The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura

Sermon: Buried Alive (Mark 15:40-47)

Buried AliveSunday, September 8th, 2024Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 15:40–47
40There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
41(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
42And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
43Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counseller, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
44And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
45And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
47And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.
Prayer
Father, we thank you for the devotion of your saints, of Joseph of Arimathea, of Mary Magdalene and the other women who beheld where Christ was laid. And we thank you for teaching us by their example how to adorn your body, with fine linen, with sweet spices, and with the pleasing fragrance of love and good works. Grant us to put on the righteousness of saints, for we ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Introduction
Every Sunday we confess in the Nicene Creed that Jesus Christ “suffered and was buried.” Here in our passage this morning, Mark supplies for us the real inspired and historical basis for that confession, and with it he also introduces a brand-new group of disciples who we have yet to meet in his gospel thus far, namely female disciples.
And so there are three questions I want us to consider in this sermon as we contemplate the burial of Jesus.
Why does Mark wait until now to introduce these female followers of Jesus?
What is the significance of Joseph of Arimathea?
Where is Jesus while his body is laying in the tomb?
Q1 – Why does Mark wait until now to introduce these female disciples?
We are told in verse 41 that these women had followed Jesus and ministered to him when he was in Galilee.
In Luke 8:2-3 we read likewise that, “certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, ministered unto him of their substance.”
And so from early on in Christ’s ministry Jesus had female followers who gave him financial/material support. But if that is the case, why does Mark wait until now (at the very end of the book) to mention them? What is significant about this moment that warrants bringing these women into the foreground?
There are few reasons but let me give you just one reason that is primary:
And that is because these same female disciples will be the first to witness Christ’s resurrection.
As we will see next week, these women will come again to Christ’s burial site, find the stone rolled away, and an angel will announce to them, “Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.”
So unlike The Twelve, who were scattered and ran away, and who did not believe what Jesus had told them, that he must suffer and die and on the third day rise again, unlike The Twelve, these women stay at the cross and watch.
And because they stayed and kept watch (even from a distance), they become key eyewitnesses to the most important event in human history. The death of Jesus, the burial of Jesus, and the empty tomb.
And so keeping with Mark’s love for irony, he has reserved until now, to show forth that the woman’s deception which began in the garden, is undone by beholding and following Christ.
Whereas Eve was deceived by the serpent and as it says in Genesis 3:6, “the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,” here now these women, these daughters of Eve, behold something far more glorious than the forbidden fruit.
They see through the veil of Jesus’ flesh, an open door welcoming them back into paradise.
Eve desired the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and here these women find a better tree. The cross of Christ, and the One in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found (Col. 2:3).
And so Mark shows for us here, the redemption of the female sex. And rather than Eve sharing the forbidden fruit (her sin) with Adam, God in his providence has so ordained that these women are first to share now the knowledge that saves, the good news of the risen Lord with their fellow male disciples.
This is the infinite wisdom of God at work, who remembers His promise, and who does not forget any narrative thread, and who as the Author of all history has a sweet and glorious resolution for all those who love him.
Do you believe this? Are there threads in your own life that feel broken, frayed, unresolved, or unresolvable.
It says in Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes (when the dream is fulfilled), it is a tree of life.”
Whatever hopes you have that have been deferred, God wants you to give those hopes to Him, and for you to make Him your supreme hope.
For as it says in Romans 5:5, the hope of the glory of God “does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given unto us.”
And so while God does not promise to make you understand in this life all the reasons for Him doing what He does (and permitting what He permits), the cross teaches us that He can be trusted to work out evil for good.
God can be trusted to take the seeds of your unfulfilled dreams and your hopes that have been deferred and to bury them with Christ so that in due time, they shall rise again transfigured and better than you could have ever hoped or imagined.
This is what God has promised to those who love him.
And so we learn from these female disciples to cling with love and holy devotion to Christ, even when it appears that all is lost. Even when it seems like God is dead. His body is buried. The bride of Christ knows the truth.
In the words of Job 19:24-27, “I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
Does your heart yearn for God? Because this is the love that cannot be awakened too soon. Stir it up. Nourish it. Treasure His truth and His promise so that when you descend into the grave, living hope abides within you.
This is what the burial of Christ teaches us. There is nowhere that you or I can go, that Christ has done not already gone and lit up with his glorious power. The bands of death cannot hold him, because as true man He is also true God.
Now the women of course do not comprehend this all yet, but they exemplify by their presence at the tomb, what the bride of Christ ought to do. And in a similar way Jospeh of Arimathea is also an example for us.
Q2 – What is the significance of Joseph of Arimathea?
First of all, who was this man?
Mark tells us in verse 43 he was, “an honourable counseller, which also waited for the kingdom of God.”
By honorable counsellor is meant that he was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the same judicial body that had just condemned Jesus to death.
And so while it is possible that Joseph was in attendance at that trial when Christ was convicted, Luke tells us explicitly that, “He had not consented to their decision and deed. [and that he was] a good and just man.”
In Matthew’s account, he adds that Joseph was also a “rich man.”
And so again, this is an unexpected person to find at the most crucial moment in the story.
Joseph is rich, Joseph is a member of the Sanhedrin, Jospeh is in the Jewish aristocracy of which Christ has been a vocal critic of.
In John’s gospel we are given even more information when he says, “And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus” (John 19:38).
So Joseph was a secret disciple. He was afraid of publicly identifying with Jesus lest he lose his position and status amongst the Jews.
Like Nicodemus, who also appears at Christ’s burial (in John’s account), these are men of whom it says in John 12:42-43, “Among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”
This is the temptation of the rich and powerful. And it is one of the reasons why it is so hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. The rich have so much more to lose than those in the lower classes.
And so it is all the more impressive when such a man risks his own life and wealth and status to bury the body of Jesus.
Mark highlights this for us when he says Joseph “went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.”
The crucifixion of Christ has changed something in Joseph. For him the death of Christ has not made him more afraid like the disciples had become, instead it has had the opposite effect. He who formerly craved and desired the praise of men, now comes boldly before Pilate’s throne, craving the body of Jesus.
And so here again we have an example to imitate. If you would desire to see the kingdom of God, you must be willing like Joseph to risk your job and status and wealth and life to have the body of Christ.
This is how as it says in 1 John 4:18, “perfect love casts out fear.”
When your desire to please God and be approved of by Him exceeds all other loves and all other approval, then your fear of man is extinguished.
The degree to which your love for God burns with zeal, to that same degree your fear of death and your fear of loss is removed.
For as Paul says, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. This is what the death of Christ changed for Joseph of Arimathea, and it is what the death of Christ should stir up in you.
If Jesus gave up heaven to have you, how can you not give up your sorry life on earth to have the One who is Heaven?
This is how the rich man enters the kingdom of God. This is how God brings the camel goes through the eye of a needle; He makes Christ to bear our sins and pass through the eye of death.
Summary: Now another important aspect of this burial account is that it proves that Jesus really died. In case there was any doubt that Jesus was truly man, and that he truly suffered and died on the cross, the gospels supply multiple witnesses (men and women) to confirm that he had no pulse.
In verse 44 we read that Pilate himself marveled that Jesus was dead so soon. And so he asks the Centurion to confirm this.
And so lest anyone doubt the true death of Jesus, we have it confirmed by both Jews and Romans, men and women, by those hostile to Christ and those who loved him, that Jesus really died and was buried. The burial further proving that such death took place. For no human mere being could survive all of this.
And so before we consider the resurrection next week, let us consider our third and final question which is…
Q3 – Where is Jesus while his body is laying in the tomb?
Recall what we said last week about the hypostatic union, or the mystery of the Incarnation. Namely that because Jesus is God, and he is One divine person with Two distinct natures, fully man and fully God, therefore,even when Christ’s body is separated from his soul (he was truly dead), that dead body was never and could not be separated from the Son of God.
Put another way, because the union of the two natures (human and divine) takes place at the level of the Person (the eternal Word), and because that Divine Person has “life in Himself” (John 5:26), therefore, the union of Christ’s flesh to His Person cannot be severed. Even in death, Christ is alive!
This is how death is swallowed up by life. Through this unbreakable union between His flesh and His Person, Jesus can say things like:
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).
Or in John 10:18, “No one takes my life from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.”
So while his soul was severed from his body, his body was never severed from His Person.
And so returning to our original question of “Where is Jesus while his body is in the tomb?” To this we can give three answers:
1. First, according to his flesh, Jesus is dead. His lifeless corpse rests in Joseph’s tomb and the prophesy of Isaiah 53:9 comes to pass which says, “And he made his grave with the wicked, And with the rich in his death.”
And it is in this sense and in this sense alone (!) thatcan we say, “God died.”
Paul speaks this way in Acts 20:28 when he says, “feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
The Divine Essence has no blood, God has no body that you can cut or wound, except according to the human nature of the Son.
And so Jesus truly died, and that meant his lifeless corpse rested in the tomb. But of course, that’s not the whole story.
2. Second, we can also say that according to his human soul/spirit, Jesus is alive, he descends into hell, and he is in Paradise.
How can all three of those things be true?
First, the human soul by definition is immortal. And so even when we die, and our soul is separated from our body, our soul does not disappear or go out existence, but rather our soul goes into one of two spiritual places, either heaven or hell.
And so when Christ descended into hell, he did not go into the fiery burning place (Greek: Gehenna) where souls are damned and punished, he went to what in Hebrew is called Sheol and in Greek Hades, which had a good side and a bad side, and everyone prior to Christ’s death went down to this Sheol/Hades/Hell.
For example, David says in Psalm 16:10, speaking of Christ, “For You will not leave my soul in hell (Heb: Sheol, Greek: Hades), nor will you allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”
Likewise, we see other righteous men (believers) speak of going down into Sheol at death.
Jacob says in Genesis 37:35, “For I will go down into the grave (Sheol) unto my son mourning.”
The preacher in Ecclesiastes 10:9 says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave (Sheol), whither thou goest.”
The Psalmist says again and again things like, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol: (Ps. 49:15).
So the place of Sheol/Hades/Hell is often used as a metaphor for death and what happens at death. And prior to the resurrection of Christ, everyone’s soul went down into Sheol.
The bad/reprobate went to the bad side of Sheol, which we might call Gehenna, while the good/saved went to the good side of Sheol which is often called “Abraham’s bosom.” It gets that name from Jesus teaching in Luke 16.
Two men die and are buried, a rich man, and a poor beggar named Lazarus. And it says this in Luke 16:23-26, “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
And so when Jesus died, his soul went down to Sheol, but it went to the Abraham’s bosom side of Sheol to bring all the souls of the faithful into Paradise (which is the beatific vision of God). And this is how Christ’s words to the thief on the cross are fulfilled, “today you will be with me in Paradise,” because the death of Jesus opens the door to Paradise for Old Testament believers.
And now for us who live on this side of the resurrection, believers are always said to go up to heaven when we die instead of down to Sheol.
Summary: Christ’s soul went down to hell, not to suffer (His work was already finished on the cross!), but to announce his triumph and victory to lead captivity captive. For as it says in Ephesians 4:9-10, “(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
Finally, there is a third answer to this question, “Where is Jesus while his body is laying in the tomb?”
3. And that answer is, Jesus according to His divine nature is everywhere. For as it says in Jeremiah 23:24, “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.”
So as one who is fully God, Jesus is ever and always omnipresent according to his divinity. He is the one in Whom all things are sustained in existence (Col. 1:17), and as Paul also says in Acts 17:28, “in him we live, and move, and have our being.”
And so this means that even when Jesus’ body is severed from his soul, the very tomb in which his dead body was laid is at the same moment, being held together by His divine power.
There is no place that anyone can go, body or soul, to escape God’s presence. For our very existence itself is efficiently caused by God, and it is Christ the Eternal Word from the Father who holds all things together.
There is no escaping God.
Conclusion
And so let these three answers to “Where is Jesus?” become the great comfort and life of your soul.
Because if death could not separate Christ’s body from His Person, then as Paul says in Romans 8, “nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our lord.”
May God seal up this truth in your heart.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen.

Sermon: Wisdom, Truth, and Silence (Mark 15:16-39)

Wisdom, Truth, and SilenceSunday, September 1st, 2024Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 15:16–39
16And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.
17And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
18And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
19And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.
20And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.
21And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
22And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
23And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.
24And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
25And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
26And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
28And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
29And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
32Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
33And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
39And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
Prayer
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned every one to his own way;
And You O Father, have laid upon Christ the iniquity of us all.
