Mark 14:53-65-- Lovers of the Cross

They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put him to death, and they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'"  Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, "Do you not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against you?" But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning him, and saying to Him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemned him to be deserving of death. Some began to spit at him, and to blindfold him, and to beat him with their fists, and to say to him, "Prophesy!" And the officers received him with slaps in the face.

The entire book of Mark has been pointing to this moment.  Jesus’ politically charged message and his confrontations with the Pharisees and those sent from Jerusalem; Jesus’ prophecies of rejection and condemnation by those in Jerusalem and his challenge to those who followed him; the kingly entrance into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the Temple and the confrontations with Jewish leaders—all of this is culminated at this point in the story.  

The Council or Sanhedrin was made up of seventy leaders of Judea, and they were still making laws and leading Jews throughout the world, even though the Romans were technically the rulers.  It is this group that Jesus has been challenging from the beginning, opposing their laws, their governance, and claiming that God would set them aside and replace them.  Now they are confronting Jesus and they have all the power, all the authority and they can do whatever they want.  

First, they bring witnesses against Jesus, as one would do in a proper court case.  The witnesses accused Jesus of seeking to destroy the temple and build his own.  This is a great fear of the priests, since there was a Jewish group, called Essenes, who claimed the temple and priesthood was impure and would need to be replaced.  However, none of the Essenes had come as close as Jesus did to actually cleansing the temple.  The witnesses, though, contradicted each other, and so were inadmissible as evidence.  

The high priest was leader of the Sanhedrin and so confronted Jesus.  He wanted Jesus to make some reply to the accusation that he wanted to destroy the temple, but Jesus remained silent.  This silence was also following the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7.  The high priest took a different tactic at this point, and asked Jesus if he was the promised king of Jerusalem, using the two most common titles—Messiah and Son of God.  

If Jesus had replied to the accusation of him destroying the temple, he could have eased their minds by saying “I will not destroy the temple, but God himself will.”  Then they would know that he was “just” a prophet, waiting upon God’s action.  But he didn’t answer that question.  Instead, he answered the question that would do him the most damage before them.  He affirmed the titles before the high priest—thus he was saying, “That’s right, I am going to take over your job.”  

And then he said more to ensure that the Sanhedrin would be in an uproar—he quotes Daniel 7:13-14, which uses the title “Son of Man” for the Christ, and says that the Son of Man would be sitting beside God as his equal in authority.  In the Jewish mindset, this would be diminishing God’s glory, and so would be blasphemy.  

The high priest and most of the Sanhedrin were Sadducees, and so they did not believe in the later writings, like Daniel, and were probably unfamiliar with the passage Jesus was quoting.  They claimed that Jesus was being blasphemous and so was deserving of death according to Leviticus 24:16.  So they unanimously condemned him to death.  Jesus’ suffering began immediately with a beating and mocking of prophets, even as Jesus claimed that this group was one who beat and mocked prophets (Mark 12:1-5).

It is essential to know that Jesus chose the cross himself.  If he had spoken the truth in a different way, been a bit more clear, to either the Sanhedrin or Pilate, then he would not have died.  He could have lived a full life, creating groups and establishing a new school. If he had consulted with any of his disciples, they would have spoken of the benefit of remaining with them, of living a long life and having his influence spread throughout the world.  If he had listened to his own body, sweating blood and crying out for deliverance, he would have forsaken this plan.

But just as there was a time for Jesus to take up his cross, to allow himself to be sacrificed for the sake of others, even so there is that time for every disciple of Jesus.  And when it happens, when we are faced with a sacrifice that our body cries out against and all our family and friends decry, we will have to make that choice ourselves.  God will probably not force us.  There will be a way out, just as there was for Jesus.  And we will have to lay ourselves down for the sake of others, but only if we so choose.

This is why so few actually take up the cross themselves.  Such tremendous love is hard, so hard, and few have the stamina to see it out.  Few will face the opposition and say that which will harm ourselves.  Few are the lovers of the cross. 

Mark 14:47-52-- Where is God?

But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me, as you would against a rebel? Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures." And they all left Him and fled. A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

Mark has not said that the disciples came to where Jesus was being arrested, but clearly they were there—he was defended by one and “they” all fled, just as Jesus predicted the disciples would scatter.  

One of the disciples (we learn in another gospel it was Peter) cuts off one of the high priest’s servants ears.  This indicates that they were ready to fight, to defend Jesus with their lives, if they have to.  Jesus' response to his arrest, however confused them.  Jesus first complains about the arrest—he says that it is too much like how one would arrest a rebel, not a citizen.  Jesus says that they could have come at any time in Jerusalem and taken him away.  The implied statement is that he would not have resisted then, and he will not resist now.  He is not a rebel.  Then he concludes that the arrest only happened this way because it needed to fulfill what was written in God’s word—God’s promises had to be fulfilled.  

