Well, if for some reason you are feeling a bit lost when we come to this particular part of the narrative,
let me catch us all up.
You'll be helped to know that we have reached the point in Mark's gospel
where he is describing the final hours leading up to Jesus' crucifixion.
In fact, for the most part, most of the events in chapter 14
occur between sunset on Thursday of the Passion Week
and about 3 a.m. on Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion.
So everything we read, with the exception of the event in Bethany at the very beginning of the chapter,
everything between that and the end of the chapter is really in about a nine-hour time frame.
That's where it's unfolding as far as the narrative is concerned.
And we don't need to underestimate the significance of this particular section of Mark's gospel.
So far, it's already been revealed to us that Jesus is the true Passover lamb.
We have seen him institute and establish the Lord's Supper,
which is so very important to us now.
We've seen, again, his promise of resurrection.
We've seen his promise of restoration for his disciples who would inevitably fail.
And we've seen him persevere in dramatic fashion
through his final and greatest temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane.
And everything that the Bible tells us about Jesus is important.
I don't mean to insinuate that that's not true.
But only a careless reader would come to this section and miss the significance of what we've discovered in these last few studies.
All of the buildup that we have seen in Mark's gospel, or any of the gospels for that matter,
all of the buildup really finds its purpose and intent and ultimate significance in this section
as we see, and continuing forward to the end of the gospel,
as we see the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus come to be.
Now, our text for today is not complex at all.
It's not difficult to understand.
The point of the passage is actually straightforward.
I'm going to go ahead and tell you what it is.
Basically, it's this.
Everything that Jesus has told his disciples that would take place
is now beginning to take place exactly as he said it would.
That's really the significance of this section.
It doesn't really go much deeper than that.
Of course, there's other lessons that we're going to draw from this and important dynamics of this.
But the overall picture of this narrative here is that Jesus has been saying for quite some time,
this was going to happen.
And now, before the very eyes of the disciples, they're seeing Jesus' words come to fruition.
There was no more waiting.
His hour has come, and it has come in perfect fulfillment to the scriptures.
Think about all the things he's prophesied now.
Even in Mark chapter 14, we've seen him prophesy of a betrayer, which is revealed here.
At least for the disciples, it is exposed as Judas Iscariot.
Up to this point, they didn't realize that.
Now they know.
It's fulfilled.
We have seen Jesus time and again declare that he would be delivered into the hands of the Jewish leaders.
That's precisely what happens in this text.
He even said in a previous passage a couple of weeks ago that all of the disciples would fall away.
And when we get towards the end of this particular section, we find it stated very plainly,
they all forsook him.
They all fled.
They all ran.
And so Jesus' hour has come.
Just as he prayed in the garden that this hour would pass, then he resolves to follow faithfully,
as always, the will of the Father, and the hour has begun.
And that's where we see it unfolding.
But before we jump into the verses, there's one more thing I want to point out,
perhaps the most significant part of this.
Each element of this narrative points to the scandal of it.
You want you to think about what we just read.
They took Jesus into custody in the middle of the night.
It's well after midnight now.
It was close to midnight when Jesus and the disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane.
We know he's been praying in the garden for at least one hour, probably two.
And so we're thinking one or two in the morning, and these men come to arrest him.
Isn't that a suspect?
Isn't that a bit unusual?
Doesn't that lean towards the fact that maybe there's a bit of a scandal happening here,
that he needs to be arrested in the middle of the night?
Isn't that a crowd of officers armed to the teeth?
Ambush him like a modern sting operation?
It's not like they send a few of the temple leaders to go and persuade him to come in and turn himself in.
That's not happening.
It's actually a crowd of people.
They apprehend him as if it's a dangerous fugitive that has put the people of Jerusalem at great risk.
But what had Jesus done to deserve that?
Nothing.
This is the man who took little babies and put them on his knee.
This is the man who spent the last three years going throughout Galilee and Judea,
basically eradicating disease.
This is the man who has spent day after day in the temple with these other people,
no threat to anyone, simply teaching the truth.
This is the man who has spent the last three years perfectly obeying and teaching the very law of God.
What has he done to deserve this type of treatment in his arrest?
Well, nothing.
And that's the point.
He was treated as a criminal, though he had committed no crime.
