Mark 14:43-50 — Kiss of Death

Mark 14:43-50

And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 

Gethsemane today

And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 
And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” 
And they all left him and fled.

Comments:

Judas showed up in the garden with a mob, and they were armed for trouble. We don't see it here in Mark, but I love the extra details recorded in John that show how the men were all knocked down by Jesus merely saying, "I am He"...the Prince of Peace proclaiming his divinity.

v.45 As soon as He had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him. (NKJV)

"Rabbi, Rabbi!" reminds me of those who in the last days will cry out "Lord, Lord!" but Jesus will say that he never knew them. Judas had done great things for Jesus, he had along with the rest of the apostles been given the power to cast out demons, heal the sick, and even raise the dead. He had been privileged to preach the good news that the Anointed One (lit. Messiah) was in their midst. He had listened to Jesus' teaching & preaching, commanding & comforting, loving & leading—yet Judas chose to betray the Lord into the hands of the religious leaders for the meager price of a slave.

Peter so far had not denied the Lord and stepped forward in sleep-induced "delirium" and tried to kill someone. He succeeded only in cutting off a servant’s ear. Jesus quickly remedied the situation (Luke 22:51) and healed the man's ear. He made the point that if they had wanted to arrest him they could have done it while he was in the temple every day teaching. He did not surrender to them because of force (See John 18:3-8) but in order to fulfill the Scriptures. He was in complete submission to the will of the Father.

One of the things I think we can learn from Judas is that duplicitous behavior toward others is forever to be characterized as the sin of Judas. When we lie, betray, and pretend friendship with others but only to stab them in the back we betray Christ all over again. Do we really love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 9:19; 22:39)? Does our love rise to that of Jesus’ command, “that you love one another as I have loved you”?

Or Paul’s instruction to the church in Rome, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)

Mark 14:32-42 — Simon, Are You Asleep?

 Mark 14:32-42

Ancient Olive Tree in Gethsemane

And they went to a place called Gethsemane.

And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”

And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 

And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

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.”

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.”

And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.

And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.

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. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Comments:

I read this passage with a great deal of personal application. Jesus was facing the toughest day of his life and he asked for the help of his disciples. He didn't ask much—just that they would watch and pray with him for an hour. He was “sorrowful unto death” and felt the weight of the sins of the world beginning to come down upon his shoulders. He prayed and asked for relief, but at the same time submitted himself to the Father's will not to his own personal comfort (v. 36). He returned to the disciples and found them sleeping.

v. 37-38 "Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Jesus pointed out that Peter/Simon was not able to stay awake for an hour at the Lord's request. Perhaps this carried the implication that if he couldn't watch and pray for an hour, there was no way that Peter would be able to carry out his promise made in v. 29 & 31 (see previous post). Peter was willing spiritually, but weak (e.g., undisciplined) physically. So when we are weak physically what is the first thing to go? Our prayer time and devotional life—without which we are no match for the power of our spiritual enemy when he desires to come and sift us.

Jesus prayed alone three times and each time they slept. Then swiftly crisis came upon them and only Jesus was prepared and armed spiritually to face it. Jesus’ words came true when they all fled.

Don’t get me wrong…we need to get proper sleep and nutrition and exercise and all that. But sleeping when Jesus has asked us to be praying will never prepare us for spiritual battle. I’m thinking that we might need to pray and watch so we will not be caught weak and off guard.

In this place, the Garden of the Olive press, we see Jesus under terrible pressure yet come out triumphant through prayer and surrender to the Father's will. Peter, though well rested fails miserably. What will come out of our lives when we are pressed? 

Mark 14:27-31 — Before the Rooster Crows

 Mark 14:27-31

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.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.”

And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”

But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.”

And they all said the same.

Comments:

Jesus continued to prepare his disciples for what was coming. 

They would all fail him that evening as it was written in the prophecy of Isaiah (which Jesus quoted in v. 27), but Jesus did not seem to take their denial of him personally. He spoke about being raised for the dead and going before them to Galilee. If Jesus would die to pay the price for their sin, certainly he certainly would not hold a grudge. 

Peter defended himself by comparing himself favorably to the rest of the disciples, believing that he would not fall away from Jesus even if everybody else did. He meant it too. However, he didn't have the strength to carry out his commitment against the spiritual forces arrayed against him. Jesus told Peter matter-of-factly that he would deny Christ three times before the rooster crowed twice. Peter and the other disciples didn't agree—they all denied that they would fall away.

Their zeal for the Lord is great, but we humans must fight in the armor and strength of the Lord, not in our own strength. Notice how many times Peter used the word "I"—three times. He didn't pray to the Lord for the strength to see it through; rather, he went in the strength of an emotional commitment—much like the seed that is sowed upon the shallow (rocky) ground (see Mark 4:5 &16). It responds quickly and joyously, but when persecution comes it withers away. 

Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash

Peter and the other disciples had not yet received the Holy Spirit so they were too weak for the spiritual battle ahead. For a season, despair and disappointment would blot out hope from their minds.  

Just a random thought…wouldn’t the first time the rooster crowed (v.68) be a powerful wake-up call to Peter’s conscience and courage? Nope. It seems that he hit the spiritual snooze button.

Are we full of false confidence in our abilities to stand up for Christ in times of persecution? Or have we made it our practice to seek God in prayer regularly before any crisis occurs (like Daniel) so that when persecution comes we will not fall away but be used by the Holy Spirit in a powerful way? Peter would later give it the best shot in his own strength and only catch one ear before withering. We probably can look back on our week and see where we were filled with the Holy Spirit and had our spiritual armor on as Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Eph. 6:10-20)

Mark 14:22-26 — This is My Body

 Mark 14:22-26

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.”

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 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.”

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Comments:

Jesus, at the Passover dinner, instituted what we now call the Lord's Supper. He presented the bread as his body and the wine in the cup as his blood of the new covenant. He was still present in his body so the bread was not his actual body. There was no transubstantiation involved. If there was, then Jesus would have given instructions regarding crumbs and dregs. A covenant was sealed with the blood of a sacrifice and now Jesus' blood that would shortly be shed to seal a new covenant with men was symbolized in the cup.

I remember meditating on this passage one Sunday many years ago when I had come down with the flu after church. I was laying on the couch watching the World Series and eating some Saltine crackers. It was the first thing I'd been able to eat and as I thankfully held the saltine cracker I was reminded of the unleavened bread that Jesus used in establishing the Eucharist. I've never had Saltines taste better or feel better on my very empty stomach. Jesus, the bread of life does the same for our soul. It was his body, broken for us, represented in the bread that sucks up the nauseating, empty, bilious, dry heaves of sin and sad attempts at self-satisfaction that we face in this world. He is not just a staple, but a cure and comfort for our condition. I also think that we have to be completely empty of ourselves (like I was) before we can really partake of Christ with power.

In v. 26 we also get a glimpse into their devotional habits as they sang a hymn or hymns and went out. 

They shared: the Word, worship, and a walk...a memorable evening for sure.

Mark 14:12-21 — One of You

 Mark 14:12-21

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?”

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, 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?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 

And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 

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.” 

They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 

He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 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.”

Comments:

The disciples asked Jesus for directions...Jesus gave them some very specific instructions that revealed that nothing was outside of his knowledge. This miracle should have served to comfort the disciples as the day of his death approached.

v. 18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me." And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?" And another said, "Is it I?"

Jesus said one of them would betray him, but Jesus didn't treat any of them differently though he knew all along who it was. They didn't know who it would be. It made them sorrowful to think that one of their close group would betray Jesus, and secondly because each one began to wonder if it might be them. Why? Perhaps it was because they knew their own impure thoughts and weaknesses. This passage reminds me of John 8:1-11, where Jesus was confronted by the mob that wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery. He stooped and wrote in the sand saying, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” Remember how, one by one, they dropped their rocks of accusation and self-righteousness in the sand of conviction and went home.

"The King's Game", Carved in the stones 
by Roman soldiers where Jesus was beaten.

Here in our Mark 14 passage, I picture Jesus looking around the room as he must have done (He didn't stare at Judas or they would have guessed) and each feeling the conviction in their hearts of their own sin. In fact, by their sins, each and all were guilty of betraying him—as are we today. We are not mere observers of the crucifixion, but participants. It was our sin that put Jesus on the cross. It was our sin that betrayed him with a kiss…that spit in his face…that beat him and whipped him…that drove the nails into his feet and hands…that dropped him savagely on the cross into the hole…pierced his side…and sealed his tomb.

But just as Jesus knew ahead of time the details for arranging the room to prepare for the Passover, he knew ahead of time the price to be paid to set us free from our sins—not just our mistakes, but our conscious choices to do the wrong thing. He chose to do it for us as an act of prodigal love. 

The crucifixion changes our perspective, his love melts our heart, and we go home different…no longer condemned. As Jesus said to that woman in John 8, 

         “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Mark 14:10-11 — God Forbid! God Forgive!

 Mark 14:10-11

Steps to the Temple Courts

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 

And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. (ESV)

…So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him. ((NKJV)

Golgotha, where this betrayal leads

Comments:

Who was it that betrayed Jesus? It was one of the twelve, one of his closest friends, one who should have appreciated him most. But Judas was a thief and had likely become disenchanted with Jesus' attitude towards money. If this had happened today, Judas probably would have escaped popular blame by claiming to be a victim of a financial addiction. He might say that he just had to get some money in order to feel secure and/or calm his fears of homelessness, etc. The problem was pride, greed, and the grip of having habitually yielded to sin. But Judas was no victim, he consciously chose to go to the chief priests to betray Jesus.

Second, notice to whom Jesus was betrayed. Jesus was betrayed to compromised religion, to mere stewards who were to keep things until the Messiah would come, but now that he had come they did not want to relinquish control to the real Master. It reminds me of the symbolism in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings where Denethor the Steward of Gondor refuses to recognize the true kingship of Aragorn.

What was the reaction of these "holy men of God" to Judas' terrible proposition? They were glad. They probably thought that this was an answer to their prayers. They would gladly pay to get rid of a troublemaker like Jesus. And that desire suited Judas fine. He sold his inheritance like Esau once had "for a mess of pottage". Ironically, Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver—the price of a slave—and purchased us back from slavery to sin and death.

One other thing I noticed in this paragraph—Judas sought how he might conveniently betray Jesus (NKJV). That says a lot. Judas was not just going to betray Jesus he was going to do it conveniently…when he had the opportunity. Jesus was no longer convenient for Judas, all this talk about betrayal and death and wasting money on perfume, the repeated talk about how we should be servants, not authoritarians, this talk about the destruction of the temple—it just wasn't convenient! But betraying Jesus might be. 

I wonder if sometimes we also find it convenient to betray Jesus (rather than curb our flesh). God forbid! O God forgive!

Mark 14:3-9 — A Beautiful Thing

 Mark 14:3-9

And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 

There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 

But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

Comments:

Photo by Katherine Hanlon on Unsplash

It intrigues me that they met in the home of Simon the Leper. Was this Simon someone that Jesus had healed (most likely), or someone who had been an ancestor of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus? I think of the passage in Matthew where Jesus answered those sent by John regarding his own identity as the Messiah. He said, "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Certainly, if Simon was living, he was an ex-leper, just as Lazarus who sat at the table was an ex-dead person. Martha served. Mary worshiped and some were indignant at her "waste" of good perfume.  Mary broke her alabaster flask of oil of spikenard. The perfume was worth a year's wages. It was probably her dowry. In using it on the Lord she was likely giving up any hope of marriage. Mark doesn’t name the woman, but John’s gospel does (12:2-3) and places Mary, Martha, and Lazarus there.

The darkened hearts of some of the others, Judas especially (see John 12:4-6), are made visible in this episode. They were angry with her for wasting something that they could have benefitted from or that could have been used to "help the poor". But love and devotion to Jesus is never a waste. 

This woman was pouring her very life out upon the Lord and some thought that she wasted it. When we pour our lives out for the Lord, setting aside our dreams and those of our family as well, there are some, even in the church, that may think it is a waste—of talent, education, money, etc. 

Jesus did not share their opinion and once again came to Mary's defense. We should note that the poor are not God. We should do good for the poor but never at the expense of our first love in Jesus Christ. We should not miss any opportunity to serve and worship Jesus, even extravagantly by human standards. He said that it was an anointing for his burial. She poured it upon his head and it must have run down upon his robes reminiscent of Psalm 133:2 "It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments." 

I wonder if his robes and his hair and his feet still carried the smell of the spikenard to the cross, and to the grave? I wonder if in the midst of the Roman brutality, even as they stripped and beat him, Jesus might have caught a whiff of the oil with which he had been anointed? Might it not have encouraged his heart in those dark hours and reminded him what it was all about? So, when we face our darkest moments, will remember the Lord’s act of love on our behalf? I hope so!