Mark Part 18

Mark

BETRAYAL AND DENIAL BY FRIENDS

MARK 14:10-72 – BETRAYAL AND DENIAL BY FRIENDS

I am going to begin quoting you a psalm, Psalm 41:9. David says, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.” David is writing that from something that he had just experienced, the betrayal by his close friend and advisor. You can read about that in 2 Samuel Chapter 15. Few things in life are more disappointing than having someone you thought you could trust turn on you. Maybe this has happened to you. In our lesson this morning it happens to Jesus. Two of His closest friends turn on Him. Mark Chapter 14 and v 10…

READ Mark 14:10-11

Q1, which of the six statements I gave you to choose from are NOT mentioned in these verses? There is a lot here. Judas was disgruntled with Jesus. That is the right answer. The religious leaders, they ARE glad Judas came because they have been wanting to arrest Jesus secretly away from the crowds and kill Him. And Judas gives them an inside track to where Jesus will be. They DID listen to Judas’s proposal. And they offered him money. As for Judas, he IS identified as “one of the twelve,” as one of Jesus’s disciples. The last thing is that Judas DOES initiate the betrayal of Jesus. He goes to the religious leaders. They do not go to him. So, the only thing NOT mentioned is Judas being disgruntled. Judas’s motive is not mentioned in the scripture. Now, it is very possible that Judas was disgruntled with Jesus. It is also possible that he was motivated by greed or whatever else. The Bible never actually tells us.

When I was a boy and I did something stupid (I know that is hard to believe, but I did), my mother would say to me, “Chris, what on earth possessed you to do --- whatever it was?” Of course, I would just look at her with that stupid look and say, “I don’t know.” So, what on earth possessed Judas to do what he did? Here is a man Jesus called personally. He obeyed and followed Jesus. He was with Jesus 24-7 for three-plus years. He devoted his life to Jesus. He witnessed most of the miracles that Jesus had performed. He heard just about every sermon Jesus preached including the Sermon on the Mount. He was there for every lesson Jesus taught. He even held a trusted position with the disciples. He served as their treasurer. So, what possessed Judas to betray Jesus? Luke gives us the answer: “Then Satan entered into Judas…” (Luke 22:3). Judas was possessed by Satan!

Now, let me be clear. This does not mean that Judas was not responsible for his actions. He most certainly was. We know Judas was aware that what he did was wrong. How do we know this? Because later on, out of a deep sense of guilt and remorse, Judas kills himself. The whole “the devil made me do it” defense is not going to fly here. Sin is our own doing. We are not innocent victims. We are not puppets of the devil. We all make our own choices and then we live or die with those choices.

Just a side note here. Judas is a fascinating character study. He is really an enigma. One of the debates in Christian circles is “Was Judas Saved or Lost?” I am not going to take the time here to answer that, but there is a good blog on our website, the Level Ground Bible website (https://levelgroundbible.org) and it answers that question. I encourage you to go on the website and read that. I think you will find it interesting. Let’s get to v 12…

READ Mark 14:12-15

Luke’s account says that the two disciples sent out by Jesus were Peter and John. Apparently, Jesus has pre-arranged the whole thing – there will be a man carrying a water jar. Follow him to a certain house, to a certain guest room and get everything set up.

Now, why all the secrecy? Why not just tell the group, “Hey guys, we are going to have the Passover at a particular address and we are going to meet there a 7 PM. So, we will see you all then.” Why doesn’t He just say something like that? Well, Jesus knows what Judas is up to. If Judas finds out ahead of time, he is going to go to the religious leaders and then they are going to show up at the house and arrest Jesus. Remember, they want to do it in private, away from the crowds. So, that would be the perfect opportunity to do it. That cannot happen. Jesus needs that time alone with His disciples.

READ Mark 14:16-17

It is Thursday night, Day Five of Passion Week and Jesus sits down to observe the Passover with His disciples. All twelve of them are there including Judas. Five chapters of John’s Gospel, Chapters 13 thru 17, all cover what happens this particular night. It is an important time where Jesus prepares His disciples for what lies ahead. Mark records just a small excerpt of what Jesus says to His disciples. That starts in v 18…

READ Mark 14:18-19

This is the first time the disciples have heard about a betrayer and it is one of them! Q2, true or false? The disciples got upset (by upset I should have been more specific – they got angry) when they learned of Jesus’s betrayal. False, right? They didn’t get angry. The reaction Mark records here is that “they began to be sorrowful.” It hurt them that one of their own could betray their Lord and Master. This is the flipside of being upset. They are grieved. They are looking around the room trying to figure out who it is and they are asking Jesus.

