For the third time in chapter 14 Mark employs the technique of sandwiching one story into the midst of another, thereby making a third point by implication. The present sandwich consists of Peter’s denial (14:53–54; 14:66–72) divided by Jesus’s trial before the Sanhedrin (14:55–65). The theme of the sandwich is bearing witness under persecution—the Greek word “witness” is mentioned seven times in this unit—by contrasting Jesus’s faithful witness with Peter’s false witness.

The sandwich begins with Peter following Jesus “at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest” (14:54). The distance will soon stretch into a denial. The focus then shifts to Jesus, who is hauled before the Sanhedrin on the heels of his arrest (14:53). The Sanhedrin normally met in the temple sanctuary, bu…