Heal us by his stripes, cleanse us by his wounds, for we ask this in the name of the great physician of our souls, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Introduction
In Proverbs 29:20, Solomon says, “Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” And then elsewhere he says, “A fool’s voice is known by his many words” (Eccl. 5:3), and “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking…” (Proverbs 10:19).
Many words, spoken in haste, are a recipe for much sin. How many of us have spoken in ignorance, many things we wish we could take back?
Well here as we come to the climax of Mark’s gospel, which is the center of human history and the hinge upon which the whole world turns, we see that the time for words is over.
In these 39 verses that describe the crucifixion, many words are spoken, but on the whole, they come from the mouths of fools.
For example: In verses 16-20, a band of Roman soldiers mock and beat and spit upon our Lord, hailing him in jest as “King of the Jews.”
A little later we find two thieves or rebels, who are crucified with Jesus, one on his left, and one on his right, and they also revile him.
And then there are the passersby, the common folk, the crowds, who also rail against him saying, “save thyself, and come down from the cross.”
And then last you have the chief priests, who have finally gotten what they want, and they mock him and goad him saying, “He saved others, himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”
Many, many, words spoken in haste, uttered in ignorance by the mouths of fools.This is what Jesus who is divine truth who is divine wisdom, endured for six long hours upon the cross.
Now if we gather together from all four gospels the words that Jesus spoke from the cross, there are only seven sayings recorded. And in Mark’s account, Jesus has only one thing to say, and he only says it at the very last hour (the 9th) just before he dies, he says, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Those are the only “red letters” in Mark’s account of the crucifixion.
And then it is only after he dies, that we hear a true word spoken from someone other than Jesus, and who does it come from? Not from a disciple. Not from a Jew. It comes from the mouth of a Roman centurion, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”
This is the whole purpose of Mark’s gospel which he laid out in the beginning: To make us to believe and to say by the end of it, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Do you believe this? And will you confess this before a world that hates you even as it hates Christ?
You see the way that Mark intends for you and I to not only believe that Jesus is the son of God, but also to find the courage to be unashamed of that confession, is not mainly by hearing Jesus’ teaching. For in fact, Mark has omitted most of Jesus’ sermons that we find in Matthew, Luke, and John. Mark’s focus is elsewhere.
Mark’s focus is upon the actions of Jesus, and here especially he wants to lift our gaze to behold like the centurion, Christ suffering in silence upon the cross. Here more than anywhere else “actions speak louder than words.”
There is a time for speaking the truth loud and clear, and then there is a time for sealing up what you have taught in blood. This the son of God perfectly shows.
Christ teaches us how to live, and Christ teaches us how to die. And here by his example we are taught to do both.
Outline of the Sermon
The outline of the sermon is as follows:
First, we will look at the Prelude to the Crucifixion.
And then we will observe what takes place at the beginning, the middle, and the end of Christ’s crucifixion, or as Mark has it: the third hour, the sixth hour, and the ninth hour.
Those are the three moments that Mark explicitly mentions and so we’ll consider what happens at each.
So starting with the Prelude…
Prelude & Context
Recall that it is the day after the Passover and the first day of the Passover feast, which is called the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Jesus was arrested in the middle of the night, he wascondemned by the Sanhedrin, and then at first morning light (say 6am), he was interrogated by Pilate, sent to Herod, sent back to Pilate, where he was ultimately sentenced to be scourged and crucified.
And so in verses 16-24 Mark gives us the prelude: Jesus is dressed up like a king, given a purple/scarlet robe, crowned with thorns, Hailed as king, and worshipped falsely.
And as usual, we see here Mark’s love for irony. All of these actions are what these soldiers ought to do in truth if Jesus is who He says He is.
If Jesus is the Son of God, then they ought to clothe him with the most expensive royal robes, they ought to crown with gold and precious stones, they ought to hail him and worship him truly as king of all creation. They should have done what the wise men did at Jesus’ birth. This is what is owed to Christ, and yet these soldiers jest and spit in the face of God.
And if sinful men are willing to do this to a perfectly innocent man, then we should not be surprised when they do this to us who desire to imitate Christ’s perfection.
For as Jesus says in Matthew 10:25, “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!”
So notice that from a human perspective living in the moment, this looks like the worst shame and dishonor a man could ever suffer. But from heaven’s perspective, this is the moment of Christ’s glory. The restraint and patience of Christ is here most honorable and admirable.
And so it is whenever you suffer shame for Christ’s sake.
Now after this theatre of mockery, Jesus eventually makes it to Golgotha/Calvary, and he is assisted by Simon of Cyrene who helps him carry the cross.
There are various theories as to why this Golgotha was named “The Place of the Skull.”
One legend is that the skull of Adam, the first man, was buried there. But that is doubtful unless Noah brought it with him on the ark.
Another theory is that this is where David buried Goliath’s head. And thus, the imagery is that Christ, the son of David is here crushing the skull of the serpent, the greater Goliath, sin, death, and the devil.
In either case, it is fitting that God should conquer death at a place so named.
Summary: So that is the long Prelude, and now we arrive at the beginning of the crucifixion.
Verses 25-32 – The Third Hour
25And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
26And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
28And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
29And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
32Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
In our reckoning, the third hour is roughly 9am, or three hours from when the sun rose.
And it is interesting that while Mark could have emphasized and foregrounded the physical agony that Jesus was in (he doesn’t even mention the nails in his hands and his feet), instead he emphasizes the cruelty and reviling of those around him.
First above his head reads the legal reason for his execution, that he is “King of the Jews.” And this of course is the way that Rome enforced Pax Romana. Peace by force. Peace by crucifying and making bloody examples of traitors.
Second, we see two actual traitors crucified with him, one on his left hand, and one on his right hand. And in these two thieves is signified the entire human race.
Adam stole the fruit from the tree. And here Jesus makes restitution for that theft and rebellion.
Of this repayment it says in Psalm 69:4, “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: They that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: Then I restored that which I took not away.”
What humanity stole, Christ restores.
We also have signified here that the cross is the throne from which God judges.
In Matthew 25:33 it says, “And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.”
And as we learn from Luke’s account, one of these rebels who at the third hour reviles Christ, later repents, and is told, “today you will be with me in Paradise.”
So you can either die unrepentant like the rebel on the left, or you can die with faith, hope and love in your heart for Jesus, and have all your sins removed. You are going to die either way, so what kind of death shall you choose?
For those who believe, the cross becomes the throne of mercy where all our sins go to die.
As it says in Psalm 85:10, “Mercy and truth are met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; And righteousness shall look down from heaven.”
The cross is that meeting point between mercy and truth, between righteousness and peace. Between God and sinners. And those who look in faith to Jesus, shall see righteousness smiling down upon them from heaven.
In this sense, God’s judgment becomes our greatest hope.
So three hours go by, and in Mark’s account Jesus ears are filled with reviling. And then in verse 33 it says…
Verse 33 – The Sixth Hour
33And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
The sixth hour is what we would call noon. The time at which the sun shines brightest and highest in the sky. But this is no ordinary day. It is the day of the Lord. It is the day of judgment. It is the day spoken of and foretold by the prophets.
It says in Amos 10:9, “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, That I will cause the sun to go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in the clear day.”
Likewise in Zephaniah 1:14-15, “The great day of the Lord is near, It is near, and hasteth greatly, Even the voice of the day of the Lord: The mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of wasteness and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness…”
These oracles of God’s judgment upon the land are taken up and applied to the body of Jesus. For Jesus is the new holy land. Jesus is the new Israel. Jesus is the temple that must be destroyed in order to be rebuilt three days later. This is how Christ fulfills the Old Testament prophesies (by not saving himself he is able to save others!).
This is the moment that Psalm 88 describes when it says, “For my soul is full of troubles: And my life draweth nigh unto the grave…Loved one and friend You have put far from me, And my acquaintances into darkness.”
For three more hours it is darkness and silence. Mark tells us nothing of what happens during this time. And then finally in verse 34 we read…
Verses 34-39 – The Ninth Hour
34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
39And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
Here are the only words that Mark places on Christ’s lips. This is what wisdom and truth shouts from the darkness, the question, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
What is the meaning of this Why question?
First, let me give you the four incorrect interpretations you must avoid (if you don’t want to be a heretic).
1. The first error, which is the heresy of Arius, says that Jesus is a creature and not the eternal son of God in the flesh. And so for Arius, the created Word/Son replaced the soul in Christ, and so when Jesus says “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Arius interprets it as a proof that Word/Son is lesser than God, because he calls him“my God.”
2. The second error, is that of Nestorius, who said that the creature Jesus was indwelt by God according to grace (similar to how the prophets possessed the spirit of God), and therefore when Jesus cries “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” it is like a prophet lamenting the loss of the Holy Spirit’s presence in him.
Both of these errors make Jesus less than God, or turn him into two persons and not one, and therefore the Roman Centurion is a far superior theologian when he simply confesses in verse 39, “truly this man was the Son of God.”
3. There is a third error more common in evangelical circles which says that when Jesus died, the divine nature was severed from the human nature (in other words, the hypostatic union was destroyed on the cross).
But this misunderstands two things: 1) what human death is, which is the separation of the soul from the body, and 2) it misunderstands the nature of the hypostatic union or Incarnation.
The death of Jesus was his voluntary and willful separating of his soul from his body (he truly died!), but because Jesus is a divine person (he is fully God) even his dead body remained united to His Person, and it was this very union of his dead flesh to His Person that effected his resurrection three days later.
This is what Jesus is referring to when he says in John 10:18, “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.”
It was easier for Christ to lay down his life and take it up again, than it is for you and I to go to sleep and wake up again. Because Jesus is the Eternal Son of God. Even his dead body is an instrument of his power.
4. A similar and fourth error is that on the cross, the unity of the Trinity was “ruptured” when the Father “turns his face away” from the Son.
And this is one of those places where how you interpret a metaphor can either make you a heretic or keep you orthodox.
If you say there was a breach or rupture in the Trinity, you are contradicting what Scripture says everywhere about God’s essence, namely that He is One, that He is unchangeable, that is He is perfect, that He is omnipotent.
To posit that the death of Jesus “breaks” something in God’s essence is also to confuse the two natures of Christ.Remember, only Christ’s human nature dies (the soul is separated from the body), and his divine nature remains divine (perfect, invulnerable, etc.). The divine nature by definition cannot die, and therefore because the Son is wholly God, no such “rupture in God” is ever possible.
Alright, so there is a sampling of errors and heresies to avoid when thinking about Christ’s death and these words of dereliction, what then is the orthodox and correct interpretation of “My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?”
First notice that these words are a quotation from the opening line of Psalm 22. And if you read Psalm 22, you will see that it describes in vivid detail everything that Jesus is experiencing: the piercing of his hands and feet, the casting of lots to divide his garments, his being surrounded by bulls of Bashan, by wicked dogs, his heart being turned to wax, etc.
But how does Psalm 22 end? It ends with God ruling as king and all the nations bowing down to serve him.
Psalm 22:27-29 says, “All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive.”
And so Jesus has chosen these final words very carefully, because his death is the answer to the great Why question of human suffering. And his death is the explanatory path for how we go from feeling forsaken by God to worshipping at His feet.
So Jesus says “my God, my God” first,according to his true humanity and second as a spokesperson for the church who is his body, and in doing so he teaches us how to call upon God just like the psalmist did.
And then when he asks, “why have you forsaken me,” He is asking the Father, “why have you willed that I should be handed over to suffering, and that these men should be darkened?” Jesus of course knows the answer (according to both his human and divine knowledge), but he says this to teach us how to pray and talk to God in our suffering.
Or to put it another way, Jesus is asking on our behalf why God permits such evils to afflict our world. Why does God permit the righteous and innocent to suffer?
That is the great Why question that Psalm 22 and the death of Christ gives answer to. And Jesus wants to provoke that “problem of evil” with his dying breath.
So how does the death of Christ answer this question that Jesus poses?
Conclusion
When you or I feel forsaken by God, it is the most natural thing in the world to ask God, why? Where are you? Why have you abandoned me? That is where Psalm 22 starts.
And then depending on how long the darkness seems to prevail, and heaven seems to remain silent, our faith in God is tested.
This is where Christ upon the cross becomes the great hope and anchor of our soul.
Because first we see what we deserve as sinners (a painful and bloody death for our treason), and therefore however much physical pain we might be in, the pain we deserve is far greater. And further, while our sins deserve eternal punishment, everlasting pain and torment, the death of Christ means our pain as Christians is only ever temporary. It will not last forever!
Paul says in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
And in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 he says, “though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
So what makes our sufferings light and momentary (when they feel anything but) is our comparing them to 1) what our sins deserve (eternal conscious torment in this life and the next), and to 2) what Christ’s death has purchased for us (eternal conscious happiness beyond anything our heart could imagine).