The disciples, however, were expecting Jesus to resist arrest.  They were expecting a rebellion to take over Jerusalem, and now seemed a good time to start.  But Jesus was allowing them to take him away—and then he says that this arrest was according to God’s plan.  Because of their confusion, they didn’t know what to do, so they ran away—just as Jesus had predicted they would according to the Scriptures (Mark 14:27).  The young man running away naked is a mystery in the book of Mark—only mentioned in this gospel.  Some have speculated that it is Mark himself, showing what he did on that night—but it is not known.  At the very least, the man shows the shame of the disciples’ running, for nakedness is a great shame in that culture.  

Okay, we are assured that when bad things happen, God is getting us ready for a victory.  What happens when the victory doesn't come?  God is acting strange.  As if He WANTS us to fail.  As if he's not going to deliver us from the horror that our enemies plan for us.  First, he prepares us for victory, and then He sets us up to fail!  What kind of God do we have?

We need to remember that God isn't the power that snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat.  He is the God of resurrection.  He creates victory after defeat and death have already won.  If we expect a last-minute victory, then we haven't waited long enough.  God will grant us victory long after our enemies have declared us dead.  Our job is to keep our resolve and keep waiting.  The one who endures past the end will be saved.

Mark 14:43-46-- Betrayal

Immediately while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who were from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now he who was betraying him had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, he is the one; seize him and lead him away under guard." After coming, Judas immediately went to Him, saying, "Rabbi!" and kissed him. They laid hands on him and seized him.

The nature of Judas’ “betrayal” was twofold:  First, he knew where Jesus and the disciples went privately, so the temple guards could capture him without his supporting crowds.  Secondly, he identified Jesus as the one whom they were after, for the guards didn’t know him by sight, especially at night.  This is “betrayal” for Judas is placing Jesus’ under the authority of the guards of the priests.  The irony is that Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.  A kiss is a sign of family, of fraternity and brotherhood.  But Judas was using the kiss to identify Jesus so that he might do what no brother would ever do.  Judas also called Jesus, “rabbi” which literally means “master.”  And yet, in calling Jesus “master” Judas was handing Jesus over to be enslaved by another.  Jesus, however, did nothing against Judas in any way, nor resisted arrest.

Yes, our friends betrayed us.  They forsook us, they hated us, they handed us over to the authorities, they beat us, they gossiped about us, they lied about us, they misunderstood our intentions, they denied they ever liked us.  We became an enemy to them, and they treated us like an enemy. We are the bad guy now.

As difficult as it is to experience this, we must remember that God will use this.  He will take the betrayal and turn it around to victory.  The fact is, if it were not for the rejection, we could not obtain the victory.  In our moment of weakness, when we are completely vulnerable, that is when God steps in.  When the rug is pulled out from under you by those whom you have loved, then look for a greater place.  God is on the move.

Mark 14:32-42-- Gethsemane

They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here until I have prayed." And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch." And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, "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 said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not come into testing; the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." 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 resting? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays me is at hand!"

Gethsemane is an olive tree grove just outside Jerusalem, near an olive press.  This is where Jesus often spent the night with his disciples while he was in Jerusalem.  It was a secluded spot, where he could have some privacy with his disciples, and large enough that he could break the disciples into groups.  

Eight of the disciples he left at one side of the garden, bringing his “inner circle”—Peter, James and John—with him to the other side.  Then he told them to “keep watch”, which they took to mean “stand guard against enemies,”  but Jesus wanted them to pray, which is what he did just a little distance from the three.  

He needed his privacy so he could pray openly before the Father without distractions. The text mentions a number of times how Jesus was grieving—but he was not grieving because of his death or because “the weight of the world’s sin was to be put upon him” (a theological idea that cannot be found in the gospels).  Rather, he was grieving about the “cup” which is his sufferings, especially the shame and rejection he was to endure.  It is hard to overemphasize the importance honor has in this culture, and how terrible any shame was.  This cultural context was lived out by Jesus, and to knowingly endure the most shameful treatment anyone could imagine was overwhelming.  So much so that Jesus begged to be released from it.  At the same time, he allowed that if it was God’s will to endure such shame, he would accept it.  

While he was praying, the disciples were sleeping.  They were supposed to remain alert and pray, for they were to be put through a terrible test.  Jesus clearly told them what difficulties would face them that night just earlier, but they were too tired to feel the significance of what Jesus said.  Jesus woke them three times, warning them that they needed to be praying, the time of testing is very close.  But they fell asleep three times, not heeding Jesus, and so they were unprepared when the test came.  

