting the Lord's supper, and his discourse with his disciples, at and after supper (v. 12-31). V. Christ's agony in the garden (Mar 14:32-42). VI. The betraying of him by Judas, and the apprehending of him by the chief priests' agents (Mar 14:43-52). VII. His arraignment before the high priest, his conviction, and the indignities done him at that bar (Mar 14:53-65). VIII. Peter's denying him (Mar 14:66-72). Most of which passages we had before, Mt. 26.

After two days was the feast of the passover,.... That is, two days after Christ had delivered the foregoing discourse concerning the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, was the feast of the passover; which was kept in commemoration of God's passing over the houses of the Israelites, when he destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, and made way for the deliverance of the children of Israel from thence: and which was kept by eating the passover lamb; and which, properly speaking, is the feast of the passover: and of unleavened bread; which was the same feast with the other, called so from the unleavened bread which was then eaten; though with this difference, the passover lamb was only eaten on the first night, but unleavened bread was eaten for seven days together. The Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions render it, "the passover of unleavened bread", leaving out the copulative "and". And the chief priests and Scribes sought how they might take him by craft; that is, Jesus, and put him to death: for which purpose they assembled together in Caiaphas the high priest's palace, and there took counsel together how to accomplish it; see Mat 26:2.

“You have taken my friends away from me.” In the passion of the cross, even my apostles fled from me; so completely did they shun me that Peter himself said: “I do not know this man.”

(ubi sup.)y This maid is not the same, but another, as Matthew says. Indeed we must also understand, that in this second denial he was addressed by two persons, that is, by the maid whom Matthew and Mark mention, and by another person, of whom Luke takes notice. It goes on: And he denied it again. Peter had now returned, for John says that he denied Him again standing at the fire; wherefore the maid said what has been mentioned above, not to him, that is, Peter, but to those who, when he went out, had remained, in such a way however that he heard it; wherefore coming back and standing again at the fire, he contradicted them, and denied their words. For it is evident, if we compare the accounts of all the Evangelists on this matter, that Peter did not the second time deny him before the porch, but within the palace at the fire, whilst Matthew and Mark who mention his having gone out are silent, for the sake of brevity, as to his return.

And after a little while, those standing by said to Peter again: Truly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean. Not that Galileans spoke a different language than the Jerusalemites, for both were Hebrews, but that every province and region has its peculiarities, and it cannot avoid the native accent. Hence, in the Acts of the Apostles, when those upon whom the Holy Spirit had descended spoke in the languages of all nations, among others who had come from different parts of the world, even those living in Judea are reported to have said: Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each in our own language in which we were born (Acts 2)? And Peter, speaking to the brothers in Jerusalem, said: And it became known to all those inhabiting Jerusalem, so that that field was called in their own language Haceldama (Acts 1). Why in their language, unless it was because they pronounced the same name differently, that is, the Galileans differently from those in Jerusalem?

(ubi sup.) There follows: And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them, for thou art a Galilæan, and thy speech agreeth thereto. Not that the Galilæans spoke a different tongue from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for they were both Hebrews, but that each province and region has its own peculiarities, and cannot avoid a vernacular pronunciation.

So Peter, troubled by fear and forgetting the Lord's word — "whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 10:33) — denied Christ.

Therefore Peter was seized with fear, and for-getting the word of the Lord, which said, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father, (Matt. 30, 32) he denied our Lord; wherefore there follows: But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.

Peter when he had not the Spirit yielded and lost courage at the voice of a girl, though with the Spirit he was not afraid before princes and kings. But in a mystical sense, the first maid means the wavering, the second, the assent, the third man is the act. This is the threefold denial which the remebrance of the word of the Lord washes away through tears. The cock then crows for us when some preacher up our hearts by repentance to compunction. We then begin to weep, when we are set on fire within by the spark of knowledge, and we go forth, when we cast out what we were within.

The Jews conspire against Christ, Mar 14:1, Mar 14:2. He is anointed in the house of Simon the Leper, Mar 14:3-9. Judas Iscariot sells him to the chief priests for thirty pieces of money, Mar 14:10, Mar 14:11. He orders his disciples to prepare the passover, Mar 14:12-16. Predicts his approaching death, Mar 14:17-21. Institutes the holy eucharist, Mar 14:22-26. Foretells the unfaithfulness of his disciples in general, Mar 14:27, Mar 14:28, and Peter's denial, Mar 14:29-31. His agony in the garden, Mar 14:32-36. The disciples overcome by sleep, Mar 14:37-42. Judas comes with a mob from the chief priests, and betrays him with a kiss; they seize him, Mar 14:43-49. The disciples flee, Mar 14:50. A young man following, and about to be apprehended, makes his escape, Mar 14:51, Mar 14:52. Jesus is brought before the chief priests, and Peter follows at a distance, Mar 14:53, Mar 14:54. He is examined, insulted, and abused, and condemned on false evidence, Mar 14:55-65. Peter thrice denies him, reflects on his wickedness, and repents of his sin, Mar 14:66-72.

ANGELIC ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE WOMEN ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, THAT CHRIST IS RISEN--HIS APPEARANCES AFTER HIS RESURRECTION--HIS ASCENSION--TRIUMPHANT PROCLAMATION OF HIS GOSPEL. ( = Mat 28:1-10, Mat 28:16-20; Luke 24:1-51; Joh 20:1-2, John 20:11-29). (Mark 16:1-20) when the sabbath was past--that is, at sunset of our Saturday. Mary Magdalene--(See on Luk 8:2). Mary the mother of James--James the Less (see Mar 15:40). and Salome--the mother of Zebedee's sons (compare Mar 15:40 with Mat 27:56). had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him--The word is simply "bought." But our translators are perhaps right in rendering it here "had bought," since it would appear, from Luk 23:56, that they had purchased them immediately after the Crucifixion, on the Friday evening, during the short interval that remained to them before sunset, when the sabbath rest began; and that they had only deferred using them to anoint the body till the sabbath rest should be over. On this "anointing," see on Joh 19:40.

And he denied it again--In Luke (Luk 22:58), "Man, I am not." But worst of all in Matthew--"And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man" (Mat 26:72). This was the Second Denial, more vehement, alas! than the first. Peter's THIRD DENIAL of His Lord (Mar 14:70-72). And a little after--"about the space of one hour after" (Luk 22:59). they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto--"bewrayeth [or 'discovereth'] thee" (Mat 26:73). In Luke (Luk 22:59) it is, "Another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this [fellow] also was with him: for he is a Galilean." The Galilean dialect had a more Syrian cast than that of Judea. If Peter had held his peace, this peculiarity had not been observed; but hoping, probably, to put them off the scent by joining in the fireside talk, he was thus discovered. The Fourth Gospel is particularly interesting here: "One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman [or kinsman to him] whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with Him?" (Joh 18:26). No doubt his relationship to Malchus drew his attention to the man who had smitten him, and this enabled him to identify Peter. "Sad reprisals!" exclaims BENGEL. Poor Peter! Thou art caught in thine own toils; but like a wild bull in a net, thou wilt toss and rage, filling up the measure of thy terrible declension by one more denial of thy Lord, and that the foulest of all.