Gethsemane Part 2: Watch and Pray - Mark 14:32-42

Watch and Pray: “The Spirit is Willing, but the Flesh is Weak”

Mark 14:32-42

Introduction: There was a report that during the early days of computerized language translation that someone tried to use a famous verse from this passage to test the new program, translating from English to Russian the phrase, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” The result missed the mark just a bit: “The whiskey is good, but the meat has gone bad!” Oh well, hopefully we can do better as we seek to understand what God has for us in this passage, Mark’s account of Jesus praying in Gethsemane. Last week we took a first look at this scene and focused on what this passage shows us about who Jesus is, and what He came to do. As the first Adam, through his disobedience brought death and the curse, the last Adam, Jesus, the God-Man, took the curse for us so that we could receive blessing and life. This week we return to this scene, focusing on the disciples… As we consider their failure, we should be reminded not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, to see our need to stay watchful and prayerful.

       Remember that Mark seems to be writing to believers in Rome that are suffering for their faith. The positive example is Jesus Himself. One thing that must come from this scene in the Garden and the passion that follows is that Jesus understands their suffering, we have a High Priest who can sympathize with us in our weakness, He was tested in all points like as we are, yet without sin. We also see Jesus, in His humanity, seeking support from His friends, those closest to Him, but ultimately relying on God His Father to help Him in His time of greatest need.

The Maine* Idea: As we pass through crises in life, we have the support of the church, and through prayer, because of Jesus, we have access to God who will always work for our good and His glory.

I. Bear one another’s burdens: The encouragement of the brethren is important to survival in stress filled times (32-34).

³² And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  ³³ And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.  ³⁴ And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch." 

       Jesus was under unimaginable pressure… He says essentially, “The sorrow is more than I can bear, it is killing me!” Remember the location: at the base of the Mount of Olives, the Garden called Gethsemane, “the oil press.” Jesus fell on His face and prayed to His Father, Abba, [Papa] take this cup from me… Remember, He is not just talking about His impending torture and death, but…

…the “cup” that He prayed might be removed was not the physical pain He would endure on the cross. Indeed many Christian martyrs have gone to their death with… no evidence whatsoever that they wished to avoid the hour of their martyrdom. No, the cup that so distressed and troubled Him was the spiritual suffering He would endure as He would bear the sins of the world and drink to the last drop the fierce wrath of God as our substitute (Daniel Akin, Exalting Christ in Mark).

Jesus felt the weight of the sins of the world crushing Him, and with that the horror of the cup of wrath, judgement for sins—not His own, He was holy and sinless, but He bore our sins in His body on the Cross. He took the curse for us. James Edwards wrote that

“Nothing in all the Bible compares to Jesus’ agony and anguish in Gethsemane—neither the laments of the Psalms, not the broken heart of Abraham as he prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen 22:5), nor David’s grief at the death of his son Absalom (2 Sam 18:33)” (Edwards, Mark, 432).

And so, he asks the disciples to sit while He prays, and He takes Peter, James, and John a little further. He was preparing them to be His witnesses, they would be able to testify to the others about Gethsemane, and He was also teaching them, even though they would fail here, and fall asleep, they would fail when He was arrested and tortured and put to death, later, after the resurrection and after Pentecost, they would learn what it really means to take up their cross and follow him. And they would be His witnesses. Remember the exchange back in Mark 10. After Jesus told the disciples, for the third time, about His coming death and resurrection, James and John came up to Him and asked if they could be the ones to sit at side in the Kingdom. We read Jesus’ response in 10:38-41…

³⁸ Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"  ³⁹ And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."  ⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.

Remember that the indignation of the others was probably not that they were offended at their colleagues’ request, but that they had gone to Jesus first, they had jumped ahead in the line!  But I want to point out the reference to the coming “cup” that Jesus would drink. He said, “The cup that I drink you will drink…” Besides references to a physical cup, like giving a cup of water in his name or sharing a cup of wine at the Passover table, He only uses the word “cup” in Mark in this exchange with the disciples and again in the Garden. The disciples had no idea what was coming, but Jesus did. He would drink the cup of God’s wrath against sin for them and for us. But there is a sense in which believers share in the suffering of Christ as we live and carry out His mission in this fallen world. After all, if the world hates Him, it will hate those who will follow Him. That is why Jesus warned back in chapter 8 that those who would be His disciples must be willing to take up their cross and follow Him. As we bring the Gospel to the world, we are engaging in spiritual warfare. Jesus is engaged in a battle in Gethsemane. I think the enemy is there, just as he was in the wilderness earlier in the gospel, wanting to tempt Him to take a different, easier path. As He prayed, He had asked the disciples to watch and to wait…

       It seems to me that the disciples were invited purposefully, to give support… they were His friends and followers after all, at that time, closer to Him than his (half) brothers. But also they were there to learn, Jesus, the Master, was still teaching and preparing them… They would be His witnesses. Peter would write two letters, part of our New Testament. Sinclair Ferguson refers to one of them…

Jesus remained faithful when his heart was breaking, when the cup was bitter and when his companions were weak. In the light of this Peter’s words are all the more challenging - when we remember that he was there, with Jesus in Gethsemane: “Christ suffered for you, leaving an example, that you should follow in His steps” (I Pet 2:21).

