Mark 14:51-54 God Rescues Liars

Mark 14:51-54  A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus.  When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.  They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together.  Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.  There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.  

Many people believe the young man mentioned who fled in fear, leaving his linen garment behind, was Mark.  Of course, this happening seems rather inconsequential to the significance of the story.  Yet, by revealing this information, Mark emphasizes that all of the disciples were in fear and fled as we read last week in the previous verse: Then everyone deserted him and fled.  However, he then reveals to us Peter's determination to follow Jesus' captors wherever they were taking Jesus.  Probably, Peter was attempting to carry out his words to Jesus, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”  Peter was a strong-willed fisherman, not a man of an equivocal mind.  His intention was not to abandon Jesus, regardless of the cost.  In fact he was so strong in that belief that he drew a sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the chief priest.  But Jesus did not back him up in his intentions to do violence to his captors.  In fact, Jesus said, “Put your sword back in its place for all who draw the sword will die by the sword."  This of course brought Peter into great confusion, for how could he defend Jesus from his accusers if he could not even fight them?  So Peter withdrew from the scene of the arrest, but then proceeded to follow Jesus to the courtyard of  Jesus' main accuser.  As Jesus said earlier in the garden, “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep?  Could you not keep watch for one hour?  Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”  Peter wanted to prove he was strong in all ways in his commitment to his Lord

Simon's determination, his will, lead him to the place where Jesus was taken; but when the final test came, Peter was not strong enough to overcome the circumstances of that day of days.  Peter was chief of the apostles, the leader Jesus placed so much faith in when Peter called him the Son of the living God, and Jesus said, And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  (Matthew 16:16 & 18)  But now as Jesus had predicted, Peter could not fulfill his promise to his LORD AND MASTER to remain true to his calling.  Often, Peter's dilemma  is our dilemma.  We set rules and regulations for our lives.  We promise God what we will do and what we won't do; but when the conflict, desire, or temptation comes into our lives, we are like Peter.  We can hear the words of Jesus: “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today — yes, tonight — before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”  Peter denied Jesus.  He could not continue to believe Jesus could either extricate himself from this circumstance or keep himself safe in the midst of adversity.  He probably was questioning Jesus' deity, power, and authority.  Even though he had seen Jesus do miraculous acts that no man from the beginning of time could do, his allegiance to Jesus as the Son of God wavered; his faith was not built on solid ground.  Prior to this night, Peter thought the man who could calm the seas and quiet the wind, the one who healed the sick and raised the dead could not possibly be helpless in the hands of wicked men.  Surely no men could take the Son of God into custody.  NOT POSSIBLE!  But what Peter was seeing with his eyes and hearing with his ears made him believe that Jesus was not defending himself and God seemed far from the scene.  How could God's Son, Jesus, be powerless and where was the Father who loved the Son?   Peter's conclusion under pressure and in great fear was to deny his Lord.  He went away weeping after he knew he had fulfilled the words, Jesus spoke to him earlier: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 

How often do we deny Jesus' reality and feel that God is not at the scene when we experience difficulties and trials of life?  How often do we say that things just don't change and remain the same as they have been from the beginning of time?  In our despair, the mindset of human nature takes over and the supernaturalness of God takes a backseat in our thinking.  Why pray, nothing will change?  Why serve God, I always have problems?  These attitudes can take over in our lives and dominate our thinking if we give the natural mind a foothold and forget the Lord and his blessings.  We become heathens in our thinking, not men and women of the Spirit.  In reality, God never abandons us.  But when our thinking goes astray, we abandon ourselves.  We leave behind the good teaching and the truth we have received; we leave behind the knowledge of the Word; we leave behind the kindness and help of our brothers and sisters.  Sadly, we even leave behind the miraculous works that God has accomplished in our lives--countless miracles of grace and mercy.  We succumb to the belief that the powers of the world are greater than God's power.  

In today's scripture, Peter was confused, alone, and feeling abandoned by God to the hands of men: consequently, he feared.  But God had a greater plan for him, just as He has a greater plan for you.  As you abide in Christ by faith through the power of the Holy Spirit, God performs his perfect will.  Peter knew the Word.  He knew Jesus said, Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.  (Matthew 10:32-33)  But Jesus was not ashamed of Peter when he stumbled.  He knew Peter's heart, his love for God; so He was not finished with Peter.  God is not finished with you even if you have been struggling with unbelief, doubt, or fear.  You are a child of God, and He plans for you to inherit his kingdom and all the heavenly blessings He has stored up for you.  Right now He wants to make your life more productive, more alive in Him through his mighty power in you.  After Peter's denial, God placed Peter as the leader of his nascent church.  What great plans God has for YOU!  Look up, revival is on the way!  

