“Found Guilty” Mark 15:1-32
Christ’s Power Over Every Need
The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series
“Found Guilty”
Mark 15:1-32
“We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,” 1 Cor. 1:23
Introduction
On January 23, 1968, the USS Pueblo, a US Navy intelligence ship was hijacked by North Korean patrol boats in international waters off the coast of North Korea. The incident provoked a tense diplomatic and military standoff for eleven months. The eighty-two surviving crew members were taken into captivity. In one particular instance, thirteen of the men were required to sit in a rigid manner around a table for hours. After several hours, the door was flung open, and a North Korean guard brutally beat the man in the first chair with the butt of his rifle. The next day, as each man sat in his assigned place, again the door was thrown open, and the man in the first chair was brutally beaten. On the third day, it happened again to the same man.
Knowing the man could not survive, the next day, another young sailor took his place. When the door flung open, the guard automatically beat the new victim senseless. For weeks, a new man stepped forward each day to sit in that horrible chair, knowing full well what would happen. The guards eventually gave up in exasperation. They were unable to overcome that kind of sacrificial love.
Jesus knows what is coming, but does it anyway – out of love for His creation. Though sinless, he took our place before the judgment of God against our sin.[1]
Prayer
Jesus is Falsely Accused (vv. 1-5)
And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer[2], so that Pilate was amazed.
(v. 1) “the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council.” – consultation; “to prepare a concerted plan of action (Gould).”[3] The plan they came up with was to arrest him early in the morning, when no one else was around, then present him to the Roman authorities with charges that he was claiming to be a king, and threatening to tear down the temple in three days.
First off, their proceedings were not legal, and they are choosing to follow some of the law, while ignoring other parts – which is typical who want to justify their own sin. But Duet. 17:6 says, “On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.”
So, the religious council tries to round up witnesses in the middle of the night. In their haste to gather a crowd, they don’t have time to coordinate the testimonies so there were contradictions, and obvious false statements.[4] The stories don’t match up, they are obviously coursed and false. But eventually, they have their little trial, and they consult together to have Jesus killed.
But with all the hatred toward Jesus, these various groups “did not have the power to execute a capital sentence.”[5] The Romans did not allow those they subjugated to execute because it kept those who collaborated with the Romans from being killed[6] (like the disciple Matthew). So, they have to take Jesus to Pilate. Pilate listens to the religious leaders accusing him of many things, that seem to pass him by. The religious leaders know that a Roman prefect would not care about their claims of his ‘blasphemy’ so their accusations have to be more political.
So, Pilate is eventually hooked when he focuses on their accusation that Jesus is claiming to be a king, and he asks him (v. 2) “Are you the King of the Jews?” This is the only question that Jesus responds to, “And he answered him, “You have said so.” These would be Jesus’ last recorded words before the cross. “Jesus has said all there is to say, and now lets events take their predictable course.”[7]
There were several attempted riots, and attacks against the Roman occupation of Jerusalem, so the Sanhedrin are trying to lump Jesus in with these Zealots and nationalist leaders (going back to their question about paying taxes to Caesar in Mark 12:13ff.)
Jesus is Falsely Condemned (vv. 6-15)
6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9 And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” 14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
As Jesus and the disciples were finishing up the feeding of the five thousand, there was a zealot political group, that after they saw Jesus perform this miracle, they wanted Jesus to lead a revolution, John 6:15 “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” Jesus was relentless about controlling the narrative and the direction that He was going as the Messiah – he was not going to be forced to be a political revolutionary. But now, he is standing next to Barabbas, a murderous insurrectionist, as though they are the same.
(v. 10) “For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.” – he was perceiving, it was gradually occurring to Pilate, what was really going on here. Through all the lies, the false accusations, and even the twisted accounts – Pilate sees this gathering for what it was.