The death of Jesus puts an exclamation mark and a deadline on all of our pain. And so when God permits the righteous to suffer, as the book of Job teaches, it is only to reward us more richly afterward. The pain is temporary, but God’s love is forever.
And so I close with the promise of Isaiah 54:7-8, “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the Lord, your Redeemer.”
May God show you this grace.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen.

Sermon: Pax Romana (Mark 15:1-15)

Pax RomanaSunday, August 18th, 2024Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 15:1–15
1And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.
2And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.
3And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.
4And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.
5But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.
6Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
7And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.
8And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.
9But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
10For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
11But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
12And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
13And they cried out again, Crucify him.
14Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
15And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
Prayer
O Father we desire to know more than anything Christ and him crucified. For here in this text, as we behold his passion, and his silence, and his scourging, we uncover a fountain of salvation that wells up in us to eternal life. Grant us your spirit in full, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
In John 14:27, just a few hours before Jesus was arrested, he told to his disciples the following: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
According to Jesus there are two kinds of peace. There is 1) the peace that comes from God which gives quiet to the heart, and then there is 2) the peace that the world gives which leaves the heart restless and afraid.
Here in our text we see these two kinds of peace on display.
In Jesus we behold the very peace of God which surpasses understanding. It makes Pilate to marvel.
And then in everyone else we see angst and fear and a striving for peace, but one that is willing to literally sacrifice God in order to get it.
Now at present, our world, and our nation, is hardly at peace. And most people are willing to admit that. The American Empire is as divided now as it has ever been. And this is because you cannot simultaneously worship different gods and be a unified people. What is true of individuals is true of nations, no man can serve to masters.
And so as we study this passage, and consider the different groups involved (the Jews, Pilate, Barabbas, etc.) I want you to think about how the same motivations that put Christ on the Cross, are at work in various groups today. Motivations that are at work even in your own heart if you live according to the flesh: envy, greed, fear, vainglory, anger, murder, etc.
All these spirits and more can be found in this scene. And then, in the middle of that storm of sin, in the eye of the hurricane as it were, is Jesus. Perfect. Tranquil. Serene. Peaceful.
And therefore, when Jesus says, “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives,” this is what he is referring to. You can have peace with God, and peace within your own soul, even when there is open hostility everywhere else. That is the peace that Jesus possesses and offers to all who will follow him.
Context
Remember the context of our passage.
Last week we saw that Jesus was first arrested and tried in the middle of the night by the highest Jewish authorities (the Sanhedrin). And while the verdict was pre-determined (Jesus must die), the Jews needed to find a charge that would stand up before Pontius Pilate.
This was because Rome alone possessed the death penalty (John 18:31), and so although the Jews considered Jesus’ crime to be blasphemy, they must translate this religious charge into one that Rome will accept as being worthy of death: treason or sedition.
And so we see here at the beginning of Mark 15, that thecouncil delivers Jesus to Pilate with the charge that he is “King of the Jews.”
The great irony here of course is that unlike all their false witnesses against him, this charge is true. But it is a true charge that they personally reject.
Jesus confessed this truth and more when the high priest asked him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” and Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
So starting in verses 1-2, let us begin our exposition.
Verses 1-2
1And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.
2And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.
We have here fulfilled the words of Micah 2:1-2 which says, “Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, Because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields and take them by violence, Also houses, and seize them. So they oppress a man and his house, A man and his inheritance.”
The Jewish authorities are greedy to plunder the man Jesus and his rightful inheritance (the world), and so they devise iniquity, they plot evil on their beds, and then straightway in the morning they consult to put Christ to death.
It was customary for Pilate to hear and try cases as soon as the morning light had dawned, and Mark will tell us a few verses later that Christ was crucified at the “the third hour,” which is what we would call (roughly) 9am in the morning.
So everything that happens between now and the crucifixion takes place between about 6am and 9am, sunrise and the third hour.
We see in verse 2 that Mark jumps straight into Pilate’s interrogation, “Art thou the King of the Jews?”
But we read in Luke’s account that just before this, “they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.”
So mingled with the true charge that Jesus is “King of the Jews” are still other false charges such as “forbidding to give tribute to Caesar.” Even here the Jews continue to twist the words of God and misrepresent his teaching.
Jesus’ response to Pilate is curious in that he says, “You have said so.”
Meaning, “I am the King of the Jews but not in the way that you or the Jews think.”
John’s account gives us the fuller conversation where Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
So yes, Jesus is King, and He is king of the Jews and the Romans and everyone else. But the source of his kingdom’s power is from above.
And so even Pilate’s lawful authority is only his insofar as God has ordained and permitted him to have it. And therefore, Pilate has it backwards. It is not Pilate who has authority over Jesus, but Jesus who has authority over Pilate.
As Jesus tells him in John 19:11, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.”
Continuing in verses 3-5, we see Jesus again silent before his accusers.
Verses 3-5
3And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.
4And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.
5But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.
The principle of wisdom that Jesus is employing here is that we speak truth to the ignorant but are silent to the obstinate.
If someone is genuine in their desire to know and they ask, we answer.
But if someone is asking and seeking only to refute us or argue with us, we can simply refuse to answer (we walk away).
For three years Jesus had taught openly so that the Jews might have their ignorance cured, and indeed many of them had their eyes opened and followed Jesus.
But this group of chief priests, scribes, and elders, rejected the light. In the words of Romans 1:21-22, “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…”
So this is the Sanhedrin, obstinate in their accusations, whereas Pilate is ignorant and willing to hear Jesus out.
In verses 6-11, Mark then describes a custom that Pilate attempts to use to pacify the crowd, but instead it backfires.
Verses 6-11
6Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
7And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.
8And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.
9But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
10For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
11But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
So recall that it is now the first day of the Passover feast, the feast of Unleavened Bread. And at Passover the Jews remembered how God had miraculously delivered them from oppression and tyranny in Egypt.
Now in the Jewish mind of the 1st century, who is Egypt? Rome. Who is Pharoah? Caesar.
And what we find in the history books (both biblical and secular) is that the Passover festival was an ideal occasion for Jewish revolts.
This was the time when Jerusalem was flooded with pilgrims, religious fervor was at its peak, and the whole nation was remembering how God had killed the firstborn sons of Egypt and delivered Israel as His firstborn son.
And in that atmosphere, it would be very easy to stir up insurrection against Rome and try to reclaim Jewish independence.
Much of their expectation for the Messiah was that He would be this kind of revolutionary figure who would restore their former glory.
And so by the time of Jesus it had become customary not only for Pilate to be physically present in Jerusalem for the feast, with a great military presence to keep an eye on things. But to also “throw them a bone” by releasing one prisoner to them.
You can imagine how this custom signifies different elements of both the Passover and the Day of Atonement rituals.
As Passover, a firstborn dies, and a firstborn goes free.
On the day of Atonement, one goat dies, and the other is released.
The high priest knew it was expedient that one man die for the nation. And Pilate knows he can release one prisoner and that scapegoat will buy him some peace until the next festival.
And so this debate between the Jews and Pilate is ultimately over which goat dies and which goat gets released.
There are already three men in custody awaiting crucifixion: Barabbas and what are probably his two associates, that we call “thieves.”
In Greek the word is λῃστής and in John 18:40 this same word λῃστής is used of Barabbas, “Now Barabbas was a robber (λῃστής).”
So Pilate already has some actual rebels to crucify, and because Barabbas is manifestly a murderous rebel, and Jesus is manifestly innocent, he forces the Jews to own the decision of who dies and who goes free. Pilate tries to abdicate, and the Jews are happy to take responsibility for Jesus’ death.
In Matthew’s account, Pilate washes his hands and says, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to it.” And then it says, “And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’”
In John’s account, the chief priests shout, “We have no king but Caesar.”
Those are shouts of actual blasphemy and actual idolatry, andthey are coming from the mouths of the Jews, who are supposed to be a light to the gentiles but have become even darker than they.
So despite Pilate’s knowledge that Jesus is innocent and the Jews are acting from envy, He does not have the backbone to do what is just and right in the eyes of God. Pilate opts for the false and surface peace of the world, instead of suffering the consequences of a Jewish riot on his watch.
So while the Jews are motivated by envy, Pilate is motivated by fear, by the optics, and the pressure of Pax Romana. Peace by force or whatever is politically expedient.
What was the result of this policy? The greatest injustice in human history. The only perfectly innocent man to ever walk the earth was crucified at his command. As we say in the Nicene Creed every Lord’s Day, “he suffered under Pontius Pilate.”
One bad decision can have many unintended consequences.
So the Jews, having chosen Barabbas instead of Christ, Pilate then asks what the sentence ought to be for Jesus. What will make them content?
Verses 12-15
12And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
13And they cried out again, Crucify him.
14Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
15And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
Notice that Pilate is now learning firsthand why Jesus was silent. Because there is no dialog, there is no negotiating with those intent on murder.
Pilate tries to reason with them. He appeals to Jesus’ innocence.
In Luke’s account we learn that Pilate even sent Jesus to Herod for examination, and Herod sent Jesus back finding nothing of guilt in him.
But for all this evidence in favor of acquitting and releasing Jesus, the mob prevails.
And why? Because as it says in verse 15, “And so Pilate willing to content the people,” had Jesus scourged and crucified.
If the governing principle for your decision making is how can I pacify the mob (this very loud person or vocal minority), you got another thing coming, and you certainly don’t belong in leadership. And yet this is how much of American politics operates.
Emotional bribes, actual bribes, and organized temper tantrums (a.k.a. “mostly peaceful protests”) until people get what they want.
This can happen on the macro level with nations and governments and groups of people. But it also happens every day at the personal level. Between husbands and wives, parents and children, bosses and employees, etc.
And this is why the first quality that God desires for a judge or ruler is that he “fears God,” and then also that he be “a man of truth, and [one who] hates covetousness” (Ex. 18:21).
David says likewise in 2 Samuel 23:3, “He that ruleth over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God.”
Pilate lacked the fear of God. Pilate lacked the knowledge of the truth. And although he could see the envy of the Jews, he has not the backbone to uphold justice. And therefore Jesus is handed over to be scourged.
A Roman scourging, unlike a Jewish disciplinary whipping, did not have a 40-lash limit. And while Mosaic law does not permit torture or crucifixion, the Romans had no problem with such cruel and unusual punishments, especially for rebels of the state. This was how Pax Romana was enforced.
Scourging was usually done with a leather cord that had pieces of bone or lead or glass on the ends and that cut into and tore off the flesh. And so it was not uncommon to die from the scourging.
The Jewish historian Josephus records one such scourging where a man was whipped until you could see his bones. He was essentially flayed alive.
And so however severe this scourging of Jesus may have been, he survived, but Isaiah 52:14 says he was marred beyond recognition, more than any man.
This is likely why Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the cross for Jesus. Because the scourging made carrying that crossbar physically impossible.
Now as much as that description of Christ being scourged can turn our stomach and make us want to turn away our face from his pain, it is in the very looking upon Jesus in agony here and upon the cross, that we find an infinite source of strength.
Conclusion
How do you endure your trials? You look at the trials of Christ.
How do you endure slander and misrepresentation, and the twisting of your words? You look at the holy silence of Jesus.
How do you not cave and compromise like Pilate did? You look at the steadfastness of Jesus the immovable rock.
How do you endure pain unto death (your own future passion narrative)? You think upon the scourging of Jesus’ flesh as it was torn off his back, and you believe Him when he says, “I did that for you. I did that because I love you and I want to give you my peace.”
The only way peace can be had between God and sinners, is for you to become a sinner no longer. You must become a saint. And that is what the death of Jesus Christ offers you. It gives you way to die to sin and rise again to newness of life.
It says in Romans 4:25, “[Jesus] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Faith is that looking upon Jesus and locking eyes with him. And when you are moved by His love to love Him in return, you receive what Philippians 4:7 calls, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, [which] will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
And so while the Jews were moved by envy, and Pilate by fear and ambition, Jesus is only and ever moved by love. Because love is God’s very nature. Love is God’s very essence. And therefore, whosoever is united to Love through love in the savior, has the promise of peace in this life, and perfect and everlasting peace in the next.
May God give you this peace that comes from His love. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: The Supreme Court of Heaven (Mark 14:53-72)

The Supreme Court of HeavenSunday, August 11th, 2024Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 14:53-72
53And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.
54And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
55And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
56For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
57And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
58We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
59But neither so did their witness agree together.
60And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
61But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
63Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?
64Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
65And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
66And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:
67And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
68But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
69And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
70And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
71But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
72And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
Prayer
Father, we thank you for the perfect and holy silence of Jesus, who held his peace before false accusations, and then was unashamed confess the truth, that He was and is ever shall be the great I AM. Grant us that same peace and courage as we bear witness to You in this hostile world. We ask this in Christ’s name, Amen.
Introduction
This morning, we come to the first of two trial scenes that will ultimately result in Christ’s crucifixion.
Here in our text Jesus is first tried and condemned by the highest Jewish authorities.
And then next week we will see Jesus tried and condemned by the highest Roman authorities.
And so the theme of this section in Mark is the contrast between justice and injustice, truth and falsity. And in Mark’s classic style, there is irony all the way through.
Last week we studied the contrast between the flesh and the spirit, and here that contrast continues as we see Jesus (full of the spirit) silent before his accusers, and then there is Peter (minding his flesh) who is loud and vehement in his denials of Christ.
So Mark tells this story in such a way as to contrast Jesus who stands firm before the highest earthly authorities, and Peter who wavers and cowers and hides before even the lowest servants, a young servant girl.
It says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” And here we see those two distinct spirits at work.
The carnal spirit of fear in Peter makes him afraid to lose his life.
Whereas in Christ, we behold the spirit of power and love and serenity in his face.
So that is the contrast Mark is drawing our attention to here. So let us walk through this text together and see how God might teach us to live unashamed of Christ and His Word.
Outline of the Text
There are three basic sections to our text:
1. In verses 53-59, Jesus is falsely accused.
2. In verses 60-65, Jesus speaks the truth and is condemned.
3. In verses 66-72, Peter denies knowing the Lord.
Verse 53
53And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.
Recall that Judas has just betrayed our Lord, and now they are escorting him from the garden of Gethsemane to the house of the high priest.
The high priest was Caiaphas, and we learn from John’s gospel that before going to Caiaphas’ house, they stop at Annas’ house, who was Caiaphas’ father-in-law.
It says in John 18:12-14, “Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.”
So whatever judicial proceedings may follow, the high priest as judge has already predetermined the verdict. Jesus is guilty. Jesus must die, and it’s just a matter of finding a charge that will stick.
Verse 54
54And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
So Mark toggles back to Peter, and again we learn from John’s gospel that John himself (who personally knew Caiaphas) tells the maiden at the door to let Peter into the courtyard (John 18:16-17).
And where do we find Peter? Trying to blend in. Warming himself at the fire of the ungodly.
This is the hour of darkness, when the light of the world is going to be snuffed out, and instead of joining the true light, the true God, as he goes to the cross, Peter opts for the warmth and fellowship and fire of the wicked.
Bad company ruins good morals, and it is this fellowship with the world that too often precedes apostasy.
Returning now to the trial…
Verses 55-59
55And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
56For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
57And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
58We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
59But neither so did their witness agree together.
So in spite of the council’s plans to manufacture a guilty verdict, they are unable to find two witnesses who can agree.
And this is typical of the self-righteous Pharisaic mindset, to attend closely to procedural details and the appearance of justice (having two witnesses), while at the same time ignoring the actual justice of the law.
This is the bureaucratic nanny state that we have made for ourselves in America. Suffocating and unjust laws, but all in the name of justice.
At the same time, because evil is ultimately unintelligible and irrational, it’s not surprising that these men who are plotting an unjust death sentence, are struggling to find witnesses that can agree.
It says in Proverbs 14:22, “Do not they err that devise evil?”
And in Proverbs 14:16-17, “the fool rageth, and is confident. He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly…”
So the Bible teaches that those who plan and devise evil make mistakes along the way. Even Satan, the ultimately criminal mastermind, destroyed his own kingdom by crucifying Christ.
This is why criminals get caught and thieves are fools. Because envy and anger blind the mind from thinking clearly. And so even the cleverest of the wicked is ultimately found out. Indeed “they err that devise evil.”
The closest they can come is to twisting the words of Jesus, where he says in John 2:19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” They reinterpret what Jesus said of “the temple of his body” (John 2:21), and they apply it to their literal sanctuary.
But despite being united in their evil intentions, this council is unable to make anything stick. Whatever charge they send to Pontius Pilate needs to stand up to Roman law, not just Jewish law, and they know that.
Remember, the Jews did not have authority to carry out the death penalty themselves. This was a power Rome reserved for itself, and so it was one thing to condemn Jesus to die for sabbath breaking, or heresy, or some religious law, but if Rome was going to execute Jesus, it had to be for something more serious like treason or sedition or the destruction of the sanctuary.
How then do you convict a perfect man? All you can really do is lie. You have to make stuff up. Except here even their lies don’t agree. And in this instance, Rome is keeping them honest. The fact that there is a higher power above them, forces Caiaphas to confront Jesus directly.
Verses 60-61a
60And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
61But he held his peace, and answered nothing.
Why does Jesus hold his peace? For at least two reasons:
1. Because Jesus knows what time it is.
It says in Ecclesiastes 3, “There is a time to be born, and a time to die…A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.”
And in this instance, Jesus is the wise man who knows Proverbs 23:9 which says, “Speak not in the ears of a fool: For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.”
And Proverbs 26:4 which says, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him.”
What could Jesus even say to these fools? Their mind is already made up, they already know what they want to believe, they don’t have ears to hear, and therefore anything he says can and will be used against him.
False accusations that don’t agree are their own refutation. What more can be said?
There are times when silence is perfect wisdom, and Jesus knows the time for silence and suffering has come. He is the sheep silent before his shearers as Isaiah prophesied.
2. Jesus holds his peace to teach us to do the same.
It says in Proverbs 13:3, “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.”
So we, like Jesus, must learn when to argue our case, when to defend ourselves, and when doing so would make us companions to fools. But how do you which situation is which?
As we said last week, these kinds of judgments cannot be made soberly if you are living according to the flesh, if you are governed by emotions and ego and carnal passions.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15, “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things…”
So to walk in the spirit is to imitate Christ, and there were times when Jesus had no problem starting arguments, ending arguments, offending his interlocutors, and refuting his opponents.
Jesus who is perfect love incarnate hurt people’s feelings for their good. There are times when giving offense is the best medicine. Faithful are the wounds of a friend.
And then there are other times when you should take a different course.
It says in Proverbs 11:17, “He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.”
Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:23, “foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do generate strifes.”
Summary: There is a time for teaching and arguing and defending oneself (a soft word turns away wrath), but then there is a timefor silence, and avoiding foolish controversies, and for patient endurance as you wait for God to vindicate you.
Jesus was facing a situation that is described well by Psalm 11:3 which asks,“If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do?”
In other words, when the courts of human opinion and the foundations of earthly civil justice are filled with fools and criminals, what is there to say?
The answer is given in the next verses of the psalm: “The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind Shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.”
This is how Jesus and the saints live when the foundations are destroyed: They look to the supreme court of heaven, to the LORD who sits in his holy temple, and who promises to stand up and vindicate the righteous.
This is what allowed Jesus to remain silent in this instance: it was the knowledge that Truth and that Justice would win out in the end.
And this is the same reason why we don’t take vengeance into our own hands. Because God sees all, and God shall judge. And so while silent before our adversaries, before false accusations and persecution, our hearts cry out to God for vindication. And God promises to hear those cries.
So outward silence for the saints means fervent prayer on the inside.
When earthly courts are stacked against us, we appeal to God’s throne on high, to the supreme court of heaven that one day shall overturn every false opinion and false judgment ever rendered.
Returning to our text, Jesus finally breaks his silence. And what does he break his silence to do? To reveal his true identity as Son of God and Son of Man.
Verses 61b-64
Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
63Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?
64Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
Here is the charge that will incriminate Jesus not only before the Jews but before Rome as well: Jesus claims to be king. Jesus claims to be God. Jesus is LORD. He is the great I AM.
That is the truth that gets Jesus crucified, because according to the laws of men, the very existence of such a person is both blasphemy and treason.
And in this sense, the Jews and Romans understood better than most American Christians the political implications of who Jesus is.
If Jesus is Lord, then Caesar is not.
If Jesus is God, then our laws must conform to His.
If Jesus is King and Creator, then we are his subjects whether we like it or not.
That is the claim that gets Jesus crucified, and it is that same claim that will continue to get us Christians in trouble with every wicked regime.
So how does the high priest respond to such a claim?
Verse 63 says, “the high priest rent his clothes,”
It’s interesting that Mark includes this detail because it says explicitly in Leviticus 21:10 that unlike the other priests, the high priest “shall not rend his clothes.”
And further, what does the rending of one’s garments signify?
For the king, to cut his garment was to cut up the kingdom.
For the priest, to tear his clothes was to tear up the priesthood.
Tearing of the clothes is a tearing of one’s office, station, and person.
And so what has the high-priest done? Unwittingly, he has spoken the truth that his office is going to be torn from him, just like the temple veil would be torn in two.
The high priests’ garments were like wearable version of the temple veil. God intended that the high-priest embody in himself the people of Israel in their priestly service before God’s throne.
And so this whole trial in the high priest’s house is a radical inversion of the Levitical priesthood.
The high priest was there to serve the Lord in the Lord’s house. And here the Lord incarnate is put on trial and accused of blasphemy in the high priest’s house.
So it is fitting that he tear his garments, for very soon his priesthood shall be deposed.
Continuing in verse 65 we see how the rest of the council treats him.
Verse 65
65And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
Here is another one of those great ironies in Mark’s account.
Jesus is mocked and spit upon and told to prophesy, when this is very thing he prophesied earlier in the book.
It says in Mark 8:31, “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
This is also a fulfillment of various Old Testament prophecies which foretold the suffering of the Messiah.
It says in Lamentations 3:28-30, “He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.”
And then in Isaiah 50:6-7 says, “I gave my back to the smiters, And my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me; Therefore shall I not be confounded: Therefore have I set my face like a flint, And I know that I shall not be ashamed.”
So while these men mock Christ and tell him to prophesy, they are by those very actions fulfilling multiple prophesies from Christ and the old testament.
Finally in verses 66-72, we have Peter’s denial.
Verses 66-72
66And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:
67And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
68But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
69And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
70And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
71But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
72And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
So while Christ stands firm, Peter fails to live up to his name. And the reason he falters is because he still does not believe the words of Jesus. That he must die and rise again.
Before Peter ever denied knowing Christ, he first denied the truth that Christ had spoken. And this is how most of our fears and denials of Jesus before men come about.
We either forget or neglect or fail to believe the Word of God.
It is one thing to sing the words of Psalm 27, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” and it is another thing to not be afraid when an actual army encamps around you.
It was one thing to sing and pray Psalm 3:6, “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, That have set themselves against me round about,” and another thing to live it.
C.S. Lewis once said that “Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”
Courage/Fortitude is the resolve to persist in doing good when it is difficult. And it is that latter part, the difficulty, that makes our faith courageous.
Conclusion
How then can we grow in our courage and fortitude for Christ? How can we live more unashamed of Jesus and his words?
Well let me give you just one place to start.
1. Before anything else, you have to die to this world. And that means not caring what sinners think of you, and caring infinitely more about what God thinks of you.
Or to put it another way, you have to live as if heaven is watching, as if God is present in the room, because He is.
What did Jesus say to Caiaphas that made him tear his clothes? “Ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
That was a prophesy to Caiaphas and to the whole world, that after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, all would know the power and divinity of Jesus by his power at work in the saints.
What are the clouds upon which Christ comes? It is the church triumphant, alive and full of joy.
If you want to enter the hall of faith, if you want to become as Hebrews 11 describes, “of whom the world was not worthy” well then you have die to this world and live for the next.
You have to live as it says a few verse later in Hebrews 12:1, as “seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
Courage and fortitude is hard when you are alone. But when you can see by faith, the power of Christ in this cloud of witnesses, in the lives of the saints gone ahead, and the saints next to you, then courage becomes a little bit easier. Because there is holy and heavenly peer pressure not to give in.
God is watching. Heaven is watching. Myriads of angels are watching and rooting for you. So do not be ashamed of God and His Word. For what did Jesus tell his disciples in Mark 8:38?
“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
So die to the world, and live for God. That is where courage is born and nourished. May that spirit be given in greater measure unto all of us. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: The Sword & The Cross (Mark 14:43-52)

The Sword & The CrossSunday, August 4th, 2024Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 14:43-52
43 And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. 45 And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. 46 And they laid their hands on him, and took him. 47 And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. 50 And they all forsook him, and fled. 51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: 52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
Prayer
Your law O Lord is perfect, converting the soul. Your testimony is sure, making wise the simple. Teach us now the simplicity of Christ, that we might become wise, and attain unto that vision of God, wherein faith becomes sight. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
Well for the last two weeks we have been studying this most intimate scene in Gethsemane. And we have been doing so with an attentive eye to how we might imitate our Lord Jesus as he 1) prepares himself to suffer, 2) endures suffering, and then, 3) eventually dies in his suffering.
