What is the meaning of Mark 14:1? Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away - Scripture locks the timeline in place. With “two days” to go (compare Mark 14:12; John 12:1), the climactic events will unfold exactly when God ordained. - Passover (Exodus 12:1-14) commemorated Israel’s rescue through the blood of the lamb; Jesus, “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7), will now fulfill the picture. - The Feast of Unleavened Bread followed immediately (Leviticus 23:5-6). Removing leaven symbolized cleansing from sin (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). Jesus’ coming sacrifice will provide that cleansing once for all (Hebrews 9:26). - By noting both feasts together, Mark reminds readers that God’s redemption plan is moving forward on heaven’s precise schedule (Galatians 4:4-5). and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus - These leaders—members of the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:3-4)—had long opposed Him (Mark 3:6; John 11:47-53). Their plotting fulfills Psalm 2:1-2: “The kings of the earth take their stand … against the LORD and against His Anointed.” - “Covert” underscores their fear of the crowds (Luke 22:2) and their hypocrisy (Matthew 23:27-28). Under cover of religion, they scheme to destroy the One the Law and Prophets anticipated (Luke 24:44). - While they think they are driving events, Scripture shows God overruling their secrecy to accomplish His purpose (Acts 4:27-28). and kill Him - The leaders’ intention moves from arrest to execution, confirming Jesus’ own prophecies (Mark 8:31; 10:33-34). - Their murderous resolve fits Isaiah 53:8, “He was cut off from the land of the living,” and Daniel 9:26, “The Anointed One will be cut off.” - Yet Jesus lays down His life voluntarily (John 10:17-18). Human evil and divine sovereignty converge at the cross (Acts 2:23). - The goal is death, but God’s goal is atonement and resurrection (Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 Peter 3:18). summary Mark 14:1 sets a crucial scene: God’s redemptive calendar is turning precisely toward Passover, while Israel’s religious elite secretly plot Jesus’ arrest and death. Their designs, meant for evil, will fulfill the very feasts that speak of deliverance—showing that even in conspiracy and violence, the Lord’s sovereign plan to save through the sacrificial Lamb is moving inexorably toward the cross. |
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