Mark 14v43-72

 

How do we treat Jesus?

 

 

Introduction.

ILLUS.: Last year when ManU won the triple the parade through Manchester took hours because of the crowds coming to celebrate their heroes. !0 years from now most of those players could walk down the street and most people wouldn’t  even recognise them.

 

Fame is very fleeting – the famous of today are the forgotten and discarded of tomorrow as new heroes emerge / as fads and fashions move on.

 

People only become famous and popular because the media and the public pay them a lot of attention. As soon as the spotlight moves they are forgotten. Crowds are very fickle / easily led. That is why Jesus was never impressed with large crowds.

 

However the crowds made him a hero – at least for a time. We read in John 12:19  So the Pharisees said to one another, “…… Look how the whole world has gone after him!” (NIV)

 

A few days before Jesus was arrested he rode into Jerusalem on a Donkey and crowds applauded. A week later he was dead.

Betrayed by a trusted disciple. Deserted by his followers. Rejected by the religious Leaders. Disowned by one of his closest disciples.

 

1. 1.     The King Betrayed. [v. 43-52]

 

ILLUS.: Story of Peace Child. Warriors from one village befriend a warrior from another village with the express purpose of killing and eating him. They invited him as an honoured guest to a feast – but the failed to inform him that he was the meal.

When missionaries arrived and told this story of Judas betraying Jesus they cheered Judas as the hero. Treachery was the highest honour.

 

Why did Judas betray Jesus? What was going on in his mind? We can’t be absolutely sure.

Some put it down to plain old greed – on an occasion when a woman poured expensive perfume over Jesus Judas responded – John 12:5-6 , 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the moneybag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (NIV)

Did Judas betray Jesus just for 30 pcs of silver?

Or was it that he was frustrated that Jesus did not take the opportunities he had to take the Kingdom from the Romans?

 

Judas betrayed Jesus because he wanted to do things his way according to his agenda. He used his position as a chosen disciple to do that. He did it with a kiss – an expression of the intimate relationship between a Rabbi / Teacher and his disciple.

Why did the Jewish Religious police need Judas? They did not want to arrest Jesus in public – that would have cause uproar. They needed to do it secretly. Remember there would have been thousands of people in Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover. There were no hotel chains or B&Bs – people would have camped out in the open all around the outskirts of the city. How would they find and identify Jesus in the midst of all those people. They needed someone who knew where Jesus would be and who could identify him in the dark.

 

Jesus’ capture was a fairly low-key event in spite of Peter slicing off someone’s ear [another gospel] which Jesus put back on.

 

In the scuffle the disciples desire for self-preservation overtook their loyalty to Jesus and they fled – including the young man who fled naked. Some say it was Mark himself but that is speculation.

 

We may not betray the Lord in such a dramatic way – BUT we do betray him when like Judas we place our own self-interests and our own way before God’s way.

We will see in a moment what became of Judas and why.

 

1. 2.     The King Rejected. [v. 53-65]

 

Jesus is now taken before the Sanhedrin. This is the Jewish Supreme Court. Israel was under Roman occupation at the time. They wanted to put Jesus to death but had no authority to do so. Also that had to find a reason to kill him. The verdict was decided in advance.

 

Everything about this trial wrong – really is was a preliminary hearing or was it more like a kangaroo court. According to Jewish Law the full Sanhedrin was not legally allowed to meet until daybreak. They were not allowed to meet in the High Priest’s house. And they were not allowed to trial and condemn on the same day. They failed on all counts.

More than that the charges were trumped up and the witnesses were liars – the testimony they gave was conflicting and even the prejudiced members of the Sanhedrin could see that! Lies are much harder to prove than the truth.

 

Through all this Jesus remained silent.

Eventually they ask Jesus himself. Mark 14:61-62 61 … the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”

            62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (NIV)

 

the Blessed One is a way of speaking about God without actually using his name.