And just as Isaiah 53 had prophesied, Jesus was, quote, numbered with the transgressors.
What Isaiah means there is he was counted, reckoned as a criminal,
reckoned, treated as a transgressor,
so that his death, in his death, by his death,
transgressors could actually be declared righteous before God.
And if you're wondering why all four Gospels find it necessary to detail the events of Jesus' actual arrest,
this is it.
He was numbered with the transgressors so that he could save transgressors.
That's the significance of this particular part of the narrative.
Let's work through it together.
The first thing that I want to point out to you is very simple.
Jesus is betrayed.
He's betrayed.
Look at verse 43.
Immediately while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve,
and with him a crowd with swords and clubs from the chief priest and the scribes and the elders.
Let's just mention the people that are participating in this verse quickly.
The chief priest and scribes and elders,
they were the three groups that made up the great Sanhedrin.
That's the ruling body of the Jews, both civically and religiously,
underneath the jurisdiction of Rome, of course,
but they were the ones that ruled over the Jewish people.
Instructions to arrest Jesus, in other words, came all the way from the top.
So the Sanhedrin provide the civic authority for Jesus to be arrested legally.
And that's important at least to their cause.
Now, they don't have just cause to arrest him,
but the fact that it's coming from the Sanhedrin actually makes the actual apprehension of Jesus,
taking him into custody, legal.
The fact that we see that there are servants of the high priest
means that there's probably an actual written warrant
accompanying this crowd of soldiers and servants.
So when they approach Jesus and the disciples,
they have at their disposal the very warrant for his arrest, so to speak,
or at least for his custody to be questioned.
So we have that.
The crowd with swords and clubs consist of temple police,
civil servants who served at the discretion of the Sanhedrin.
If the Sanhedrin provides the authority,
the temple police provide the muscle.
These are the scobies that have come in with the muscle strapped,
ready to take on these disciples if they need to take on the disciples.
If there is an uproar, perhaps, which is what they feared,
the muscle would be of great aid.
Now, let me just say, incidentally, that if you were to flip over to John 18,
maybe you would want to do that this afternoon,
you'll discover that their efforts in providing any kind of muscle
was actually very futile.
Jesus, by just speaking the word and identifying himself,
supernaturally pushes back so that they all fall to the ground.
It's really quite an amazing picture.
You can study that on your own.
That's just a by the way.
And then, of course, Judas is the other participant here.
Judas Iscariot, one of the 12, he's the architect of the whole plan.
He was responsible for instructing the soldiers on where Jesus was.
He was responsible for identifying who Jesus was.
And he was even responsible, according to Mark's words,
for the plan and precautions that they were to take
as they sought to constrain the Lord.
So Mark reminds us here that Judas was one of the 12 disciples,
heightening the sense of betrayal that Jesus endured.
And I want to remind you that Jesus had said this is precisely what would happen.
Look back just a few verses in Mark 14.
Look at verse 18 with me.
And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said,
truly I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.
And they began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another,
is it I?
And he said to them, it is one of the 12.
He even narrows it down to that.
One who is dipping bread into the dish with me.
So Jesus has said this is going to happen.
Now it's happening.
He's also said that he would be delivered to this specific group of people.
Remember Mark chapter 10?
Jesus says, we're going up to Jerusalem.
The son of man will be delivered over to the chief priest and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.
So all of this that's unfolding here before our eyes
and before the eyes of the disciples is just the fulfillment of Jesus' own word.
And Jesus' own word is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about him.
That's significant here.
This is not just something that happened to take place and we're reading it back into the text of Scripture.
No, this is the perfect fulfillment of God's word.
It's the perfect fulfillment of Christ's words.
And there's no variant in the way that it unfolded.
Now let's look a little closer at the act of betrayal itself.
Verse 44.
Now the betrayer, he's not referred to as Judas any longer.
He's just the betrayer.
Let's think for a moment about the reasons for this betrayal.
The need for a signal was because the soldiers probably were somewhat unfamiliar with Jesus.
They might have known who he was and had perhaps seen him in the temple.
But they're coming in the middle of the night.
There's no electricity in those days.
It's the cover of night.
Perhaps there is light from the moon as we would understand the Passover
and how the feast and things like that would take place.
It would be associated with a full moon.
