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Mark 14:43-52: I was there!

^“43 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. ⁴⁴ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.’ ⁴⁵ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed him. ⁴⁶ The men seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁴⁷ Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. ⁴⁸ ‘Am I leading a rebellion,’ said Jesus, ‘that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? ⁴⁹ Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.’ ⁵⁰ Then everyone deserted him and fled. ⁵¹ A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, ⁵² he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.” NIV UK

It is thought that (51, 52) represent John Mark’s coyly reticent way of saying, ‘I was there.’ He was an eye-witness of the betrayal of Jesus in the garden. He saw all that happened; he heard what was said.

We can be suitably impressed by outward appearance. When Judas said, ‘’Rabbi’’ (45), he sounded good; and when he ‘’kissed’’ Jesus he looked good. But God saw His insides. He had the heart of a greedy betrayer.

I have often thought that we in the church can be ‘kissing’ Jesus with our lips, using the fine-sounding vocabulary of praise and worship. At the same moment, however, we may be betraying him with our lives. So we need to learn from Judas, and be warned by him.

Mark 14:32-42: Dark night of the soul.

^“32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ ³³ He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ³⁴ ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch.’  ³⁵ Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’  ³⁷ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Simon,’ he said to Peter, ‘are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? ³⁸ Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’  ³⁹ Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. ⁴⁰ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.  ⁴¹ Returning the third time, he said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!’ ” NIV UK

We have previously noted, and sought to learn from, Jesus singing in the shadow of the Cross (22, 23 and 26). We surely also have much to learn from Him praying in the place of pain.  Jesus sets an example in prayer – both in doing it, and inviting others to join him. The Baptist pastor, William Still, gave a piece of advice to any young pastors taking on new charges. He said, when you go to a church, start a prayer meeting to pray for the ministry, and invite people to it. Announce that you and your wife will be there at that time, come what may, and just see what happens! See what God does with that.

Here are some lessons from Jesus:

Pray with faith, believing that ‘’everything is possible’’ for God (36a). Jesus was no coward. We do not believe it was pain or death that He shrank back from. It was the overwhelming reality of drinking the ‘’cup’’ of God’s wrath; of bearing the weight of His anger against sin.

Pray with submission to God’s will (36b). Yes, God can do anything. We must believe this. He regularly gives what we ask for in prayer. But not always. So we must want His will more than anything else.

Pray with others. Encourage others to pray. Sadly, the church is still regularly sleepy about prayer. May God forgive us. Many years later Peter, in his first letter, warned Christians that Satan was like a ‘’roaring lion’’ looking for someone to devour; therefore they must remain ‘’self-controlled and alert’’ (1 Peter 5:8). In the garden of Gethsemane Peter dozed off and soon after fell prey to Satan. ‘How often we are spiritually asleep, even though our bodies are awake! How many times each day do we pray? How often do we think of Jesus? In order to overcome Satan, we must watch and pray…Even Peter, James, and John -fishermen who had passed many sleepless nights on the Sea of Galilee – could not stay awake with Jesus.’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied New Testament Commentary’, p.276.

PRAYER: Lord, we are weak, you are strong. Help us to stay alert; to be wide awake in your service.

Mark 14:27-31: Foot in mouth.

^“27 ‘You will all fall away,’ Jesus told them, ‘for it is written:

²⁸ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.’                                                     ²⁹ Peter declared, ‘Even if all fall away, I will not.’                                                                        ³⁰ ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘today – yes, tonight – before the cock crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.’   ³¹ But Peter insisted emphatically, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’ And all the others said the same.” NIV UK

Note four things here:

