Author: Bill Hall

Mark 14:69 “And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.”

  So, being not convinced by Peter, this same girl affirms his association with Christ. Likely she didn’t think he would overhear her, but at this point it was all he could think about, and was on guard. She may have followed him. But, it is more likely her duties simply brought her to the courtyard.

Heavenly Father, you are the only one who knows what will happen next. You alone can lead us in the right way. Thank you for your Word! It shows us how to live. It shows us what to do. We are enriched by it. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 14:68 “But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.”

   Not only does he deny knowing Jesus personally, he is here denying that he even knew who Jesus was at all. Obviously, this is senseless. But, we do senseless things when we are afraid. This servant girl and those around the area probably suspected more as a result of this response.

Heavenly Father, may we always trust in you to keep us safe, rather than looking to ourselves. You can keep us from evil in your perfect plan. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 14:67 “And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.”

   She may have recognized John already, which is likely. This would explain her wording of this sentence. John must have been a bit more acquainted with the politics of the religious elite in Jerusalem. He did not seem to be worried about being recognized. Or, if he did, he didn’t show it. It is important to note here that Jesus of Nazareth was the name that was used by the bulk of the people. Unfortunately, this was an unfavorable identifier. It misses the fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Heavenly Father, thank you for always having our best interest at heart. You do what is best for us, even if we don’t know what that is. We can trust you completely. You give us what we need to make our lives what they ought to be. Thank you! We will trust you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 14:66 “Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came.”

   Peter was watching from what he probably thought was a ‘safe distance’ in that he would be able to say he was there, but he was far enough away to leave when he wanted. Evidently, he did not expect to be identified. But, he discovered his mistake soon enough. The servant girl likely understood what was going on with Jesus quite well having been this close to the priests. She may have had no malicious intent when she pointed Peter out.

Heavenly Father, keep us by your will, dear Lord. You are to be our protection, and not we ourselves. We must depend upon you for leading us in the way in which we should go. Your wisdom is our best defence. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 14:65 “Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.”

   This wasn’t the judgement of a criminal, but the humiliation of an opponent. There was no shame, no sense of pity, no mercy for the condemned. As Jesus himself said, this was the hour of the power of darkness. Nothing else explains the sick vengeance being attempted upon the person of Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Christ! What mercy! You love us so much that you allowed this to happen. What a wonder! Thank you! All honor and glory and power be to the Lord Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 14:64 “You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?”
And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.”

   So, he was asking for an immediate verdict. Notice the unanimous judgement. Obviously, this conspiracy against Christ was strong. And that is just what it was, a conspiracy. It didn’t really matter to these men if they had legitimate cause to kill Christ. They were jealous. They didn’t want him holding sway over the people any longer. And, they were scared. They were afraid of the Romans, and of what Jesus might do to the delicate balance of power.

Heavenly Father, you have given us our very lives. How can we thank you enough? And yet, you give us abundance of life, joy, and peace. What valuable things! We can find our strength and foundation in Christ. He is our Fortress, our Help. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 14:63 “Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?”

   Surely these men asked themselves at some point if the true Messiah would do differently from Jesus. Surely their hearts were pricked. And, we know that some did later believe. But many did not and the bulk of Judaism to this day rejects Jesus of Nazareth.
  The tearing of the clothes was not strange. It was a standard way of expressing strong feelings. The question the priest asks reveals the purpose for his question to Christ before this. He knew an affirmative answer from Jesus would be the ‘last straw’ so to speak. The trial was over from their end of things. Now they had to find a way to kill him as they desired.

Heavenly Father, blessing is your prerogative. How could we ever question your fairness? Yet we always ask for more. And why? Because your blessings are wonderful. We love your care for us. It’s just like having good parents, kind friends, or helpful neighbors. But it is worth so much more! We will live to serve you every moment of every day, for you are truly amazing. Our value increases as we submit to your will. And we will do this not just because you are good to us, but because we love you so much! Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 14:62 “Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

  For those who claim that Jesus never affirmed his divinity, this is one of many verses that must be deleted. Jesus clearly identified himself as the Son of God, and the Messiah that was promised. To sit on the right hand of the ‘Power’ means to sit at the right hand of Almighty God, a place of honor accorded only to the Messiah. Why would Jesus answer as the high priest expected him to? Becuase it was the truth. Jesus could have objected to the question. But that would have accomplished nothing. They needed a noose to hang him with, so he handed them one. His sacrifice of himself was done willingly.

Heavenly Father, you are gracious, loving, good, kind, and patient. You don’t allow man’s shortcomings to derail your Divine plan. You have set down in order all of our days, and you know them from the beginning to the end. Thank you for having a lite hand with us! Thank you for mercy! All that we should say about you could fill all of our lives for all time. We cannot ever exhaust the vast storehouse of your greatness. The wisdom you show in everything you do is amazing! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 14:61 “But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”

  What must be understood here is that if Jesus answered this question honestly his trial was over. And why? Because it was blasphemy for a person to claim to be the Son of God. Unless, of course, that person was actually the Son of God. However, this truth was hidden from them because of their sinful unbelief. So, the high priest was asking Jesus to, in thier minds, incriminate himself. And Jesus obliged. This trial was a farce. Even their star witnesses could not condemn him. And they resorted to asking the accused to incriminate himself. They were desperate.

Heavenly Father, thank you for being honest with us! Your Word is full of truth for us. Thank you for it! We don’t have to doubt. You are worthy of our absolute devotion. You are worth so much! We cannot ever thank you enough for revealing yourself to us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 14:60
   We always take note of the fact that Jesus remained silent. However, understand that he wasn’t really allowed to defend himself either. In other words, though asked here about what was being said against him, it wasn’t an offer to let him make his own defence. He would only be allowed to respond to the accusations. The priest wanted him to incriminate himself by his answers. This becomes very obvious in the next verse.

Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching us to be Christ-like. That is what it means to be a Christian. We cannot ever forget your love for us. The love of Christ, and his willingness to serve, is what we must have from you. Thank you for working in our lives by the sacrifice of Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.