The Last Supper, Gethsemane and Jesus’ Trials

Mark describes Jesus’ final days in Jerusalem through a sequence of increasingly difficult events: a meal with his disciples, prayer and arrest in Gethsemane, and trials before religious and Roman authorities. Throughout these events, Jesus anticipates suffering and accepts it, while those around him betray him, abandon him or give way to pressure.

Preparing the Last Supper — Mark 14:12–26

The Last Supper takes place at Passover, the Jewish festival remembering liberation from slavery in Egypt. Mark places the preparations on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. This is a religious celebration, not simply a farewell dinner.

Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem. They are to follow a man carrying a jar of water and ask the owner of the house he enters for the Teacher’s guest room. The owner will show them a large upstairs room, furnished and ready. The disciples find everything as Jesus described and prepare the meal. This presents Jesus as knowing what lies ahead rather than being surprised by events.

In the evening, Jesus arrives with the Twelve. During the meal he announces that one of those eating with him will betray him. The disciples are distressed and each asks, “Surely, not I?” Jesus identifies the betrayer as one of the Twelve who shares the bowl with him, but does not name Judas in this passage. Sharing food expresses friendship, making betrayal by a close companion especially painful.

Jesus says that the Son of Man will go “as it is written of him”, but also pronounces a warning against the betrayer. Mark therefore holds together two ideas: Jesus’ suffering fulfils scripture, yet the person who betrays him remains responsible for that action.

Bread, wine and the covenant

Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to his disciples, saying, “Take; this is my body” (14:22). He then gives thanks over a cup, shares it with them all and says, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (14:24).

The bread and wine give meaning to Jesus’ approaching death. The broken bread points towards his bodily suffering; the wine points towards the shedding of his blood. “For many” presents his death as benefiting others, not merely as a personal tragedy.

A covenant is a binding relationship between God and people. Christians understand Jesus’ words as establishing a new relationship with God through his sacrifice. The Passover setting connects an earlier celebration of deliverance with the deliverance Christians associate with Jesus.

Jesus also says he will not drink the fruit of the vine again until he drinks it new in the kingdom of God. This anticipates his death while looking beyond it towards God’s kingdom. After singing a hymn, Jesus and the disciples leave for the Mount of Olives.

Why Christians remember this meal

The Last Supper is the foundation of the Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper. Through sharing bread and wine, Christians remember Jesus’ sacrifice and express their relationship with him and with one another. For the first disciples, Jesus’ words prepared them to understand his death; for Christian communities today, they continue to shape worship.

Christians differ over how to understand “this is my body”. Catholics believe that the bread and wine become Christ’s body and blood, although their outward appearances remain unchanged. This belief is called transubstantiation: Jesus is understood to be truly present, rather than merely remembered through symbols.

Many Protestant Christians emphasise the bread and wine as symbols recalling Jesus’ sacrifice, although Protestant beliefs about Christ’s presence vary. The symbolic interpretation stresses remembrance; the Catholic interpretation stresses the reality of Jesus’ words and his presence in the sacrament. Both connect worship to the same meal but understand its elements differently.

Quakers and the Salvation Army do not practise the bread-and-wine Eucharist. They do not regard this outward ritual as necessary for living faithfully. This illustrates how Christians can give authority to Jesus’ example while differing over how it should shape worship.

Prayer under pressure — Mark 14:32–42

In Gethsemane, an olive garden outside Jerusalem, Jesus tells the disciples to sit while he prays. He takes Peter, James and John further with him and becomes deeply distressed. He tells them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death”, and asks them to remain awake.

Going a little further, Jesus falls to the ground and prays that the approaching “hour” might pass from him. He addresses God as “Abba, Father”, expressing a close relationship, and asks God to “remove this cup from me”. Here the cup represents the suffering he is about to face. Unlike the cup shared at supper, this is something he must endure.

His prayer ends, “Yet, not what I want, but what you want” (14:36). Jesus does not pretend that suffering is easy or desirable. His fear and distress show his humanity, while his willingness to follow God’s will shows obedience despite that fear. Christians understand this intimate relationship and obedience alongside their belief that Jesus is the Son of God; obedience alone is not proof of divinity.