So that's really the only light that they have.
These are also men likely who have not showered maybe in a little while.
They are all bearded men.
They're all from the same region.
It would be easy for somebody not familiar with Jesus
to not really be able to pick Jesus out in a lineup of these men at this particular time, right?
So it makes sense.
They need a signal so that when they get there, they know exactly who to apprehend
because the last thing they want to do is bring the wrong guy back to Caiaphas' house.
Because by the time they get to Caiaphas' house with the wrong guy,
the guy they were supposed to get is going to be long gone
and they're going to miss their opportunity to kill him.
So we understand why there needs to be a signal.
But why didn't they just arrest Jesus during the day?
That's the question.
Why come at night when they couldn't be sure exactly who he was?
Why not take him during the day when they could identify him clearly?
Why was it necessary for them to recruit a betrayer among the Lord's disciples?
Three reasons I want to give you.
First is the reason of the Sanhedrin.
The Sanhedrin's reason was secrecy.
Secrecy.
Now step back and think of the larger picture here.
Thousands of people have gathered in Jerusalem,
many of whom have been impacted at some point in the last three years
by the ministry of Jesus.
Now think about this.
All of these people in Judea and Galilee that Jesus has healed of leprosy
or has raised their children from the dead
or has instructed them or helped them in some way
are probably in Jerusalem or nearby.
They're not against Jesus.
Why would they be?
Jesus has changed their life.
The Sanhedrin is concerned that if they were to make a public show
of this particular arrest and custody,
what would happen would be a riot among the people,
an uproar that would be politically devastating.
So they wanted to act swiftly.
They wanted to act secretly because they feared a riot.
And a betrayer provided them with the perfect opportunity
to accomplish their task.
Judas knew Jesus' movements.
Judas knew Jesus' patterns.
He would know that he's going to be in Gethsemane.
He would know exactly who he is and how to identify him
and what they should do to restrain him.
And just look back at verse number one of chapter 14 and remember this.
It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
and the chief priest and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth
and kill him.
For they said, not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.
So why a betrayer?
Why betrayal?
Well, the Sanhedrin needed it because of secrecy.
But what is Judas' reason in this?
Why is Judas concerned with betraying the Lord?
Well, Judas' reason, I think, is selfish greed.
Selfish greed.
John chapter 6 tells us that Judas had an issue with greed.
He was the group's treasurer.
Later, the disciples figure out that he had been stealing from them all along.
Clearly, Judas only followed Jesus in hopes of receiving from him
some benefit of wealth and power in the coming kingdom.
And we've talked about this before.
I don't think it's that Judas didn't truly believe Jesus was the Messiah.
He just refused to accept what the Messiah's true purpose and identity really was.
He thought what's coming along with Jesus is this new kingdom,
which meant those who are closest to him are going to give wealth and power to rule the kingdom.
And now he's starting to realize this is not who Jesus is.
This is not what he's going to do.
And so though he may think he is a messianic figure,
his faith is not in Jesus' true identity and purpose.
He's not a true disciple in that sense.
So what does he do?
When it became clear that Jesus' plan and purpose didn't meet his expectations,
Judas betrayed the Lord for what he really wanted, money.
Look back again in Mark 14 to verse 10.
Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the 12,
went to the chief priest in order to betray him to them.
And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money.
And he sought an opportunity to betray him.
We find out in other passages, this was 30 pieces of silver.
This was the price of a slave that he betrayed the Lord for.
So that's the Sanhedrin's reason.
That's Judas's reason.
What's the ultimate reason though?
The ultimate, perhaps we would say the divine reason for this betrayal
is the fulfillment of scripture.
Judas and the leaders of the Jews,
they all had their reasons for doing what they did.
But it was accomplished ultimately by the guiding hand of the sovereign God.
Jesus himself affirmed that his betrayal was following God's plan and God's word.
Look back at verse 20, Mark 14.
He said to them,
It is one of the 12, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me,
for the Son of Man goes as what?
Read that next part.
As it is written of him.
Jesus has already told the disciples,
The betrayal is coming.
It's going to be one of you.
And the reason it's happening is because the scripture said it would happen.
Do you see?
God is working out his plan.
Even through sinful people,
God is working out his plan.
Now let's take a time out for a second
and think about our Lakeside Connect studies.
