Never Say “Never”!
Mark 14:26-31
Introduction: This week the partial government shutdown has been
in the news, it resulted in some people being laid off and others, deemed
essential, having to work without pay. I believe that air traffic controllers
are among those who are on the job, but not getting paid at the moment. It is
good to know that people are watching the radar, plotting courses, and working
with pilots to bring the planes to their destinations. There were probably
moments during the passion week, as we’ve been looking at it in the Gospel of
Mark, when the disciples wondered, “is someone in control?”
Dr. Sinclair Ferguson noted “Jesus, …the One who is about to enter the
darkness of Gethsemane and the deep darkness of Calvary, is the only one who is
really in control of himself and the situation…” (Mark, p.234). The disciples think they can handle whatever comes
their way, but they have no idea (even though Jesus has warned them repeatedly).
The religious leaders think they have things under control, and finally they
will be rid of this “trouble maker.” Judas thought, perhaps, “some easy silver…”
He had no idea. Only one is truly in control, even when things seem out of
control.
The Maine* Idea: We should
think rightly of ourselves, recognizing our weakness and propensity to sin, and
live in the light of the Gospel of Grace.
Context: After His prediction of betrayal, and His transformation of
the Passover meal to symbolize the sacrifice He was about to offer, they sing a
hymn and head out to the Mount of Olives, which was also the setting for
Chapter 13 and his discourse about the coming judgement and His return in
glory. Though they could hardly understand beforehand, the Gospel, God’s Plan,
was at the center of His words and actions. Remember, it is Passover… The Lamb
of God would soon be slain… for us… The Gospel should lead us to praise God
for His grace. Here, …they sang a
hymn… (26). Mark reports…
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the
Mount of Olives.
Nowhere do the gospels tells us what hymn they sang
that night. Even so, we know that traditionally the Jews sang the Hallel psalms (Psalm 113-118) in
connection with the Passover. Since it is the end of the evening, after the
meal, it is reasonable to think that it may have been Psalm 118 which begins (and
ends) with a call to praise God for His steadfast love (vv.1-4; 29)…
Oh give thanks to the LORD,
for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, "His
steadfast love endures forever." 3
Let the house of Aaron say, "His steadfast love endures
forever." 4 Let those
who fear the LORD say, "His steadfast love endures forever."
We’ve looked at that word “steadfast
love,” hesed, in our study of Ruth.
It speaks to God’s faithfulness to His covenant, His “loyal love.” This psalm was also quoted by the crowds at
the triumphal entry (118:22) and also refers to the Rejected Cornerstone (26) and
the festal sacrifice (27). The prophecies
of His death, His “anointing” for burial at Bethany, His predictions of
betrayal and desertion, His transformation of the Passover to represent His body
given, and His blood poured out, and even His allusion to resurrection, seems to
have been largely missed, at least for now, by His disciples. Seemingly, they are
still largely focused on themselves, thinking more highly of themselves than
they ought. We’ll be reminded here that we
should think rightly of ourselves, recognizing our weakness and propensity to
sin, and live in the light of the Gospel of Grace.
I. Jesus begins with a warning of failure: You will all
stumble (27)!
27 And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away,
for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be
scattered.'
Jesus uses strong language in predicting
what would soon happen, indeed that very night. The betrayer had evidently
already left the group. But he was not the only one who would fail the Lord
that night. Jesus said “You all
will fall away…” Jesus anticipated what would happen, and even quotes
Scripture to explain it. “Fall away”
reflects the Greek word, skandalizo [from which we get the English
word “scandalize”] which is variously translated, “fall away, stumble, be offended.” The word was used earlier in
Marks gospel, perhaps the most instructive is the explanation of the seed that
fell on the rocky ground…
16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they
hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a
while. Then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word,
immediately they fall away… (Mark 4:16-17).
They fall away when persecution arises.