Jesus taught by word and by example. He was teaching the disciples, and us. As we pass through crises in life, (even though the disciples failed Him) we have the support of the church, and through prayer, because of Jesus, we have access to God who will always work for our good and His glory.

II. Cry out to our Great High Priest: Prayer is the key to survival in stress filled times as we express our dependence on God and submit to His will (35-40).

³⁵ And going a little farther, he 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 for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."  ³⁷ And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?  ³⁸ Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  ³⁹ And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.  ⁴⁰ And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.

       No one else could understand what was coming… The disciples didn’t even understand what he had told Him about his death, much less his resurrection. As Jesus anticipated the spiritual separation, the substitutionary atonement that was about to happen, He went apart, taking the “inner circle” of three part of the way, and He himself went further and cried out to the Father, honestly expressing His revulsion of what lay before Him. Even so, He prayed, submitting Himself to the Father’s will, “Not my will, but your will be done.” Why did God inspire Mark to include this in His gospel? Was it to show us how to pray? Even in the face of suffering, even when it seems more than we can bear, we can know that God is good and He does good, and so we can trust Him and pray, “…your will be done…” It is an expression of faith, as the ladies are learning in their Bible study, not only believing God is, but trusting Him, taking Him at His word.

      Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows… That is what the prophet Isaiah said in chapter 53. Let’s read verses 3-6 again,

³ He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  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, and with his stripes we are healed.  ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all…

       Prayer is a resource to keep us from stumbling… Watch and pray that you not fall into temptation… That reminds us of another garden, and an enemy that is still crouching at the door… We are called to bear each other’s burdens, and so fulfill the Law of Christ. But guess what, sooner or later, people will let you down, they won’t be there when they should have been. That is not the way it should be, but because “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak,” sooner or later, it will happen. But even at those moments when things seem darkest and you feel most alone, God is there, and He invites us to pray. 

       The gospels don’t give us any information about the spiritual battle that may be happening here. It is interesting that in the accounts of the temptations of Christ we are told that God sent angels to minister to Him (Mark 1:13, Mt 4:11). Only Luke tells us that here in this context of agonizing prayer, an angel came and strengthened Jesus in Gethsemane (Luke 22:43). Wait a minute, does the Son of God, God incarnate, need to be strengthened? In His humanity, even in His sinless humanity, He apparently did! Think about what that means. He understands our weakness.

       We truly have a High Priest who understands. No one else might fully understand what you are facing, but He “…has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…” And think about this: the day will come when God himself will wipe away the tears from our eyes. Our High Priest was tested and tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin!  As we pass through crises in life, we have the support of the church, and through prayer, because of Jesus, we have access to God, who is always good, and who will always work for our good and His glory.

III. Trust in the will of God: Through prayer we discover the power to bear up under the trials of life and move ahead in God’s will (41-42).

⁴¹ And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  ⁴² Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

       He had told the twelve that one of them would betray Him. He had told Peter that he would three times deny Christ, that was still to come.  He had told all the disciples that they would all desert Him. That was about to happen. Now, for the third time, after asking them to watch and pray, He returns and finds them sleeping.  They did not seem to grasp that they were watchmen, sleeping on the job, at one of the most pivotal moments in all of redemptive history. Remember just a chapter back, perhaps at another spot but also on the Mount of Olives, Jesus had called on the disciples to stay awake. Just the last few verses of the chapter say,

³³ Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.  ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.  ³⁵ Therefore stay awake- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or in the morning-  ³⁶ lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.  ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake…" (Mark 13:33-37).

That generation needed to be alert for the coming judgment of Jerusalem, and every generation since has needed to live in recognition that the day is coming when Christ will return and when God will judge the world in righteousness. Until that day we are here to proclaim the message of the Gospel, and to use our gifts to build each other up so that we can more effectively carry out God’s mission in the world. We need to stay alert, recognizing we have an enemy who goes about as a roaring lion. We are engaged in a spiritual battle, and I believe that we need to be alert to our own weakness, living by faith, trusting Him in our need.

       “…it is enough, the hour has come…” — It seems like a strange phrase in this context, does it not? Enough what? The word “enough” can be used in the sense, “the bill is paid.” That would mean, perhaps, that the matter is settled. This time of testing is over.  Jesus has proved faithful, standing fast and submitting Himself to the Father’s will. It’s time for this story to move ahead, according to God’s plan.

       “…rise, let us be going…” He is not saying, “Let’s get out of here!” He is saying, let’s get to the business I came to do. The word “rise” is sometimes used with a military connotation: Charge! Move ahead! Engage the enemy! Jesus is not on the defensive. This made me think of that scene in the Temple recorded by Luke, when Jesus is left behind in Jerusalem by Mary and Joseph. They were panicked. He said, “Didn’t you know that I would be about my Father’s business?” In Jerusalem again, He is in control, about His Father’s business, guiding the story ahead to its necessary conclusion. For this purpose He came into the world. So…

What is God saying to me in this passage? As we pass through crises in life, we have the support of the church, and through prayer, because of Jesus, we have access to God who will always work for our good and His glory.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? We tend to judge the disciples harshly when we see their failures in the gospels. But consider that we have the full light of the gospel, and we have the indwelling Holy Spirit with us and in us. There came a point, after the resurrection, when Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. On Pentecost they would be baptized, sealed, and filled with the Spirit, and these same men became bold proclaimers of the gospel, and tradition tells us, one-by-one, they were martyred for their faith. Have you ever fallen asleep in church? Maybe not. But have you ever been in church, daydreaming, maybe thinking about lunch plans? Have you ever gone through the motions, singing the songs without considering the words?  Have you ever simply dozed off reading the Bible or praying? Enough! Let’s be going!