Just last week, our group will do it tonight.
So I guess you'll have some answers, I guess, as a part of the discussion here.
Think about what was happening with Abraham and Isaac.
Think about particularly that whole situation.
I can't remember, Mark, what chapter we were texting about last week.
The situation with Abimelech and all of that.
And then fast forward and frame your mind
along with what Paul was getting at in Romans chapter 8 there at the end.
We have this groaning.
The temptation in that groaning is to think that either by our sin or by our suffering,
maybe God isn't fulfilling his promise
or maybe God won't fulfill his promise.
And then Paul reminds us, no, God is fulfilling his promise.
Who can separate us from the love of God?
And he gives that whole list of things.
Well, none of that can separate us from the love of God.
Judas can't prevent God's work.
The leaders can't prevent God's work.
In fact, God is going to use them and their betrayal and their sin to accomplish his work.
God is working out his plan.
It's amazing to think about.
Now, remember, the Bible is a book about Jesus.
And we could go to a few different Old Testament passages
that would point toward this betrayal.
If you would think maybe typically,
maybe you would go to the story of Joseph,
who Stephen said in his speech in Acts chapter 7 was a type of the Lord Jesus.
And so maybe when you see the betrayal that Joseph experienced from his brothers,
maybe you start to see a picture of what is to come,
maybe being identified in Christ.
Certainly, we see that in David.
And two different times, David is betrayed by someone closest to him.
One of those times was his very own son, Absalom.
Jesus actually quotes a psalm, though.
Psalm 41 is the one he quotes.
It says,
Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread,
has lifted his heel against me.
John says Jesus quoted that verse at the Last Supper
in order to tell his disciples this betrayal is the plan of God
and it's the fulfillment of the Word of God.
Now, here's why I emphasize that.
Had Jesus not been betrayed,
he wouldn't be the true Messiah.
But the fact of his betrayal,
as tragic as it is,
is another confirmation that he is actually indeed the Savior.
Because the Savior had to be betrayed,
according to Jesus' own words.
So those are the reasons for betrayal.
Let's look at the sting of betrayal now.
The sting.
Think about Judas' treachery here.
It's made even more despicable by his choice in identifying the Lord.
Now remember, let's just read it again just quickly.
Look back with me at verse 44.
Now the betrayer had given them a sign saying,
The one I will kiss is the man.
Seize him and lead him away under guard.
So remember, Judas is the architect behind this plan.
He's the one who chose the signal.
He's the one who carried out the plan.
Now he could have simply got to the garden,
got close enough to Jesus to point at him and say,
Here he is, guys.
This is Jesus of Nazareth.
John tells us Jesus even steps up to the men and says,
Who are you looking for?
And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
And he says, I am he.
He's identifying himself even in this moment.
Judas could have easily said, That's him.
Get him.
But he doesn't do that.
In his own mind, in his own plan,
he chooses instead to identify the Lord with this kiss.
I think an initial mockery that is beginning the process of this passion experience of Jesus.
The words rabbi and kissed here are emphatic in the Greek,
meaning that when Judas comes to Jesus,
he embraces him in a way that expresses deep love and affection.
It's the sting of betrayal.
It's the kiss of betrayal.
It's the kiss of death.
But why?
Why would he do that?
I can't say what for sure was in Judas' mind.
It's clear what was the condition of his heart, though.
It's one thing to be the agent of betrayal.
It's a whole new expression of depravity for the sign of one's betrayal
to be a symbol of love and of affection.
This is the kind of emotional and relational pain that Jesus endures for us.
He endures on our behalf.
This is the extent that he was willing to go.
Philippians 2,
He who sat on the throne of heaven descends to become the lowest of man.
We sing the songs at Christmas,
the song I remember us singing last year so often during December,
Thou who was rich beyond all splendor,
all for love's sake,
became as poor,
was condemned.
The God who created Judas is now mocked by him,
is now condemned by him.
I want you to compare the treachery of Judas here
with the steadfast love of the Lord.
Is there not a contrast taking place here in Mark's purpose?
Notice how Jesus does and does not respond to Judas.
He doesn't berate him.
He doesn't spew hateful words.
He doesn't let him know,
I knew it all from the beginning it was going to be you.