1. The death of Jesus was prophesied: ‘’for it is written’’ (27a). It was not a simple tragedy. It was not an accident. It was planned in heaven before time began; before earth was made;
2. The death of Jesus was the work of God the Father: ‘’I will strike the shepherd’’ (27b) See Zechariah 13:7. (The scattering of the ‘’sheep’’ is referred to in John 16:32);
3. The death of Jesus led to a glorious resurrection and a whole new life (28). In every time of trial a Christian can assert, ‘It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.’ The Via Dolorosa – the Calvary Road – leads to Easter Sunday morning;
4. The death of Jesus cleanses all our faults as we trust in Him. Like the disciples, we are frail. We fall and fail in many ways. Tom Hale says that Peter had a big mouth but little faith. It is so easy to make great claims; to utter fine sounding words in the emotion of a moment. Some people open their mouths only to change feet. They suffer from ‘foot in mouth’ disease. Peter did at times. I’m grateful that the story of his fall is found in a section about the death and resurrection of Jesus. For here is our hope: in a loving, merciful, forgiving Saviour.

PRAYER: Lord, how much I need your on-going cleansing. Please wash me in your blood today.

Mark 14:17-26: Singing in the dark.

^“17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸ While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me – one who is eating with me.’ ¹⁹ They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, ‘Surely you don’t mean me?’  ²⁰ ‘It is one of the Twelve,’ he replied, ‘one who dips bread into the bowl with me.²¹ The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.’  ²² While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take it; this is my body.’  ²³ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  ²⁴ ‘This is my blood of the^[a] covenant, which is poured out for many,’ he said to them. ²⁵ ‘Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’  ²⁶ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” NIV UK

There is an interplay between divine sovereignty and human responsibility to note in (21):  ‘’The son of Man will go just as it was written about him’’ – Divine Sovereignty.      ‘’But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!’’ – Human responsibility.

That was something which hit me as I read this passage. But there was something else that caught me attention. It’s the two references to thanksgiving (22, 23), and the one reference to hymn-singing. This all took place under the shadow of the cross. It was singing in the dark; ‘singing in the pain’.

When Jesus ‘’gave thanks’’ for the bread and broke it, He knew full well what it represented: His own body to be crushed in crucifixion. When He ‘’gave thanks’’ for the cup, He knew what it was all about. He was going to die a terribly bloody death. But He gave thanks. It was the way to establish the New Covenant.

You will never face a day so dark as Jesus did. Yet on our dark days, it is good that we should learn to rejoice in the Lord.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for your example. Thank you for your life in me, helping me to walk as you walked. Otherwise I could never sing in the dark.

Mark 14:12-16: The word of integrity.

^“12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, ‘Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ ¹³ So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴ Say to the owner of the house he enters, “The Teacher asks: where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” ¹⁵ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.’ ¹⁶ The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.” NIV UK

Jesus came into the world, not primarily to celebrate the Passover, but to be the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). Nevertheless, before He went to the cross to fulfil all the Passover had stood for through the centuries, He made arrangements to eat it with His disciples. Celebrating Passover was something all good Jews would do.

It seems clear that Jesus had made preparations for this final meal with His followers in advance (14, 15). By the way, it would be most unusual in that culture to see ‘’a man carrying a jar of water’’ (13). It was definitely regarded as a woman’s work. So this was a clear, and unusual sign. As we follow Christ, we regularly find that He has prepared in advance, and made arrangements we knew nothing about. (I think I once heard that ‘providence’ means to ‘see before’, or to ‘see to it before’). Of course, as we move forward into the future He is preparing for us, we can ask Him for guidance (12b) and expect to receive it. This is a little picture of what it means to work together with God. He has the big picture. He works before we know about it; even before we get there. But He graciously gives us parts to play in the great unfolding drama of salvation.

Like the first disciples, we will always find Jesus to be as good as His word (16). He speaks words of integrity. They are totally reliable because He is.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, in a shaky world where so much seems uncertain and unstable, thank you that I can count on your word because I can count on you

Mark 14: 10-11: Covert activity.

^“10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹ They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over. ” NIV UK

As we come to the end of our brief sojourn in this passage, two quotes from Warren Wiersbe seem pertinent:

‘The importance of what you do isn’t measured by media interviews or press releases. As far as we know, only fifteen people in Bethany saw Mary’s act of worship when she anointed the feet of Jesus – and twelve of them criticised her for it! – but Jesus said that the message of what Mary did would travel around the world!’                                           ‘How do you ‘’conveniently’’ betray the Son of God? Is it not a costly endeavour in every way?’