READ Mark 14:20

For a second time Mark mentions that Jesus’s betrayer, who we know to be Judas (even if the disciples do not know), is “one of the twelve.”

READ Mark 14:21

Now, “Son of Man,” Jesus is speaking about Himself. Q3, what does Jesus say about the one who would betray Him? He says, “It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Jesus doesn’t say that he will end up in hell. We don’t know. That is what is debated. There is no mention that he is going to regret his decision. We know that later he does. And there is no prediction of a betrayal with a kiss. None of that. But Jesus’s statement is harsh. It seems to me that He is definitely holding His betrayer responsible for his own actions.

You know, I really think as I read this whole passage here that Jesus is very gracious. He never rats Judas out. He does not call him out by name. We know from John’s account that at some point Judas leaves the room and he heads out into the night. As he is leaving Jesus tells Judas, “What you are going to do, do quickly” (John 13:27). But even then, the disciples do not make the connection that Judas is the betrayer. They think that, as treasurer of the group, he is going out to take care of some business for Jesus. So, I really see the whole way Jesus handles this as being very gracious.

READ Mark 14:22-25

That last phrase there, “The kingdom of God” is a reference to the millennial kingdom. Did you realize that there will be a Passover celebrated during Jesus’s 1000-year reign? Had you ever thought about that? There will be. However, that Passover, unlike this Passover, will not be a memorial to the exodus from Egypt. That Passover will be a memorial to the cross of Christ because the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, was placed on the doorposts of our hearts when we were spared spiritual death! So, we are going to celebrate a Passover, but it is going to be a different memorial.

During this final Passover here in Mark Chapter 14 that Jesus is celebrating with His disciples, what is going to happen the next day? The crucifixion. It is going to happen the next day. This is all coming on very quickly. So, He is doing this final Passover celebration with His disciples and here Jesus institutes what later becomes known by the church as the Lords Supper. Paul talks about it in 1 Corinthians Chapter 11. He actually gives us a little more insight than we read in the Gospels. This is what he says – this is Paul speaking: “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you [apparently this is something Jesus had revealed to Paul personally], that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed [this is what we are reading about right now] took bread, 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.’ 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.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Q4, based on the 1 Corinthian 11 and Mark 14 passages we just read about the Lord’s Supper, which of the statements I gave you are NOT taught about the Lord’s Supper? Only ONE of the statements I gave is actually taught in scripture. The Lord’s Supper IS observed to remember Jesus’s death. That is why we do it. The other three statements I gave are NOT taught. The bread is NOT the actual body of Jesus contrary to what some denominations teach. The fruit of the vine is NOT the actual blood of Jesus. And nowhere are we told how often to observe the Lord’s Supper.

Here is a really good quote from John MacArthur about this: “The Roman Catholic Church has prostituted this into something bizarre, into what is called transubstantiation where, by some priestly blessing, the bread… becomes the actual body of Jesus in the hands of the priest. There’s nothing in Scripture about that… Why do we do this? “In remembrance.” It is purely bread, simply wine [in our case as Baptists grape juice] so that we can remember.”

There is a teaching in the Catholic Church called “transubstantiation” that basically says the elements of the communion that you are taking literally become the body and blood of Jesus. Now, it is interesting in the Lutheran Church – Martin Luther did not believe in transubstantiation, so he changed it, made it a little bit different. They call it “consubstantiation,” another big word. In that teaching the elements coexist with the body and blood of Jesus together, at the same time. They become spiritually His body and blood. We as Baptists (and most evangelicals) believe that Jesus is using metaphoric language (figures of speech). He does that a lot in His teachings. We believe the elements are representative of the body and blood of Jesus. He says, for example, “I am the vine and you are the branches.” Does He literally mean that He is a vine and we are branches? No. He is using metaphoric language. The same thing here [in our passage]. All of the time He calls His disciples and His followers “sheep.” When you read Jesus’s teachings throughout the New Testament, He uses metaphors all the time.

