Markus 7:7

7:7 They worship me in vain,

teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.’ ¹ 

Markus 14:2

14:2 For they said, “Not during the feast, so there won’t be a riot among the people.” ² 

[7:7]  ¹ sn A quotation from Isa 29:13.

[14:2]  ² sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.