Mark 14:43-50 Jesus, A Savior, Not A Rebel!

Mark 14:43-50  Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared.  With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.  Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.”  Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.  The men seized Jesus and arrested him.  Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.  “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?  Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me.  But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”  Then everyone deserted him and fled.

“Am I leading a rebellion?”  The obvious implied answer is, "No, Jesus, you are not leading a rebellion to change the nature of civil authority, to do away with secular leadership."  Yet within Jesus' ministry there was a real threat to the rulership and authority of the religious elite and to the culture they represented.  Jesus' teachings oriented the people's thinking toward himself as the pathway to God instead of the rules and regulations of the religious leaders.  Jesus declared, I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  (John 14:6)  The angry people who met Jesus in that garden to arrest him had good reason to want him removed, for they knew their very position and their influence in the Jewish community was at stake.  They knew if the people accepted Jesus' teachings, they would lose their positions of deference and power.  The activities of this night would determine their futures, their relevancy in the Jewish society.  They were playing a high stakes game by arresting Jesus, with winners and losers.  These leaders were hoping the arrest and the eventual killing of Jesus would remove this attack on their positions of authority and influence.  They no longer wanted to hear the judgments of Jesus who said, Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  (Luke 11:43)  The Jewish culture was oriented the way they wanted, with them in power, with them controlling the gateway to God.  They wanted to be rid of this bold man who said, I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  (John 10:9-10)   

God gave Jesus the power to open the people's eyes and to overcome the religious traditions and practices of the Jewish people.  His teachings and activities were directed by God through the power of the Holy Spirit.   I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.  (John 5:19-20)  Jesus traversed the land, doing good as the representative of his Father's love for his people.  He healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, commanded the seas and winds to become calm.  He could do anything He desired because the Father's goodwill was to bless his people with the Good News that a Savior has come to them to wipe alway their sins, to restore them to the image of God, to birth them as sons and daughters in God's family forever.  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  (John 1:12-13)  Knowing his Father's great and glorious plans for his creation, Jesus did not come to rebel against the conventions of the secular world, but He did come to change the hearts of men and women to receive all God prepared for them.  He did come to make humans new creatures, those who would have the likeness of God in them, those who could love unconditionally the world and its people.  He did come to make people servants to humanity so that people would be blessed by God himself through his sons and daughters at work for him.  

We must ask ourselves: Are we trying to change the secular world and its conventions or are we trying to change people's hearts by leading them to the transforming power of Jesus Christ?  Are we allowing others to see evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives?  Jesus told Peter to put up his sword after he had cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.  We see implied, "Yes Peter, we might win this battle: violence might prevent them from taking me tonight, but we wouldn't win anything in God's eyes.  Hearts would remain the same; new creatures would not be created; and eternal life would not be given to sinful men.  Put away your sword.  By winning tonight, you will not win anything but more misery."  Sometimes, we Christians get all wrapped up in changing the world to our liking.  We think we are winning, but we are really losing if we forget the message of transformation through Jesus Christ.  Only Jesus changes the hearts of men and women.  Everything else will fail: our politics, our self-righteousness, our championing of a moral lifestyle.  All our solutions will be futile, earth-bound changes without Christ.  Only He brings eternal life to us.  Dad listened to a man recently who told of a tumultuous childhood.  He lived a violent early life because of horrible circumstances.  As a consequence, his own violence became so devastating that finally he was institutionalized.  Even in the institution, placed in isolation, he destroyed everything he could get his hands on.  He was angry, bitter, and destructive.  But his testimony today is that discipline, lectures, retentions, and even good words and appropriate teaching could not change him.  Only Jesus could change him through the earnest prayers of others.  The resurrection power of Jesus transformed his life.  Jesus brought comfort and peace to this troubled young man.  "Put away your sword Peter, I am not leading a rebellion, I am changing souls for the Father."  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  (2 Corinthians 2:4)  This is our mission.  Bless us, Lord!          