READ Mark 14:26

So, Jesus and eleven of His disciples head out the city gates, down a hill, across the brook Kidron to a garden, to an isolated location. By now the disciples have figured out that Judas is the betrayer. He is not with them. John in his gospel says this: “Now Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples” (John 18:2). Jesus is fully aware, not only of what will happen, but what MUST happen. He goes to a favorite meeting place on purpose that Judas would be familiar with.

READ Mark 14:27

“Fall away” does not mean, in this case, “apostasy.” Often times in the Bible when we are talking about apostasy, people losing their faith, the writers will us that term “falling away.” That is not what it means here. It simply means “to stumble.” This statement must have shocked the disciples though. Jesus is saying that THEY, the faithful eleven, the remaining ones that have stood by Jesus, are ALL going to fall away! And then Jesus quotes this obscure Old Testament passage, Zechariah 13:7, to apply to them. Jesus says “the shepherd” will be struck and His disciples, “the sheep,” will be scattered.

READ Mark 14:28

So, while Jesus says He is going to be struck, which is a reference to His death, He also says that He is going to be resurrected. And after His resurrection, He is going to go to Galilee where He will meet up with them. Of course, Peter, he is still thinking about what Jesus just said about being scattered and processing that. And at this point, Peter pushes back against that whole idea.

READ Mark 14:29

Peter exposes a little bit of pride here, doesn’t he? “Not me. I am not like THEM. Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will!”

READ Mark 14:30

Jesus basically tells Peter, “Oh, yes Peter, you will!”

Q5, what did Jesus predict would happen that very night before Peter would deny Jesus three times? The rooster would crow twice. Only Mark mentions the rooster crowing twice. The other gospels just say the rooster crowed. But Mark mentions it crowing twice. That also shows a little bit of God’s grace if you think about it. This is what I mean – when the rooster crows the first time, it gives Peter a warning, a wake-up call, a chance to pull himself together. It is really an act of grace.

READ Mark 14:31

“Not us, Jesus! Not us!”

READ Mark 14:32-36

Here we are told that Jesus “began to be greatly distressed and troubled.” He is overwhelmed with sorrow. He is in anguish. Q6 asks, what is the reason for His distress? He knows what is about to happen. He knows He will experience agony and suffering by going to the cross.

There is a spiritual battle being waged. Jesus is being tempted by Satan like never before. Yes, Jesus IS the perfect Son of God, He is fully God, but fully human also. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus “has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). At the beginning of His ministry Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness – real temptation with food and other things. Jesus is tempted here by Satan at the end of His ministry. So, under this assault, Jesus is compelled to go to His Father for strength.

I believe the core issue, what Jesus is being tempted by here, as a human, is to avoid the cross and all the horrible things associated with it – the physical pain; the shame; betrayal and denial and abandonment by His own disciples; the rejection by His own people, the Jews. But worst of all – worse than all of that – is having the sin of the entire world heaped upon Him and being abandoned by His Father for the first time ever as God’s wrath is poured out on Him. Jesus knows all of this awaits Him. He knows that the cross has been God’s plan all along. In fact, He has mentioned this several times to His disciples. But now the time has come. It is here. It is not way off in the future. It is coming in the next 24 hours. Satan is buffeting Jesus full force and all this weighs heavy on Jesus’s heart. So, Jesus prays, “Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”

READ Mark 14:37-38

Q7, why did Jesus tell Peter to “watch and pray”? That he would not give in to temptation. Jesus knows that later that night Peter IS going to be tempted and his best weapon against that is prayer. He is trying to help Peter out.

READ Mark 14:39

Jesus goes back alone to pray. He is really troubled.

READ Mark 14:40

The disciples, they do not listen to Jesus. Big surprise. Instead, they fall back asleep.

READ Mark 14:41a

Jesus often gets exasperated with His disciples. This is just one example.

READ Mark 14:41b

The silence of the dark night is broken. They can hear the muffled sounds of voices and footsteps. Hundreds of men make their way up the Mount of Olives toward them. John mentions in his account that with Judas are the temple police and a cohort of Roman soldiers (anywhere between 200 and 1000 men) with their officers. All are fully armed. They are obviously expecting some resistance. Through the trees you can see the flickering of torch lights. The sounds are getting louder and the lights are getting closer. If Jesus had wanted to avoid the cross, He could have easily slipped away quietly into the darkness. They would never have known. But He doesn’t run away or hide.

READ Mark 14:42-43

This is the third time that Mark mentions that the betrayer (Judas) is “one of the twelve.” In John’s account we are told that Jesus actually steps forward to meet them. He meets them head on. He knows what He must do.

READ Mark 14:44-46

Q8, what pre-determined sign did Judas give as to WHO they were to arrest? It was none of the choices I gave you. Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. [Note: one of the choices I gave was a greeting. Technically, a kiss is a greeting. My intent was a verbal greeting, such as “hello”].

A kiss in this culture is an act of affection, honor, love, and respect. That is not something that we do, but that is what they did in that culture and in that day. So, what Judas does here is hypocrisy of the worst kind. Notice that Jesus does not resist. However, one of His disciples DOES.

READ Mark 14:47-50

Cutting off the servant’s ear was not very nice! Now Q9, Mark does not tell us who it was that cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. But John does (in John 18:10). So, who was the culprit? Who was the sword-wielding fiend? It was Peter. The other question I asked said, does that surprise you? It shouldn’t. This is the same Peter who had earlier declared to Jesus emphatically, “If I must die with You, I will not deny You.” Peter was willing to lay down his life for Jesus. He meant it. So, here Peter actually puts his words into action. He pulls out a sword and he is ready to fight. But his zeal is misplaced. You see, Jesus had told His disciples repeatedly that He must die. Peter just didn’t get it. Neither did they (the other disciples). The other gospel accounts tell us that Jesus rebukes Peter and then restores the servant’s ear. That was a miracle. V 50 says that all eleven disciples, yes, even brave old Peter, “left Him and fled.” Off they go. They scattered just like Jesus said they would.

Q10, what did the disciples do when Jesus was arrested? I just told you. They fled. They scattered.

Only Mark records a rather humorous event that happens at Jesus’s arrest. That is these next two verses…

READ Mark 14:51-52

So, why is this even here? When I first read this, that was my question. None of the other gospel writers mention it. Only Mark. Who is this guy? We don’t know. He is never named. He is not identified. He is just a bystander, this guy following around after Jesus. Some people have conjectured that this is John Mark, the writer of Mark himself, but I don’t think so. He is just a guy. The disciples just ran away in fear and out of the blue comes this young man who had been tagging along following Jesus, probably out of curiosity. He probably lives nearby. He hears the commotion and he wants to see what is going on. And even this casual observer runs away. So, the point is that Jesus stands alone. You think about of all of those thousands of lives that Jesus had touched during His ministry and not one of them is around as the soldiers and temple guards lead Jesus away.

These little details like this story here and like the rooster crowing twice (that the other gospel writers do not record, but Mark records) – remember Mark is telling this gospel account from Peter’s perspective primarily. This is a night that Peter recalls vividly. So, all these little things Peter would remember that maybe the other writers would not have been aware of.

READ Mark 14:53-54

Peter is lurking around out there in the darkness following Jesus at a safe distance. He finds out where they are taking Jesus. They take Him to the high priest’s house and Peter manages to keep a low profile. It is a cold night. He is bundled up. He goes and warms himself by a fire in the courtyard. Meanwhile, inside the house, Jesus is being interrogated.

READ Mark 14:55

Q11, true or false? Before any formal charges were brought, the Sanhedrin (that is “the whole council” mentioned here) had already decided to put Jesus to death. That is absolutely true. Normally the crime a person is convicted of in a courtroom determines the punishment they receive. It is the opposite here. The Sanhedrin has already determined what the sentence is – “to put Him to death” – even before there is a trial. Also, I want you to notice that this is a one-sided hearing. It says that they “were seeking testimony against Jesus.” There is no indication here they are seeking any testimony in His defense. After all, they have already determined that Jesus is guilty. They want Him dead.

READ Mark 14:56-59

What you have hear is a farce. You have these false witnesses and liars whose so-called “testimony” is confused and totally inconsistent. If this had been a fair hearing, the case against Jesus would have been dismissed for lack of evidence. But this is anything but fair.

READ Mark 14:60-61a

Q12, what was Jesus’s response to the false accusations being made against Him? He remained silent. Absolutely! Jesus is under no obligation to respond to these lies. His silence here actually fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy concerning Him: “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth…” (Isaiah 53:7).

READ Mark 14:61b

Finally, the high priest asks Jesus a legitimate question. Q13, what is the question the high priest asks? “Are you the Christ?” In Matthew’s account the high priest says to Jesus, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). The high priest basically places Jesus under oath. Now, Jesus knows exactly what they are trying to do. But He answers them honestly.

READ Mark 14:62

So, not only does Jesus invoke the name of Yahweh, the name of God, “I AM,” He adds Psalm 110 and Daniel 7 imagery that are closely associated with the Messiah – “seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Well, that is all it takes and the whole place erupts!

READ Mark 14:63-65

Q14, what was the reaction to what Jesus said? I gave you six things to choose from. It is ALL of them. The high priest tears his clothes and accuses Jesus of blasphemy; the Sanhedrin votes unanimously to condemn Jesus to death; they spit on Him, blindfolded Him and hit Him with their fists. All the above, right?

So, the Sanhedrin finds Jesus guilty of blasphemy and thereby deserving to die. But they have a problem. Is THEIR crime of blasphemy one that the Romans will put someone to death for? No. So, at some point they will need to come up with something else. Side note: some people have been confused because they know that later on (in Acts 7) Stephen gets dragged out and killed by them (the Jews) and not by the Romans. So, why didn’t they just do to Jesus what they later will do to Stephen and just drag Him out and kill Him? Well, there is one big difference between Stephen and Jesus. That is Jesus’s popularity with the people. They cannot do that. So, they need to have the Romans do their dirty work for them. And the Romans are not going to crucify Jesus for this crime of blasphemy. They have to come up with something else. They are going to figure that out later. 

Meanwhile, Peter, he is out in the courtyard by the fire.

READ Mark 14:66-68

Strike ONE! The answer to Q15 is a servant girl. Peter hears the rooster crow. Remember that Jesus had told him earlier in v 30, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” So, here is Peter’s chance to collect himself, He has only slipped up and denied Jesus once. He still has the opportunity to be brave for the Lord. Now, if you recall earlier, Peter had told Jesus, “If I must die with You, I will not deny You.” Was that just tough talk or did Peter really mean it? Well, let’s find out.

READ Mark 14:69-70a

Strike TWO! Who was it this time? [The answer to Q16] is another servant girl. She is the one pointing him out to the bystanders.

READ Mark 14:70b-71

Strike THREE! The answer to Q17 is some bystanders.

And then Q18, what was a response at least once by Peter during his three denials? I gave you four of them. It is all of them. “I don’t know what you are talking about!” He said that, right? “I don’t know this man!” He said that. He swore with an oath that he did not know Jesus. That is true. He began to curse. Again, all the above.

READ Mark 14:72

Luke describes this same account like this: “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how He had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:61-62).

Jesus’s mock hearing has just ended. He is being escorted back across the courtyard to a holding cell. Early the next morning He will face another trial. He will be beaten some more and scourged. And by noon He will be crucified. It is coming up very soon. Jesus’s bloodied and battered face gazes over at Peter with a look that is etched forever in Peter’s memory. Jesus had told Peter that he would deny Him three times and it happened just like He said it would. Peter had been so self-confident. He had not watched and prayed that he might not enter into temptation. That is what Jesus had told him to do. Peter discovered the hard way just how weak his flesh really is.

But we know (because we have read ahead in our Bibles) that God is not finished with Peter yet, don’t we? He lives to fight another day. This same Peter who in the flesh, on this cold April night, denied Jesus three times will, just two months later, by the power of the Holy Spirit preach Jesus with such boldness that three thousand people will get saved.

Let me close with Q19. Were both Judas’s sin and Peter’s sin forgivable? The answer is YES. Neither sin was so bad that they could not be forgiven. Peter was ashamed and filled with guilt. But, to his credit, he stuck around long enough to be restored by Jesus a few weeks later. Aren’t you thankful that we serve a loving and forgiving Lord; One who when we fail Him, and we will sooner or later, gives us another chance to get it right? Praise the Lord for His mercy and grace!

Sadly, however, Judas took a different route than Peter. He felt remorse. But Judas selfishly chose to end his own life rather than to seek forgiveness from Jesus. Jesus would die, but then He would be resurrected. He would have been there for Judas. Judas did not see seek that route.

I am here to tell you, and with this I will close: As long as you have breath in your lungs, God is not finished with you yet!