       Jesus was accomplishing the once for all redemption that He came to provide. Even so, He was also giving the disciples, and us, and example. The Garden was a prelude and preparation for Calvary. Ferguson said,

“We need to learn to ‘watch and pray’ in our current situation, or we will never be able to do so when the ‘evil day’ comes… Gethsemane was unique. We don’t go through our own Gethsemane. Jesus has done that for us. But we must learn to place our feet in the footsteps of faithfulness which he planted there, if we are to be his disciples.”

What does it mean to follow Him? Would you be His disciple? That is the call. Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, came and satisfied divine justice, He took your sin and my sin in His body on the tree… He was made a curse for us. That is how much God loves us. The Son prayed, Papa, Abba, take this cup from me… nevertheless not my will but your will be done. I believe that it is because of the last part of that prayer, Jesus willingly submitting himself to the eternal plan, choosing to take the punishment that we deserved, that God spared not the Son, but delivered Him up for us all… Do you believe He did that for you? How then, must we live? Think about it, remember Gethsemane, and Golgotha, and if you will, take up your cross, and follow Him. AMEN.

GETHSEMANE: “He was crushed for our iniquities…” Mark 14:32-36

GETHSEMANE: “He was crushed for our iniquities…”

Mark 14:32-36

Introduction: We’ve been looking at Mark for quite some time, if I stay on track, we should get to the resurrection for Easter! Remember that this Gospel has been called a “narrative of the passion with an extended introduction.” As we came to chapter 14, we moved into the climax of the story, the passion of Christ. We’ve looked at the Gospel so far through the prism of three questions, which once again come front and center in the purposes of the writer: 1) Who is Jesus? 2) Why did He come? And 3) What does it mean to follow Him?  (By the way, I hope you see those questions as a discipling tool that can guide you through this gospel, perhaps reading it with someone else, and talking together about the answers to those questions). We’ll come back to the third question next week, but today as we look at Jesus in Gethsemane, to prepare our hearts for communion, I want to focus on the first two questions. How do these verses teach us about who He is and why He came?

       Jesus is revealed here, in powerful and dramatic terms, as the God-Man, the Son of God and Son of Man. He is the Eternal Word who was made flesh, He is the Last Adam who came to undo the Fall. And that leads us to the second question, “Why did He come?” Here we see the sinless Son of God, perfect humanity in union with undiminished deity, face-to-face with what He came to do. We’ll be reminded again that salvation is a free gift, received by grace through faith, it is free to us because Jesus paid the price that we could not pay. We get a glimpse of the cost as we see Jesus praying in the Garden.

       Let me preface our look at this passage with this: Jesus is not simply recoiling from death, or from the torturous suffering He must soon endure, as horrible as that was.  He has said multiple times and in diverse ways that it had to happen. There was no avoiding it. It was written. It was the plan established in the council of the Godhead in eternity past. What does Jesus mean when He prays, if it is possible, that this “cup” should pass from Him? What was this “cup” that Jesus was faced with drinking?  He had told the disciples about His impending betrayal, desertion, and death. As we enter the Garden of Gethsemane (literally, “The oil press”) we are on Holy Ground.  

       I’ve taught this passage before, but I don’t think I’ve ever done it justice. We see the sinless humanity of Jesus in unity with His Deity, as the Son of God comes face to face with the unimaginable task that He came to accomplish. Jesus, the God-Man, anticipated taking our sins, and He steeled himself to satisfy divine justice, by drinking the cup of the wrath of God so that we could receive the cup of blessing and life. We are going to look at this scene for two weeks. This week, as we prepare our hearts for the Lord’s Table, I want to focus on what this story teaches us about Jesus and the work He came to do. Next week we’ll return to this passage, and shift our focus to the disciples, and to us, as we consider again what it means to follow Him.

The Maine* Idea: The first Adam brought death and the curse, the last Adam, Jesus, took the curse for us, so that we could receive blessing and life.

I. Support: The Encouragement of the brethren can be a source of strength in a time of crisis. Though the disciples fail, they will be His witnesses (32-34).

³² And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  ³³ And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.  ³⁴ And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch." 

       The Place: Gethsemane, “the oil press.” The disciples went from the upper room to the Mount of Olives, and then, in v.32, came to a place called Gethsemane. From the other Gospels we know this was a place frequented by Jesus and His disciples, at the base of the Mount of Olives. The name appears to derive from an Aramaic term meaning “the oil press.” The olives would be harvested and then the oil crushed from them. Its hard not to see some symbolism in that, when we consider the language of Isaiah 53:5, “…he was crushed for our iniquities…”

       The Passion: “…greatly distressed and sorrowful… my soul is very sorrowful, even unto death…” Consider the description here, both by the narrator of the Gospel (v.53) and Jesus himself (v.54). In the place of the Olive Press Jesus is being crushed by the weight of the sins of humanity, as He anticipates satisfying the justice of God on our behalf.