Mark 14:37-42 Don't Sleep, Watch and Pray!

Mark 14:37-42  Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep?  Could you not keep watch for one hour?  Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”  Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.  When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.  They did not know what to say to him.  Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?  Enough!  The hour has come.  Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise!  Let us go!  Here comes my betrayer!” 

How many of us are asleep?  In the above passage, we see Jesus' closest followers asleep when moments before He told them: Stay here and keep watch.  Of course they were physically tired or they would not have fallen asleep.  Yes, their lives were busy.  Yes, they had legitimate excuses for sleeping.  Probably each of them could have elaborated convincingly upon the reasons for his fatigue.  But Jesus was disappointed in them, for He had told them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.  (Mark 14:32&34)  He asked for their support.  They did not discern the seriousness of the hour.  They thought of their past experiences of living day by day under the threat of persecution while the religious leaders were constantly plotting against Jesus.  Now they did not realize the truth Jesus had spoken of their future when He said, All men will hate you because of me . . ..  (Mark 13:13)  How wrong they were in thinking things would remain the same, for in the next hour they would become fugitives, their lives in danger.  They would see their Lord arrested by the those who had plotted to kill him and now came with his betrayer, one of their own.  Later they would see the cruel judgment of death on a cross carried out against Jesus by the Roman soldiers.  They would experience and see all this in the next few hours.  But instead of being alert in prayer because of the darkness of this time, they fell asleep.  Their slumber was justified in their natural bodies; but in their spirits, they did not discern the hour that had come upon them.  They carried on as if nothing would change, when great sorrow was at their gate.  

The question is: Are we asleep?  Are we listening to what our bodies tell us to do or our spirits?  Are we approaching each day under God's agenda or our own agenda?  In today's passage, we see Jesus' desire for the disciples to pray so they might not fall into temptation.  He did not want them to fall away because of what they would see in the next few hours of their lives.  He wanted them to be strong in the faith when they would view Jesus weak in the hands of sinful man.  But their weariness in the flesh took precedence over Jesus' request to watch and pray.  Of course as Jesus' closest followers, they thought they were willing to pray, but they allowed their bodies to dictate to them what they would really do and that was to sleep.  The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.  How true those words are for human beings with all our good intentions.  Are we also like the disciples?  We love the Lord, and we often tell him: You are Lord of my life.  But in reality our lives lack discipline.  We fail to keep our promises to God and to ourselves.  We do not consistently pray, meditate, or think about God's agenda, his ways.  Without the Holy Spirit, our thoughts are not his thoughts, and our ways are not his ways.  In the flesh, we choose slumber for the day, the week, the month, the year, the decade.  We slumber rather than pray fervently for people and the world.  Even though we know the Spirit says in James 5:16, The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, we fail to pray, to seek our Lord.  Maybe we really slumber because we inadvertently believe what the scoffers do, as Peter references: Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.  (2 Peter 3:4)  As Jesus said to his disciples: Are you still sleeping and resting?  ENOUGH! 

We can easily write this kind of breakfast, but what is difficult for us is to change our habits of serving the Lord.  Of course, everything that was written above pertains to us as well as you.  We realize we are often preaching to the choir, and we do not want to discourage you with a breakfast like today's.  We know most of you pray and seek the Lord for his will in your lives.  But we also know as it is with us, the activities and concerns of the world can easily put us to sleep; and we can find ourselves busily doing our agenda rather than the Lord's.  Although personally, we have a plan to read the Word together daily, several days can slip by when we do not read the Word together, yet we usually watch TV each evening--that is rarely forgotten.  We are trying to let the Holy Spirit search us, making us more aware of these inconsistencies, not to condemn us but to touch our hearts and bring us closer to our Lord.  We want to watch and pray, for the needs are many.  Praise God, the resident Holy Spirit in all of us wants to help up refocus if we will open ourselves to him.  We are so thankful to be called sons and daughters of the Most High God, living under a new and better covenant, sealed by the shed blood of our Redeemer and King.  Our Father promised us: This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.  I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people.  (Hebrews 8:10)  Therefore as we yield to the Spirit, He will make us alive in Christ, and we will reach others with the Good News that Christ has come to save sinners.  We will be awake and not asleep when there is work to do for the Master.  Jesus will be able to count on us to watch and pray, and we will not fall into temptation.  We will all follow Paul's admonition: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) 

Mark 14:32-36 Willing to Die For Jesus?