And the reason we are so interested in the death and sufferings of Christ, is first and foremost because it is the means of our salvation.
It says in 1 John 2:1-2, “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.”
So there is no forgiveness of sins apart from Jesus. There is no resurrection from the dead apart from Jesus. And therefore, the sufferings of Christ are the most beautiful and potent expression of God’s love.
For as Jesus Himself says in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
And also in Romans 5:7-8 the Apostle says, “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
So to suffer and die is the supreme purpose for which the Son of God took to himself a true humanity (a human soul, and human flesh).
And therefore, as a perfect man, full of grace and truth, Christ could become a once and for all sacrifice to cover all of our sins.
And furthermore, as one possessing our humanity, except without sin, the life of Jesus also becomes our life. Our sufferings become a participation in His sufferings. Our death becomes a participation in his death.
This is what the Apostle Paul means when he says in Colossians 3:3, “you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Likewise in Galatians 2:20 he says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
And so the reason this scene in Gethsemane and everything that follows is of utmost importance to us, is first 1) because it effects our salvation, but also 2) because we too are going to suffer and eventually die.
And therefore, we want to learn from Christ how to walk those same three steps. To 1) prepare ourselves for suffering, 2) to learn how to endure our suffering, and 3) finally, to be faithful in suffering unto death that we might receive the crown of life (Rev. 2:10).
This the Lord Jesus perfectly teaches us in the gospels.
Outline of the Text
Our sermon text this morning has three basic movements to it:
1. In verses 43-46, Jesus is betrayed and arrested.
2. In verses 47-49, there are two different responses to his arrest.
3. In verses 50-52, all the disciples forsake Jesus and run away (one of them naked!).
Now I want to look at this passage from two different perspectives:
1. First, from the perspective of flesh, and then
2. From the perspective of the spirit.
Recall that just before our text, Jesus told his very sleepy disciples, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And now here we have played out before our eyes, living illustrations of what flesh does and what the spirit does.
We have negative examples, cautionary tales from those who live according to the flesh (who are carnally minded), but then we also have a perfect and positive example of how to live by the spirit.
So let us consider this passage first by observing four portraits of the flesh.
Verses 43-46 – Flesh Betrays & Arrests God
43 And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. 45 And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. 46 And they laid their hands on him, and took him.
We have named here two different examples of those who live by the flesh. Judas, and the armed multitude sent from the Jews.
First, let us consider the chief priests, scribes, and elders who send this armed multitude.
This is the group we met earlier in Mark’s gospel, whom Jesus argued with and refuted in the Temple, and they are the highest Jewish authorities (also known as the Sanhedrin).
What was their motive for wanting Jesus’ dead?
In the next chapter Mark tells us explicitly, “Pilate knew that the chief priests had delivered him because of envy” (Mark 15:10).
What does flesh do when it sees someone else enjoying some good that it wants but does not presently have?
Sinful flesh becomes sad. Sinful flesh begins to covet. And while sinful flesh would be happy to have that thing for itself, sinful flesh would also be happy simply to see that person lose the good they have.
Envy in its most proper sense is sorrow at another’s good. Envy therefore despises all superiors, and only wants to have equals and inferiors. In this sense envy is form of pride.
Envy is one of the driving forces behind our modern spirit of egalitarianism, of socialism, of feminism, of transgenderism, and of the cult of victimhood.
It says in Proverbs 27:4, “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; But who is able to stand before envy?”
The demonic spirit of our age is envy. And where does envy lead? Eventually to murder.
In Galatians 5 when Paul is enumerating all the works of the flesh, where does he place envy and murder? Right next to each other (Gal. 5:21). Envy and murder hold hands.
Envy is what drove Cain to murder his brother Abel. Envy is what drove Joseph’s brothers to attempt to murder him. Envy is what drove Haman to wipe out the entire Jewish nation. And envy is what motivated the Jews to crucify their own Messiah.
When envy discovers the power and opportunity to get it what it wants, murder is not far off. And so it is with these chief priests, scribes, and elders. Even Pontius Pilate “knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.”
So that is one ugly portrait of flesh that has to die in all of us. And if you can conquer envy, you can overcome just about every other sin. Because to crucify envy is to crucify your pride. And to crucify pride is to deny yourself, take up the cross, and follow Jesus.
So instead of envy, of sorrowing at another’s good fortune, or status, or skill, or looks, or whatever superior good we might want for ourselves, God would have us be content, and to rejoice with that person instead.
It says in Hebrews 13:5, “Let your lifestyle be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”
Summary: That is our first example of flesh, the envious Jews as represented by the chief priests, scribes, and elders. They are Cain, Christ is Abel.
Now the second negative example is that of Judas.
Judas is what we might call today an ex-vangelical pastor. Judas was not merely a follower of Jesus; he was an ordained apostle. Judas had authority, he had clout. He had been taught by the very mouth of God and yet his heart was hardened from love for money.
The case of Judas then is a most fearful warning to all those who profess faith, but especially to leaders in the church.
Judas is foremost amongst those Jesus describes in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The life of Judas is a perpetual warning sign to those who hear the word but do not do it. It is a warning to those who teach the word, but do not do it.
It is also a warning to those who desire to be rich. For as Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Judas saw Christ as a mere steppingstone to earthly riches and earthly power. And he chose that in spite of hearing Jesus preach, “You cannot love God and money, you cannot serve two masters, for either you will hate the one and love the other.”
And so the kiss of Judas upon the face of Christ, was no kiss of love but of hatred. And because Christ is very life itself, by betraying Jesus with a kiss, Judas simultaneously betrays his own soul.
To give the “kiss of death” to another is really to wrap the noose around your own neck (as Judas would later literally do).
This is the insanity and irrationality of sin: It is always suicidal. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).
God says in Proverbs 8:35-36, “Whoso findeth me findeth life, And shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: All they that hate me love death.”
To love money more than God is to love death.
To love any created good more than God is to harm your own soul.
And this is because God created you for Himself. Jesus says that life consists in knowing God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
So what kind of Christian are you going to be? The kind that uses God as a means to earthly gain? Or the kind the honors God as the beginning, middle, and end of all our existence?
Summary: Judas shows us that sinful flesh is ultimately unintelligible (it don’t make no sense). Sin is always myopic and shortsighted, because it latches on to what is temporal and fleeting and forsakes what is eternal.
Consider: Judas kissed the face of God and exchanged what is infinitely precious for 30 pieces of metal, and then he doesn’t even spend it, instead he goes and hangs himself. Does anything about that make sense?
This is what I mean by the irrationality of sin. And it is why Christ and the apostles, and the prophets are so insistent that you make zero provision for the flesh. And it is why the Lord Jesus taught us to pray regularly, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
You and I need to constant and regular deliverance from the evil that remains within us, and the myriad temptations to sin. No man on this side of glory ever graduates from praying the Lord’s Prayer.
Continuing in Verses 47-49, we behold a third portrait of flesh, which is the disciples’ response to Jesus’ arrest.
And while the disciples are far from the sin of Judas, and far from the sins of the Sanhedrin, they are still being merely carnal.
Verses 47-49 – Flesh Takes Up the Sword
47 And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.
We are told in John’s gospel that it was Peter who cut off this man’s ear. And knowing Peter’s zeal, we aren’t really surprised.
And so while self-defense can be good and righteous in many cases, and Jesus himself approved of them taking two swords with them, nevertheless this was not one of those appropriate occasions.
For as Jesus himself will say to Peter, “all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matt. 26:52).
So we see in here in Peter’s actions the natural desire of our flesh when we suffer or witness injustice. When our flesh feels wronged, it desires to get even, it desires to defend itself and take vengeance on the evil doer. And that is actually a good and virtuous passion, but only when it is governed and regulated by the law of God.
Recall that earlier in Jesus’ ministry, James and John, two sons of thunder,were ready to call down fire upon the Samaritans for not welcoming them. But what did Jesus say to them?
It says in Luke 9:55-56, “But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.’ And they went to another village.”
So Peter, like James and John, does not know what spirit he is of. And why? Because he still does not understand the way in which evil shall be overcome.
The flesh thinks that evil can be overcome by the sword, by horses and chariots and the strength of men.
But Christ teaches us that we overcome evil by doing good. For as it says in Romans 12:19, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”
So unless you are a civil magistrate, to whom the sword of vengeance has been given to punish the wicked on God’s behalf (Rom. 13), then the law of God requires you to do as Christ did, and to overcome evil by doing good.
There is a time to stand up and lawfully defend ourselves, and there is a time to turn the other cheek. But because Peter was thinking carnally, he could not discern the times.
Paul teaches us the ordinary way of calling down fire upon our enemies. He says in Romans 12:20, Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” That is how our God who is a consuming fire destroy the evil.
So the flesh wants to get even, it wants to hit back, and sometimes (like James and John) it even uses Bible verses to justify taking vengeance. But to those who from carnal passion take up the sword, Jesus says, by the sword they shall perish.
And at the same time, to those who deny their flesh, and take up the cross and follow Jesus, to them belongs eternal reward.
Summary: So there is the way of the sword, and there is the way of the cross. And remember how the saints in Revelation are said to defeat the devil?
It says in Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
If our war was with flesh and blood, then the sword would be our weapon. But because our warfare is with principalities, and powers, and the forces of darkness in high places, therefore our weapons are not carnal but spiritual. They are the weapons of faith, hope, and love. The same love the Lord Jesus used to conquer death itself.
Finally, in verses 50-52 we have a fourth portrait of flesh and we see what all flesh does when it is uncovered.
Verses 50-52
50 And they all forsook him, and fled. 51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: 52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
Now there is endless speculation about who this young man was, and why Mark even includes this detail (none of the other gospels have it).
And of the many options put forth by the commentators, I think the most likely candidate for who this young man was is that he was either Mark, the author of this gospel, OR, it was just some anonymous disciple (not one of the twelve), who Mark uses to signify various spiritual realities.
In either case, the young man is said to be wearing linen around his naked body. And these are two curious details that have important resonance in the Old Testament.
Linen is the fabric associated with the priests, and nakedness recalls our first parents, who like this young man, were found naked and afraid in a garden with God.
So what is going on here?
Well for starters, we have signified in this naked young man the failure of Adam’s priesthood.
Recall that Adam’s first task was the priestly duty of guarding and keeping God’s sanctuary (The Garden of Eden).
But Adam allowed the serpent to creep in, and deceive his wife, and because Adam chose to serve his flesh instead of God, from that point onward, the human race has been dominated by fleshly desires that lead to death.
However, in God’s mercy, Adam and Eve were made to feel in their bodies a sense of shame. This is the universal feeling of nakedness, of being uncovered and exposed for what we really are. And so the grace of shame is that we all look for something to cover us.
When our flesh feels exposed, we (like this young man) run and hide and look for cover. And what we have here in this man, dressed in linen (the priestly garb), is a picture of the law’s failure to provide that covering.
Paul says in Romans 7:5, “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.”
In other words, the law of the old covenant was good and right and spiritual, but because we were fleshly, knowing the law only made things worse. It made us feel even more naked than before. And therefore, the linen cloth of Adam’s priesthood, of the Aaronic priesthood, had to be replaced by something better, the blood of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
So that is just one aspect of what I think is suggested here by the naked young man.
When our flesh is exposed, we look for cover, and the question is where will you find that covering?Or as Paul says in Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
So those are four portraits of our flesh:
1. Flesh is envious and murderous like the chief priests, scribes and elders.
2. Flesh is irrational and suicidal like Judas who betrayed our Lord.
3. Flesh desires to take up the sword instead of the cross, like Peter in his misguided zeal.
4. And flesh fears being uncovered and when it is exposed, it runs and hides.
Now I want to close by considering this whole scene again but from the perspective of Christ in the spirit. How does the Lord Jesus teach us to walk?
Conclusion
Four Contrasts of Spirit to the Flesh
First, when Jesus is the object of envy from the chief priests, scribes, and elders, Jesus counters with brotherly love.
He does this first by rebuking the mob that arrests him. Love is willing to confront and rebuke sinners: “Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.”
So Jesus loves them by telling them their sin.
Second, Jesus shows brotherly love by using their evil actions to bring about their good. This is the same thing that Joseph did for his brothers, but in a more marvelous way.
Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, but God used Joseph to save those same envious and murderous brothers, and the whole world from starvation. And so at the end of Genesis, we have this scene: “And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.” (Genesis 50:18-21).
How kindly has God treated us who have transgressed against him? How kindly does Christ treat those who envy and murder him?
Love and kindness are the fruit of the spirit. This is something the flesh cannot produce.
And so we also ought to love one another, even those who might are envious. As my pastor Doug Wilson taught me, “we ought to pray that God blesses our enemies with really cute grandkids.” If you can honestly pray for that, you are on your way to walking in the spirit of Christ.
Second, Jesus treats Judas with that same love and kindness.
Betrayal is one of the worst pains we can ever suffer. Worse than physical pain is the emotional and relational pain that betrayal can deal out. Adultery, divorce, abandonment, abuse, prodigal children. Betrayal can leave scars that only God can heal.
But that is exactly why Jesus went to the cross and suffered this betrayal from Judas. Because as it says in Isaiah 53:5, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed.”
Where does the power to forgive our betrayers come from? It comes from the bleeding side of Christ, and from the acknowledgement that however badly we have been treated, we have treated God far worse. And if Jesus can forgive me, I can forgive anyone.
So Jesus overcomes betrayal by loving his enemies, even Judas.
Third, while Peter takes up the sword against the mob, Jesus restrains himself.
In Matthew’s version of this same scene, Jesus says, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?”
It was not that Jesus lacked the power, it was that Jesus uses his power for the greatest spiritual good, namely our salvation.
If Jesus had fought back, no cross and no redemption. But because he entrusted his soul to God, and was obedient unto to death, his death secured our everlasting life.
Fourth, and finally, whereas the young man ran away naked, Jesus stood his ground and was willing to be exposed on the cross in order to provide a permanent and perfect covering of our nakedness.
That is the hope of the gospel to all who trust in Christ, and so I close with words of Hebrews 12:2 which says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Look to Jesus and he will clothe you in resurrection glory. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: The Spirit Is Willing (Mark 14:26-42)

The Spirit Is WillingSunday, July 28th, 2024Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 14:26-42
26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. 40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. 41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
Prayer
Father, we thank you for the example of Christ, who teaches us to learn obedience through the things we suffer. We ask now for an increase of grace that we might receive endurance to run and finish our course with joy. We pray all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
For those of you who were here last Sunday, you may notice that we have the same sermon text all over again. And there are two reasons for that: One is because we only got through verse 36 in our exposition (so we’ve got a few more verses to get through), but second is because this scene and moment in Christ’s life is so significant and so dense with revelation, that I want to explore a little more how to apply these truths in our own lives and sufferings.
So the outline of my sermon is as follows:
1. First we will review what we covered last week in verses 26-36.
2. Then I’ll briefly expound verses 37-42,
3. And then third and finally we’ll consider the work of the spirit in our lives.
Review of Verses 26-36
We said last week that there is a kind of numerical symmetry in that just as God is three persons in one essence, so also Christ the God-man is three essences in one person.
The Triune God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons who are the One Divine Essence.
And Jesus Christ is the one Divine Person, The Son, who also joined to himself two other created essences, a human soul and a human body.
So who is Jesus? He is fully man and fully God. One Person, two natures (human and divine). One person with three distinct essences (human soul, human flesh, and divinity).
And so what Mark and the other gospel writers have given us in Gethsemane is a window into how Christ as a perfect man, subordinates his human flesh and human soul to God.
And therefore, we who have received the very Spirit of Christ, can learn from Jesus how to do the same.
In the words of the Apostle Paul, we are learning how to “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us” (Rom. 8:4).
Now there were 3 distinct lessons we learned from Jesus that answer the question, “How do I walk with God through the valley of the shadow of death?” Or to put the question another way, “How do you suffer righteously?” “How do you endure pain and sorrow and the many griefs of this life, without sinning?” Jesus is your example par excellence and the first lesson we observed is that:
1. Christ prepares himself for suffering by singing and praying with his disciples.
It says in verse 26, “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”
We could also go a few more verses back and observe that Christ eats and fellowships with his disciples as well.
So God gives us one another, and He gives us this corporate gathering of the saints around His table, to communicate grace to those who need it.
The Apostle James says, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms…” (James 5:14).
Notice that phrase is any among you afflicted? The Apostle assumes that your afflictions are taking place within the context of the church.
All who are baptized are baptized into Christ’s body (the visible church), and as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:26, “if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”
So if you are a Christian, your individual sufferings and afflictions are never actually solitary, they are always as parts to the whole who is Christ. We often feel alone and feel abandoned and feel alienated from the life of the church, and indeed there are times when our infirmities prevent us from being physically present at the public gathering.
But remember the promise that Jesus gave to his disciples, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Now despite being an Apostle in the church, Paul found himself like Jesus, alone without any other Christians to help him. He says in 2 Timothy 4:16-18, “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!”
So although Jesus had the fellowship of his disciples, and although Paul had many companions and fellow ministers in the gospel, there usually comes a time in our life when we must face down our fears alone. And yet, because we are members of Christ’s body, we are never completely alone. The Lord stood by Paul and strengthened him. And in Jesus’ case, when all forsook him, His Father was His unbroken source of strength.
Summary: So the lesson for us is first, prepare yourself for suffering by being present among the body, by singing and praying and feasting together as we do, and that is how the majority of our trials become tolerable. We endure them together. We bear one another’s burdens together. We suffer and rejoice together. God intended that His grace be ordinarily communicated from one member to another united in Christ.
But then also remember that there are extra-ordinary times of crisis when God calls our number, and he permits affliction to so remove us from human society, so that all we have is Him. We might be stuck in the hospital, or stuck in our sickbed at home, or forsaken by all our friends and family. And that is what Jesus experiences here in Gethsemane, total alienation from those who are closest to Him. And yet ever and always, our Father is with us. The Lord will stand by you and never forsake you. It is to this truth that you must cling.
Now the second lesson we learn from Jesus is…
2. How to be fearful and sorrowful and yet without sin.
It says in verses 33-34, “And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death…”
So Jesus teaches us that it is natural to our bodies to fear pain and fear death for ourselves and others, and yet that fear of suffering can be so governed, and even overcome, when it is directed towards a greater purpose, namely the will of our Father in Heaven.
So contrary to the Stoics, who equated passions like sorrow with vice and moral weakness, for them there was no place for sorrow in the life of a wise man, Jesus on the other hands teaches that to be truly human and perfectly human requires us to be sorrowful at times.
It is actually a defect in our nature to not feel sadness when there is real evil in the world.
This is what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 1:18, “For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.”
And so Christ who in his humanity possessed the fullness of wisdom and fullness of knowledge, also possessed a sorrow unto death.
And thus Isaiah 53:3 calls him “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” for “Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows.”
So Jesus teaches us that sorrow accompanies knowledge, and grief accompanies wisdom. And yet these passions that can tend to debilitate us, or leave us despondent and depressed, need to not terminate there.
For as it says in Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Here on the night of Passover, we behold a perfect man, the lamb of God, fearful and sorrowful unto death, but it does not derail his mission, his passions do not overcome his reason, but instead he governs them by his spirit and directs them to the work His Father sent him to do.
When God sends you on a mission, he does not expect you to be unaffected by the obstacles in your path, indeed He permits them to be there.And what He wants you to do is imitate the Lord Jesus and rule your passions like a Godly Emperor rules his kingdom.
That means there is a place for sadness and a place for joy. There is a place for hope and there is a place for fear.
We see in the Apostle Paul’s ministry that there is even a place for holy anxiety. The same one who says, “be anxious for nothing” (Phil. 4:6) also says, “I feel daily pressures and anxiety for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28). And he considers that anxiety appropriate and exemplary.
Summary: So a life of Christian perfection does not consist in a life without passions/emotions/feelings. But rather, the perfect humanity of Christ teaches us to govern and direct them to God.
The third lesson we learn from Christ is…
3. How to pray in suffering.
Jesus says in verse 36, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
We said that prayer is the ascent of the mind to God, and that there are three basics steps to prayer:
1. We acknowledge our Father’s infinite power to do all things.
2. We ask Him for what we presently desire.
3. We wait and wrestle and keep on asking, until our desire becomes one with the Father’s. That is what means to say, “not my will, but Yours be done.”
There is the excellent line from St. Jerome who says, “The good Lord frequently does not grant what we wish, in order to bestow what we should prefer.”
In other words, God always gives us what we would have asked for if we knew as much as He did.
So those are just three of the many lessons we might learn from this scene in Gethsemane, but let us turn now to consider a fourth lesson in verses 37-42. Recall, Jesus has just told his disciples to keep watch while he prays, and now he comes to check on them.
Verses 37-42
37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. 40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. 41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
Observe that the disciples fail to do all the things we just learned by example from Jesus.
Instead of supporting Jesus in his greatest hour of need, they fall asleep.
Instead of ruling their bodies and passions in accord with reason, they let their eyes grow heavy and dim.
Instead of praying fervently to the Father for strength to stand firm, they slumber.
Three times Jesus comes to them, three times they are found sleeping.
Now in the disciples’ defense, it’s the middle of the night. They’ve had a full day, a full meal, the wine is starting to have its effects, and so sleepiness is the most natural thing for them to feel here.
And this is why Jesus says, “The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”
Earlier in his ministry he told them, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63).
So there is a kind of double lesson in Jesus’ exhortation here.
1. As long as you are in the body, the flesh is going to weigh you down.
That is not to say that the body or matter is inherently evil, but rather that because of the sin nature we inherited from Adam, our bodies don’t work like they ought to.
In Adam before the Fall, and in Jesus’ perfect humanity, the lowers powers of the body worked in harmony with the higher powers of reason and will. But after the fall, that harmony was broken. The grace of original justice was removed, and that is why sin leads to death. We fell from grace and inherit from Adam flesh that must eventually die.
And this what provokes the Apostle Paul to say in Galatians 5:16-17, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
Likewise in Romans 7:23-24 he says, “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
Paul is describing in Himself the weakness of the flesh that Jesus is warning of. Even after we are baptized and united to Christ, so long as this flesh remains, it profits us nothing.
And therefore, the second half of this lesson is that…
2. The spirit is willing.
When we are born again, and God enlightens our mind, a new principle is implanted within us. This principle goes by many and various names in the New Testament:
In Romans 8, Paul calls it, “the law of the Spirit of life” or being “in the spirit” or being “spiritually minded.”
In Ephesians he calls it being “in Christ” or putting on, “the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
In Acts it is described as receiving power from on high or receiving the Holy Spirit, and in other places is simply called grace.
God graciously gives us His Spirit, so that what was disordered and broken by sin can be reordered and healed by Christ.
In this life, the war between flesh and spirit does not stop until death. Flesh will never ever profit us.
But in the life to come, that grace and Spirit we receive here, comes to full bloom in the resurrection. And then we too shall share in the perfect bliss of knowing God and loving God and walking in the joy and peace and love of the Spirit forever.
Summary: When God gives us His spirit, we are given a new power through which we can wage war and win against sinful flesh. This is the power of faith, hope, and love for God. And the more we exercise this power, and subdue our flesh, the easier it becomes to keep in step with Spirit.
So that is the fourth lesson, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Now I want to close by highlighting one aspect of the spirit’s work in us, which is to sanctify or make holy.
The Spirit Sanctifies
What happens when God sanctifies someone or something? First, he separates it, and then he purifies it for His own use.
We see this exemplified in the consecration of the high priest.
First, God took Israel out from all the other nations. He sanctified them from the world.
Then, God took the tribe of Levi out from all the other tribes and set the Levites apart to be His firstborn son.
And then God took the sons of Aaron, out from the tribe of Levi to be his holy priests.
And then God took one of those priests, out from the rest, to be High Priest, and he alone could enter the holy of holies.
Now how did all of those sanctifications take place?
It says in Hebrews 9:22, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
The blood of Passover sanctified Israel from the world.
The blood of circumcision sanctified the seed of Abraham from the rest.
The blood of bulls and goats sanctified the priests and tabernacle and holy vessels.
Where there is a cutting off, a separation from what is common and unclean, there is blood.
So when God wants to sanctify you, what should you expect? You should expect to see blood. You should expect to see things cut out of your life that are of no use. You should expect to be alienated from the world, because you died to that world.
This is what the spirit wills against the weakness of our flesh, to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
It was by the severing of Christ’s body from his soul, that the blood of the New Testament was ratified.
It is by the sprinkling of that same blood upon us that our sins are washed away.
And it is on the basis of that most precious blood, that the spirit of eternal life is given unto us.