The “the chief priests, elders and scribes and the whole council” were envious of Jesus and his popularity among the people, his influence, his ability to teach the Word of God, His ability to get out of their little traps, everything about Jesus pointed to their darkened and evil hearts. Pilate saw all this for what it really was – envy. Pilate sees Jesus as a harmless religious fanatic not deserving of death by crucifixion. He even declares Jesus to be innocent on three separate occasions.[8]
(v. 10) “But the chief priests stirred up the crowd,” – “That was the plan of Judas to get the thing over before those Galilean sympathizers waked up.”[9] Go to the Garden of Gethsemane early in the morning, present him to the Roman officials early in the day. This crowd, was not the same crowd that waved the palm branches, laid down, their coats in the street, and yelled out Hosanna! This crowd has been gathered by the religious leaders, and they have “stirred them up.” (seismos), shook up like an earthquake.
Pilate was normally a resident in Caesarea, but at Passover time, when Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims, he took up residence in his ‘praetorium’ (official residence) in Jerusalem. Pilate is there to keep things calm, to calm down the stirred up crowds, to maintain the peace. Also, the man who helped Pilate get this appointment had been executed for treason against Caesar – so he was under additional pressure to appear loyal to Caesar which the leaders used against him.[10]
(v. 15) “So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.” – The crowd was growing more and more unruly, Pilate was charged by Caesar to keep the peace, so out of fear of the crowd, fear of being reported to Caesar, he delivered Jesus over to be crucified.
“The final stage of Jesus’ Roman trial concludes with a scourging. Roman scourging was so brutal and violent that prisoners would occasionally die before crucifixion. Even though Jesus survives this form of torture, the beating ensures he will die before sundown. During the scourging, he is tied to a post and beaten with a whip interwoven with bone and metal until his skin and tissue are shredded . . .
The irony in each Gospel account is palpable: Jesus, a man declared not guilty by the Roman governor, is nonetheless given over for execution – an outrageous and transparent miscarriage of justice.”[11] Barabbas, a murderer and insurrectionist, goes free. Crucifixion was designed for people like Barabbas, as a warning – “murderers and insurrectionists will die a horrible excruciating death, so don’t do that.”
We are already beginning to get a picture of substitutionary atonement or penal substitution. John 3:35-36 says “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Why did God the Father send Jesus to the cross? Justice demands that His wrath against sin had to go somewhere – either on us, or a substitute provided by God for us.
Isaiah 53:5-6 “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Jesus is Falsely Honored (vv. 16-20)
16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
The Praetorium was the governor’s headquarters, and was where the 600 soldiers of the battalion were housed. Roman soldiers were known to play cruel games with condemned prisoners, so what they do to Jesus is not out of character for them. At this point he would have been covered in blood, his back flesh cut open, and would have struggled to stand.
They strip him of his clothes, and place a purple cloak around him (the color of royalty), make him a crown, but of thorns and push it down on his head, and mock him, and “salute him, yelling out “Hail, King of the Jews!” They then strike his head with a stick, further driving the crown of thorns into his scalp and they spit on him.
Once the men grew tired of mocking, beating, and playing their game, they put his clothes back on him, and lead Jesus away to be crucified.
Jesus is Fiercely Crucified (vv. 21-32)
21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull)[12]. 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
After being scrouged, and beaten by the soldiers, Jesus carries the 30-40 pound cross beam of the cross (patibulum) until he can’t carry it any further, so “they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross” More than likely this was a pilgrim who had come into Jerusalem for the Passover celebrations and later became a Christian, and was known by Mark.
(v. 24) “And they crucified him,” – None of the Gospel writers provide any details concerning the actual crucifixion. If you were reading the Gospels in the first century you more than likely had some idea of what was involved in the process. “Victims either died from physical trauma, loss of blood, or shock, or succumbed to suffocation when they no longer had the strength to lift themselves up to breathe. There were numerous crucifixion techniques, but the use of nails and a crossbar was common.”[13]
(v. 25) “And it was the third hour when they crucified him,” – 9 am.
Scourging was not enough for the religious leaders, they follow Jesus all the way to the cross. The crowds mock Jesus, the religious leaders stand around in their in their victory – they are finally done with Jesus, their plan had worked, and the fact that God had not stepped in to stop them only reinforces their idea that they are righteous in their actions against Jesus.
If this truly was the Son of God, then the Father would not allow this to happen to His Son, “Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” They ask for one more miracle. Why would God allow His Son to be tortured and mocked this way; why does God the Father not step in and end this? Even those crucified with Jesus mock him.
The chief priests and the scribes say, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross” What they don’t understand is that yes Jesus could come down from the cross, but He chose to stay on the cross, so that others may be saved.
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” In order for Jesus to complete his mission of being sent into the world by the Father, He has to stay on the cross.
(v. 26) “And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” – This was supposed to be a deterrent to anyone who saw it; that is what happens to people who oppose Caesar as king. This man claimed to be king (of the Jews) and so he was executed for it. The other gospels tell us that it was written in Aramaic (the common language in Palestine), Latin (the official Roman language), and Greek (the international language of the empire) in order to ensure the widest readership among the thousands of people traveling to Jerusalem.
Everyone who saw the sign was told Jesus said he was the King of the Jews. As we stand at the foot of the cross and look at Jesus, we are faced with the same question, “Was Jesus’ claim to be the Savior of the world true? Was he the true king?
Jesus never married, or had any children. He never owned a home, property, and when find Jesus at the cross, his only earthly possessions are what he wore to his own crucifixion. (v. 24) tells us that the soldiers, “divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take[14](fulfilling yet another prophecy)” One of the benefits of being on crucifixion duty, as a soldier, was that you get to keep the person’s possessions.[15] He literally leaves this world with nothing to His name, except His mission.
Was Jesus successful?
The way we look at history and the course of this world is based on Jesus – there was a time before Jesus (BC) and the time after Jesus (AD) Anno Domini, Latin for “in the year of the Lord.” It’s 2023, Two thousand and twenty-three years since Jesus came to the earth. Jesus changed everything – He alone provided the way for mankind to be saved from their sins, and have a relationship with God.
_______________________
[1] Rodney L. Cooper, Holman New Testament Commentary, Mark (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman and Holman, 2000) 253.
[2] Isa. 53:7
[3] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1932) 391.
[4] Andreas J. Köstenberger, The Final Days of Jesus (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway, 2014) 109.
[5] R.T. France, The Gospel of Mark, A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002) 624.
[6] William F. Cook, Jesus’ Final Week, From Triumphal Entry to Empty Tomb (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishing, 2022) 111.
[7] France, 625.
[8] Cook, 111.
[9] Robertson, 393.
[10] Köstenberger,127.
[11] Köstenberger,141.
[12] “The Latin Vulgate translates “skull” as calvarie, from which we get the word Calvary” (Cook, 122).
[13] Köstenberger,152.
[14] Psalm 22:18 “they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
[15] Cook, 124.
“Extravagant Love and Expected Betrayal” Mark 14:1-21
Christ’s Power Over Every Need
The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series
“Extravagant Love and Expected Betrayal”
Mark 14:1-21
1) Devious Leaders Plot to Kill Jesus (vv. 1-2)
It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”
Scholars believe that numbers of pilgrims would have been between 150,000 to 250,000 people crowding into the Temple complex. So, the religious leaders decided that they would not arrest Jesus during the Passover week of celebrations. Their fear was that a riot would start, because of his popularity amongst the people, and then the Romans would get involved, which would be very, very bad, especially for the religious leadership.[1]
Remember on Sunday of this same week (Mark 11), the people had praised Jesus, yelling “Hosanna,” waived palm branches, and laid their clothes down in the street before Him as he entered, as a king, into Jerusalem.
The religious leaders have held meetings, and plotted and schemed to come up with a way to trap Jesus, and all their plans have failed, until Judas, one of Jesus’ own disciples, is going to present them with a new plan, a new way to get Jesus, and it will cause them to reconsider.
2) Devoted Follower Seeks to Honor Jesus (v. 3-9)
3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
The presence of an unnamed woman (John tells us that it is Mary, Lazarus’ sister) was most unusual; “Jewish women did not ordinarily attend banquets with men except in the capacity of servants. Jesus has also told the disciples, not necessarily in private that there was a crisis coming.
He told them that he would die, but they weren’t comprehending it. Mary probably didn’t comprehend it either, but she knew something bad was coming, so she took an unusual step. Luke 10:39 also says that Mary listened to Jesus’ teaching, “And she (Martha) had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” “Mary is mentioned three times in the Gospels; each time she is at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:38-42; John 11:31-32; 12:1-8). Mary loved Jesus.”[2]
Jesus responds by saying, “she took beforehand to anoint my body for the burial.” She anticipated the event. Matthew 26:12 says of this same event, “In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.”[3]
The “alabaster jar” was a flask with a long neck and no handles, and it was sealed to preserve the ointment.” Nard was an aromatic oil extracted from a root found primarily in India – thus its costliness.”[4] When she broke the flask the smell spread throughout the entire house.
(v. 4) “There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that?” – Just like the nard smell spread, “Judas uncorks the vial of his poison, and the vile odor begins to spread.”[5] Mark tells us that there were more than one of the disciples felt that she had wasted money in this way, but the gospel of John specifically points to Judas and gives us insight into his heart.
John 12:4-6 discussing this same event, “But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.”
Mark’s account seems to emphasize that the disciple’s objection was not the act but the extravagance of the act. Also, the chief person criticizing Mary “And they scolded her” had already made plans to betray Jesus. How delusional and self-righteous is that? The others jumped on his bandwagon – so just be careful, when someone seems to be righteous and is criticizing another for their extravagant love for God. Also, Jesus allowed Mary to do this, so they are criticizing Jesus too – they are standing up for the poor! Judas is implying that Jesus is robbing from the poor.[6]
(v. 7) Jesus is referring to Deuteronomy 15:11 “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’”
(v. 8) “she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.” – the word used for anointed speaks of anointing a corpse according to the Jewish custom. The verb is related to the noun for myrrh and points to anointing with perfume. It is also, the women who go to prepare Jesus’ body after the crucifixion. So, it was culturally a woman’s task to anoint the body of loved ones at death. So, Mary’s presence at the banquet would have been unusual, but not once it was explained that she was preparing Jesus’ body for burial.
You may remember at Jesus’ birth narrative, in Matthew 2:10 that wise men “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold (because he was a king) and frankincense (because he was a priest) and myrrh (because he would die for the world).”
Remember that Mark is not overly concerned about a correct timeline, but to help us understand who Jesus is: so, Mark contrasts Mary’s anointing of Jesus with this expensive perfume, with Judas’ betrayal. She is thankful for Jesus raising her brother from the dead, and believes him to be the Messiah, she has listened to His words of his coming death – Judas also believes Jesus to be the Messiah, but he feels that Jesus owes him something, so when he doesn’t get it; he betrays him.
(v. 8) Jesus also says that “She has done what she could” – she sat at Jesus’ feet, she understood that something was coming, she thought to herself, “what can I do” to honor Jesus? Was the alabaster jar left from Lazarus’ burial, she never got to use it on her brother, because Jesus brought him back from the dead? Who knows where she got the perfume – but that’s what she could do. She had the perfume with her.
The phrase “what she could do,” is “not referring to a general action, but when an opportunity arrived, she not only was ready, saw and embraced it, but went to the limit of her ability, and in fact, would have done more if it had been possible.”[7]
Have you done what you can do to honor Jesus?
(v. 9) “And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” – if they had taken the alabaster jar of pure nard and sold it for a year’s wages, they would have fed many poor people. But “Mary did infinitely more for the poor by the act of that day than she could have done” by giving them the jar. “That would have relieved only a few of them, and only for a little while, and it would soon have been forgotten. But her act of sacrificial love has inspired ten thousand deeds of unselfishness.”[8]
“We learn from her that it is not always necessary to defend ourselves – our good actions speak for themselves, and the only thing essential is that Jesus approves them.”[9]
3) Disgruntled Disciple Seeks to Betray Jesus (v. 10-11)
10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.
(v. 11) “they promised to give him money” – Matthew 26:15 tells us that it was for thirty pieces of silver. Judas had already made up his mind to betray Jesus before money or the amount was agreed upon. Judas getting money was a side effect. Yes, he was greedy, and a thief – but the most he would ever get was 30 pieces of silver – if he wanted to be rich, that didn’t help get him there. After all that Judas had seen and experienced with Jesus, as one of the twelve, why did he betray Jesus?
Judas didn’t get from Jesus something he wanted, after all he went on the ride, stayed on the ride, and only now wants to jump off. It is at this point of the journey Judas knew he would never get what he wanted from Jesus, so he tries to get something from the three years he feels he has wasted (which turns out to be thirty pieces of silver).
What did Judas want, that he knew Jesus would never give him?
Judas had experienced Jesus casting out demons, raising the dead, healing countless sick people, controlling the weather, feeding thousands, and he had even sent them out where “So they [the disciples] went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them” (Mark 6:12-13). Judas had experienced what it was like to be in the presence of God, the Son of God chose him to be one of only 12 men to be His disciple, to see Him do mighty deeds, and to be trusted by God to speak and have authority in His name – yet there is still something else, something more, Judas wants. What more could Jesus possibly give him?
There was even the promise from Jesus of even greater things, than what they had experienced, John 14:12-14 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” Judas was destined for one of the twelve apostolic thrones in heaven (Matt. 19:28).
Luke 22:3-4 “Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. 4 He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.” John 13:2, 27 “During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, . . . Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” So, the devil made him do it? No, In both of these verses, Satan entered Judas after he had this realization that Jesus would not give him what he wanted. But Judas is being used as an instrument of Satan because he has opened himself up to it.
What is the root of betrayal?
We are supposed to compare Mary’s act of anointing Jesus with perfume with Judas’ betrayal. Jesus is the focus of Mary’s extravagance – Judas wanted the money for himself. Judas believes that Jesus exists for him, Mary believes that she exists to worship Jesus. Those are two radically different mindsets.
In a marriage if the other person exists to make you happy, then eventually you will grow frustrated and look for others who will satisfy you. However, if you believe that you exist to love another completely, and for you to pour out your love with extravagance, then betrayal is far from your mind. You are trying to find ways to lift up your partner, not how to use them to get something you want.
I think this is the root of Judas’ betrayal – Jesus existed to give Judas what he wanted, so when he was not the Messiah Judas thought He should be, and when Jesus didn’t follow the plan Judas thought he should follow, and when Jesus didn’t make him wealthy, etc. whatever the itch was – the world exists for Judas and is supposed to revolve around Judas, and when he didn’t get that, he betrayed the Son of God.
How do you respond when you don’t get what you want from God?
4) Disguised Comments of Grace Given (vv. 12-21)
12 And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13 And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16 And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. 17 And when it was evening, he came with the twelve.
18 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[10].” 19 They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20 He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
(v. 12) The Passover meal, according to the Jewish law, had to be eaten within the Jerusalem walls of the city; so the disciples ask Jesus where they should celebrate the meal.[11] “The food consisted of roasted lamb, unleavened bread, and the dish of bitter herbs (Ex. 12:8-20). The lamb reminded the Jews of the blood that was applied to the doorposts of their homes to keep the angel of death from slaying their firstborn. The bread was unleavened to remind them of the haste in which they left Egypt (Ex. 12:39). The bitter herbs spoke of their suffering as Pharoah’s slaves.”[12]
(v. 18) Jesus begins the meal by declaring, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” This is important for later because Jesus wants them to know that He is aware of the betrayal but He is not going to do anything to stop it. He has been telling them that the “Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago.”
But even here, Jesus has let Judas know that He knows of his betrayal, but it’s still not too late, Judas can still repent, fall at Jesus’ feet and be pardoned. Even when Judas leaves the meal, the disciples think Jesus has asked him to run an errand, or do something for the poor.
(v. 19) “They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” – Each disciple, one after, another asked “is it me?” Imagine Judas’ thoughts as each disciple askes, one after the other – then the question circle gets to him. Matthew 26:25 tells us that Judas even asked Jesus, “Is it I?”
(v. 20) Then Jesus speaks, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me.”[13] – The meal would have a common bowl of bitter herbs that they would dip their bread into as part of the meal. “To betray a friend after eating a meal with him was, and still is, regarded as the worst kind of treachery in the Middle East.”
(v. 21) “For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him,” – All of this has been planned out by God ahead of time, and His divine purpose is being carried out. “What happens to the Son of Man does not just happen.”
Isaiah 53:12 “. . . yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” Another translation is “And he bore the sins of many and was delivered up because of their iniquities.” Being “delivered up” is the path that the Son of Man has to travel – but “woe to that man” who actually is the one who delivers the Son of Man up.
Judas’ betrayal of Jesus shows us that simply being around Jesus, and knowing a lot about Jesus, even doing things in His name, does not save a person. There must be a response of faith and love.
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[1] Darrell L. Bock, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, The Gospel of Mark (Carol Stream, Illinois; 2005) 525.
[2] Max Anders, Holman New Testament Commentary, Mark (Nashville, Tennessee; B&H Publishing Group) 234.
[3] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930, 380.
[4] James A. Brooks, The New American Commentary, Mark (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1991) 222.
[5] R. C. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Mark’s Gospel (Minneapolis, Minnesota; Augsburg Publishing House, 1964) 601.
[6] Lenski, 602.
[7] Lenski, 604.
[8] W. N. Clarke, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Commentary on the Gospel of Mark (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1950) 204.
[9] Lenski, 603.
[10] Psalm 41:9 “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”
[11] Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1984) 758.
[12] Anders, 236.
[13] “The point in so emphasizing the fact that the traitor was one of the twelve, who thus ate from the same bowl as Jesus, is the resemblance of Judas to Ahitophel, the man who ate at David’s table and then turned traitor to David. He is the prototype of Judas; Judas was the second Ahitophel” (Linski, 616).
“Regal, Reverence, and Revenue” Mark 11:1-11, 15-19
Things Are Not As They Appear 1 Samuel 17:41-58
Things Are Not As They Appear
1 Samuel 17:41-58
Introduction
Review of Last week.
Prayer
When Things Appear Simple – They Usually Aren’t (vv. 41-44)
And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
(v. 41) It wasn’t until Goliath drew close to David that he truly got a good picture of his opponent, “And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David.” Goliath despised David because the defeat of a boy, would not sound very good on a veteran champion’s résumé. What an insult to Goliath to send a young lad with no armor and a stick! Is this how seriously they take him? Do they think so little of his ability that they would send him someone like this? Goliath is mad about how this is obvious easy victory is going to make him look.[1]
Out of this anger, Goliath then begins to insult David. He makes fun of his shepherd’s staff saying it was only fit for hitting dogs. Then he cursed David by his philistine gods. Then he says that he would feed the animals with his body.
David on the other had is mad that this “uncircumcised Philistine” would dare to curse God or his people. Leviticus 24:16 – “Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.”[2] Whoever curses or blasphemes the name of God was to be stoned. This may be why David chose to attack the giant with the weapon that he did. David choose the sling and a stone for two reasons. One, that was the weapon that he was used to using. Secondly, he just may have remembered this passage of Scripture.
When Things Appear Insurmountable – A Solution Will Appear (vv. 45-51a)
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
(v. 45) “Then David said to the Philistine” – David’s words are not just for the Philistine, but for all the army to hear – they are missional words. It is a renewed call to depend upon the name of the living God. It is a proclamation that there is a God in Israel. It is a reminder that God has been faithful in the past, and He will be faithful today – for He does not change.[3]
Acts 3:6-7 “But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.”
David knows if he fights armor against armor, brute strength against brute strength, he will fail – so David allows a champion to go before him, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts.” There will never be a time when the world can unveil anything stronger than “the name of the LORD Almighty.” The world may have the spears, the javelins, and the shield-bearers but these are nothing compared to God who is over all things.
David says, “This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.” All he is carrying is five stones, a shepherd’s staff, and a sling. What is he going to cut his head off with? David doesn’t have so much as a pocket knife – God would provide what he needed.
David’s goal is not to defeat Goliath, but to defeat Goliath and the entire Philistine army! “Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.” David’s vision for his life goes beyond the giant that he is running towards, and sees the thousands standing behind the giant. God has the giant before, but our battles don’t stop.
(v. 47) “the LORD saves not with sword and spear” – There is still a God who saves, but He does it His way. The church cannot compete with the world, but the world cannot compete with the church. (Church and Disney Illustration).
David knew that while he would stand with only some stones and sling, he needed two others. “for the battle is the LORD’s.” David knew that in order to defeat Goliath and the entire Philistine army, he desperately needed the Lord to win the battle for him, David also needed the army standing behind him. “and he will give all of you into our hands.” (not my hands, but our hands)
We, like David, need these same two groups. We need God to guide us, to empower us, to strengthen us, to give us courage! And we need our church to fight alongside of us in order to beat the army.
It is in our grow groups that we are able to fight battles through reaching out to our neighbors, praying for each other and to share our life’s concerns. We need God’s people to surround us and help us to win the battle. You can find a list of our small groups at the welcome table and on the web site – get in one. We were not designed to stand alone.
David’s reason for defeating the whole Philistine army was so that “the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” David’s victory over Goliath is known the world over, they have heard of God’s working through the weak to defeat the powerful.
48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine rand took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it.
As the battle begins what we thought were advantages for Goliath actually are not advantages at all.[4] Something prevented Goliath from clearly seeing David until he drew close to him (impaired vision). He simply stood (which meant he was resting or sitting); while David moved quickly around, Goliath moved slowly because of his heavy armor (over 100 pounds). Goliath even says, “Come to me.”
David’s sling (a leather strap with a pocket in the center) and a tennis ball sized stones gave him the ability to attack at great distances (up to over 100 yards) at a rotation of 6-7 spins per second; All of Goliath’s weapons are for close range combat. Our interpretation of the situation is all wrong.
In ancient times armies typically had three main sections. Cavalry, heavy infantry, and projectiles or slingers. It was like the game of rock paper scissors. The archers or slingers could defeat heavy infantry, but calvary moved too quickly for them to aim, up close heavy infantry beat archers or slingers, with long pike infantry can stand up cavalry, etc. we see an example of this in Judges 20:16 “Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.”
Goliath was prepared to fight a battle as he had always fought battles. He expected to fight one-on-one close quarters, as heavy-infantry, where he assumed he had the advantage. Goliath had won many battles fighting man-to-man in armor in close quarters, . . .
“he could no longer conceive of any alternate armament; and he believes that this armament was invincible. He feels assured that any Israelite who has the hardihood to accept his challenge will likewise be a spearman armed cap-a-pie, and that any such competitor in his own panoply is bound to be his inferior.”[5]
But what happens if we change how we fight the battle? “Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness.”[6]
The story of David and Goliath is typically described as a small person fighting a big person, against all odds, overcoming the impossible. But it could also be a story of a zealous person, changing the rules, using his advantage (what he knows), and seeing the massive weaknesses of his enemy.
The enemy of this world is a defeated foe. He knows his days are numbered, and Satan eventually will be cast into a lake of fire – so he wants to pull as many people as possible with him. He has since the beginning tried to corrupt the creation of God. When this world seems overwhelming, and life is at its darkest – remember it may not always be as it seems. The hard road you are on now, may be your greatest strength tomorrow.
Go back to Saul sitting in his tent; he feels hopeless. He is the king of the Israelite army, “the army of the living God.” Yet he can’t see past his own armor. He is dependent upon something other that God’s protection. Ultimately, this is what it means to be a follower of God – either you depend upon yourself, or you depend upon God. When the problems come, do you reach for the armor to strap on, or do you cry out to God for your protection.
David already knew how the battle would, go “I will strike you down and cut off your head.” Vision can be defined as being able to see what should be done, developing a strategy, and having the courage to do it. Change to way things are done. Overthrow the tables. Do the unexpected. Turn the world upside down.
It was typical to prove the enemy was dead, the victor would strip the enemy of his weapons, and decapitate the opponent. David was giving undeniable proof that Goliath was dead.[7]
When Things Appear Unbelievable – Stop “Going through the motions” (vv. 51b-58)
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. 55 As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56 And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” 57 And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
1 Samuel 17:20 “And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry.” Do you think that the shouts were the same? No way, the first shout was a shout of going through the motions, the first shout was when they were standing still.
The second shout was one given on the run, chasing the enemy. The second shout was one filled with the excitement of a victory! A shout of God moving forward with them. They chased the Philistines for over 10 miles, shouting!
This morning when you worshipped the Lord in song, was your shout to the Lord one of going through the motions? Are you spiritually standing still or are you running forward. The two cries to the Lord are not the same.
When you have your quiet times, is your time just going through the motions – or when you lift your song to the Lord is it is a victorious cry, is your shout one filled with victory in the Lord’s name?
It was one little shepherd boy’s faith that drew an army forward and caused another army to run in fear. That whole battle was changed by one person. Don’t wait for someone to come to you to see what you could be doing in the church, you step out from the line and say “hand me a stone.” You step in front of the line and say “I will fight the enemy.” “In the Lord’s name I will defend his army!”
“and he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.” If David looked silly with Saul’s sword around his waste, how much more with Goliath’s sword. But would you have said anything to him?
“The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.” 57 As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head . . .” Do you remember Saul’s words to David? “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy.” The king had told him that he could not do it, but here David stands with Goliath’s head in his hand. David never said anything – he just held the head.
Later David will have to run from Saul because he desired to kill him, 1 Samuel 22:10 “Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him [David]; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” David would carry Goliath’s sword for most of his life. The sword was bigger than life, and it would always be a reminder to David of God’s deliverance. Everywhere we went people would have seen the sword and known that this was the Giant slayer.
Saul asks “Whose son are you, young man?” in other words he is asking, “Whose are you?” This morning if someone were to ask “whose child are you?” What would you say? God created you, and He has a plan for your life. He desires to make you his child. But there is something that separates us from Him. It is our choice to rebel and turn form His ways – the Bible calls this sin.
It is like the Grand Canyon with man on one side and God on the other, no matter how hard to jump, you will never be able, in your own strength to get across. God in his love has provided a bridge across the divide. Jesus died on the cross, and God took sins penalty off of us and placed it upon His Son.
He did this as a free gift. This morning if you would like to receive this gift, to be forgiven of all of your sin, and to become His child you can say a prayer something like this:
“Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins, I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior.” In Jesus’ Name
If someone were to ask you – “whose child is this,” what would you say?
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[1] Robert D. Bergen, The New American Commentary, 1 & 2 Samuel (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman and Holman Publishing, 1996) 195.
[2] Bergen, 195.
[3] Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation, First and Second Samuel (Louisville, Kentucky; John Knox Press, 1990) 132.
[4] Reagan and Mondale presidential debate, where sitting president Reagan’s age was brought up, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPu1UIBkBc
[5] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 2 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1982) 979.
[6] Malcom Gladwell, David and Goliath (New York, New York; Little, Brown and Company, 2013) 6.
[7] Bergen, 197.
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