Mark 14:26-31

Disciples’ Desertion Predicted

Mark 14:26-31 – Jesus Warns the Disciples

²⁶ They sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

The Mount of Olives covered quite an extensive area. It provided many suitable camping spots for pilgrims attending the feast. Finding any one group there at night, even on a clear moonlit night, would not have been easy. Jesus and his disciples had their favourite spot that they had used before on other nights.

²⁷ There Jesus said to them,

“You will all be ensnared,

as it is written, ‘I shall strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered’.

²⁸ But after I am raised,

I shall go before you into Galilee.”

The response of the disciples to Jesus, their deserting him at his moment of trial, was obviously deplorable. (In their efforts to come to terms with it, subsequent Christians tended to search their literature for explanations. The quotation cited from Zechariah (13:7) is an example of their search, providing some sort of explanation or, possibly, justification.)

The shallowness of the disciples stood in contrast to the faithfulness of Jesus. Intuiting what would happen, he continued to reach out to them in love in the hope of encouraging their eventual recovery of faith. Whilst deeply hurt, Jesus was neither disillusioned nor resentful.

²⁹ Peter said to him,

“All the others may be ensnared, but not I.”

³⁰ Jesus said to him, “Indeed, today, this very night,

before the rooster will have crowed twice,

you will disown me three times.”

³¹ But he vehemently said,

“Even if I have to die with you,

I shall not disown you.”

They all said the same thing.

Peter’s response was in some respects admirable. It indicated a spontaneous love and solidarity. Yet he did not know himself below the surface, nor was he prepared to be enlightened. He was not in touch with his weaknesses, and moved passionately into psychological denial.

True to form, he saw himself as special, whatever about the others. Ironically, Jesus affirmed his specialness – he would not only desert him but repeatedly deny ever having known him. But Peter did not learn.

As mentioned before, Peter’s denial stood in relation to Judas’s betrayal – together they bracketed the Last Supper narrative and were meant by Mark to be seen as throwing light on it. The Last Supper was celebrated with disciples whose faith and commitment were clearly deficient. It was not a meal for the perfect but for sinners in obvious need of redemption.

When that Last Supper is ritually renewed in the Eucharistic celebrations of subsequent disciples, the point is clear that sinners are not excluded. Indeed, a major purpose of the celebration is to reach out to the possibilities of forgiveness affirmed in it.

Next >> Mark 14:32-42