No, there's nothing like that that happens.
Matthew actually says,
Jesus said to him,
Friend,
do what you came to do.
Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.
Matthew,
who was present in the moment,
who witnessed this unfold,
said he called him friend.
That's an interesting choice of words here, isn't it?
Because Judas certainly wasn't Jesus' friend.
He was his betrayer.
But he wasn't speaking from the perspective of Judas.
It doesn't mean that Jesus was ignorant of
or indifferent to what Judas did.
I think it does reveal the steadfastness of his love
for those who sin against him,
which is all of us, by the way.
He didn't merely teach us to love our enemies.
He lived it.
And he commands that we follow him
as we face treacherous acts of betrayal ourselves.
When people do us wrong,
how is it that we respond to them?
I think Jesus gives us a pretty amazing pattern here
on what it actually means to love your enemies
and to pray for them,
to persecute you,
and to show kindness to them.
Well, that's Jesus' betrayal.
Let's secondly look at Jesus' arrest.
Jesus arrested.
Verse 46,
And they laid hands on him and seized him.
So just as Jesus predicted his betrayal,
so he foretold his arrest.
Now Mark has told us this three different times already.
In fact, let's just trace it back.
Flip a couple of pages back to Mark chapter 8.
Mark chapter 8.
And look with me at verse 31.
And he began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer many things
and be rejected by the elders
and the chief priests and the scribes
and be killed
and after three days rise again.
And he said this plainly.
All right, prediction number one.
Now look at chapter 9.
Look at chapter 9 and verse 30.
Let's start at verse 30.
They went on from there and passed through Galilee
and he did not want anyone to know
for he was teaching his disciples,
saying to them,
The Son of Man is going to be delivered
into the hands of men
and they will kill him.
And when he is killed,
after three days,
he will rise.
That's prediction number two.
Go to chapter 10 now.
Chapter 10.
Let's look at verse 32.
And they were on the road going up to Jerusalem
and Jesus was walking ahead of them
and they were amazed
and those who followed were afraid
and taking the 12 again,
he began to tell them what was to happen.
See, we are going up to Jerusalem
and the Son of Man will be delivered
over to the chief priests and the scribes
and they will condemn him to death
and deliver him over to the Gentiles
and they will mock him
and spit on him
and flog him
and kill him
and after three days,
he will rise.
Verse 46 here,
back to chapter 14,
is the precise fulfillment
of what Jesus had repeatedly prophesied.
The precise fulfillment.
I want you to think about this.
He knew exactly what was going to happen
when he got to Jerusalem
and he went there anyway.
Nothing about this moment
is outside of Jesus' control.
It's not outside of his power to influence.
He willingly obeyed the Father's plan
by laying down his life for us
and verse 46,
simple as it may be,
straightforward as it may be,
is a monumental verse
to just tell us what Jesus said is true.
It happened
and it happened
because he was willing for it to happen.
Now another gospel
we're going to see here in just a second,
one of the disciples gets carried away.
Another gospel tells us
that when Jesus responds in that moment,
he says,
do you not realize
that I can call
12 legions of angels
from my Father?
That's a thousand angels
at least
for Jesus
plus all of the remaining disciples.
If we were really in trouble, men,
if this was really a problem, men,
I could appeal to the Father
and we'd have all the help that we need.
But this is the plan.
This is what I've told you.
It was all a part of God's plan.
Jesus knew
and he pursued it willingly.
Why?
Love, right?
Love,
all for love's sake,
he did these things.
Verse 47,
one of those who stood by
drew his sword
and struck the servant
of the high priest,
cut off his ear.
So one of the disciples
was far less willing
than Jesus was.
John 18 tells us
it was Peter.
Which isn't so much
of a surprise to us,
is it?
It's not unusual
for us to find Peter
acting or speaking
without first thinking.
Now how many of you
can identify with Peter
in that?
I think I've told you
my mom had this habit
when I was growing up.
She would tell me
that my mouth was in drive
and my brain was in neutral
is what she would say.
In other words,
I would act or say
before I would actually
use the brain
that God had given me.
Peter functions that way
quite a bit,
doesn't he?
He's often rash,
passionate,
to his credit,
passionate,
but a bit rash.
And it always bites him,
doesn't it?
The heat of the moment,
he kind of thoughtlessly
grabs a sword
and he takes a swing
at one of the high priests.
One of the gospels
tells us the high priest
priest's servant.
His name was Malchus.
Now Luke wrote
that after correcting Peter,
Jesus touched Malchus' head
and fully restored
his injured ear.
That's pretty amazing too.
In the midst of all of this,
Jesus still displays
his love and compassion
and his power
in order to heal this man.
Which just as another,
by the way,
I would really encourage you
to lay the four gospel accounts
beside each other.
Each of them is a bit different
and helps really fill in
this particular story.
I would encourage you
to do that.
Mark omits a lot
of the details
that the other gospel authors
includes.
But his aim
was not to fill us in
on every detail
of the story.
That's not Mark's aim here.
Remember the dual focus
that I told you Mark has
in his book overall,
but especially
in this section.
There's the dual focus
of Jesus' Messiahship
and faithfulness
compared with the,
or contrasted with,
the dynamic
of faithful discipleship.
Where all of the disciples
failed,
Jesus was faithful.
Jesus persevered
in all of those things.
We see that happening
here again.
There's a contrast here
for Mark's purpose.
It doesn't matter who it is.
What matters
is what they did.
So let's consider
Peter's sin
for just a moment.
Let's give him
a little bit of credit.
Peter's motive
was born out of his love
and his loyalty for Jesus.
Let's get that part right.
It would also be wrong
for us to say
that Peter shouldn't
have been bothered
by what was happening.
That he should have just
accepted
because Jesus had said
he would be betrayed
and arrested.
That he should just accept
it without any kind
of emotional experience
at all.
That wouldn't be right
for us to say either.
The problem here
is that his untempered anger
produced a murderous act.
I think it's safe
for us to say
Peter wasn't aiming
for Malchus' ear.
One preacher said
either he was really good
to be able to cut off
only Malchus' ear
or he's really bad
to miss the rest
of his head
because that's what
Peter's aiming for here.
He's trying to kill this man.
This is not the man
arresting Jesus.
This is the servant
probably with the warrant.
And Peter in a moment
of brashness
takes out his sword
and commits
a murderous act.
This was attempted murder.
And Jesus reminds Peter
as such
when he says
in Matthew 26
that all who take
the sword
will perish
by the sword.
In other words
this is not
the right action Peter.
This is murderous
which makes
means that
it would be
perfectly legitimate
for justice
to be carried out
on you.
You would deserve
to be put to death
for what you just did.
That's what he's saying
to Peter.
Peter was right
to be angry
but still he acted
in the flesh
instead of following
Jesus' teaching
and example.
When did Jesus
ever call his disciples
to arms?
Never.
In fact
he regularly preached
against this type
of retribution
and vengeance.
Kent Hughes notes
how easy it is
to be out of step
with Christ
when we think
we are serving him
even defending him.
Think about that again.
How easy it is for us
to actually
in a moment
where in our motive
and in our thought
we are serving Christ
and we are defending Christ
but we're actually doing it
in quite a sinful way.
It's a reminder to us
isn't it?
That our motives
and our position
can be right
and yet our actions
still be sinful.
We need to take
the right stand
but we have to avoid
this hateful
spiteful
self-righteous spirit
that's wrapped
often
in compassionless
argumentation
with those
who disagree with us
or do not follow Christ.
There's a difference
between standing for Christ
and being a jerk
and here
Peter's being a jerk.
His aim
was to destroy
his enemy
and we're often
guilty of having
the same goal
and we start
to consider
the culture
around us
there's lots of things
we need to stand for
in biblical truth.
We talk about
the abortion debates
that are getting
very heated
at this point.
We think about
the sexual revolution
that's taking place
and is only going to
continue to get worse
and we can even
get really specific
with the things
going on with Disney
and some of the things
that they're doing
and what do we do
and it would be
very easy for us
in the process
of standing for truth
and defending Christ
to actually do that
in a way
that's actually
quite sinful.
But Jesus shows us
a way of righteousness
and that's what I want
to point out here.
Verse 48
Jesus said to them
have you come out
against a robber
with swords
and clubs
to capture me?
Day after day
I was with you
in the temple teaching
and you did not seize me
but let the scriptures
be fulfilled.
