New Testament · Gospel

Mark 14:67

Betrayal Begins

and saw him warming himself there. She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.” Mark 14:67 · Berean Standard Bible
What It Means

Mark 14:67, in plain English

She looks closely at Peter by the firelight and says, 'You were with Jesus of Nazareth too.'

Why it's here

The very fire Peter was warming himself by is what lets her see his face clearly. The thing that gave him comfort became the thing that exposed him.

Who's speaking

The servant girl directly accuses Peter of being with Jesus.

Where it sits in the story

Of all the people to recognize him, it's a servant girl. And the fire he huddled near for warmth is the light that gives him away.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

The servant girl recognizes Peter as an associate of Jesus the Nazarene, using emblepein (to look intently) suggesting careful scrutiny in the firelight.

Language and setting

The accuser is a paidiske, a female servant of lowest social status, making Peter's fear all the more striking. The firelight that warms Peter also exposes him.

Voice

A servant girl of the high priest identifies Peter and confronts him publicly.

Significance

The fire that gave Peter comfort now betrays him. A servant girl peers at his face in the flickering light and recognizes him as one of Jesus' followers.

In context

Mark 14:65–69

65Then some of them began to spit on Him. They blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in His face.

66While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down

67and saw him warming himself there. She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.”

68But he denied it. “I do not know or even understand what you are talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, and the rooster crowed.

69There the servant girl saw him and again said to those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.”

Read all of Mark 14 — A woman anoints Jesus with costly perfume while Judas negotiates his price. The Last Supper, Gethsemane, and Peter's denial unfold in rapid succession.

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