Jesus returns to find the disciples asleep. He asks Peter whether he could not stay awake for one hour and warns them to watch and pray against temptation: “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (14:38). Good intentions are not always enough to sustain faithful action.

Jesus goes away and prays again, using the same words. When he returns, the disciples are again asleep and do not know what to say. On his third return, he announces that the hour has come and his betrayer is approaching. Their repeated sleep contrasts with his continuing prayer and leaves him without the support he sought.

Betrayal and abandonment — Mark 14:43–52

Judas arrives with an armed crowd sent by the chief priests, scribes and elders. He has arranged a sign: the man he kisses is the one to arrest. Judas calls Jesus “Rabbi” and kisses him. A greeting associated with friendship becomes the means of betrayal.

The crowd arrests Jesus. Someone standing nearby draws a sword and cuts off the ear of the high priest’s slave. Mark does not name this person. Jesus challenges the armed crowd for treating him like a bandit: he had taught publicly in the Temple every day, yet they had not arrested him there. He nevertheless accepts that the scriptures are to be fulfilled.

All his followers desert him and flee. Mark also describes a young man wearing only a linen cloth. When people seize him, he leaves the cloth behind and runs away naked. His identity is not given; his flight reinforces the picture of complete abandonment.

For Christians, Gethsemane offers an example of honest prayer and trust during suffering. It also warns disciples that loyalty must be put into practice. A non-religious reader may value courage, perseverance and the need to support someone in distress without accepting that these events fulfil God’s plan.

The trial before the Jewish authorities — Mark 14:53, 57–65

Jesus is brought before the high priest, chief priests, elders and scribes. This council is known as the Sanhedrin. Its members exercise religious authority, whereas Roman government holds the power that will determine Jesus’ execution.

Some witnesses falsely claim that Jesus said he would destroy the Temple made with hands and build another, not made with hands, in three days. Even these accounts do not agree. Their disagreement exposes the weakness of the evidence against him.

Jesus remains silent when the high priest asks him to answer the accusations. The high priest then asks directly, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus replies, “I am”, and adds that they will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven (14:61–62).

“The Blessed One” and “the Power” refer to God. Being seated at God’s right hand expresses authority and honour; coming with the clouds recalls the heavenly figure in Daniel’s vision. Jesus therefore does more than accept the title Messiah: he speaks of a position of heavenly authority. The prisoner being judged now will ultimately be vindicated by God.

The high priest tears his clothes and declares that Jesus has committed blasphemy. The council condemns him as deserving death. Some spit on him, blindfold him, strike him and mockingly demand, “Prophesy!” The guards also beat him. Christians interpret this as the rejection and humiliation of the Messiah; the authorities treat his claim as an offence against God. These are the actions of the particular authorities in Mark’s account, not grounds for blaming Jewish people collectively.

The trial before Pilate — Mark 15:1–15

In the morning, the council binds Jesus and hands him over to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judaea. Pilate has the authority to order his execution. The emphasis changes from a religious accusation to a politically significant question: “Are you the King of the Jews?” A claim to kingship could challenge Roman rule.

Jesus answers, “You say so.” When the chief priests make further accusations, he offers no further reply, which amazes Pilate. Christians may understand his refusal to defend himself as acceptance of the path he has chosen in Gethsemane.

Mark describes a festival custom of releasing a prisoner requested by the crowd. Barabbas is imprisoned with rebels who had committed murder during an uprising. Pilate offers to release Jesus, recognising that the chief priests have handed him over out of jealousy. However, the chief priests stir up the crowd to ask for Barabbas instead.

When Pilate asks what should happen to Jesus, the crowd shouts, “Crucify him!” Pilate asks what evil Jesus has done, but the shouting only grows louder. Wishing to satisfy the crowd, he releases Barabbas, has Jesus flogged and hands him over for crucifixion.

Pilate faces pressure, but Mark presents his decision as a choice to satisfy the crowd, not as something unavoidable. His behaviour raises a moral question relevant to Christians and non-religious people alike: should someone in authority protect justice even when doing so is unpopular? By the end of these passages, Jesus remains committed to his course, while friendship, religious judgement and political power have all failed to protect him.