Do you see the difference
in Peter
and Jesus' responses?
Peter aims
to destroy the enemy
Jesus appeals
to their conscience
instead.
He doesn't seek
to destroy them
he seeks
to win them
if not in that moment
perhaps later
when they would look back
on this particular
experience that they had.
He pointed out
that their method
of arresting him
exposed the lack
of justification
for the very arrest.
He essentially says
if I'm guilty
of a crime
that warrants
a crowd of armed soldiers
why did you come
in the secrecy
of the night?
Why didn't you
just take me
during the day?
Do you see what he's doing?
He's not fighting
against them
he's exposing
their error.
He's appealing
to their conscience
I didn't hide
from anyone
Jesus says
he could have
easily gotten me
in the temple
day after day
why are you
doing it like this?
He wanted them
to look back
on that moment
and see it
as a fulfillment
of scripture.
Sinclair Ferguson
I think was
was helpful
in pointing this
dynamic out to me
he said
inherent
in Jesus' words
is a moral appeal
he wanted
to speak
to their
consciences
in a way
that might be
used later
to convict them
of their own sin
and of his own
righteousness
wasn't that always
Jesus' aim?
He didn't seek
to destroy people
he sought
to win them
quite a difference
from Peter
whereas Peter's
hatefulness
is aimed
to destroy men
Jesus' love
and compassion
sought
to convince
them of the truth
and in that
we find the right way
to stand boldly
for Christ
and for the truth
in a way
that in our
heart of hearts
seeks to actually
win a person
to the truth
not merely
destroy them
or viscerate them
with our words.
So we see
Jesus betrayed
we see Jesus
arrested
finally and quickly
we see Jesus
forsaken
Jesus forsaken
look at verse 50
and they all
left him
and fled
and a young man
followed him
with nothing
but a linen cloth
about his body
and they seized him
but he left
the linen cloth
and ran away
naked
interesting
so again
Jesus told the disciples
this would happen
right?
Look back at verse 27
of Mark 14
Jesus said to them
you will all
fall away
for it is written
I will strike
the shepherd
and the sheep
will be scattered
that's a quotation
by Jesus
from the prophet
Zechariah
Jesus says
all of you
are going to
fall away
because the Bible
says all of you
will fall away
and then he gives
them that wonderful
promise
right?
So Jesus said
this would happen
and what do we
find in this passage?
Well we find
what Jesus said
actually
indeed happening
just as he said it
now Mark
is the only gospel
author to include
this note
about the young man
and many scholars
believe that this
is Mark himself
and it's very easy
to build a convincing
argument about that
in fact
if you want to know
what that argument is
I'll talk to you
after the service
but it's not the point
of why it's here
we don't know
for sure who it is
we don't know
why they're there
there is an
intentional ambiguity
in Mark's
on Mark's part
that tells us
that it was
his intention
not for us
to get distracted
by the unusual
nature of this
story
the fact that
he doesn't name
the person
and he gives us
no other filler
information
tells us that
none of those
things matter
to Mark
what Mark
is trying to
emphasize
is the event
itself
what actually
happened
with this
young man
he writes
it
merely because
it happened
and what Mark
is emphasizing
here is the
fact that
all of the
followers of
Jesus
fell away
even
the brave
young man
who outstayed
all the other
disciples
all the disciples
fled
and then there's
this young man
who seems to be
tagging along
and he follows
closely along
with Jesus
until the soldiers
recognize him
let's just say
for just a second
whoever this man
is whether it's
Mark or someone
else
this young fellow
has got a lot
of courage
because all the
disciples ran
and he follows
along anyways
and it's only
at the moment
only at the moment
that the soldiers
recognize him
and his very life
is then threatened
that he begins
to run
which is exactly
why all the
disciples ran too
so even the most
courageous
of the people
present in that
moment
still forsook
Jesus
that's Mark's
point
that in this
moment
Jesus was
utterly
forsaken
he faced
what was
ahead of him
totally
abandoned
by every
friend
by every
follower
and ultimately
by the
father
himself
and in
fulfillment
of the
scripture
he was
totally
alone
to bear
our sin
and to
endure