I remember a pastor pointing out that Judas helped Jesus fulfil His mission more than any other earthly follower. He wasn’t advocating treachery. No one in their right mind would want to go through that. But he was emphasising that in the worst of times for a leader, God will be mightily at work. Even if we have to go through a crucifixion type of experience, it is the pathway to Easter Day.

Mark 14:6-9: ‘She did what she could.’

^“6 ‘Leave her alone,’ said Jesus. ‘Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷ The poor you will always have with you,^[a] and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸ She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’ ” NIV UK

The Lord doesn’t look at what we can’t do but what we can.  I heard this morning about a church in Los Angeles, where they recently held a baptismal service. I think around 9 people were scheduled to be baptised. But after the gospel was preached, more than a hundred were spontaneously baptised, because they indicated they wanted to place their faith in Jesus that very day. I confess that alongside the sense of gladness for such kingdom advance, I was also tempted to feel inferior. I have pastored a village church for 27 years, and we don’t get that number to a single service!

But the question I need to face is, ‘Am I doing what I can?’ That’s the issue. I may not have the gifts, or the context that would make such results more likely. God is in charge, after all, of who gets what in terms of spiritual gifts. But am I using to the full whatever has been entrusted to me?

Mary ‘’did what she could.’’ She may not have fully understood the significance of what she was doing (8), but Jesus did. What He prophesied about her has come true (9). This is why she is in our thoughts today.

PRAYER: Lord, when I hear about other Christians having big success in your work, I don’t always feel about it as I should. Please forgive me for wrong attitudes. Help me please to faithfully go about the business you have given me, doing what I can.

Mark 14:5 – 9: Blessing the poor

⁵ It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.’ And they rebuked her harshly. ⁶ ‘Leave her alone,’ said Jesus. ‘Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷ The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸ She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’

It is right that the church should get on with the ministry of serving the poor. Our Lord, who was rich beyond compare, deliberately impoverished Himself in order to enrich us (2 Corinthians 8:9). Probably the disciples in the room that day did care about the poor. But Judas didn’t. He just pretended to. For him, it was a rod with which to beat Mary (see John 12:6). Jesus wasn’t having any of that, and He told all of them that they would always have opportunities to help the poor. Sadly, poverty will be an issue until the end of time. Jesus didn’t decry the importance of such giving. But whereas we should love our neighbour as ourselves, the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with everything we’ve got. Mary showed such a heart, and Jesus esteemed her worship as ‘’beautiful’’.

Mark 14:4-9: Fire extinguishers!

^“4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, ‘Why this waste of perfume? ⁵ It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.’ And they rebuked her harshly. ⁶ ‘Leave her alone,’ said Jesus. ‘Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷ The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸ She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’ ” NIV UK

You know the definition of a fanatic? Someone who loves Jesus more than I do!

I remember a girl joining a church. She was quite young; just a student at the time. But her love for the Lord was so evident, and her expression of praise so extravagant, that at times you almost couldn’t take your eyes off her. In worship services she was a kind of contemporary equivalent of Mary anointing Jesus, weeping, and wiping His feet with her hair. She was different to most people in church. I think, sadly, she attracted some criticism.

Some people are fire lighters while others are fire extinguishers. Mary had her critics. But Jesus saw her heart. He had a different viewpoint (6) to those who were spraying foam all over her worship (4,5). They criticised; He commended. He gladly received what she sincerely offered.

‘When we pour out our gifts, skills, and possessions for Jesus, people will also say that we are wasting our lives. What we do for Jesus the world considers wasted. But, in fact, nothing is ever wasted on Jesus. Let us also learn from this story never to criticise the expressions and works of love done by others.’ Tom Hale: ‘Applied New Testament Commentary’, p.272.