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Pursuing Jesus In The Gospel Of Mark
The Day Jesus Died
Mark 15:1-47
Introduction: Not
Just Any Day
It
wasn’t just any day. It was the day Jesus died. The religious
authorities had wanted to deal with Him for some time. When
one of His own disciples offered to turn Him over, they finally
had their opportunity. They had charged ahead disregarding
all legal precedent. They didn’t really care what the law
said. They just wanted Jesus dead.
One of the songs often sung on
Good Friday asks the question, “Were
you there when they crucified my Lord?” There were
people present. What was it like for those who watched the
strange string of events unwind? We are going to see—and even
hear from—some of those who might have been there when Jesus
was crucified. One very obvious fact is that is wasn’t just
any day. It was the day Jesus died. It was the day God died
for the sin of each and every human being.
Pilate
(vv. 1-15)
The
ruling council of the Jews had decided that Jesus needed to
die. They were not allowed by Roman law, however, to execute
anyone. Therefore, after reaching their early morning decision
they bound Jesus, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate.
While Mark in His biography chronicles only a single encounter
before Pilate, we know from the other gospels that Pilate
sent Him to King Herod—hoping he might do something that would
remove the responsibility from his shoulders—who then returned
Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate would have to do something with
Jesus.
The accusation Pilate had to deal
with was the charge that Jesus was the king of the Jews—a
charge Jesus acknowledged. The Jewish rulers made many more
charges against Jesus but He remained silent. This amazed
Pilate. Why would anyone stay silent with a possible death
penalty looming?
It’s safe to assume Pilate admired
Jesus and recognized He wasn’t guilty. He said he couldn’t
find any guilt and, when he asked the crowd what crime Jesus
had committed, he was shouted down.
Pilate knew he had a career decision
that had landed squarely in his lap. He offered a deal to
the crowd allowing them to decide between Jesus, who had never
broken any law, and a rebellious murderer named Barabbas.
They chose Barabbas.
One thing you can say for Pilate
is that he was a consummate politician. He knew when to cut
his losses and move on. So, as much as he knew that Jesus
was innocent, he handed Jesus over to be crucified. Why would
he do something like that? He valued the public opinion polls.
These polls weren’t written on paper. It was expressed through
mob hysteria. Mark summarizes Pilate’s view of the day very
well,
Pilate
gave the crowd what it wanted, set Barabbas free and turned
Jesus over for whipping and crucifixion.
Mark
15:15 The Message
As intrigued as Pilate may have
been with Jesus, he didn’t consider the Galilean worth jeopardizing
his career.
Many people still react to Jesus
in the very same way. They are intrigued by Jesus. They understand
that He is special, but they don’t see Him as worth disrupting
their day-to-day lifestyles. They are willing to consider
His claims, but they are not going to go out of their way
to make the changes He desires. Why would people do something
like that? They care more about what other people think and
how they feel. They don’t want to jeopardize life as they
know it.
We know a secret though, don’t
we? The very best thing any person can do is invite Jesus
to jeopardize life as we know it.
The
Roman Soldiers (vv. 16-20)
The soldiers did what they always
did when they were handed a prisoner to be executed—they abused
Jesus. The abuse ran deeper and was more intense in this case.
They had been given someone with a title of King of the Jews.
They served and worshiped Caesar. Any person seeking to be
king in his place deserved to be abused.
·
They called
every available soldier
·
They dressed
Jesus in a purple robe
·
They created
a crown of thorns for this king
·
They mocked
Him
·
They hit Him
over and over and over
·
They spit on
Him
·
They prepared
Him to be crucified
At the end of the day when they
returned home and were asked how the day went, they could
have answered, “All right. It was like any other day. We executed
some people. I did my job.”
Those
At The Cross (vv. 25-32)
It wasn’t just any day when you
saw the crowd gathered for the execution. Many in the crowd
were just part of the crowd. Some in the crowd, however, were
the delighted religious rulers who were seeing their fondest
wish come true right before their eyes. There were two other
men executed that day—robbers who hung on either side. The charge against Him, reading The King Of The Jews, was placed on the
cross. From the crowd insults were shouted up at Him.