Jesus’ statement “The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak,” is very significant for New Testament theology.  The statement could mean that our spiritual side wants to follow God, but our natural side does not have enough strength to do it, and it would fit in the context—the disciples claimed they would die for Jesus, but their sleep is overwhelming them so they are unprepared.  However, in later theology, it is the Holy Spirit that is contrasted with the flesh (see Romans 8 and I Peter 4:6), which might mean they interpret Jesus here as also speaking of the Holy Spirit.  If this is the case, then Jesus would be saying that the Spirit of God wished to assist the disciples, but the disciples are too weak—meaning tired—to ask for or pay attention to the Spirit’s assistance.  

Finally, it is Jesus who “kept watch”, for he was the one who noticed the crowds coming and understood their significance—he was about to be “handed over” or betrayed.

Every single one of us must face the moment of test, the moment in which our faith might break because the task of remaining faithful is too difficult for us.  At this point, when it comes, Jesus warns us to "keep watch" even as he warned his disciples at their fateful hour.  But what does "keep watch" mean?  Does it mean that we should be aware of the danger that is about to come?  Of course, Jesus just warned the disciples of what that danger was and that it was upon them.  

Does it mean that we need to be prepared?  That we should get more knowledge, more resources, to fight our battle?  That we need more people, more help?  If we prepare in this way, we only display our ignorance.  In the end, the battle for our souls will be the battle for our resolve.  Our resolve to remain on the path of God, no matter who else has forsaken us.  Our resolve to keep our faith, no matter how many difficulties.  Our resolve to stick to God's plan, even if the whole world is in opposition to us.  Our resolve to have the will to stand our ground with God, although our worst disaster befalls us. 

How can we be prepared for this?  We can't, ultimately.  We are human, and so our will has limits.  The only thing we can do is seek God and ask for His strength.  God is the one who has enough resolve for us and all who follow Him, if only we would seek it.  Jesus asks us to follow him into prayer, crying out to God for strength. 

Mark 14:26-31-- Alone

After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, because it is written, 'I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED.' But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away, yet I will not." And Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times." But Peter kept saying insistently, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing also.

The night of the last supper was a difficult one for the disciples, thus far.  First, Jesus said that one of the twelve would betray him, but he didn’t indicate which one.  Second Jesus’ pronounced his death before their next meal.  But Jesus had one more announcement to them.  

Jesus knew that this was the night that his passion would happen, so he informed the disciples that they would all leave him and no longer be disciples—they would forsake the school.  Jesus didn’t say this because of some insight in their character (although that might have come into play) but because of the fulfillment of Scripture.  In Jesus’ reading of Zechariah 13:7, he sees himself as the shepherd struck down by God, and the disciples are the sheep.  Thus, he says that the disciples would leave him when he would be struck.  

Peter, one more time, made the bold (but wrong) statement, proclaiming that he would stick with Jesus, no matter what.  Jesus then makes his famous prophecy that Peter would deny Jesus three times before the early morning.  Peter (true to form) denied his denial claiming that he would die with Jesus.  Of course, Peter was thinking of dying in a battle, not humbly surrendering himself to the authorities to be killed, which is what Jesus had in mind.  

On thing in the midst of this passage is sometimes missed, which is that Jesus also prophesied his resurrection here, and told his disciples to meet him in Galilee.  The disciples must have missed it as well, because they didn’t know about it when the event happened.

It is one of the most depressing facts of being a leader that follows God that, at one point or another, everyone will forsake you.  This happened to Job, to David, to Paul, to Francis of Assisi, to Elijah, to Jeremiah, to Ezekiel, and on and on.  

Perhaps it's because God's path is so difficult.  Perhaps it's because the leaders who choose God's path live such a different life, and seem so isolated. Perhaps it's because they seem so arrogant or heavenly minded to really connect well to others, except at a distance.  But God's leaders often find themselves alone, without any real friends.

There are two things to remember when we are isolated for the sake of God.  First, we need to remember that just because we are alone that doesn't mean that everyone has forsaken God.  As God said to Elijah, that he still reserved 5000 people who didn't bow the knee to other gods.  Even so, God leads people in many different directions.  No matter how right we seem to be, often those directions are away from us.

Secondly, we must remember that when we are isolated, we are never alone.  Often our period of isolation is right on the edge of our greatest victory, because God has not forsaken us.  God is the one who pulls victory out of a situation that seems a couple steps past defeat.  Never think that God's plan has failed.  We just don't see the end game. 

Mark 14:22-25-- Living in God's Kingdom

While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from 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 never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

As is usual in the Passover celebration, there would be bread without yeast and wine served.  Jesus blessed the bread and broke it and handed it to the disciples.  There is nothing unusual in this, except an emphasis on Jesus’ breaking it—Jesus may have pointed out the breaking of it.  But he said something unusual—“This is my body.”  Given what Jesus had said about the cross and his immanent death, Jesus was probably giving a picture of his death, and saying that the broken bread is his broken body.  He also, though, emphasizes that the disciples are to take it.  They themselves are to receive of Jesus’ broken body—so they are participating in Jesus’ death.  