In the Book of Daniel and in Ezekiel on the OT the title Son of Man is used of someone who is Divine – this linked to the title Son of the Blessed One would certainly have qualified as blasphemy if it were untrue BUT it was true. It was just that they didn’t believe it.

The problem with Jesus’ accusers was that they had never asked themselves if indeed his claim was true before they reject him.

 

The same is true today with so many people. They reject Jesus Christ / Christianity as irrelevant without ever taking the trouble to ask, “It is true?”

 

ILLUS.: Sceptic: “I don’t believe in God!”

Christian: “Tell me about the God you say you don’t believe in.”

Sceptic:       {Explains his/her concept of God}

Christian: “I don’t believe in a God like that either.”

 

Often people reject Jesus Christ without really knowing what they are rejecting.

 

Why did these Sanhedrin reject Jesus? He threatened their position / authority / pride. Accepting Jesus would have been to loose face – a climb down. They would have to relinquish some of their opinions and their very comfortable lifestyles. So they rejected their King. They preferred a God would fit in with their lifestyles – Do we?

 

1. 3.     The King Disowned.

 

Peter – a passionate man. A proud man.

 

We are prepared for Peter’s presence in v.54 of the previous section. Mark 14:54 54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire. (NIV)

Why did Peter follow? Was it just to observe? Did he have some notion of rescuing Jesus? He had already tried that in the Garden and Jesus had rejected that approach. We don’t know his reason for being there.

What we do know is that he was unwilling to be identified with Jesus publicly.

BUT he is recognised as a companion of Jesus – his accent gives him away. Three times he claims not to know Jesus – eventually with curses. Probably something like “I’ll be damned if I know him!”

 

Luke tells us [Luke 22:61-62] 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the cock crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly. (NIV)

Can you imagine Peter’s feelings at that moment – the shame / guilt / embarrassment at been caught out / the humiliation….

 

 

All three of these instances constitute sin. Any denial / betrayal / rejection of God and Jesus is sinful.

Judas was calculating – seeking to use Jesus for his own selfish ends. We can do that – Church and religious activity can easily be for ME rather than for God – What are my motives?

When things didn’t go his way and he was found out he felt guilty – he felt remorseful and he committed suicide / he hanged himself.

He was remorseful – sorry for himself and for the consequences of his action but not sorry / repentant towards God.

 

The Sanhedrin was just as calculating and scheming – they were all guilty of misrepresenting the Truth. Jesus was the only innocent one among them. They were characterised by resentment. Jesus threatened their position / power / prestige. When they were proved wrong and Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday they tried to suppress the truth with false allegations about the disciples stealing the body.

 

Peter was just as guilty of wrongdoing as Judas and The Sanhedrin. BUT Peter discovered what the others did not – that there is forgiveness even for such betrayals. Judas took his own life because he was too proud to repent. The Sanhedrin eventually lost the power the tried to hold because they were too hard-hearted to repent. BUT Peter was restored because he was repentant.

He was willing to admit his sin and to declare his love for Jesus. And God made him great in the Kingdom of God.

 

We should never be complacent about sin – all sin betrays and denies Jesus.

 

How do we treat Jesus?

Have you ever seriously considered who he is and what he did? Or are you like the Sanhedrin? Too proud and full of your own ideas to consider the truth of Christ’s claims.

 

OR are you like Judas – religious – but a religion of convenience to suit yourself. Get involved in Church activities only when it suits you.

 

Or like Peter? We all fail / sin / let God down. BUT are we willing to come back – to acknowledge our sin / wrongdoing / selfishness. To allow God to take the broken and spoiled strands of life and weave them into a rich tapestry to his glory.

Romans 8:28 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (NIV)

 

We must always take sin seriously because it always betrays Jesus: BUT we should never be destroyed by remorse or resentment or guilt when sins takes over – There is Always forgiveness and restoration. 1 John 1:9 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (NIV)