Those passing
by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying,
"Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild
it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"
Mark
15:29-30 NLT
The high priests,
along with the religion scholars, were right there mixing
it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun
at him: "He saved others—but he can't save himself! Messiah,
is he? King of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross.
We'll all become believers then!" Even the men crucified
alongside him joined in the mockery.
Mark
15:31-32 The Message
Some came for the entertainment.
As a race we exhibit this strange characteristic of being
entertained by cruelty and violence. Others came for revenge.
Jesus needed to die and this was the day He would do just
that!
When
Jesus Died (vv. 33-39)
When Jesus
died darkness came over the entire area. What was that like?
The darkness in the
world reflected the desolation in Jesus’ soul when He realized
God—His Father—had forsaken Him. The people there at the cross
didn’t understand His cry. They thought when He cried out,
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani” that He was calling Elijah.
After one man offered a wine-vinegar soaked sponge to Jesus
they decided to leave Him alone to see if Elijah would come.
Then, Jesus died. When He died
some incredible things happened. The curtain separating the
Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two.
Any one could now pass through the curtain where before only
selected priests could go. That was incredible!
Perhaps even more incredible was
the soldier who had helped at the execution. When Jesus died
he realized this wasn’t just any day and this wasn’t just
any man. He said, “Surely this was the Son of God!” Early
in Jesus’ ministry Peter had testified that Jesus is the Messiah.
Now both a Jewish fisherman and a Roman soldier had recognized
Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world.
Women
Who Followed Jesus (vv. 40-41)
By now most of Jesus’ followers
were far away from this gruesome scene. But not all of them
were. There were some women who loved Jesus and wanted to
be near Him.
Those
Who Buried Jesus (vv. 42-47)
Jesus was dead. This hadn’t been part of what His
followers expected to happen. He tried to tell them it was
going to happen, but I think I would have been right with
them hoping beyond all hope that something would happen to
save His life.
Jesus needed to be buried. Who would do it?
Joseph of Arimathea asked to do so. Joseph was a prominent
member of the ruling council. He was helped by his associate
Nicodemus. To this point they had both kept the fact they
were followers of Jesus quiet. Now they He was dead they were
bold enough to go and ask Pilate for Jesus’ body. After Pilate
had checked to make sure Jesus was really dead—it seemed a
bit quick—he gave his permission. They wrapped Jesus’ body
in linen, placed Him in a tomb cut out of a rock and rolled
a stone across the entrance. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the
mother of James and John, were about the only ones who saw
where Jesus had been laid to rest.
Conclusion: Quite A
Day!
It had been quite a day. What should we take away from a day
that was unlike any other day? This final testimony will help all of us answer
the question.
Pursuing Jesus In The
Gospel of Mark
Pride Before The Fall
Mark 14:27-72
Introduction:
A Familiar Proverb
We are familiar
with the Proverb that warns us about pride.
Pride goes before destruction, a
haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18 NIV
It’s one thing
to quote the wisdom of the proverb; it’s quite another thing to live it.
I first became acquainted with this Proverb at church
camp when I was in 5th or 6th grade. We had to complete a
swimming test before we could swim in the deep end of the pool and use the
diving boards. The test consisted of jumping into the deep end of the pool,
swimming to the rope that separated the deep end from the shallow end and then
swimming back to a ladder at the deep end. Completing the swim meant you were
no longer banished to the humiliation of the shallow end.
The swim test took place on the second day of camp. The
night before, George was telling anyone who would listen what a great swimmer
he was. He couldn’t understand why he should be confined to the shallow end until
he had passed the test. He made sure he was near the front of the line for the
test. When the lifeguard said go, George plunged into the water where he
immediately began flailing in the water and screaming for help. The lifeguard
dove into the water and pulled the now thoroughly humiliated George from the
water as the rest of us watched and then began to laugh.
That evening our counselor talked about false pride and
pretending to be something we really weren’t. He warned us how pride can end up
with others making fun of us. He was a wise counselor, because he had arranged
for George to be doing something else so he could make sure the rest of us
would stop picking on George.