Then he takes a cup and gives thanks and hands it to all of them and they all drink of that cup.  Again, nothing unusual in a Passover celebration—a common cup was fine among families, which Jesus considered his disciples to be (Mark 3:35).  But then Jesus makes an allusion to Moses—“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”  Jesus is alluding to a very important passage in Exodus (24:3-8) in which Moses is creating the covenant between Israel and God.  This covenant is a contract between an emperor (in this case, God) and a lesser king or a people (for instance, Israel or the disciples).  A mediator acts as a representative of the Emperor (Moses or, in this case, Jesus) and brings blood to establish an agreement between them.  The agreement, or covenant, is that this people will now be under the rule of the Emperor and will receive of his blessings.  The blood is to indicate that a sacrifice is made which symbolically says, “If I ever break this covenant, I will be like this animal, I will die.”  Jesus is acting as the mediator, or the representative of God, but he also says that it is his blood that will establish the covenant.  

In summary, what Jesus is saying is: “I am going to die, but my death is establishing the kingdom of God, which you are now a part of.”  He also mentions that many others, beside the twelve, would participate in God’s kingdom through Jesus’ death.  Then Jesus says that he will never feast or drink wine again until the coming of that kingdom.  This is a major statement, since Jesus has been drinking wine with the disciples almost every night since he called them.  At the time, it would indicate to them that he is now disappearing, but he is saying that his death would happen before their next meal.

To be in Jesus is not just to be a part of a church, or to live according to new rules, or to have a new connection to God.  To be in Jesus is to be a part of a nation that has a unique government.  Jesus is now our king, and we are now a citizen in the kingdom of God.  Yes, there are new rules-- the law of love, primarily-- because we are living in a new kingdom.  Yes, there is a connection to God, because God is the emperor of the kingdom.  When we are baptized, we immigrate from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of God.  When we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we are remembering that we are primarily citizens of Jesus, participants in Jesus' death and suffering.

In Jesus, we bring that kingdom wherever we go. We live in the kingdom no matter what other nation we are in, no matter what situation we find ourselves in.  When we meet another in the kingdom, it is unlike any other meeting, for the two of us are transported together to God's presence, and Jesus is there with us, leading us.  This kingdom has no borders, except the artificial ones we put in our hearts. 

Mark 14:17-21-- Healthy Self-Doubt

When it was evening He came with the twelve. As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me— one who is eating with me." They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, "Surely not I?" And He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who dips with me in the bowl. For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

Jesus and his disciples are in the room that Jesus borrowed (or rented?) from someone in Jerusalem.  This is the scene of the “Last Supper” which takes place during the festival of Passover.  

At this meal, Jesus makes a startling announcement—that one of his own would “betray” him, or literally, “give over.”  This means the handing over to authorities.  It is assumed in the text that Jesus knew because God told him what Judas had agreed with the leaders of chief priests.  Jesus is specifically emphasizing that it is one of his twelve whom he chose.  

At this, the twelve around him were stunned and they began to have self-doubts.  They thought that perhaps one of them would hand him over by accident.  However, this humility of theirs is refreshing—they recognize that they might fail Jesus easily, even though they would not want to.  

Jesus then makes a statement about his betrayer—that though Jesus’ fate was not good, in comparison the betrayer’s fate is terrible.  The only other place where Jesus pronounces a terrible woe like this is on those who cause a “little one” to “stumble”—the one who causes a disciple to fall away from the faith (Mark 9:42).  It seems that those who cause the innocent to be condemned suffer a worse fate than others.

In our society, we want to teach our children to have self-esteem, to be confident.  And we need a certain amount of confidence and boldness to make positive changes in the world.  However, we also must keep our eyes open to our own human failings and weaknesses.  No one is perfect, no one is right all the time, there is not a single one of us that cannot make an irrevocable error. 

With our healthy self-esteem must come a dose of healthy self-doubt.  And our lives must walk a balance between our strengths and our weaknesses, what we can do for God and others and our limitations.  Pray that we do not deceive ourselves to think that we can do or be that which we cannot. 

Mark 14:12-16-- Strange Instructions

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, "Where do you want us to 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 will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"' And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there."  The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

Two days passed and it was time for the feast of Unleavened Bread.  It is particularly noted that it was the day the lamb was slaughtered for the feast.  The lamb’s blood was used in the original Passover to protect God’s people from death.  It is not a coincidence that Jesus would be arrested on the day the lamb was killed—Jesus is just like the lamb, as we will soon see.  Jesus sent his disciples to go into Jerusalem, so they could find a house.  While the instructions seem strange, it is possible that Jesus knew a man just in Jerusalem who thought of Jesus as his Lord and had an extra room large enough for all of them.  However, them just meeting the man as he is carrying water from a well in a busy city seems like more than a coincidence.  

The disciples heard the voice of God telling them to follow a person carrying a pitcher of water.  Jesus heard the Father's voice that he is to be the lamb of the Passover.  These are strangely specific instructions. 

The life of faith is listening to the voice of God and doing what he says.  The voice of God will tell us to do strange things, sometimes.  I've heard God tell me to quit my job and serve the homeless full time, which was insane, especially with three children to care for.  Yet I didn't listen to God by myself.  I had others to hear with me, to confirm God's guidance, and to affirm the plans I made which interpreted God's voice.  Hearing and interpreting God's voice, especially when the instructions are strange, is not a isolated activity.  We need to ask for help from others who have a track record of hearing God's voice as well. 

Mark 14:10-11--The Danger of Orthodoxy

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.

The Sanhedrin had a problem mentioned in verses 1-2 above.  They wanted to capture Jesus, but not with his supporting crowd around him.  But they didn’t know where he would be without his crowd.  Only one of his inner circle would know. 

 It seems that Judas came to the priests of his own decision, they didn’t call to him.  Why did he do this?  Perhaps because Jesus’ statement about the temple and the leaders of Jerusalem disturbed him too.  Perhaps he thought that Jesus was not worthy to be king of Jerusalem unless he followed the Sanhedrin.  It is possible that Judas was from Judea, patriotic to the Sanhedrin, while all the other disciples were from Galilee.  But this is all possibility, we don’t know Judas’ thinking.  We do know that he agreed to lead the crowd of the priests to Jesus when he was alone, without the large group of Jesus’ supporters.  In doing this, Judas committed the worst crime of the ancient world—betraying a master for money.

Whatever we don't know about Judas' motivation, what we do know is this: Judas decided to go to the orthodox religious and political leaders to stop his teacher and friend from finishing the task given by God.

It is curious to me how often orthodox doctrine or leadership is used to stop the will of God, to stop love from growing in the world.  I am not saying being orthodox or mainstream is bad.  But it is a danger, when we think that it is enough.  When we think that radical acts of love or sacrifice or deep world change is unnecessary or even wrong because they disagree with our "correct thinking", then we'd better change our thinking.  We don't want to end up on the wrong side of God by pursuing right thinking about God.

Mark 14:3-9-- Pure Devotion

While he was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted? For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they were scolding her. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for the burial. Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."

 The woman (whom other gospels call Mary Magdalene) brought out an ointment that was worth about a year’s salary.  This seemed like an unbelievable waste to the disciples, to take the wage of a year and put it on Jesus’ feet for a night.  They mentioned giving the money to the poor, which Jesus commanded them to do, and, it seems, the ministry of Jesus did.  

But Jesus defended the actions of the woman.  First, he says, she is doing it as a benefit to him, and her act of service for her Master should not be condemned.  

Second, he says, the poor can be given to tomorrow.  Jesus was not saying that it was pointless to give to the poor, as some people interpret this saying, as if Jesus was saying “Forget about the poor, they’ll never go away.”  Rather, Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 15, which uses the same statement to mean that because the poor will never go away, there will always be people that will need help.  This is what Jesus means—it isn’t like the poor will disappear today and so you will lose your opportunity to help them.  You can always help them another time.  

Third, Jesus is speaking of this anointing as being like the anointing people would do for a dead body just before it was buried.  Jesus is saying that he is a dead man, and he is being prepared for burial.  Note, that when Jesus is buried, his body is not able to be prepared, because it was too close to the Sabbath (this is why women went to his tomb on Sunday morning, to do the anointing that was left undone Friday afternoon).  

Finally, Jesus blesses the woman by saying that she would be honored world-wide for the honor she was doing to him that night.  Of course, this prophecy came true.

If you pressed Jesus, in a private moment, I suspect that he would agree that pouring a bunch of expensive oil on his head wasn't a very wise action.  The disciples were right, it was a waste.  But what is never a waste is love.

The disciples were treating this woman as an outsider, as a person who isn't doing right because she doesn't have the right teaching.  She isn't orthodox enough, isn't moral enough, and doesn't follow the true precepts.  But whether her actions were wise or not, they were representations of true love, of true devotion.  And Jesus will never despise true devotion.  No one was actually harmed by her act.  Perhaps another form of devotion would have been better.  But Jesus loved her heart, nonetheless.

This is hope for us.  Because many of our acts of devotion are sloppy, or simply wrong-headed.  But Jesus isn't looking at the rightness of the action, but the pure love of the heart.  If Jesus gives us a break, perhaps we should give others a break as well. 

Mark 14:1-2-- Building on Tradition

Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; for they were saying, "Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people." 

This is the beginning of the last major section of Mark.  Jesus doesn’t teach much more, nor does he offer another parable.  The next two chapters describe the couple days of Jesus’ life, when his prophecy of rejection and death comes true.  Studying this passage, we will focus more on what Jesus experienced, and how we can be like Jesus in situations like his.  

There is a festival of the Jews called Passover, and it is sometimes called the feast of Unleavened Bread (or bread without yeast).  This is because the feast celebrates, recounts and partly relives the events of Israel when they left their slavery of Egypt forever.  On that date, they had to cook their meals in a hurry, thus they had no time to cook bread that had to rise.  So they always baked bread without yeast at this time of the year.   This provides the context for Jesus’ death, as we will see later.  

Meanwhile, the priests and scribes, the leaders of the Sanhedrin, were plotting against Jesus.  They were angry at his assertions that he is king of Jerusalem and that the temple would be destroyed.  They were enraged at his defeat of them in the public debates in the temple.  So they decided that they needed to get rid of him, to kill him.  But they didn’t want to do it publicly, for fear that the crowds might defend him.  Rather, they wanted to capture him with a hand-picked crowd so they could control the situation.

Even as Jesus used the Passover celebration and the event of the Exodus to provide an example for how he envisioned his last days to be like, even so we use traditions and stories to be an outline for our lives, establishing principles for living... or dying.  

Traditions form the foundation of our lives, stepping stones from one season to the next, providing meaning for us even when we do not hold to the original meaning.  More importantly, traditions can be used by God to stretch us, to go to places that we might never go.  Jesus used the Passover to sacrifice himself in a manner that was never done by any other prophet.  Even so, God can use Jesus' life-- even the gospel of Mark-- to stretch us and make us new people doing new things never seen before.

Tradition forms the basis of novelty.

Mark 13:28-37-- Be Awake and Ready

Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that it is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert— for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning-- in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, 'Be on the alert!'

In the context of the discourse Jesus just gave, he is speaking here about the events connected to the destruction of the temple, not necessarily the events that take place “after” the tribulation.  Those events take place in the unforeseeable future, but the events of the temple, Jesus says, are going to happen very soon.  In fact, Jesus says more specifically, those events would happen before the generation he was speaking to ends.  A generation is sometimes seen as a hundred years in the Bible (Genesis 15:13-16), sometimes only forty years (Numbers 32:13).  Whichever way Jesus meant it, the temple was destroyed in less than forty years after his prediction of it.  This was amazing, considering that Herod built the temple to last, much as the pyramids have lasted as ongoing monuments.  The disciples must have been shocked and perhaps a bit disbelieving when they heard it, but it came true, nevertheless in 70 AD.  

So Jesus is warning his disciples to be aware of the end, for no one knows when it will occur.  Jesus told them it would be soon, but they didn’t know exactly when.  But when it happens, Jesus implies, it would be sudden and without warning. The exact time is not known—not by anyone except the Father.  And so the disciples have to keep their eyes open to the signs—specifically the abomination and the coming of the Son of Man—and they need to be ready for these signs at any time.  To be alert would be to keep one’s attention on the signs to indicate the time is here.  To be ready is to act in obedience to Jesus until the final day arrives.

Although Jesus is mostly speaking about the destruction of the temple, we can apply this passage to the coming of the Son of Man.  The temple is already destroyed, but if we see another abomination (a man claiming divinity committing genocide against God’s people) or if we see the coming of the Son of Man, we know the time is come.  And we too need to be on alert and ready for these events.  The fact that the temple was destroyed in 70 AD is all the more indication that Jesus’ prophecy will definitely come true.

We should constantly be alert for Jesus' return.  What does this alertness, this readiness, mean?  It means that we are doing all we can to be like Jesus, to give and not expect in return, to heal for no cost, to encourage the poor and outcast, and to rebuke those who judge, warning them of God's judgment. We act in mercy, we create peace and we proclaim Jesus' message and life.  If we continue this to the end, we will be ready.

Mark 13:24-27-- The Merciful Will Rule the Earth

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

Jesus is in the midst of his prophecy about the time when the temple will be destroyed.  He has already stated that the main signs to look for when the temple is destroyed is an “abomination of desolation” where the sacrifices will cease, there will be an attempted genocide of God’s people and a king will come who will claim to be God.  Jesus now is speaking of a time after the “tribulation”, or after the attempted genocide.  He doesn’t say how long after, but there is a break in time from the tribulation to the final events he is narrating here.  

The final events will be threefold: 

A. The powers in heaven will be shaken.  Jesus speaks of different powers—the sun, the moon, the stars, and then “powers” in general.  In the ancient world, these heavenly bodies are not seen as astronomical features, but as personalities with authority to rule over certain regions (Genesis 1:16; Psalm 121:6).  Prophets of the past have spoken of the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood, which does not speak of literal events, but of authorities in heaven being shifted, which is indicated by political shifts on earth (Isaiah 13:10-17; Ezekiel 32:1-8; Joel 2:31;Acts 2:1-21).  All of the description together speaks of authorities in heaven under God being changed—no matter how important they are.   This is a judgement, probably severe, of ruling nations and leaders.

B. The Son of Man will appear.   The Son of Man appearing in the clouds is a reference to Daniel 7:13-14 where a human-like figure would have the glory of God and would receive all the authority of the earth from God.  It is this passage where Jesus is drawing his “Son of Man” language, which says that he had intended to be the Christ all along, from the beginning of his ministry.  With him appearing before the earth, however, indicates that the knowledge of his authority wouldn’t just be known to the spirit world anymore, but to all the earth.  God's chosen ruler will now rule over the world.

C. The elect will be gathered.  The “elect” are all those who are of the people of God, specifically Jews.  God’s people are all over the earth, and the Son of Man will use his authority to command angels to pick them up and gather them together in one place.  This is Jesus’ only reference to a so-called “rapture”, which is more accurately called a “gathering”, and it happens just as the Son of Man is going to judge all the peoples, at his appearing. God's chosen ruler will rule a people of God's choosing.

The final day is not just arbitrary.  God doesn't just decide, "Well, I've had enough of these awful people. I'm done," and he starts wiping out all the world. Rather, the empires of the world, like Egypt and Babylon, have to prove that they are worthy of judgment before God acts.  The one act that guarantees God will act is to destroy the people of God: the poor who are merciful, the pure in heart who make peace in the world.  

And God's purpose is not simple destruction.  The world is not destroyed with nuclear weapons, or disasters that wipe out the population of earth.  Rather, God's judgment has a purpose: to take out the leaders and soldiers on earth who oppress and destroy God's merciful poor, and to replace them with His chosen ruler.  It is a simple power move: When the human powers destroy God's compassionate, then God will move in and replace them with the compassionate, the loving, the peacemaking.

If we want to be on the winning side, we need to choose to be compassionate and peacemaking now, even if that means personal sacrifice.  Especially if that means our reputations are ruined, and people begin attacking us.  If we endure in mercy, then God will give us an opportunity to live in the earth ruled by the compassionate.

Mark 13:14-23-- The Sign of the End

But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that it may not happen in the winter. For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ'; or, 'Behold, He is there'; do not believe him; for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.

Jesus is teaching about the time when the temple and the authorities of Jerusalem would be destroyed.  Up until this point, Jesus spoke of things that would happen before the time of this end, yet the end had not come—false Christs, wars, earthquakes, famines, and those who preached the gospel would be terribly persecuted.  Now Jesus speaks of the time of the end itself.  

The first real indication of “the end” is what Daniel calls “the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31; 12:11).  Daniel 11 is specifically speaking of an event that happened some two hundred years before Jesus speaking this prophecy.  A king named Antiochus ceased the sacrifices in the temple, and established sacrifice to Zeus instead, commanding the Jews to desecrate the temple by offering pigs to Zeus.  The people who remained faithful to God were punished.  Antiochus also called himself a god, naming himself Epiphanes, or, “one who is god on earth.”  

This time, Jesus said, would be repeated—only worse. Thus, the abomination is to cease proper sacrifice to God, to persecute the people of God and to call oneself the proper one to be worshiped instead of God.  Once this person reveals himself, Jesus says, then one is to flee from Judea, into the uninhabited areas for the valley will be overrun with armies.  Jesus, in his compassion for the less fortunate, offers a mourning cry for those who are pregnant at that time.  He also prays that it not be in the winter—for that would cause the trial even worse for God’s people.  

This “tribulation” is a time of terrible persecution—an attempted genocide of God’s people, such has never been seen before, nor will ever be seen again.  The “days” Jesus mentioned is in Daniel 12: 11-12.  The days are that of three and a half years—but Jesus says here that they will be shortened by God in order to preserve the “elect” or the people of  God—otherwise they would all be destroyed.  

Again Jesus warns against false Christs and prophets.  Before he mentioned that they would arise before the end.  But now he mentions them specifically during the period of persecution against all of God’s people.  He tells them to take great care, because during the time of persecution these false teachers and leaders would be easy to believe, (even as they were during the last siege of Jerusalem—see Jeremiah 27) especially because they will have false miracles to “prove” their truth.  Jesus also says that the disciples don’t have to pay attention to them because he has told them all these things ahead of time so they can be prepared for the lies that were to come.  Thus if a prophet says “The Christ is here” or  “Follow me, I am the real king” or “This army will deliver us” or “We will not be persecuted”, the disciples of Jesus know better.

Thus, the end a few main characteristics: 1. Forced ending of the worship of the true God; 2. Forced worship of authority; 3. Severe persecution of God's people; 4. False leaders speaking in God's name.  These characteristics were seen in 70 AD when Rome destroyed Jerusalem over three and a half years.  We also see them against the followers of Jesus by Diocletian in the early fourth century. We also see these same characteristics in the early Reformation and the Thirty Years War in the sixteenth century.  Each of these times were climatic and world-changing.

