Mark 14 Devotional: Study the Last Supper, Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane, and His betrayal. A daily Bible guide and prayer focused on the sacrifice of Christ for our sins and His absolute obedience to the Father.
Welcome to Mark Chapter 14. We are entering the most sacred hours of the Gospel. Today, we sit at the table of the Last Supper, we walk into the shadows of Gethsemane, and we witness the heart-wrenching betrayal of the Son of God. As we read, let us remember that every step Jesus takes in this chapter, He takes for us.
The Cup of Obedience
Mark 14 is a chapter of deep contrasts. We see the beautiful, extravagant worship of the woman with the alabaster jar, contrasted with the dark, calculated betrayal of Judas. We see the intimate fellowship of the Last Supper, followed by the lonely agony of the Garden of Gethsemane.
What can we learn from this today? In Gethsemane, we see the true humanity and the true divinity of Jesus Christ. As your Statement of Faith affirms, He is fully God and fully man. In His humanity, He felt the weight of the "cup" of God's wrath against sin. In His divinity and perfect obedience, He submitted His will to the Father: "Not what I will, but what you will." This chapter asks us: Where is our heart in the dark hours? Are we like the disciples, falling asleep when we should be watching? Are we like Peter, confident in our own strength only to fail when tested? Or can we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, learn to say "Thy will be done" even when the path ahead is painful? Jesus was betrayed and abandoned so that we, through faith in Him, would never have to be.
14 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.
16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.
18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.
19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?
20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.
21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.
22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
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.
28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.
29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.
30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.
31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.
40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.
41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
43 And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
44 And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely.
45 And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.
46 And they laid their hands on him, and took him.
47 And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
48 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?
49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.
50 And they all forsook him, and fled.
51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:
52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
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.
54 And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
55 And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
56 For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
57 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
59 But neither so did their witness agree together.
60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?
64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:
67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
Daily Application: "In Gethsemane, Jesus chose the Father’s will over His own comfort. Is there a specific area of your life today where you are struggling to say, 'Not my will, but Yours be done'?"
Jesus said, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." As we reflect on the strength of our Savior who stood firm while everyone else fled, let us bring our own weaknesses before His throne of grace.
Dear Lord Jesus, We stand in awe of Your sacrifice. We believe that You lived a sinless life and were willingly crucified for our sins to reveal God’s perfect will for our salvation. Thank You for the New Covenant in Your blood, which justifies and forgives all who believe.
For me: Lord, forgive me for the times I have "fallen asleep" spiritually or prioritized my own comfort over Your call. Strengthen my spirit to watch and pray. Help me to trust Your perfect plan, even when the path before me is difficult. Thank You that my salvation is a gift of Your grace, received through faith in You alone.
For those around us: We pray for those who feel betrayed or abandoned today; may they find comfort in the High Priest who was tempted in every way as we are. We pray for our church family, that we would be a people who worship You extravagantly, holding nothing back from the One who gave everything.
For the world: Father, we pray for a world separated from You by sin. May the message of the Cross reach the lost, convicting hearts and bringing many to repentance. We pray that Your universal Church would be empowered to demonstrate Your love and proclaim the Gospel to all nations until You come again in glory. Amen.
Jesus willingly submitted to the Father’s will, even in great suffering. When you face difficulty or uncertainty, are you willing to trust God and surrender to His will?
Why is the Last Supper important?
The Last Supper reveals Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation. He identifies the bread and cup as His body and blood, pointing to His sacrificial death for the forgiveness of sins. This forms the foundation of the Lord’s Supper, reminding believers of His grace and redemption.
What does Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane teach us?
Jesus’ prayer shows His true humanity and complete obedience to the Father. Though He faced deep anguish, He submitted fully to God’s will. This teaches believers to trust God in suffering and to rely on Him through prayer.
Why did Jesus allow Himself to be arrested and rejected?
Jesus willingly gave Himself up to fulfill God’s redemptive plan. His suffering and rejection were necessary for the salvation of humanity. Through His obedience, He became the perfect sacrifice for sin, making forgiveness and reconciliation with God possible.
Thank you for walking through these heavy hours with us. May the reality of Christ’s love sustain you today. Join us tomorrow for Mark Chapter 15, as we witness the ultimate sacrifice at Calvary.