       The Petition: Not His prayer to the Father, but first, a request to his disciples, the inner circle, to “remain” and “watch.” There were a few other occasions in Mark where Jesus invited a small group of followers to come a little further, to see and to hear a little more. In Mark 1, in the house of Simon and Andrew, James and John joined them in the room where Simon’s mother-in-law lay desperately ill. They saw the miracle of healing that Jesus did, as he took her hand, and she immediately got up and began to serve them. In Chapter 5, Peter, James, and John went with Him to the house of Jairus, and saw Jesus raise his daughter from the dead. They also were invited to go up the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, where they saw Him transformed before their eyes, and heard the voice of the Father, “This is my beloved Son, hear Him!”  Now as Jesus felt the weight of the mission that He alone could fulfill, begin to come down on him, in His perfect humanity, without sin, without doubt, He asks these three men, perhaps those He was closest to on earth, to “remain” and to “watch.” Did He know they would fall asleep? I think He did, just as surely as He knew they would all desert Him. But if that is true, why did He call them apart? He was still teaching them, and they would be His witnesses (more on that next week!). You remember His counsel to them as they descended the Mount of Transfiguration? We read in Mark 9:9-10,   

⁹ And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  ¹⁰ So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.

At a later time, they would be witnesses to what happened on the mountain. And likewise, at a later time, they would bear witness to this painful struggle, the hour of darkness that descended on Jesus in Gethsemane. So, now the One who was without sin, who came to undo the Fall and make it possible for sinful humans to be reconciled to Holy God, faced the moment of testing. Another man, without sin, at least at the start, faced a time of testing in a Garden. But the first Adam brought death and the curse, the last Adam, Jesus, took the curse for us, so that we could receive blessing and life.

II. Struggle: The horror of what lay before Him was such, that the sinless Son recoiled from it, asking the Father if it had to be (35-36a).

³⁵ And going a little farther, he 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 for you. Remove this cup from me…

       Let’s not try to explain away what is being described here. And we dare not take lightly the struggle that is going on. This was not just a time alone, praying to the Father. You can’t miss the struggle, the passion, of what is being described here. He “fell on the ground and prayed…” Jesus, the Son, exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death, distressed and burdened, is on His face, crying out to the Father. Luke the physician, in His account, tells us that as He prayed, He sweated great drops of blood. Dr. Cain told me that under extreme duress that this has been reported, hematidrosis. We cannot imagine what He endured that for us!

       Have you been with people in moments of such intense grief and pain that they just cry out? Know that we have a high priest who really can sympathize with us in our weakness, in those most distressing and overwhelming moments of life. He understands. But what drove Jesus to such sorrow, crying out like this to the Father? Was it the prospect of death? He had told his disciples, multiple times that He would soon die. And also promised that He would be raised. As tortuous as His scourging and crucifixion would be, I think there is much more going on here. H.A. Ironside got it right when he said,

“It was in anticipation of drinking the cup of wrath which our sins had filled that He prayed in agony that if it were possible that hour, and the cup, might pass from Him. His holy soul shrank from the awfulness of being made sin upon the tree. It was not death, but the divine anger against sin, the imputation to Him of all our iniquities that filled His soul with horror. There was no conflict of wills. He was in all things submissive as He prayed, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take this cup from Me: nevertheless, not what I will, but what Thou wilt.”

He prayed specifically in v.36, “Abba, Father… all things are possible for you, remove this cup from me…” To what is Jesus referring?  The word “cup” is used in three general ways in the Bible. Of a literal cup, as a glass of wine on the Passover table as we saw earlier in the chapter. It is also used metaphorically as a symbol of the blessing of God, as in Psalm 23, “…my cup is over-flowing…”, and then finally, in the sense of judgement of sin, the cup of the wrath of God… Let’s look a a couple of references.

Psalm 75:8  - For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.

Isaiah 51:17  - Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering.

More than a dozen times the Scriptures use this picture of the cup of God’s wrath against sin (So also Jer 25:15,17,28, 49:12; etc.).  Ezekiel 23:33 refers to “…a cup of horror and desolation…” It is the wicked who are to drink this cup of wrath in judgment for their sins. This usage of the “cup” would seem to fit with Jesus’ revulsion, His recoiling from what lay before Him, His shock, and “sorrow unto death…” He was sinless! And so, He prays, “If it is possible, take this cup from me!” Jesus has been telling his disciples for some time what would happen, what had to happen, during this Passover trip to Jerusalem. It is clear this is not merely the “cup” of suffering and death. It is that, but remember why He came: to satisfy divine justice, to be our substitute, our sin-bearer. Cursed is the one who hangs on a tree! Perfection, sinlessness, and he took the curse so we could be blessed!

       I’ve been trying to get my head around this this week, and thought of that scene when Isaiah got a vision of God on the throne of heaven. In that scene in Isaiah 6 the man of God gets a glimpse of the holiness and glory of God, “woe unto me, for I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips…” Isaiah was a sinner, and in the light God’s holiness the filth and the guilt of His sin was unbearable: “Woe unto me! I am undone!” Think about this: Jesus took Isaiah’s sin, and the sins of a billion Isaiahs, past, present and future, (regular people, sinners like you and me) in his own body… He did not sin, but the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all… and with the sin He willingly drank the cup of divine wrath… Somehow, in Gethsemane, he began to sense the horror of impending divine judgment, the wrath of God against sin. J.C. Ryle, in his revered commentary on Mark, said it well,

Let us mark, in the first place, how keenly our Lord felt the burden of a world's sin. It is written that He began to be filled with horror and deep distress. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death," and that "he fell on the ground, and prayed, that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him." There is only one reasonable explanation of these expressions. It was no mere fear of the physical suffering of death, which drew them from our Lord's lips. It was a sense of the enormous load of human guilt, which began at that time to press upon Him in a peculiar way. It was a sense of the unutterable weight of our sins and transgressions which were then specially laid upon Him. He was being "made a curse for us." He was bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows according to the covenant He came on earth to fulfill. He was being "made sin for us who Himself knew no sin." His holy nature felt acutely the hideous burden laid upon Him. These were the reasons of His extraordinary sorrow.

       Derek Thomas preached on this passage and said that the reader needs to hold his breathe for a moment at this point in the story. Jesus, the Son, prayed, 

“Abba, Father, if it is possible, if there could be another way, take this cup from me…” Our salvation hung in the balance. Jesus spoke other words in Aramaic, but Mark wants us to hear the intimacy, the depth of this prayer: Papa, Daddy, its crushing me, is there another way…? By the way, if you are tempted to think the popular idea today that there are many roads to heaven, many names for “God” – remember Gethsemane. Do you really think there was another way, or that it doesn’t matter what we believe? Remember this prayer and the passion of Christ. There was no other way! And so, know that there is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved. In Christ alone, our hope is found! The first Adam brought death and the curse, the last Adam, Jesus, took the curse for us, so that we could receive blessing and life.

III. Submission: Knowing the cost, Jesus submitted to the Father’s will, taking the curse so that we could receive blessing (36b).

“…Yet not what I will, but what you will."

       One writer said that “In every war, there is a turning point that changes the course of history. And in the battle for our hearts and souls, I believe the most important battle was fought in Gethsemane. Jesus was yet to be crucified, but I believe the real battle took place that night in Garden.” Jesus wrestled that night. Thank God for the second part of v.36… This is a crushing burden, it is killing me, Abba, Papa, is it possible to take away this cup? NEVERTHELESS, not my will, but your will be done! The first Adam, in another Garden, had a choice. He knew the Father’s will, and instead of obedience, he chose to follow Eve in rebellion. As a consequence, all creation fell under the curse. Every human born after him, was by birth and by choice a sinner. Paul said to the Ephesians “We were by nature children of wrath…” That doesn’t mean angry children. It means we were under the righteous wrath of God, destined for judgment.

       Jesus came to undo the fall, to make it possible for sinners to be reconciled with God. He was without sin. Yet, as we read in Isaiah 53, “The Lord laid on Him, the iniquity of us all…” So, He has…

“…borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him smitten of God and afflicted… But He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities, upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace…” (Isa 53:4,5).

Incredibly, 53:10 says, “…it was the will of the Lord to crush Him…” He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. And so, God spared not the Son, but delivered Him up for us all… He gave His only begotten Son…

What is God saying to me in this passage? The first Adam brought death and the curse, the last Adam, Jesus, took the curse for us, so that we could receive blessing and life.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Think of what Jesus did for us. He bore our sins in His body on the tree. He was made a curse for us, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. “For God so loved the world…” Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

       The price has been paid, and it was horrible, more than we can grasp. This is how God showed His love among us… The wages of sin is death… eternal separation from God… but, because of Jesus, the free gift of God is eternal life! It is received by faith, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

       Just a few hours before this scene Jesus shared a Passover meal with His disciples. He gave them, and us, a reminder, something they could see and taste and touch, of what He came to do for us, a visualization to invite us to remember the Gospel message. He took the bread, blessed it and broke it, and said “This is my body, given for you…” He took the cup and said “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many…”   As we share, remember Gethsemane, Jesus on His face before the Father, “…not my will, but Thy will be done.”   AMEN.

Don't Be a [Spiritual] Hoarder! Psalm 118:1; Ezra 3:11

[This is a short devotional shared before last night's quarterly meeting...]

DON’T BE A HOARDER! Psalm 118:1; Ezra 3:11

Introduction: A brother was helping me help someone in the church this week, and he made the comment “I could easily be a hoarder, I don’t throw anything away!” I am the same way – I don’t know the psychology, I guess I just think you never know when you might need that box of left-over parts from past projects or whatever! Hoarding isn’t a joking matter for some people, it can become a real problem, but an even bigger problem is “hoarding” spiritual truths that God is teaching us along the way. I read a short article this week that suggested, “We need to weaponize our quiet time.” That means as soon as we learn something new, or when we see God’s “footprints in the sand” in some situation in our life, we need to share the blessing by telling someone else about it! Don’t hoard the blessing for yourself!

       So, this is me telling you something from the Word, I hope, but also an interesting confluence of details that, it seems to me, have God’s fingerprints on it. On Sunday I preached on Mark 14, where Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples, and they “sang a hymn” and went out to the Mount of Olives. The reading I was doing suggested that Psalm 118 was the last of a group of Psalms that would traditionally have been sung in connection with the feast. As I thought about a devotional for tonight, I started to look at the verse that opens and closes that Psalm, “Give thanks to the LORD for He is good, His steadfast endures forever!” Praise and thanksgiving to God for who He is and for what He has done – that is the proper response of faith. Well, I also started working on the Children’s Church lesson for this week, and it is the story of Ezra, rebuilding the Temple. Then I looked up the key verse for the lesson, Ezra 3:11…

And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Essentially quoting the exact same phrase! That got my attention, it seems God wanted to make sure I didn't miss what He was saying! 

       There are a couple of different ideas about “praise” in the Bible – but they are related. There is descriptive praise, which focuses on our response to God for who He is, and there is declarative praise, which is our response to God for what He has done. GIVE THANKS TO…

The LORD… Yahweh, the Great I AM, the God who is, has chosen to enter into a relationship with humans… FOR HE IS GOOD…

Remember the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe, Lucy asks Mrs. Beaver, when she learned that Aslan is a Lion, if he was quite safe… No, but He is good! When the rich young ruler called Jesus, “good teacher” Jesus asked Him, “Why do you call me good? There is none good but God…” In other words, do you think I am just an engaging teacher, or have you really recognized who I AM? God is good, and He does good, always. It is His nature. In the original creation, step-by-step, He said, “it is good.” And listen to this… the Bible promises that He causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Give thanks to the LORD for He is good!  And, …HIS STEADFAST LOVE…

We've seen that word recently in our study of Ruth, His “hesed,” His covenantal love… His “loyal love,” or His “steadfast love.” He has committed Himself to us, in the most amazing way… Not just with words, but by acting for our good... this is how God showed His love among us: He gave the Son… (I John 4:9; Rom 5:8; John 3:16).  That love endures forever… Jesus said,

"I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish…"

Later we read in Psalm 118:14 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

Is that your experience? Then we can’t allow ourselves to become spiritual hoarders! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! Jesus told the disciples after the resurrection, “You will be my witnesses, starting in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the uttermost parts of the earth…” Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, and His steadfast love endures forever!  AMEN.

Never Say Never! - Mark 14:26-31

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.

Pastor's Report Preview - January 2019

[This is a first draft of my report for our quarterly meeting coming up next week.]

Boothbay Baptist Church

Pastor’s Report

January 2019

       The end of a calendar year is always an activity-filled time in the life of the church, and 2018 was no exception.  Our children’s ministries continue to be a great joy as we see young children excited to learn and growing in their faith. Personally, I’ve really enjoyed joining with our team of volunteers in the Olympian ministry, working with 1^st to 6^th grade students.  The kids are excited each week as we come together to recite Bible verses and report on quiet time successes and challenges, have a game time together, sing Bible-based songs, hear a gospel-centered Bible lesson, and then have a snack while we debrief in small discipleship huddles. It is truly a joy and a privilege and I am blessed to join with our team of leaders, as we partner with parents in leading these kids deeper in their faith in Christ. I’ve also enjoyed leading the adult Sunday School class, with video series on Awakening (Ligonier Ministries) and Prophecy (Dr. David Jeremiah) followed by our current study in Ruth (Journey to Bethlehem: The Prequel).

       Our Christmas celebration started early this year, with Journey to Bethlehem inside and outside the church building at the end of November. The live Nativity Scene on a couple of nights (featuring the Dodge family) got the attention of some passers-by! Special thanks to Meredith Fowlie for coordinating the program once again. This year our Advent celebration in December included a special program directed by Becky Roberts which included music from the children, as well as adults singing several songs. We also had a joint-Christmas Eve service with our brothers and sisters from Boothbay Region Community Fellowship. For the entire month of December our theme was rejoicing in the First Coming of Christ, while being always grateful for why He came, to give His life so that we could be reconciled to God. That is the true gift of Christmas!  I am thankful for all who participated in doing the Advent readings through the month, it helped keep our hearts and minds focused on the reason-for-the-season, Jesus Christ. We ended our year together with a New Years Eve service, reading through the entire Book of Revelation, and singing songs of praise to the Lord. This year we had 21 readers!

       I’ve enjoyed continuing our series in the Gospel of Mark. Someone recently asked me which is my favorite book of the Bible. My answer was, “Which ever one I am preaching at the time!” I’ve been learning each week as I’ve worked through this gospel in my own study, and have tried to share the perspective of Mark in the sermons each week. God chose to give us four gospels rather than one complete account of the life and teaching of Jesus. Each one gives a unique perspective on the person and work of Christ, while being united in truthfully telling the story of the Messiah, the Incarnate Son of God. Mark wants his readers, and us, to know that there will be tribulation and suffering in the world, that is why Jesus came—to undo the Fall and to make it possible for fallen humans to be reconciled to Holy God.  So be encouraged! He loves us that much. Counseling couples and individuals continues to be a privilege.