Today there are many so-called "prophets" and interpreters of the Bible that claim to understand the signs of the end of the world.  They point to economic factors or signs in the sky or a war in the middle east or a pocket of persecution here or there.  All of those things are what Jesus said would be the natural state of the world, "birth pangs".  Those who push these "signs" are but fear-mongers, stirring up strife among God's people and making us all look like fools.

The one sign that Jesus said we should be looking for is a world-wide persecution of the people of God.  Not the rapture, not an easy escape.  Rather, it is the most difficult time for God's people that they must ever endure.  In Revelation, it says that the martyrs of this time are so many that they cannot be counted.  This severest of persecution has not yet been seen, and it has only occasionally been hinted at.

Be not afraid of that which is normal, everyday events.  Trust in the Lord and He will deliver you and provide for you.  For fear of the end and fear of persecution has caused wars and hatreds and strife, which is opposed to God's will.  Trust that whatever the calamity, God will watch over you and care for you.

Mark 13:9-13-- The Door of the Kingdom

"But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them. The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved."

Jesus had just warned his four disciples against false signs and indications of the end—the destruction of the temple and of the authorities of Israel.  Now he is warning them about the persecution they must endure.  In preparation for the end, Jesus’ gospel must be preached to all the nations—which could mean to the Jews spread out throughout the world, but it could also mean the Gentiles who need to hear of God’s word.  

In response to this preaching—for Jesus and against the temple and the authorities— many will come against the followers of Jesus and persecute them.  The kind of persecution Jesus mentions is particularly political and legal—arrested, flogged in the local courts, put on trial before Gentile leaders.  But not only will the police and leaders be involved in the persecution, but also one’s family and neighbors—they will all betray them to the authorities to be arrested.  

The disciple of Jesus has only three defenses—the truth of the gospel (especially the revolutionary message of the unworthiness and destruction of the Jewish authorities), the Holy Spirit who will tell them how to defend themselves, and the perseverance of the disciples.  Only if they remain with Jesus through all the persecution and rejection will they gain the blessings of God Jesus spoke of.

Many people wonder why the innocent suffer.  Jesus didn't.  He told his disciples that suffering was the natural result of living a good, loving life.  The world which operates on punishment doesn't want mercy, and doesn't want to be reminded that the unmerciful will perish.  It will attack those who attack their attacks.

The most important thing, Jesus says, is endurance.  That we need to persevere in the truth of Jesus' gospel, remain with Jesus, no matter what gets thrown at us.  This is not an easy task.  It isn't easy to love our enemies when our enemies try to destroy us.  It isn't easy to forgive when people do such unforgivable things to us.  But loving and enduring through suffering is the path of Jesus.  To enter the kingdom we must pass through the door of suffering. 

Mark 13:5-8-- Everybody Wants to End the World

And Jesus began to say to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am He!' and will mislead many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

The context Jesus is speaking of is the destruction of the temple and the destruction of the power structure of Israel—the priests and Sanhedrin. This is “the end” that Jesus declares.  Possibly it might also imply the destruction of the world power that controls Israel, but it is not necessary, since Jesus never spoke of the Romans being destroyed. Jesus first speaks of the fact that it would be easy to be confused about when the end occurs.  Jesus mentions that prophets would come claiming to be the Jewish emperor, but Jesus clearly says that they are not to be listened to.  Also, he says, there are events that could mislead one to think that the end has come.  There will be many wars, people will talk about possible wars, there will be earthquakes and famines.  But these are not indications of the end.  They are merely “birth pangs”—pains that happen before the actual birth, but are not the event.  They are not the indications one should be looking for, for the final events are still to come.

When it comes to prophecy or the end of the world, people are simply not rational.  No matter how many times Jesus says you can't predict the time of the end, that doesn't stop a popular prophet from declaring that very thing every decade or so.  It amazes me how often people, even Bible students, take this passage to interpret it to mean the opposite of what it says.  They take this passage and then look at the increase of wars, earthquakes, famines and other such signs as indications of the end.  Some people want the end so badly, they will read it in everything.  Every Bible passage, every newspaper article, every new immorality is an indication that the world is right on the edge of falling off a cliff.

Jesus says the exact opposite. There are horrors and disasters and immoralities and suffering and traumatic events... but that's just the way the world goes. Not every war is the final war-- in fact, if there is only one final war that means that almost all wars are NOT the final war.  Not every earthquake is the final, devastating, God-judging earthquake. In fact, most earthquakes are just run-of-the-mill, everyday earthquakes.  No big deal at all. 

I guess what Jesus is saying is, stop making everything so dramatic.  There are enough problems and disasters in the world, let's not make everything about the end of the world.  Show some balance.  Please.  We are crazy enough, we don't need to be pointed at because we can't stop predicting an end that never comes.