Remember our context. In this same location, on the Mount of Olives, Jesus had
just spoken of coming tribulation, great tribulation, in the discourse in Mark
13. When He spoke the “Parable of the Soils” in Mark 4, mentioning different
classes of individuals who would manifest the appearance of life, and then fall
away, were some of their own number in His mind? Was this parable the
explanation of what had happened with Judas? Was he perhaps one who Satan came
and took away the word that had been sown in him (Mark 4:15). But wait, didn’t
Jesus say to Peter on one occasion “Get
behind me Satan!” (Mark 8:33)? But Jesus was not speaking of one, or even
two of His followers. He said, “You shall
all fall away…” Every last one. And He quotes Scripture to make His point.
“…for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and
the sheep will be scattered.’”
The citation is from the Old
Testament prophet Zechariah. We read in 13:7,
"Awake, O sword,
against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me," declares the
LORD of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the little ones.
It is interesting that Jesus puts
the prophecy in the first person, “I
will strike the Shepherd…” God is the subject, the Father, it seems,
striking the Son. Is this a similar perspective to what we see in Isaiah 53:4,5,
and also v.10?
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we
esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our
transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that brought us peace… 10 Yet it was the will of the
LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an
offering for sin…
This is the grace that is guiding
this story to its climax. God spared not
the Son, but delivered Him up for us all! God’s justice had to be
satisfied, sin required a just punishment. God could not be holy and righteous
and just overlook our sin. And so, Christ, the sinless Son, the spotless Lamb
of God, bore our sins in His body on the
Tree. Amazing love… Recall the scene near that same spot, when Abraham
raised the knife on Mount Moriah to offer his beloved son Isaac in obedience to
God. God intervened, He provided a ram caught in a thicket which was offered in
Isaac’s stead. 2000 years later the executioner’s hand would not be stayed. God
himself provided the Lamb—the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Jesus quotes from the prophet Zechariah as
He tells the disciples what would soon happen. Do you notice how often Jesus quotes
Scripture in the Gospels? We’ll see more quotations and allusions on the way to
the Cross. Why does He do that? He has all authority on heaven and in earth. HE
IS THE WORD OF GOD, incarnate and living! It seems that He wants His disciples,
and us, to know the value of the Scriptures. He is showing them that the Word
can be a lamp to our feet, and a light to
our path. He wants us to know that
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be
competent, equipped for every good work… (2 Tim 3:16,17).
God has given His Word to correct,
teach, guide, and equip us. Do we receive it for what it is? Do we submit to its authority in our lives? Or
do we arrogantly think we know better? We should think rightly of ourselves,
recognizing our weakness and propensity to sin, and live in the light of the
Gospel of Grace. So, I. A warning… is followed by…
II. A Promise of Hope: Jesus will overcome our failure
(28; cf. 16:8).
28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you
to Galilee."
The contrast
here is emphatic, and what a beautiful expression of grace! You will all fall
away, “But after I am raised up I will
go before you…” The Lord had spoken of His death and resurrection
repeatedly to the disciples, but here He does so in the light of their “falling away.” Apparent defeat and
failure will be turned into victory, He will be “raised up.” And though they will have left Him, He will not abandon
them. He is still interested in them, leading them, preparing the way for them,
going before them to Galilee. At this moment it probably doesn’t make much
sense to the disciples. After the Cross, and in the light of their failures,
their confusion and sadness will darken their understanding. But the
resurrection will bring hope! Near the end of the gospel we will read in Mark
16:5-7,
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side,
dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
6 And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek
Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the
place where they laid him. 7
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.
There you will see him, just as he told you."
Now, in advance, Jesus is telling
the disciples about His future resurrection, and assuring them that He is not
finished with them, and that they will see more clearly in a few days, they
will weep, but their sorrow will be turned to joy! From Jesus’ perspective the
words of John Chrysostom ring true: “The
danger is not that you should fall, but that you should fail to get up.” Jesus
came to save sinners. And so, we should
think rightly of ourselves, recognizing our weakness and propensity to sin, and
live in the light of the Gospel of Grace. Instead of focusing on the
promise, Peter tries to pridefully reassure Jesus, NOT ME Lord!
III. The Danger of
Pride: “Pride goes before a fall…” (29-31).
29 Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not." 30 And Jesus said to him,
"Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you
will deny me three times." 31
But he said emphatically, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you."
And they all said the same.
Peter’s
self-confidence is pretty impressive here, is it not? “Even though they all fall away…” Maybe you are right to be
concerned about these guys, Jesus, I’ve had some doubts about them myself! They
may fall away, all of them, but get this straight: I will never deny you!
Really? Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goes
before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” We need to see
ourselves rightly, and know that God is present, that He is good and that He
does good, and we desperately need Him. I think that’s part of what it means when it
says “the just shall live by faith.”
Trust God, take Him at His word! The prophet Jeremiah reflected that attitude when
He wrote…
23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in
his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man
boast in his riches, 24 but
let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that
I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the
earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." (Jer 9:23-24).
Even after the very specific prediction of Jesus, “…before the cock crows twice, you will deny
me three times…”, Peter was not convinced.
“Even if I must die with you, I
will not deny you…” And not only Peter, but “…they all said the same thing.” Honestly, if we were there would we
not have chimed in with the rest of them? Paul would later call the prideful Corinthians
to proper humility when He said in 1
Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore
let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” Paul’s point
there is not that we can’t stand firm, but that we should not be presumptuous,
we need to stay on guard.
We need to guard
our hearts, because we are all vulnerable. Read the story of King David, a man
after God’s own heart. Did he imagine earlier in His life that He would be vulnerable
to the temptations that later overtook him? We need to watch ourselves, and
watch out for each other, because given the wrong circumstances any one of us
could fall into temptation. Please, if you are tempted to say, “Never, not me!
Though they all fall away, I never will…” That sounds familiar… It is what
Peter says here. And that very night He denied Jesus not once, not twice, but
three times!
What is God saying to me
in this passage? We
should think rightly of ourselves, recognizing our weakness and propensity to
sin, and live in the light of the Gospel of Grace.
What would God have me
to do in response to this passage? Hopefully the government will soon be back to work…
but it is good to know God is always in control! Let’s look at four things
Sinclair Ferguson finds here (Mark,
236-237)…
1. Submit
the whole of your life to Scripture. God has spoken, He has given us His
word. “It is the rock on which all
spiritual stability will be built.” I’ve encouraged you this year to take
seriously the privilege we have to have the Word of God written, in its entirety,
available to us. Will you avail yourself
of this blessing and receive the Scriptures for what they are, the very Word of
God? Let’s read it, every day, asking God to open our understanding.
2. Focus
on what God is doing in your circumstances. Ferguson says, “You may not at first recognize God’s
footprints… but believe that they are there, and be assured that he is working
out His perfect purpose in the midst of the chaos around you.” Ferguson is
reflecting there on Psalm 77:19 which says, “Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet
your footprints were unseen.” Remember the poem “footprints in the sand”? It
is good to be reminded that God is present, active, helping in ways that we may
not see or understand to accomplish His purpose in us and through us. It helps
to realize in the midst of the chaos of life that God is in control, that He is
Good, that we can trust Him to work out everything for our good and for His glory…
even when we don’t recognize his footprints in the sand.
3. Trust
your fellow Christians. What? But the disciples failed! I think his point
is, knowing that they are imperfect (as we are imperfect), that they will
sometimes disappoint us, that our ultimate trust is in God, give others the
benefit of the doubt, knowing that God is at work in them as He is in you.
Look for the reflection of our Father in our brothers and sisters, knowing that
just like us they will fall short of His glory. Using the language of C.S.
Lewis, we’re fellow pilgrims, living for a while in the Shadowlands. And that
points us to our ultimate hope…
4. Remember
that all the enigmas of life will never be resolved until the final
resurrection. Dr. Ferguson says, “When
the darkness of your present experience seems to make God’s hand utterly
invisible, look beyond the darkness to the dawning of that morning when the
shadows will flee away and God will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Rev
7:17).” Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus! AMEN.