I learned one
thing that day: I didn’t want to be George. As I grew older, however, I
discovered—unfortunately—that there is some George in all of us. This is
especially true when it comes to living for Jesus. We can bravely claim on
Sunday morning that we are willing to follow Jesus anywhere and do anything He
calls us to do. On Monday, however, it’s all too easy to flail and fail and,
unlike George, we won’t even jump into the pool.
As Jesus moves
toward the inevitable confrontation resulting in His crucifixion, we have
already heard Him predict His betrayal as He led the disciples in the very
first communion service. Our passage today highlights how vulnerable we all are
to abandon Jesus as He experiences denial, betrayal, abandonment and rejection.
As we examine this passage, we need to be ready to shed our pride and false
bravado by admitting our need for help.
As Jesus is
betrayed, arrested and convicted there is a subplot threading through the
account involving Peter. Remember that Mark, as the writer of this gospel,
interned under Peter. What Mark writes is largely drawn from information
provided by Peter. We should be able to agree that we don’t want to be like
Peter as he lives out the realities of the pride that goes before the fall.
Peter’s
Arrogant Claim (vv. 27-31)
After finishing
the meal in the upper room Jesus takes the disciples to the Mount of Olives
where he quotes the prophet Zechariah to warn the disciples of what lies ahead
for them.
"You will all fall
away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: 'I will strike the
shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I have risen, I will go
ahead of you into Galilee."
Mark 14:27-28 NIV
Even as Jesus
reassures them this will not be the end, the warning is serious. The words fall
away translate the Greek word skandalizo
from which we have our word scandal. The word means to stumble or to become
untrue. It is a serious matter to stumble and fall.
Peter
understands this is serious. In a very George-like fashion
Peter declared, “Even if all fall
away, I will not.”
Mark 14:29 NIV
Jesus renews
the warning, telling Peter that before the rooster crows twice he will disown
Jesus not once, not twice but three times. Peter leads the rest of the
disciples in his reply.
But Peter insisted emphatically,
"Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all
the others said the same.
Mark 14:31 NIV
They were bold
words which would soon find them drowning in the deep end of the pool.
You have heard
sermons criticizing the disciples for abandoning Jesus, for
following along at a distance and for hiding in the crowd
as Jesus stood trial. I found an intriguing alternative offered
by the highly respected Warren Wiersbe.
Commenting on the warning that they would all scatter Wiersbe
writes,
Had they listened to His word and believed it, they would have
saved themselves a great deal of anxiety; and Peter would
not have denied the Lord. The quotation from Zechariah told
the disciples what to do when the Jews arrested Jesus: scatter!
In fact, at the very time of His arrest, Jesus said, “Let
these go their way” (John 18:8). In other words, “Men, get
out of here!” I have read eloquent sermons blaming Peter
for “following afar off,” but they completely miss the point.
He was not supposed to follow at all! Had he obeyed the Lord,
he would not have attacked a man with his sword or denied
the Lord three times.
Warren Wiersbe, Be Diligent, p. 138
This is
intriguing. Instead of predicting the dark moments lying ahead, Jesus was
warning them in order to protect them. Jesus knew what was ahead and wanted to
be sure the disciples would be able to meet Him in Galilee after the
Resurrection. If true, it only strengthens the lesson to be learned. Peter
would have been spared the bitter agony of denying Jesus, but he became his own
worst enemy by refusing to obey the warning given by Jesus. He is still
insisting that he knows better than Jesus what to do.
This is true
for us, too. Our pits of deepest failure have come when we insisted on jumping
into the deep end of the pool where we had no business even trying to swim. In
spite of clear warnings in the word of God, we insist that warnings about being
unfaithful to God or to our spouses or to biblical principles of holiness are
really intended for everyone else. Others may not be able to handle it; but we
can. Into the pool we jump—only to find how much we are going to need Jesus to
jump in and save us from ourselves. There really is a lot of Peter in all of
us.
Peter’s
Sleepy Prayer (v. 32-42)
When they
arrive at Gethsemane, Jesus instructs eight of the disciples to sit while He
prays. He then takes Peter, James and John with Him a little farther to pray.
These three disciples have been invited to some very special places with Jesus.
They
accompanied Him to the house of Jairus where his
daughter was raised from the dead (Mark 5:37)
They
accompanied Him to the Mount of Transfiguration where Moses and Elijah prepared
Jesus for this very moment (Mark 9:2)
They now
accompany Him to this special place of prayer
Peter, James
and John are living illustrations of Paul’s great desire…
I want to know Christ (Transfiguration)
and the power of His resurrection (house of Jairus)
and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings (Gethsemane).
Philippians 3:10 NIV
Jesus plunges
into great agony.
He took Peter, James and John
along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My
soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them.
"Stay here and keep watch." Going a little farther, he fell to the
ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba,
Father," he said, "everything is possible
for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
Mark 4:33-36 NIV
This is the
main story being told here. Jesus is
Deeply distressed—thoroughly alarmed
Troubled—feeling not at home
He is
overwhelmed with sorrow. Mark then describes how He is falling to the ground as
He pleads for some other way, but surrenders Himself to what is the only way.
Peter’s story
is the one we are highlighting today. In spite of His command for them to keep
watch, He returns to find Peter, James and John sleeping. He once again tries
to warn Peter. This time, however, Jesus calls him Simon. He is not yet Peter,
the Rock.
Then he returned to his disciples
and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch
and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but
the body is weak."
Mark 14:37-38 NIV
Peter thinks he
is ready to be a hero, but he is not even close. The scene is repeated two more
times after which Jesus announces it is time to meet His betrayer.
Peter teaches
us an important lesson: We need to stay alert to be prepared to take on the
great enemy of our souls.
We understand this better in our post 9/11 world. There
were signs that something was going to happen; we just weren’t tuned in to
them. Now we see the constant reminder crawl across the bottom of our
television screens announcing the alert level for that day. The problem is we
stop paying attention and become vulnerable to letting our guard down.
In the
spiritual realm the alert level is always RED. We need to be at a
constant state of highest alert. The Bible tells us,
And pray in the Spirit on all
occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert
and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:18 NIV
Devote yourselves to prayer with
an alert mind and a thankful heart.
Colossians 4:2 NLT
Peter will
serve as the living illustration of what happens when sleepy prayer takes over.
It becomes even clearer that we don’t want to be Peter—at least not yet.
Peter’s
Swinging Sword (Mark 14:43-52)
We need to stay
alert because we never know when life is going to be plunged into chaos. The
announcement by Jesus that His betrayer is at hand is no sooner out of His
mouth than Judas shows up.
Just as he was speaking, Judas,
one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs,
sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. Now the
betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man;
arrest him and lead him away under guard." Going at once to Jesus, Judas
said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him.
Mark 14:43-46 NIV
It’s
interesting that Judas knows right where to go. John tells us why.
When he had finished praying,
Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron
Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples
went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had
often met there with his disciples.
John 18:1-2 NIV
There is a
question begging to be asked. Judas knew where Jesus would be because he knew
where Jesus went to pray. If someone wanted to find you, even someone you know
very well, and they were told that you had gone to pray, would they know where
to look? Judas knows where Jesus is. The mob is outfitted for action with
swords and clubs.
The fact they
came armed to the hilt is proof that Judas and the religious leaders didn’t
understand Jesus. They thought He might try to run or put up a fight or maybe
even perform a miracle. Jesus proves He is in complete control of the
situation.
"Am I leading a
rebellion," said Jesus, "that you have come out with swords and clubs
to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you
did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."
Mark 14:48-49 NIV
It hadn’t been
time for His arrest—until now. The time is now right.
While Jesus is
at stage center, Peter once again plays a significant supporting role. I wonder
what Peter was thinking when he reviewed what had happened for Mark.
Then one of those standing near
drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
Mark 14:47 NIV
John identifies
Peter as the sword swinger and Malchus as the one who
lost his ear. Luke tells us Jesus stepped in to stop any more trouble and then
restored the ear. Jesus is intent on protecting His disciples. Without His
decisive intervention, there might have been a fourth cross punishing Peter for
his actions.
At that moment
all the disciples—each of whom had insisted they would never abandon
Jesus—turned and ran. There is one other interesting character in this account.
Then everyone deserted him and
fled. A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus.