May God give you that spirit in greater measure. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: Spirit, Flesh, & Divinity (Mark 14:26-42)

Spirit, Flesh, and DivinitySunday, July 21st, 2024Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 14:26-42
26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. 40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. 41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
Prayer
Father, we thank you for the glory of the Incarnation, and that Your Son, the Eternal Word, took himself a true humanity, a rational soul and a passible body, in order to die and rise again impassible, incorruptible, never to die again. We thank you for this eternal life that is offered to us in Christ. Join us to Him more deeply by Your Spirit, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
There is a famous saying amongst the theologians that just as in God three persons are one essence, so also in the Incarnate Son, three essences are one person.
I’ll say that again in more explicit terms: Just as in God three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are the one Divine Essence, so also in the Incarnate Son, three essences (the human soul, the human body, and the divine nature) are one person, namely the God-man Jesus Christ.
There is a kind of numerical symmetry between who God is as Trinity, and who Jesus is as the God-man (three persons in one essence, three essences in one person). And what we have here in our sermon text this morning is one of the clearest windows into that ineffable mystery of who Christ is.
We know that Jesus is fully God, he is the eternal Word and Image of the Father.
We know that Jesus is fully man, he has a rational nature, a body, and soul, and yet he is perfect and without sin.
We know that Jesus is one divine person and not two different persons. In the incarnation, the eternal Son joined to Himself a real humanity. He is one person with two distinct natures, fully man, and fully God.
But how do these three distinct essences of a human spirit and human flesh (with together constitute human nature), and the divine nature of the Son all interact with one another?
Well here in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Jesus is arrested and crucified, we have one of the greatest revelations of that mystery. And so while you may not think of yourself as a theologian (and indeed very few are called to be theologians in the professional sense), all of us who profess to know Christ ought to desire to know Him as He actually is, and not merely as we might want him or imagine him to be.
So there is really a twofold purpose for God giving us the gospels and more specifically for giving us this scene in Gethsemane that opens to us the interior life of the God-man Christ Jesus.
1. The first reason is stated in John 17:3, where Jesus himself says, “this is eternal life, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
There is only one God and one Christ, and eternal life consists in knowing him. And that means that any other Jesus than the one revealed in Holy Scripture is a fake and alternative Jesus that cannot save.
Many heretics have tried to refashion a Christ according to their own vain imaginations.
Arius rejected the full divinity of the Son and fashioned for himself a Jesus who was something less than God. And for this obstinate error he was rejected by the orthodox, and the Nicene Creed was drawn up to guard against such errors.
The Manichees and Docetists rejected the full humanity of Christ and fashioned for themselves a more spiritual Jesus who only appeared to do the things he is said to do in the gospels. That God would become man was too absurd for them to handle because matter itself was tainted in their view.
These are just two of innumerable examples of people making Jesus to be something other than God has revealed. They either diminish his full divinity, or diminish his full humanity, or more popular in our day, they make Jesus to be the poster-boy for whatever new social issue they are pushing. And so now we’ve got socialist Jesus, black Jesus, woke Jesus, gay-affirming Jesus, and all manner of absurd and blasphemous idolatry. None of these are the actual Jesus of Scripture, and therefore to put your faith in them is to trust an idol that cannot save.
So to summarize, the first and primary purpose for God giving us this revelation of Christ’s interior life is so that we might know the true Jesus and find salvation in Him.
2. Now secondarily and more practically, God has given us this revelation of Christ’s sorrow and anguish and real humanity, in order to teach us how to walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Or to put it another way, Jesus shows us what is inside of him, his emotions and passions and thoughts, and the conformity of his will to the Father’s, in order to teach us how to do the same.
How do you cope with the threat of pain, and the knowledge of your inevitable death?How do you endure sorrow, and the fear of losing what you love? Or perhaps you aren’t sure how are you supposed to feel when you suffer. Is it okay to be sorrowful unto death, or is that a lack of faith?
Well here in this most beautiful and intimate passage, Christ gives us answers to those kinds of questions. And so as we walk through this text together, let us take heed to how we might imitate our blessed Lord.
The Context
Remember the context of our passage. It is the night of Passover, and Jesus and the disciples are in Jerusalem. They have just eaten and partook of the Last Supper, the bread and the wine, and Judas has now exited with plans to betray him. Jesus has also taken a kind of Nazarite vow saying in verse 25, “I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” And immediately following this, we read in verse 26…
Verse 26
26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
How does Jesus prepare himself to go to the cross? He sings together with his disciples.
Tradition holds that after the Passover meal, it was customary to sing Psalms 115-118. And while Mark does not tell us exactly what they sang (the text simply says “having hymned”), it is a most probable conclusion that the words of the Psalms were upon the lips of Christ as he readied himself for his ultimate suffering.
If you remember Psalm 118, that is the Psalm that says, “The stone which the builders refused Is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvellous in our eyes… Bind the sacrifice with cords, Even unto the horns of the altar. Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: Thou art my God, I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his mercy endureth for ever.”
Here we are instructed by Christ’s example. How should you prepare yourself for walking through the valley of the shadow of death? You should sing and pray the Psalms together with the church. You should thank and praise God for His everlasting mercy.
And this is of course what God would have us do in all circumstances, good and bad.
For as it says in Psalm 34, “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
And in Psalm 119:164-164, “Seven times a day do I praise thee Because of thy righteous judgments. Great peace have they which love thy law: And nothing shall offend them.”
And in James 5:13, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”
So singing the Psalms and praying the Psalms is Christ’s weapon of choice in his moment of greatest distress. And as we will see later when Jesus is hanging upon the cross, it is the words of Psalm 22 and Psalm 31 that he utters.
“My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1).
And “Into thy hands I commit my spirit” (Ps. 31:5).
So if singing and praying the Psalms was necessary for the God-man, how much more necessary for us who are not God?!
After this corporate hymning, they leave the upper room, it’s the middle of the night, and they go out to the Mount of Olives. And it is here that Jesus foretells the scattering of the disciples, his resurrection from the dead, and Peter’s denial of knowing Jesus.
Verses 27-31
27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
Jesus begins with a quotation from Zechariah 13, and he identifies the disciples as the sheep who are scattered, “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, Saith the Lord of hosts: Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: And I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.”
Now if the disciples knew the Scriptures more thoroughly, they would have known that this scattering in Zechariah is followed by a remnant being preserved and refined through fire, and eventually being regathered as a people for God.
Zechariah 13:9 says, “And I will bring the third part through the fire, And will refine them as silver is refined, And will try them as gold is tried: They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: And they shall say, The Lord is my God.”
So Jesus is foretelling how this scattering and regathering, this exile and return, of the new Israel shall take place. It is through his death and resurrection. He is the shepherd who shall be smitten, but that is not the end. He says, “But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.”
And yet in spite of this clear testimony to his resurrection, the disciples protest that they shall not be offended or scattered. Peter, speaking most boldly says, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise.
Well Jesus knows all things, and he knows that these bold words shall quickly be proved hallow. And so Jesus keeps in step with the words of Psalm 118, which perhaps they had just sung, which says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” And “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: What can man do unto me?”
Likewise in Jeremiah 17:5 it says, “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm…”
So Jesus entrusts himself to no man, for he knows all men and he knows men are a vain hope (John 2:24-25). Instead, he entrusts Himself wholly to the Father.
Verses 32-36
32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
Here is that window into Christ’s soul that I spoke of earlier. So let me draw your attention to three aspects of Christ’s person that show forth his true, real, and perfect humanity.
1. He “began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy.” The sense of this amazement and heaviness is that Jesus is anxious, he is disturbed, he is troubled in his soul. Properly speaking Jesus is experiencing something of the passion of fear.
Now how is it that Jesus could be afraid of anything, when He is God, and He knows that He is going to rise again from the dead?
The answer is that Jesus had a real humanity which includes what we call more technically, the sensitive soul, or the sensitive appetite. This is that part of our being that naturally desires and tends towards what feels good and avoids what doesn’t feel good.
For example, we naturally desire what is physically comfortable: a good meal, clean water, clothes that fit us, temperature that suits us, a bed we can sleep in, and so forth. These are bodily goods that our sensitive appetite desires, and Jesus Christ had those natural bodily desires and yet they were always perfectly regulated by his higher reason, or what we call the spirit, or intellect and will.
So whereas you and I, because of sin, struggle to rule our bodily appetites, we struggle to get up in the morning, or we overeat, or we let our bodily discomfort rule our reason and we say hurtful things in a moment of anger, Jesus Christ had constant and perfect rule over his sensitive soul.
Remember that right after his baptism, he fasted for 40 days and was tempted in the wilderness. That was not merely an act of his divinity, it was an act of his human nature wherein his bodily desires were made subject to reason.
The devil tempted him, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
So Jesus began his public ministry be ruling over his bodily appetites, and he concludes his ministry by doing the same, and that includes ruling over the natural fear of death and pain that is common to our humanity.
Now let us consider for a moment the nature of fear. Where does fear arise from? What makes us afraid? Fear arises in us when there is some future evil or pain that we would like to avoid. And because fear is increased by our own imagination, the more detail and the more knowledge we have of the pain that we may have to undergo, the worse that fear becomes. So much so that sometimes people have panic attacks, or nervous sweats, or PTSD, or we say, “they psyched themselves out.”
And so this is one of those places where Jesus knowing all things, actually increases his suffering.
If you were going to be crucified, would you like to know in advance and in great detail just how painful it will be to have nails banged through your wrists and ankles?
Would you like to experience ahead of time in your own imagination the shame of being stripped naked in front of the world, beaten and mocked, treated as a fraud, and hung up to die between two criminals?
Fear is increased by the amount of knowledge we have of future pain, and Jesus knew from the beginning of his life the excruciating suffering that he would one day have to undergo, and not only the physical pain of being crucified, but also the spiritual pain of having to sever his own body from his soul.
So Jesus Christ was and is true man, and he proves this by showing forth this part of him that is common to all humanity. We dislike pain and we don’t want to suffer. The same was true for Jesus in the sensitive part of his soul.
Now if fear regards a future evil. Sorrow arises when evil becomes present to us. And insofar as our mind and imagination and our senses are united to that evil (afflicted), so also sorrow is increased. And so the second thing we see in Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane is stated in verse 34…
2. “My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death…”
It is as if Jesus is dying before he actually dies. If you know sorrow or disappointment or the death of what you love, you know it is like having your heart turned into wax or being punched in the gut.
Set aside for a moment the threat of any physical pain, and just consider how the knowledge of losing what you love, a spouse, a child, a parent, your home, the knowledge of that loss can so debilitate your body with sorrow, that is as if you are dead while still breathing.
We call this consequence of sorrow despondency. We lose our appetite. The world turns from color to black and white. We say, “a part of us has died,” or “we are dead inside,” when that sorrow of loss pierces us cold.
Well Jesus feels in his soul a sorrow unto death, but unlike you and I who might be frozen or debilitated or made despondent by grief, Jesus endures it with a heart that burns with love. He does not let sorrow prevent him from praying or going to the cross, instead he allows it to increase the devotion of his prayers.
It says of Jesus in Isaiah 53:3-5, “He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed.
What made Jesus sorrowful unto death? He was carrying the sorrows of the world in his heart. He was bearing in his body the uncountable griefs of humanity.
The person who loves little or loves no-one, feels only sorrow for himself. But when you start to truly love other people, their pain becomes your pain. Their troubles become your troubles. Love is a unitive force that enlarges our heart so that you begin to feel in yourself other people’s pains and joys. This is how you rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, love makes that possible.
How many people did Jesus’ love? And how much love did he have for them?
The reason that Jesus was sorrowful unto death was because he loved so many so greatly. He loved the world, he loved Israel, he loved the disciples, he loved Judas, he loves you. And so although God does not love everyone in the exact same way, the love of God is such that the death of Christ has the power to atone for all.
It says in 1 Timothy 2:4, “God desires all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
And in 1 John 2:2, “he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
And so according to Christ’s true humanity, he was sorrowful unto death, and this was because of the great love with which he loved us. Jesus was not stoic or unaffected by the work His Father called him to do.
It says in Hebrews 5:7-9, which is an inspired commentary on this scene. That Christ, “who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”
3. This brings us to the third aspect of Christ’s person that is revealed in his prayer, and that is the presence of two distinct wills in Christ, a human will that chooses to submit to the divine will.
Verses 35-36
35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
Notice first that in calling upon God as “Abba, Father,” Christ reveals himself as a true and obedient Son.
As God, Jesus is eternally begotten of the Father, co-equal and co-eternal with him.
