Mark 14:15
Context14:15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
Mark 1:3
Context1:3 the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make 1 his paths straight.’” 2
Mark 10:40
Context10:40 but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give. It is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 3
Mark 14:16
Context14:16 So 4 the disciples left, went 5 into the city, and found things just as he had told them, 6 and they prepared the Passover.
Mark 14:12
Context14:12 Now 7 on the first day of the feast of 8 Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, 9 Jesus’ 10 disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 11


[1:3] 1 sn This call to “make his paths straight” in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.
[1:3] 2 sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.
[10:40] 1 sn After the first passion prediction in 8:31 Jesus rebuked Peter as having been used by Satan. After the second passion prediction in 9:31 the disciples were concerned about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. After the third passion prediction in 10:33 James and John asked for positions of honor and rulership in the kingdom, revealing their complete misunderstanding of the nature of the kingdom and exposing their inadequacy as true disciples of Jesus. Jesus replied that such positions were for those for whom it has been prepared.
[14:16] 1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the flow within the narrative.
[14:16] 3 sn The author’s note that the disciples found things just as he had told them shows that Jesus’ word could be trusted.
[14:12] 1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[14:12] 2 tn The words “the feast of” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.
[14:12] 3 sn Generally the feast of Unleavened Bread would refer to Nisan 15 (Friday), but the following reference to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb indicates that Nisan 14 (Thursday) was what Mark had in mind (Nisan = March 27 to April 25). The celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted eight days, beginning with the Passover meal. The celebrations were so close together that at times the names of both were used interchangeably.
[14:12] 4 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 5 sn This required getting a suitable lamb and finding lodging in Jerusalem where the meal could be eaten. The population of the city swelled during the feast, so lodging could be difficult to find. The Passover was celebrated each year in commemoration of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt; thus it was a feast celebrating redemption (see Exod 12). The Passover lamb was roasted and eaten after sunset in a family group of at least ten people (m. Pesahim 7.13). People ate the meal while reclining (see the note on table in 14:18). It included, besides the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs as a reminder of Israel’s bitter affliction at the hands of the Egyptians. Four cups of wine mixed with water were also used for the meal. For a further description of the meal and the significance of the wine cups, see E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 523-24.