The Hasty Gathering: Mark 14:53-54
“53) They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes *gathered together. 54) Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.” Mark 14:53-54
Keep in mind, this was the night of the Jewish Passover meal. The festival was kept by all in Israel to celebrate the first Passover under Moses as recorded in Exodus 12 and the final plague on Egypt, which was the death of the first born.
At twilight, every family who believed in God was to kill a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts of their house. When the destroying angel passed over the land to kill the firstborn, the blood was an indication that a death had already taken place. They were saved by the blood of the lamb.
This became a festival to be kept by Israel annually to celebrate their freedom from Egypt. During Israel’s shameful history, there were long periods of time when they strayed from God and abandoned both the temple and all festival that indicated loyalty to God.
With the rebuilding of the second temple under Ezra and Nehemiah, the sacrificial system and Jewish holidays were restored. The outer system was thriving in the days of Christ, but inwardly the Jewish leaders had become carnal, sinful and corrupt.
The hight of the hypocrisy was manifest in this text from Mark 14:53-54. Instead of keeping the Passover at home with their families as prescribed by Moses, the high priest, chief priests, elders and scribes convened a hasty gathering at the courtyard of the high priest to carry out the murder of Jesus. They did it in secret at night under the shadow of darkness.
What they meant for evil, God meant for good. Their actions fulfilled God’s plan for human redemption by taking the Lamb of God and making Him the Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. (See John 1:28; 36)
The condemnation of Jesus by the high priest, the timing during the Jewish Passover festival and the method of Jesus dying on a cross fulfilled every type and shadow of the Jewish sacrificial system.
The events of that evening as captured by each of the gospel writers were providential. Let’s briefly look at a few Old Testament promises that were fulfilled that evening by this hasty gathering of Jewish leaders.
It fulfilled the story of Genesis 22 and Abraham offering up Isaac and God promising a substitute. It fulfilled the Passover of Exodus 12 and what brings true freedom from human slavery to sin. It also fulfilled the prophetic words of Isaiah 53 and many other Old Testament prophecies.
Though this gathering of the Sanhedrin and religious leaders in Mark 14:53-54 seems insignificant, it was monumental. This hastily gathering in violation of the Passover ordinance as prescribed by Moses, fulfilled the greatest promise of God in the Old Testament to accomplish human redemption.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
“53) They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes *gathered together. 54) Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.” Mark 14:53-54
Keep in mind, this was the night of the Jewish Passover meal. The festival was kept by all in Israel to celebrate the first Passover under Moses as recorded in Exodus 12 and the final plague on Egypt, which was the death of the first born.
At twilight, every family who believed in God was to kill a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts of their house. When the destroying angel passed over the land to kill the firstborn, the blood was an indication that a death had already taken place. They were saved by the blood of the lamb.
This became a festival to be kept by Israel annually to celebrate their freedom from Egypt. During Israel’s shameful history, there were long periods of time when they strayed from God and abandoned both the temple and all festival that indicated loyalty to God.
With the rebuilding of the second temple under Ezra and Nehemiah, the sacrificial system and Jewish holidays were restored. The outer system was thriving in the days of Christ, but inwardly the Jewish leaders had become carnal, sinful and corrupt.
The hight of the hypocrisy was manifest in this text from Mark 14:53-54. Instead of keeping the Passover at home with their families as prescribed by Moses, the high priest, chief priests, elders and scribes convened a hasty gathering at the courtyard of the high priest to carry out the murder of Jesus. They did it in secret at night under the shadow of darkness.
What they meant for evil, God meant for good. Their actions fulfilled God’s plan for human redemption by taking the Lamb of God and making Him the Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. (See John 1:28; 36)
The condemnation of Jesus by the high priest, the timing during the Jewish Passover festival and the method of Jesus dying on a cross fulfilled every type and shadow of the Jewish sacrificial system.
The events of that evening as captured by each of the gospel writers were providential. Let’s briefly look at a few Old Testament promises that were fulfilled that evening by this hasty gathering of Jewish leaders.
It fulfilled the story of Genesis 22 and Abraham offering up Isaac and God promising a substitute. It fulfilled the Passover of Exodus 12 and what brings true freedom from human slavery to sin. It also fulfilled the prophetic words of Isaiah 53 and many other Old Testament prophecies.
Though this gathering of the Sanhedrin and religious leaders in Mark 14:53-54 seems insignificant, it was monumental. This hastily gathering in violation of the Passover ordinance as prescribed by Moses, fulfilled the greatest promise of God in the Old Testament to accomplish human redemption.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
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