But as regards the human nature joined to His person, it says in Philippians 2:5-8, “he made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
So here in Gethsemane we have the revelation of two distinct wills in Christ. And this is essential to maintaining his true humanity.
If Jesus had only a divine will, then he would not be fully man, because it is essential to human nature to have a free will from which we choose to do either right or wrong.
And if Jesus lacked that ability, then he could not be said to have truly obeyed and fulfilled the law of God on our behalf.
And further, if he had no human will, then none of his actions would be a real example for us to imitate.
But because Jesus has a true human will, we can learn from him how to rule our passions, we can learn from him how to keep our own fear and sorrow within the bounds of reason, and most importantly, we can learn how to pray and conform our will to the will of God.
Conclusion
So let us close by observing how Jesus conquers his own fear and sorrow unto death.
1. Notice first that Jesus acknowledges the power that His Father has to remove the cause of his suffering:“Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee…”
So when you pray, pray in faith. Pray with the knowledge of the truth that God is omnipotent and sovereign and does all things well. Our God is Creator, and Governor, and the Worker of wonders. And it is within this context of God’s infinite power and love that we offer all our prayers to Him.
Moreover, he is not a distant God, aloof or absent, but rather an ever-present help in time of need (Ps. 46:1).
And so Jesus taught us to address God in prayer the same way that he did, as “Father.”
Paul says in Romans 8, that because we have received the spirit of Christ, the spirit of and sonship and adoption, that we also cry, “Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Rom. 8:16-18).
So when you are fearful or sad or hurting, do not forget the power of God, and the nearness of your Father, and the Spirit of adoption that was given unto you.
2. Because “all things are possible unto thee,” Jesus asks His Father to “take away this cup from me.”
In other words, if there is some other way to save the world that does not include Jesus dying on the cross, Jesus, according to his humanity, would prefer that way instead.
And yet, because he desires something greater than the mere avoidance of pain and death, namely, to satisfy divine justice, to glorify His Father and save the world, Jesus subordinates his natural human will to the divine will that He shares with the Father. And indeed, that is the whole purpose of prayer. Prayer is the ascent of the mind into God so that our will can be conformed to His.
We see this same pattern in the life of Paul. In 2 Corinthians 12. Paul knows that God has the power to remove the thorn in his flesh, and he says, “I besought the Lord three times, that it might depart from me. [He asks God to remove the cup]. And how does God respond? “And he said unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’”
So this is how we pray:
1. We acknowledge our Father’s power to do all things.
2. Then we appeal to that power and ask Him to act on our behalf.
3. And then we wait, and listen, and observe, and sometimes we pray again and again and again, we wrestle like Jacob with the angel, and insodoing we are saying to God, here’s what I want, but make me to want what You want. Not my will, but yours be done.
And you’ll know that your will is aligned with God, when you can say what the Apostle Paul said when God told him no, the thorn is good for you.
2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
This is the way of Christ, the way of the cross, the way that we conquer fear and death. May God teach us to pray, even as our Lord did.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: A New Year's Meal (Mark 14:12-25)

A New Year’s MealSunday, July 14th, 2024Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Mark 14:12-25
12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. 14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. 16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. 18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? 20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. 21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.
22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
Prayer
Father, we thank you that what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, You have done, by sending Your own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, You condemned sin in the flesh: so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. We ask for that same Spirit now, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
When God was about to deliver Israel out of Egypt, it says in Exodus 12:1-2 that, “the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” The text then goes on to describe the Passover meal and the feast of unleavened bread, which carried the regulation that “Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.”
So starting on the night of Passover, all the old leaven was to be purged from the house. And anyone who did not purge out that old leaven, or who partook of leavened bread during that week, was excommunicated (cut off) from the priestly nation.
And so the New Year festival for the Jews began with a literal spring cleaning (Passover was in late March/early April), and this was a hard reset on everyone’s daily bread. Nobody’s leaven was allowed to continue for more than one year. Now why is this?
Leaven in Scripture can be either a positive symbol or a negative symbol, but in both cases, leaven is a principle of growth and of transformation. Leaven is contagious and depending on whether your leaven is good or bad, so also the spreading of it can be either good or bad.
For example, in Matthew 13:33, Jesus says that “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”
How did God’s kingdom grow? He took a handful of Jews from the old Israel, gave them His spirit, hid them in the world, and today there are millions of Christians across the globe. And eventually, the whole world shall be leavened.
We see leaven also in the law for the peace offering, it says in Leviticus 7:13, “Besides the cakes, as his offering he shall offer leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering.”
So leaven here is connected with the person’s gratitude, and works, and their desire to share a meal with God.
So leaven can have this very positive and salvific connotation in Scripture.
However, in the context of the Passover, leaven signifies sin.  Leaven signifies the old ways, of the old man, in the old land of Egypt.
For as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:8, “let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
And so Passover and the subsequent feast of unleavened bread, was a way for the nation of Israel to press reset on their soul. They were meant to take inventory at the beginning of the harvest year, before the crops were planted, and recall all that God had done for them in bringing them out of Egypt into a land of their own.
So Passover is this kind of New Year Festival in which we leave behind the old and look ahead to the new. And it was at this same festival that Jesus Christ chose to transform the whole world through his death and resurrection. So here in our text we have the end of the law, the final Passover meal, and also the establishment of a new covenant, a new creation, and a new festival for the people of God.
So with that in mind let me give you the outline of our passage and then we’ll walk through it together.
Overview of the Text
In verses 12-16, Jesus prepares a room for Passover.
In verses 17-21, Jesus prophesies that he will be betrayed.
In verses 22-25, Jesus establishes the new covenant in his blood.
Verse 12
12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
Mark gives us this timestamp which places these events on the 14th of Nisan in the Jewish Calendar (the first month of the ecclesiastical year). And because the Passover had to be celebrated within the city walls of Jerusalem, the disciples ask Jesus where they might go and prepare for him.
Verses 13-16
13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. 14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. 16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
So remember that Jesus is a marked man. The chief priests and scribes are looking for any opportunity to take him by craft, and so while Jesus is residing in Bethany, perhaps still at Simon the Leper’s house, he sends two disciples into the city to make final preparations.
And what these two disciples find is that Jesus has already made provisions for them. There is a man carrying a pitcher of water, and they follow him. And then they meet the master of the house, and he shows them a large upper room furnished and already prepared. And all they have to do is “make ready.” Perhaps gather the final ingredients for the meal itself. Some bread, some wine, some herbs, and the lamb.
There are echoes here of Abraham and Isaac going up to Mount Moriah.
Isaac says, “’Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ And Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together’” (Genesis 22:7-8).
According to 2 Chronicles 3:1, Mount Moriah was where Solomon built the temple. And so every time the Jews went up to Jerusalem for Passover, they were walking in the literal footsteps of Father Abraham.
And now, 2,000 years after Abraham and Isaac walked up that mountain, and came back down, these two disciples go up as well, and they find that the words of Jesus are as true as the words of Abraham in Genesis 22:14, “Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
So Jesus has provided for himself and his people, a place to dine. The disciples go up into the city, “and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.”
Where is the lamb? The true lamb is coming.
Verse 17
17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.
Here is the new Israel, the new leaven of God’s kingdom, coming into Jerusalem (which has become a new Egypt). And yet there is secret malice and hidden wickedness among them that has yet to be purged. And so Jesus warns that one of them is going to be cut off, not only from Israel, but from the land of the living.
Verses 18-21
18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? 20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. 21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.
It is better to never have been born, than to betray the Lord Jesus. For whenever someone betrays Christ, and forsakes their allegiance to Him, they are in reality betraying their own soul and forsaking life eternal.
What endless sorrow and regret awaits those who die in their sins. To begin to follow Jesus and then to betray him, is to have the gates of heaven wide open before you, only to turn back and dive into hellfire instead. “Woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.” These are haunting and fearful words.
Why does Jesus give this warning?
Because he loves the disciples (including Judas) and wants them to examine themselves to see whether they be in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).For all of them shall each in their own way, betray Christ. Judas for money, and the rest for fear of death. Peter will deny knowing Christ three times. And as Mark shall record a few verses later, “And they all forsook him, and fled.”
These are the twelve men Jesus chose as his ambassadors. He has invested years in teaching them and showing them the way of faith, and yet in the moment of his greatest earthly need, He is betrayed by one, and forsaken by them all. A leadership success story indeed.
But notice the calm resolution in Christ’s voice when he says, “The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him.” Meaning, what Judas shall do of his own free will, inspired by Satan, is by no means outside of God’s plan and control. And because Jesus is God, as he says in John 10:17-18, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.”
Jesus wants them to know that in every detail that follows, in every tragedy that proceeds, from his betrayal, to his arrest, to his unjust trial and beating, to his last breath on the cross and descent into the grave, all of it is His loving plan to bring salvation to the ends of the world.
This is the mystery of God’s providence and power. That man and the devil does what he does freely and is judged personally responsible for his actions, and yet God so governs, orders, and directs these events, so that they work together for our good and His glory. Do you believe this?
God intended for His church to read this gospel and to behold His power and His wisdom and His words of warning, so that we also should take heed to what is growing inside of us. Is there faith or unbelief?
Is there within you the leaven of sin and malice and envy? Is there ingratitude and discontent that is blinding you, like Judas, from the infinitely precious gift that is the knowledge of God?
Or perhaps we are more like the other eleven? Fearful, anxious, and self-preserving.Like Peter we talk a big game about loyalty and love for God, until it costs us something, then we run and hide.
Jesus says in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
Unless we live by the Spirit, and keep in step with the Spirit, and cling to the words of Jesus which are spirit, our end shall be no different than Judas and the long line of ex-Christians, the formerly faithful.
And because Jesus knows what is in man, and He knows the frailty of flesh, and how fearful and forgetful we are, He also has made provision for our restoration and nourishment. And this is the Lord’s Supper.
Verses 22-25
22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
Notice first that Jesus takes bread, gives a blessing of thanks, and then breaks it.
This is a reversal and undoing of the curse upon Adam, who was told in Genesis 3, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
The bread that some man had toiled and sweated for in order to produce, Jesus takes and give thanks for. This is an affirmation of the goodness of creation in spite of the fall. And it is also teaches us that God accepts our works, when we offer them to Him with thanksgiving through the hands of Christ.
But most importantly, this bread is broken and identified with Jesus’ body. How shall the curse of death be overturned?
Through the work and labor of the Last Adam on our behalf. Through his toil and sweat upon the cross, and through his eating the curse into himself so that death might be swallowed up once and for all.
Now what happens when you break open Christ’s body? Blood starts to flow. And so next it says, “he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.”
Notice again that Jesus is giving thanks for his immanent death. How does Jesus prepare himself for pain? He thanks His Father that through the shedding of his blood, a new testament shall go into effect.
For as it says in Hebrews 9:16-17, “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.”
The inheritance that is eternal life can only be had if our sins are forgiven. “And without the shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). So someone’s blood must be shed, and that person must have the power and authority to deliver on that promise. And therefore Christ alone is the mediator of this covenant, for as God he has the power of eternal life, the power to forgive sins, and as perfect man he can offer his life a pleasing sacrifice to make atonement for sin.
This is the blood of the new testament. It is God’s signature on the dotted line of His last will and testament, that seals our inheritance.
Finally, after giving them this new creation meal of his body and blood, Jesus takes a Nazarite vow saying, “Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
A Nazarite is a holy warrior who voluntarily sets himself apart for some sacred work. Samson was a Nazarite, and he was set apart to deliver Israel as a judge. And now for Jesus, the true Samson, the true Bridegroom, he sets himself apart to deliver the whole world from sin and death and bondage to the devil.
Now when was this special and voluntary work of Christ accomplished? When did Christ drink wine anew in the kingdom of God? According to the gospel accounts, this took place upon the cross.
It says in Mark 15:22-23, “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.”
So notice before he is crucified, they offer him wine, and he rejects it. He is still under the vow. But then at the ninth hour, after he cries “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It says in verses 35-37, “And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. 36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.”
John’s gospel makes this even more explicit when it says in John 10:28-30, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
Only after his work is accomplished, he says from the cross, “I thirst.” And what is Jesus thirsty for? What does he desire? To show forth that his vow as a holy warrior is complete. He is Samson choosing to die with the Philistines.
Conclusion
Are you prepared to dine with Jesus? Have you removed the old leaven of malice and wickedness from your soul, and become sincere and true in your love for God?
Your whole life on this earth is a mere preparation for judgment day. The day in which you will either be cast out like Judas into everlasting punishment, or granted entrance into the eternal feast where we shall eat and drink with Christ in the flesh.
Have you made yourself ready for God? This you must do if you would see eternal life.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen.