Outline:
Who is this man?
Mark 1 - He is the Son of God.
Mark 2 - He is Lord of the Sabbath.
Mark 3 - He is the King of the Church.
Mark 4 - He is God Over All.
Mark 5 - He is the Potentate of Life.
Mark 6 - He is the Sovereign Judge.
Mark 7 - He is the Searcher of Hearts.
Mark 8 - He is the Christ.
Why has He come?
Mark 9 - He Came to Teach Us to See the Kingdom Rightly.
Mark 10 - He Came to Give His Life as a Ransom for Many.
Mark 11 - He Came to Announce Judgment as Anointed of God.
Mark 12 - He Came to Be the Cornerstone.
Mark 13 - He Came to Inaugurate the New Covenant Era.
Mark 14 - He Came to be Betrayed and to Suffer.
Mark 15 - He Came to be Crucified.
Mark 16 - He Came to Win.
Welcome to
part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)
(603) 772-7479
Sunday School
for all ages - 9:30 AM,
Sunday Worship
- 10:30 AM, Sermon Discussion at 6 PM
Sixteen Sermons on Mark's Gospel
Message Fourteen:
August 31, 2003
by Rev. Stephen C. Magee
Sermon: “He Came to be Betrayed and to Suffer”
TEXT: Mark 14 (page 685 of pew Bibles)
Introduction: Something Beyond the Glory of Creation
You do not have to be a
Christian to have some appreciation of the glory of the world that we have been
given. You just have to be a human
being. There is a glory that is visible
to the human eye, a glory that is evident as we gaze upon the vastness of the
ocean, or the evening skies, or consider the mountains and streams, or see the
variety of the creatures around us, and the wonder of human life. These things
can be seen, at least to some extent, by all, and it should be appreciated by
all.
I think it is also true that much of what we have seen
throughout Mark’s gospel, particularly in the early chapters, could have been
appreciated to some degree by all honest observers. A sick woman is healed. A man who had leprosy is suddenly no longer a
leper. Another man, who can’t walk,
takes up his mat and goes home. A man
with a withered hand has that hand restored.
A dangerous man who lives in a cemetery is now in his right mind. A little girl who died is alive. Thousands are fed with a few loaves and fish,
and there is much more left over in scraps than was there in the first
place. And many, many other things were
done that were glorious before-and-after wonders. There was a “before”; there
came an “after” – undeniable facts that could be seen by honest observers, just
as surely as the glorious vastness of the ocean is real and observable.
But there is another glory that can only be seen by
faith. This “glory” is found in the
suffering and death of Christ. These
events have great meaning. I invite you
to consider this suffering this morning, and know that though it was performed
through treachery and hatred, it was also for the glory of God, and for the
salvation of all who would believe.
THE PASSAGE:
The Chief Priests and Scribes
In discussing
this passage, I want to talk about four parties that believe that Jesus is
going to die. The passage begins with
the first of these parties – the religious leaders. We read of the malice of the Chief Priests
and Scribes who are seeking a safe way to kill Jesus. This is not a plan that they suddenly
devised. They have been considering it
for some time, and they are confident that they will be able to execute it. They just want to do it at a time when the
risk of disrupting the status quo is contained.
Mary of
The religious
leaders are not the only ones who are confident that the death of Jesus is
coming. A woman, unnamed here, but
apparently Mary of Bethany, according to John’s gospel, anoints Jesus. This is done as a testimony of faith. She has heard Jesus say that He will die, and
she is saying in this act, “I believe you.”
The disciples do
not appreciate her action. The costly
testimony of faith seems like a great waste to them. Jesus corrects them in their assessment, and
in doing this He lifts up her prophetic act, and we see something
glorious. He says “wherever this gospel
is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a
memorial to her.”
What a
statement! Remember that “gospel” means
“good news.” Mary is anointing His body
for burial. He is going to die. But this death is going to be good news. In fact, this death is going to be such good
news, that it will not be contained by the borders of Judea, or by the region
of
One woman sees
something of the glory of Jesus that is beyond the working of miracles. Everyone can see a withered hand made whole,
if they are at all honest. But not
everyone can see the glory of this. That
requires faith, and Mary testifies here that she believes.
Judas
Moving to the
third party, there is someone who should surely believe that Jesus is going to
be betrayed, since he will be the betrayer.
He is Judas, and here in Mark 14 he makes his move. He goes to the chief priests, and is promised
money for his services. They were very
glad about this, because they do not wish to arrest Jesus in an open place
where a crowd of supporters might cause a disturbance. Judas will be the close companion who can
lead them to Jesus in a private place.
Jesus
The final party who knows that Jesus will suffer and die
is the Lord Jesus Himself. He instructs
His disciples to make the necessary preparation for the final Passover feast,
knowing that He will be the willing Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the
world. This is what makes the death of
Christ glorious and worthy of proclamation to the ends of the earth as good
news. Jesus will save His people from
their sins.
He will give His
body and His blood for us. The chief
priests, the Scribes, the Pharisees, Judas, Peter, and the disciples will all
have their part to play, but Jesus will be the bread of life for us. His sinless atoning blood will take away the
wrath of God against us for our sin.
