1 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. 2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. (Mark 14:1-2 KJV)
The Plot to Kill Jesus
This chapter gives us a sad and sorrowful account of the high priest’s conspiracy against the life of our blessed Savior, in which we observe the persons who made this conspiracy, the manner of the conspiracy, and the time when it was made. The persons conspiring are the chief priests, scribes, and elders; that is, the whole Jewish Sanhedrin or general council. They laid their malicious heads together to plan the destruction of the innocent Jesus.
Concerning the manner of this conspiracy against our Savior’s life, it was secret and cunning. They consulted how they might take him by craft and put him to death (Mark 14:1). Hence, note that Satan uses the cunning of crafty people and misuses their abilities as well as their power for his own purposes. The devil sends no fools on his errands.
The time when this conspiracy was made—two days before the feast of the Passover and of unleavened bread. The Passover was near, and at that feast, he would be crucified. Jesus’ death needed to occur at Passover (1) so it would be seen by many, including Jews from distant places who came to the feast, and (2) to fulfill the symbolism—Christ, our Passover Lamb, was sacrificed to free us from bondage at the same time Israel remembered its deliverance from Egypt.
His enemies were both hateful and calculating. They didn’t just want to silence him; they wanted revenge. But they were cautious: “Not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot” (Mark 14:2). They weren’t concerned about disrupting worship but feared the crowd. They longed for praise but dreaded public backlash.