When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
Mark 14:50-52 NIV
Most scholars
agree that Mark is describing what happened to him. Judas may have gone to
Mark’s house because that was a common gathering place for Jesus and His
followers. When they didn’t find Jesus there, Mark put on whatever he could
find quickly and followed—only to be pulled into the scene as he streaks away.
Jesus is left
alone—which is exactly as it was supposed to be. He wanted to protect the
disciples. They are safe now as He will soon face the far more intense
loneliness of being forsaken by His heavenly Father when He takes the sin of
humanity upon Himself.
Peter’s
Stinging Denial (Mark 14:53-72)
Once the
authorities have Jesus, they have to make sure He is tried, condemned and
executed. Jesus is rejected by those who try Him and by Peter who denies Him.
Rejected
By Trial
Both the Jewish
and Roman trials have three stages. The Roman trial that comes later finds Him
Examined first by Pilate
Examined next by Herod
Sentenced by Pilate
The Jewish
trial comes first.
It is opened by Annas,
the former high priest
It is then moved to the full council to hear
witnesses
It is completed early in the morning by the
final vote to condemn Jesus
Notice two
compelling observations.
1.
No matter how
hard they tried they couldn’t find any evidence against Jesus
The chief priests and the whole
Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to
death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their
statements did not agree.
Mark 14:55-56 NIV
2.
Jesus allowed
the charge that would result in His death
With no
evidence to be found the high priest finally asked the question that mattered.
It was the only question Jesus was willing to answer.
Again the high priest asked him,
"Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am,"
said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of
the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." The high priest tore
his clothes. "Why do we need any more witnesses?" he asked. "You
have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?" They all condemned Him as
worthy of death.
Mark 14:61-64 NIV
Jesus ensures
that He will be the sinless sacrifice for sin because it is the only sacrifice
that guarantees our forgiveness.
Rejected By
Denial
Despite Jesus’
warnings Peter, accompanied by John, follows the mob where he waits outside to
see what happens.
Peter followed him at a distance,
right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and
warmed himself at the fire.
Mark 14:54 NIV
Jesus did
everything He could to protect Peter from the sting of denying Him, but Peter
is his own worst enemy. We are all familiar with the tragedy of his three-fold
denial.
When challenged by a servant girl as he warms himself
by the fire, he denies knowing Jesus
(vv. 66-68)
When challenged by the same servant girl as he
has moved to the entryway, he again denies knowing Jesus (vv. 69-70)
When challenged by another bystander he denies
it with curses (vv.
70-71)
Then the
rooster crowed for a second time and Peter remembered what Jesus had told him.
The sting of his denial cuts deep. It cuts deep for Peter as he breaks down and
weeps. It also cuts deep for Jesus as described by Luke.
At that moment the Lord turned and
looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind:
“Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you
even know me.”
Luke 22:61 NLT
Conclusion:
We Are All Vulnerable
As the events
cascade toward the ultimate showdown between God’s righteousness and Satan’s
wickedness, there is an urgently important lesson we need to take with us this
morning. The lesson comes through Peter who acts with courage, fails because of
his cowardice and weeps with remorse. We have to remember that, as flawed as
Peter is, he is only a few days away from becoming Peter the Rock.
If someone like
Peter can fail, we are all vulnerable.
While we may
not feel pressure anywhere close to the extreme experienced by Peter, there are
still times when:
We make claims of false bravado and set
ourselves up for failure
We drop our guard and provide an opening for
the enemy
We refuse to obey the clear warnings of God’s
Word and plunge ahead to create a mess that never needed to be
We fail to claim our identity as a follower
of Jesus
Let’s drop all
pretenses on this April Fool’s Day. Even though we may
not want it to be true, there are times when, like Peter:
We talk when we should listen
We argue when we should obey
We sleep when we should pray
We fight when we should submit
Following Jesus
can be dangerous. Siding with Jesus leaves us completely exposed. We are
vulnerable, but that’s what following Jesus is all about.
What should we
do today? Admit that you need Jesus’ help to follow Him in each and every area
of your life. Then, ask Him to make a difference in one area by finishing this
statement…
One place where
I really need your help to courageously follow You, Jesus, is…
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