Those who repent and believe will have a cup of blessing, through His
perfect sacrifice for us.
And everyone
else will scatter. Judas will betray Him
with a kiss. All of the disciples will
run away. A young follower, probably
Mark, the author of this gospel, will run away naked. Better to let them get his cloak than to face
the danger of being taken away with Jesus.
Jesus will face the religious authorities who will assemble against Him
by night. He will hear the false
accusations of witnesses who cannot agree.
He will be declared a blasphemer when He tells the truth that He is the Christ
– Messiah, the Great “I AM,” and the Son of the Blessed One, who will sit at
the right hand of power, and will come again on clouds of glory. He who had no sin will be declared
guilty. People will spit at Him, and
punch Him, and slap Him. And the key man
who He has been working with for these three years – the leader He has been
teaching and loving – strong Peter, will deny Him three times. What a night!
And there will
be more. More indignities – and finally
there will be death and burial. But
there will then come the resurrection.
All of this was planned. All of
it was known by the Father and the Son.
All of the suffering was horrific, and yet – all of it was, in a sense,
glorious for those who believe that the requirements of God’s justice can be
satisfied through the death of a perfect Lamb.
Not by the strength of men…
Mark 14 tells us
the story of part of the suffering of Jesus Christ for us. He knew what this was all about. In the
middle of the chapter, in verse 36, He says this in a prayer to God His Father. “Abba, Father, all things are possible for
You. Take this cup away from Me;…” Do you understand what is happening
there? This is a request from the Divine
Son to the Divine Father. The Son knows
that this suffering will be horrible. He
understands what this death will be.
“Take this cup away from Me;…”
But the prayer continues with these words. “…nevertheless not what I will, but what You
will.” What is this all about? Take this suffering from Me, but not at the
expense of Your glorious plan to extend mercy to guilty sinners. Your glory must be first. Your glorious choice is for both mercy and
justice. If there is any other way
to achieve mercy and justice for Your sheep, please do it. But if Your glorious will requires My
suffering, then what You will, be done.
Jesus is the
Messiah. He knows what is happening
here. There is no other way for God’s
glory and for our salvation. It can not
be accomplished by the strength of men.
They must all fall away. They are
sinners in need of atonement. Only God,
through His Son, can provide atonement.
The
He Came to be
Betrayed and to Suffer.
APPLICATION:
Redemptive Suffering
We live in a world with much suffering, but there is
something different going on in Messiah’s glorious suffering. This suffering is, in the fullest sense of
the word, redemptive. This suffering,
and the death that will come in chapter 15, frees us from the prison house of
sin. We were locked up in it. There was no hope for us. God stood against us in His holy and right
wrath. There was no one strong enough to
liberate us.
But the suffering of Jesus is such good news – tidings
that all the world must hear – because through this suffering salvation has
come. Through this suffering, an
insufferable burden has been lifted. It
was more than we and all who went before us could bear.
This suffering
is different from ours, but through this suffering we are given great aid in
our trials. What is the biggest trial
that you have faced in recent days, or that even now plagues your heart and
mind, perhaps making it hard to even consider my words this morning? What is that challenge that you have had to
face, or that worst trial that you fear?
Look at Jesus as He suffers in Mark 14 in the garden for you. Look at Him as He is betrayed through the
lips of His companion. Look at Him when
false witnesses accuse, and powerful men declare Him deserving of death. Look at Him when Peter says, “I do not know
this man.”
Here is One who
understands your suffering. I want to
understand your suffering, but I have not faced everything you have faced. Others in the church will be able to comfort
you better because they know what you have been through. We understand this instinctively on a human
level. We sense insensitivity. But now, this morning, look to Jesus in His
suffering. Look at the One who suffered
your hell to bring glory to the Father and to free you. Look to Him and be comforted. He knows what you are going through.
No Other Way
Let us, this morning, receive the Spirit of Grace and be
comforted through the suffering of our Savior for us. And let us never belittle His great work by
suggesting that there could have been some other way by which sinful man could
be saved. Our law-keeping or our
generosity could not save us. Our words
or our baptisms could not save us. Other
religions, other gods, other spiritualities, and other faiths could not save
us. Only Christ could save us, and only
through His suffering and death for us on the cross as the sinless substitute
for sinners. Otherwise, when He cried
out to His Father in the garden for another way to achieve the desired glory
within the bounds of God’s perfect will, God might have then said, “Certainly,
there are many ways to heaven.” But the
Father did not say this. It was
necessary for Christ to suffer for us.
Conclusion:
The Glory of the Cross
Not everyone can
see this. Everyone should be able to see
the glory of the oceans and the skies.
Every honest observer could have seen the glory of the healing of a
leper. But not everyone can see the
glory of the cross.
I recently read
a biography about John Adams and three of his descendants. One of those descendants was his son John
Quincy Adams, who kept diaries over many, many years.
He saw what the
Bible said, but he could not see it as true and lovely. Do you see it as true and lovely? Do you see it as “good news?” Let the good news of the wounding of the
sacred head of Jesus Christ for sinners fill your heart this morning with love
and joy. Repent and believe and follow.
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