the wrath
of God
again
Ferguson
is helpful
Jesus
was being
left
entirely
alone
in what
he was
about to
do
no one
would stand
with him
no one
could
he would
stand alone
as savior
because he
alone
was fit
to bear
the judgment
of God
in our
place
like a
lamb
led away
to the
slaughter
Isaiah
writes
so Jesus
is led
away
in this
moment
utterly
alone
to drink
the cup
and face
the hour
that the
father
had set
aside
for him
to drink
and to
face
and why
does he
do that
he does
that in
order that
he might
take our
place
and provide
forgiveness
and freedom
and life
I said at the
beginning
this this
passage is
simple and
straightforward
it really
is
and while
there's
lessons for
us to
learn through
the text
the main
purpose
here is
to reveal
that Jesus
is the
perfect
fulfillment
of the
scriptures
teaching
about the
Messiah
remember
Mark
chapter 1
in verse
1
Mark
tells us
his goal
the beginning
of the
gospel of
Jesus
Christ
Messiah
Son of
God
what's he
doing
he's
presenting
the fact
declaring
the fact
proclaiming
good news
Jesus
of Nazareth
he is
the one
and when
we get
to this
passage
and we
see the
fulfillment
of Jesus
the fulfillment
of scripture
in Jesus
we see
yes indeed
Jesus is
the one
yes indeed
he is
the one
we must
trust
that we
must follow
that we
must believe
he is
the only
way
that's
the point
it's
significant
simple
praise the
Lord
but significant
and there's
real
eternal
implications
to this
truth
for every
one of
us
step back
for just
a moment
and consider
the bigger
picture of
this arrest
even knowing
your own
innocence
there would
be
incredible
shame
and embarrassment
that would
come with
being publicly
carried away
in handcuffs
and put
into a
police car
to be
driven
to the
city jail
in front
of your
wife
and your
children
and your
neighbors
and your
friends
or your
church
can you
imagine
even if
you knew
your innocence
there's
shame in
that
there's
embarrassment
in that
Jesus
was totally
innocent
having never
even sinned
one time
yet he was
counted as a
dangerous
criminal
he was
put on
display
even in
the night
in front
of his
disciples
as if
he was
the
transgressor
in his
arrest
he is
numbered
with the
transgressors
Jesus
bearing
the shame
that belongs
to us
and this
was just
the beginning
Isaiah 53
12
he poured
out his
soul
to death
and was
numbered
with the
transgressors
yet he
bore the
sin
of many
and makes
intercession
for the
transgressors
do you see
what Isaiah
was saying
this righteous
one
the servant
of God
sinless
perfect
would be
counted as a
transgressor
and in being
counted as a
transgressor
he would
bear the
sin of
many people
true
transgressors
why
what did
he say
so that
he could
make
intercession
for the
transgressors
is that not
the role
that Jesus
now plays
for us
the new
testament
refers to
him as
making
intercession
that he
pleads
along with
the father
when we
stand
condemned
in our
sin
dead
in our
sin
Jesus
the righteous
one
upon our
faith
intercedes
for us
on our
behalf
to the
father
and in
that moment
reconciles
two enemies
the holy
God
and the
sinful
man
and what
makes it
possible for
Jesus to
do that
he was
counted as
a
transgressor
and he
bore the
sin of
many
that's the
significance
this isn't a
story of
execution
this is a
story of
substitution
we are the
sinners who
deserve to be
forsaken
alienated from
God
but on the
cross
Jesus the
righteous one
was forsaken
in our
place
he was
numbered with
the transgressors
so that real
transgressors could
be declared
forgiven
and free
his death
pays the
price for
our sin
and he
offers forgiveness
and life
to all
who will turn
from their
sin and
believe in
his name
which leaves
one question
remaining
will you
believe
will you
follow him
will you
trust him
and believe
him for what
he is or
will you be
a Judas
who comes to
him only
seeking certain
gain but
will ultimately
fall away when
he doesn't meet
your expectation
no
see who he
is
see what he
accomplished
and believe
and he
says all
who will
believe
he will
receive
and will
give this
life
so receive
him
and then
share
him
what better
news could
we bring to
our family
what better
news could you
take to your
neighbor
as much as I
would love to
brag to Shane
about the way
the Yankees have
been beating up on
the Red Sox this
weekend
what better
news would there
be other than
to say Shane
Jesus has died
for your sin
if you will
just believe