       We don’t know what the New Year will bring us. We can count on some surprises along the way. But nothing is going to surprise Him. He has a plan, and Jesus is building His church. What a privilege to have a part in what He is doing! Talk to me or the elders about using your gifts and abilities for reaching the lost, and building up the body of Christ!

Your co-workers in Christ,

Pastor Steve and Mary Ann

The Last Passover - Mark 14:12-25

The New Passover

Mark 14:12-25

Introduction: One of the things that come out of working with children is to be reminded that we can’t take anything for granted! You know their favorite question? “WHY?” Kids always want to know why we believe what we do, and why we do the things that we do. Time and tradition can obscure the truth even for mature believers. One of the things associated with the celebration of Passover was the practice of the youngest child present to ask questions, “Why do we eat these foods?” “Why do we do these things?” It is an opportunity to teach, and for all who are present to be reminded, of the things that are really the basis of our faith.  As Passover was associated with the redemption of the Firstborn and the Exodus, Jesus used the bread and wine to symbolize His coming sacrifice and the rescue He would accomplish… Way back on the mount of transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared there talking with Jesus. Moses would immediately be associated with the Exodus from Egypt. Moses was used to lead them out, but Joshua would lead them in. When Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountain with Jesus, 0nly Luke tells us what they were talking about: His departure [exodus] which would soon be accomplished in Jerusalem. Paul was quite explicit when he said, “...Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed [for us]...” (2 Cor 5:17, ESV). We’ll see here in Mark 14:12-25...

The Maine* Idea: Jesus fulfilled the Passover, which was a reminder to the Jews of what God had accomplished, and gave His followers a symbolic meal, to reflect on the salvation He accomplished for us.

Context:  Remember the context, chapter 14 of Mark began on a doubly ominous note: Passover was approaching, and the religious leaders were actively plotting to put Jesus to death. The anointing of Jesus with expensive perfume allowed for Him to make an enigmatic reference to His coming death on the eve of Passover, He said, “...she has anointed my body for burial...” and at the same time that was apparently the last straw for Judas as He went to the leaders with His intentions to betray Jesus…

I. Preparation of the Passover (12-17). The scene on the Eve of Passover is reminiscent of the preparations for the triumphal entry a week earlier. There too we saw Jesus give a couple of disciples some instructions about what was about to happen. Remember there we read in 11:1-6,

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples  ² and said to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.  ³ If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'"  ⁴ And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.  ⁵ And some of those standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"  ⁶ And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.

       The question then as here is chapter 14 is whether this contact had been arranged by Jesus beforehand, or was it sovereignly guided in the moment, or was it an indication of His divine omniscience? Mark does not answer that question for us, but the implication seems to be that this is another case of Jesus knowing details no mere man could know, even about specific future events like this, and perhaps even guiding the characters to do exactly as He desired. So here the question is regarding the location of the Passover meal Jesus would share with his disciples… Back in our context, we read in 14:12...

¹² And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"  ¹³ And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him,  ¹⁴ and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'  ¹⁵ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us."  ¹⁶ And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.  ¹⁷ And when it was evening, he came with the twelve… 

NB. Jesus is in control of the events leading to His death… He is guiding [His]story as planned. On the face of it, the whole picture is an unlikely one. First of all, in that setting, men did not normally carry water jars, that was usually done by women, or sometimes by children or slaves. It was unusual enough that coming into the city and seeing such a thing, the disciples would know this is the person they needed to follow!  Everything would be arranged so that Jesus and the disciples would have a place to share the Passover meal together. It had to happen in order to fulfill all righteousness.

       Mark refers to “...the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb.”  This is another indication that the Passover, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, had virtually merged in the first century. If you recall in our study of John’s Gospel, John makes a point that Jesus was crucified at the hour that the Passover lambs were sacrificed (John 19:14ff.). How could that be if we see here in Mark Jesus sharing the Passover with His disciples?  I don’t know for sure! A few ideas have been proposed, but scholars haven’t come to a consensus. There may have been differences in the celebration between Galilean pilgrims and Judean locals. Or there may be a difference between Mark’s time references as He writes to a Roman audience, and that of John as He writes a “Jewish” gospel. For my part, at this point, I think the best I can do is to take each account at face value. Jesus, the Lamb of God, was killed in association with the Jewish Feast of Passover, and He had a last supper with His disciples which they shared in association with the Passover feast.  The point is that Jesus fulfilled the Passover, which was a reminder to the Jews of what God had accomplished, and Jesus transformed that meal, giving His followers a symbolic meal, this last supper became the Lord’s supper, for them to anticipate and for us to reflect on the salvation He accomplished for us. So I. Preparation, then...

II. Prediction of Betrayal at The Final Passover – In the previous context, after the anointing of Jesus by the woman (Mary) in the house of Simon, Judas had just gone out and conspired with the leaders to betray Jesus… and now, just a few days later, Jesus reveals to the twelve, including Judas, that He knows! NB. Jesus was not caught by surprise by His betrayal… and still, He does nothing to stop it from happening. The disciples clearly had no idea, no suspicions, as to who the traitor might be—they all asked, “Lord, it is I?” The sense of the question seems to be, “Lord, it’s not me, is it?”

¹⁸ And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me."  ¹⁹ They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, "Is it I?"  ²⁰ He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me.  ²¹ For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."

       It is a shocking scene, Jesus with His twelve closest disciples, reclined at table, sharing a meal together. Jesus had repeatedly told them what would soon happen, the Son of Man would be handed over, put to death, and rise again the third day (8:31; 9:31; 10:32-33). They didn’t seem to understand what He was saying. In Bethany he had just said He was anointed for His burial, all of which spurred Judas to contact the leaders. Now, as He reveals the unthinkable, that one at the table would be His betrayer, they are saddened, and one-by-one ask, Lord, is it me?  The fact is, they would all soon betray Him at some level, Peter by denying Him three times. The others, by being scattered deserting Him as Jesus is arrested. However, only for one, for Judas, is this “premeditated betrayal,” essentially revealing His unbelief.  Imagine how shocking this statement of Jesus must have been to him! “One of you twelve will betray me!” Judas must have thought, “How could He possibly know?!  Did He have a spy in the Sanhedrin? Was I talking in my sleep? Or... is He really… no, it couldn’t be!”

       At another level, as we have seen, it had to happen this way. It was written. It was necessary for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners.  But divine sovereignty does not negate human responsibility. Scripture predicted the betrayal of the Messiah. Here, Jesus predicts His betrayal by one of the twelve. God’s plan will come to pass. And Judas is responsible for the unimaginable treachery of betraying the Son of God. God’s plan was prescriptive as well as predictive. And so,

“For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born..."  (Mark 14:21).

Judas would one day give an account of His actions before the Great White Throne. Truly, it would be better for him if he had never been born! At the same time, according to plan, Jesus fulfilled the Passover. He took that which was a reminder to the Jews of what God had accomplished, and gave His followers a symbolic meal, a new ordinance, to reflect on the salvation He would accomplish for them and for us. So, I. Preparation of the Passover, II. Prediction of His betrayal, followed by...

III. Participation in the First Communion (22-26a). Jesus transformed a “Last Supper” into a “First Supper,” giving new significance to the Passover meal.

²² And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body."  ²³ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.  ²⁴ And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  ²⁵ Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

       It is odd that the two ordinances the Lord gave the church, baptism and communion, both of which should affirm the unity of the body and our common faith, have become such a point of division between us. We’ll not address the question of baptism today, but the Lord’s Table is a beautiful reminder of what God has done for us in Christ. Obviously, as Jesus shared this meal with His disciples and instituted the ordinance, their perspective was different than ours. They remembered the first Passover, and were invited to ponder the meaning of Jesus’ words, looking ahead to His sacrifice, when he spoke of His body which was given, and His blood which would be poured out for many. Remember, all of this was against the backdrop of Jesus’ teaching and predictions, and the anointing that had just occurred at Bethany. Did they understand? Probably not, not until after the Cross and Resurrection anyway. But what was Jesus saying about these elements from the Passover Table?

       First, “...he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’” The Roman Church over the centuries came to teach that Jesus was saying that the bread was actually being transformed into the body of Christ. The term, “transubstantiation” relates that idea. The Lutherans were not too far off from that, they held that the body of Christ was present with and between the bread. Calvin was closer it seems when He taught that the Lord was “spiritually present” in the elements of communion. It seems pretty clear to me that this was symbolism. After all, Jesus was physically there with the disciples as He instituted the Table! What could the disciples have understood? Something like the “Bread of Life” discourse in John 6 when, as another Passover was approaching (Jn 6:4), He described Himself as the Bread of Heaven. There is some way in which He is the Bread that gives life as we receive Him, His blood brings the cleansing that we desperately need. The Lord’s Table reminds us of that Spiritual Truth. It is not mystical, it is God teaching us as we see and consider and taste the elements, to remember that Jesus is not just a story, just about words on a page, He is the Word, who was made flesh, and dwelt among us. This is why He came.

What is God saying to me in this passage? Jesus fulfilled the Passover, a reminder to the Jews of what God had accomplished, and gave His followers a symbolic meal, to reflect on the salvation He accomplished for us.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? It is really a kind of object lesson, something that allows us to see and taste, while we hear the scriptures read, and invites us to reflect on the rescue that Christ accomplished for us. It is a perpetual reminder, showing forth His death until He comes. It allows us to join with believers through the ages, as we partake, in this symbolic meal, we are drawn back to the upper room, to that last Passover, when the Lamb would be slain, once and for all.  Let’s read Paul’s reaffirmation of this ordinance in I Corinthians 11:23-28...

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,   ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."  ²⁵ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."  ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.  ²⁷ Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.  ²⁸ Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

And so, we look back and remember. We remember that night in the upper room, and we remember the next day, on Calvary, when the Lamb was slain.  We look back, and we also look ahead, as we “show forth the Lord’s death until He comes.” We were reminded in Chapter 13, He will return! That also reminds us that the Kingdom is coming, and that one day we will share in another meal, the marriage supper of the Lamb. And so we look back and look ahead, and also, as we are invited here, look within: “...let a person examine  himself...” I think the point it to examine our hearts in relation to the gospel: have we trusted Christ as savior and as Lord? Have you, by faith, shared in His death and resurrection? That is the Good News!   AMEN.