Chapter 14:
As we get to the Empty Tomb, the Literary part of Mark finds an added Tension and a resumption of the Passover Stories. Which Passover are these Passages written about?
[1] It was now two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth, and kill him;
Which Passover? 4 BCE or 9 CE?
[2] for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be a tumult of the people."
Jay Raskin has some very fine Analysis on this. "Not during the Feast..." yet when did it happen? Was there a tumult? If this is 4 BCE then there certainly was. What happened if this occurred in 9 CE...?
[3] And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
[4] But there were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment thus wasted?
[5] For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor." And they reproached her.
[6] But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.
[7] For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you will, you can do good to them; but you will not always have me.
[8] She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burying.
[9] And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."
I have this identified as Salome attending to Jannaeus in his last days. He had a Quartain Ague, a parasitic disease. He has pickled his liver. Odor problem? Anyway, I believe it is Salome and Jannaeus. I welcome any other Interpretation.
[12] And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the passover?"
[13] And he sent two of his disciples, and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him,
[14] and wherever he enters, say to the householder, `The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I am to eat the passover with my disciples?'
[15] And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us."
[16] And the disciples set out and went to the city, and found it as he had told them; and they prepared the passover.
Incredible Problem here with the Holy Days in verse 12.
Verse 13 is written to confuse. This has the appearance of a "Miracle!" but may be something else. Perhaps it is a shadow that moves in the spring at Passover to a door. The shadow appears as a "man carrying a water jar". There has been all sorts of analysis concerning this: "Men didn't carry water", etc., etc., etc. but a more pedestrian view is never considered. I think it was a shadow but someone more creative than I might have a better idea.
[27] And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away; for it is written, `I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'
[28] But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee."
When you are committed to "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" you stare at the words attempting to fit something, ANYTHING that will explain this. The first part of the answer is simple. The "Jesus Character", in reality a Priest, has a Settlement assigned to him (Elizur, Leibner). This gets to the Literary Understanding of Mark. Someone knows of the Mishmarot Priesthood and its workings. If Mark is purely a Literary Creation, the Story is written around a Priest and a child who travel to Jerusalem from the assigned Settlements (Jabnit and Meiron, as it turns out). After the assigned week of Mishmarot Service the Priest will "...go before you to Galilee". Simple!
If this is written as a History, you will find nothing "on the ground" to contradict this. This is not final -
Moby Dick has excruciating detail about whaling ships, etc. Does that mean there was a Captain Ahab in real life who...etc.? No.
[27] And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away; for it is written, `I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'
This verse is Literary and it is so "Literary" that it has convinced people of its Reality. In fact, it is a Marker to the Really Real part of the Story: The Mishmarot Priesthood. This verse is a Word Play.
Look at
http://lovewins.us/bible/strongs/H563 , Hebrew for "Lamb". Immar. Toggle to the next word, H564. Immer, "The Sixteenth Mishmarot Service Group". These words are identical in the Hebrew. The Greek is "Arnion" and the Word Play in Hebrew is completely lost.
" אמּר " "Lamb" and "Immer".
Question: Which Mishmarot Group was on Duty for the 4 BCE and 9 CE Passovers? That would be "Immer".
John 1: 29 - 30 (RSV):
[29] The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
[30] This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.'
The Mishmarot Group Bilgah has committed an Offense against the Priesthood (
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3298-bilgah ). It's Ring has been nailed down and its closet sealed, hence the Joke in GJohn. John is of Bilgah. The "Jesus Character" is of Immer.
The NT is built THEREFORE on the Story of a Mishmarot Priest and a child who comes to us as Peter.
[27] And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away; for it is written, `I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'
[28] But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee."
[29] Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not."
[30] And Jesus said to him, "Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times."
[31] But he said vehemently, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." And they all said the same.
This is Stoyrtelling! This is from the 4 BCE Passover and it is Postdiction. The Redactors know what is to happen and Peter is left "holding the bag". Put the Story together: As Archelaus leaves to Party-Big-Time, a loud Mourning begins as people stream in from the Countryside (From outhouse: The Jerusalem Rulers are Hellenized, the Oppressed People from the Countryside are rushing in...). The Priests, unknown apparently to Josephus, are beginning the Sacrifices that will bring God to stand by them and evict the Herodians and Romans.
Hours pass and an Order is given to send in the soldiers to kill everyone. The Order is laid at the feet of Archelaus but this is not convincing.
Peter finds himself inside the mightly door of Antonia as the Murder begins. Inside: SAFETY. Outside: DEATH. What does Peter say and do?
[37] And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?
I believe that there is a deeper Story here, between the Watch of the Jewish Fighters and the Watch of the Roman Legions. Jewish fighters: 3 Watches. Romans: 4. The explicit language is "Could you not watch for 1 hour?" It may be deeper than that.
[51] And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body; and they seized him
I stated earlier that this might be Peter. I don't believe that is correct. More probably the identity of the Recruit is nameless.
[69] And the maid saw him, and began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them."
[70] But again he denied it. And after a little while again the bystanders said to Peter, "Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean."
An On-The-Ground Historical Nugget. Matthew 26 has:
[73] After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you."
This is not proof that the Story is strictly Historical but is an indicator that the Source is about something Other-Historical: It is not a "Jesus" story but is about something else. If it is Historical, the Redactors don't get the reference.
[74] Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately the cock crowed.
As if you needed to be reminded, a Murder of 3000+ is occurring on the other side of the door at which you are standing. You can agree that you were with the Galilean and die or you can lie and live. As I said earlier, YOU would have denied Jesus here. Jesus would have denied Jesus...
The Literary Part of the Original is coming to an End. A different Literary Device is about to be grafted onto the End and the Author-Who-Wrote -Markan-Chiasms may have gotten the Empty Tomb Section in time to write his part in his style. The end of Mark is approaching but not the end of the evidence of the Story of the Passover Slaughter of 4 BCE.