Mark 14:53

And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. AND THEY LED JESUS AWAY TO THE HIGH PRIEST: AND WITH HIM WERE ASSEMBLED, [ sunerchontai (G4905) autoo (G846)] - or rather, 'there gathered together unto him,' ALL THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND THE ELDERS AND THE SCRIBES. It was then a full and formal meeting of the Sanhedrim. Now, as the first three Evangelists place all Peter's denials of his Lord after this, we should naturally conclude that they took place while our Lord stood before the Sanhedrim. But besides that the natural impression is that the scene around the fire took place overnight, the second crowing of the cock, if we are to credit ancient wr...

53-65 We have here Christ's condemnation before the great council of the Jews. Peter followed; but the high priest's fire-side was no proper place, nor his servants proper company, for Peter: it was an entrance into temptation. Great diligence was used to procure false witnesses against Jesus, yet their testimony was not equal to the charge of a capital crime, by the utmost stretch of their law. He was asked, Art thou the Son of the Blessed? that is, the Son of God. For the proof of his being the Son of God, he refers to his second coming. In these outrages we have proofs of man's enmity to God, and of God's free and unspeakable love to man....

See this fully explained in the notes at Matthew 26:57....

EXPOSITION MARK 14:1 NOW AFTER TWO DAYS WAS THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER AND THE UNLEAVENED BREAD; literally, _the passover and the unleavened _τό πάσχα καὶ τὰ ἄζυμα. It was one and the same festival. The killing of the Paschal lamb took place on the first of the seven days during which the festival lasted, and during the whole of which they used unleavened bread. Josephus describes it as "the festival of the unleavened, called _Phaska _by the Jews." THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND THE SCRIBES. St. Matthew (Matthew 26:3) says, "The chief priests and the elders of the people." The two classes in the Sanhedrim who actually combined to put our Lord to death were those here mentioned by St. Mark. They sought how th

AND THEY LED JESUS AWAY TO THE HIGH PRIEST,.... Caiaphas, as is added in the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions. This was done, after they had took Jesus and bound, him, and after they had had him to Annas, who sent him bound to Caiaphas; see John 18:12; AND WITH HIM, the high priest Caiaphas, WERE ASSEMBLED ALL THE CHIEF PRIESTS, AND THE ELDERS, AND THE SCRIBES; even the whole sanhedrim, who met at Caiaphas's house, and were waiting there for Jesus; whom Judas with his band of soldiers and others, were gone to secure, and brng before them; Matthew 26:57....

Mark 14:27. _And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I._ There was love in that utterance, and so far it was commendable; but there was also much self-trust in it, but there was great presumption, for Peter dared even to contradict his Master to his face; and, at the same time, he contradicted the inspired Scripture, for Jesus had told the disciples that it was written that the sheep should be scattered. Yet Peter boldly denied both what God had written and what Christ had said. Alas! there is nothing of evil which proud self-confidence will not make us do. God save us from such a spirit as that!...

AND THEY LED See note on ORDER OF EVENTS ON THE DAY OF THE CRUCIFIXION. (_ See Scofield) - (Matthew 26:57). _...

PART IV. GIVING HIS LIFE A RANSOM FOR -- CHAPTER S 14-15. Chapter 14 _ 1. Seeking by Craft to put Him to Death. (Mark 14:1 .Matthew 26:2; Luke 22:1 .)_ 2. The Anointing. (Mark 14:3. Matthew 26:6; John 12:1) 3. Judas offers to betray Him. (Mark 14:10 .Matthew 26:14;...

THE TRIAL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN. This trial is irregular in many ways. It was unlawful to hold such a trial at night. It is not, therefore, unhistorical (Montefiore, i. 345f.). Mk. speaks of the whole Sanhedrin meeting and of all condemning Jesus (Mark 14:55; Mark 14:64). This is his customary popular exaggeration, prompted here by desire to throw the guilt on all the religious leaders of Judaism (_cf. Mark 15:1_). The trial is really a preliminary investigation a search for a charge on which Jesus may be condemned and handed over to Pilate. It is not certain that the Sanhedrin had lost the power of capital punishment, but under the circumstances, the leaders desired to thrust the responsibility for the death-sentence on to Pilate. W

THE LAST ACT BEGINS (Mark 14:1-2)...