Mark 14:32-36  They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”  He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.  “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them.  “Stay here and keep watch.”  Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.  “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you.  Take this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

As Jesus Christ the Lord was when He was here with us, so are we but flesh.  There are times in our lives when the stress of living can be so immense we fall to our knees and say as Jesus did: "I am overwhelmed; let this hour pass from me; change my circumstances."  Often we hear of others having to go through serious difficulties and trials.  As Christians, we earnestly pray for an escape in their hour of need, for quick restoration to a more peaceful and secure time.  We pray for healing, release, success, and other good things to benefit them.  We beseech God fervently and even desperately when we learn a loved one or close friend has been attacked by an incurable disease or a permanent disability.  We pray for deliverance, knowing these afflictions that have come upon others would be almost impossible for us to endure.  Right now, we know of Christians in other lands who are facing death at the hands of wicked and perverse people controlled by demons from the pit of hell.  We pray, "Take this cup from those who suffer, deliver them."  But too often, we see the consequences of evil seemingly win the day.  We know, as stated in Hebrews, the world was not worthy of them, such soldiers in the Lord, willing to give all for him.  (Hebrews 11:8)  When we view the world and its turmoil, we often inadvertently or subconsciously expect others to face such problems, but not us.  We will be delivered: our prayers will be answered as we desire.  But we see in the above scripture, the Holy One of God, the Bright and Morning Star, Beloved of God, had to face the burden of carrying all the sins of all those who ever lived to an evil, cruel cross.  He did not have a way of escape.  He experienced sorrow but stayed the course.  

In today's passage, we see Jesus facing an immediate future of pain, humiliation, and death.  We see a perfect Lamb, holy, unmarred by the world; an innocent lamb, led to the slaughter.  A lamb knows not what is in store for him, yet Jesus knew that the gates of Hell would be opened to torment him.  He knew the devil would glory in his slaughter.  Therefore, Jesus said, Take this cup from me.  Yes, Jesus was the Son of God, but He had given his authority over to God the Father.  Yet not what I will, but what you will, Jesus said in total commitment.  Jesus' will in these final moments, even though He had walked toward the cross all his life, was to avoid this awful task, this terrible experience, this horrific death.  But He said, not my will for my life, your will, oh God.  He prayed just as He had taught his disciples to pray.  Nothing had changed in the heart of the Son of God.  He still said: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  (Matthew 6:9-10)  At some time or the other, we all have to say as Jesus said, "Not my will but your will, Father."  We will place our lives in the Father's will, not ours, even though we do not want our present day experience, pain, or sorrow.  Even though we desire to escape from the torment in and around us, we will place our faith and trust in our heavenly Father because of his great love for us.  We will not retreat; we will face the circumstances in our lives, knowing God is trustworthy.  We will praise the name of the Lord, regardless of our pain because we are saved and kept by his grace.  As Paul wrote, But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.  (Ephesians 2:4-5) 

Because of Christ we walk by faith.  Yet how can any of us face tribulation, pain, and even death?  We can only do that with the help of the Holy Spirit.  He is the great Comforter.  Jesus said, Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.  (John 16:7)  He said the Spirit would come to abide in us.  The Comforter remains by our side no matter what we experience to remind us of HOME, where there is no more sorrow, no more tears.  He reminds us of Holiness, heaven, where God himself abides.  He reminds us we are sons and daughters in the household of God.  He reminds us that what we see, hear, and know by our senses is not real.  What is real is the kingdom of God that lies in the heart of God where we abide.  None of us want to face trouble.  We would be mentally ill if we desired such experiences, but all of us will face trials that will test our resolve and spirit.  All of us will wonder at some time, Where are you God?  Where are you NOW, for I need you?  But He is constantly, incessantly, saying, "Hold on my children.  Your faith is more pure and precious than gold.  Your hope in me pleases my heart beyond what you can imagine.  That is why, I will not just call you my friends but sons and daughters.  You touched my heart because of your faithfulness, your willingness to die even under the pressures of this life.  You chose me above all things, all experiences, all deliverances.  Your faithfulness will be rewarded, FOR I AM YOUR FATHER!"  We know God loves us, for we read in the Word:  Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!  (Matthew 7:9-11)  What is the gift inherent in Jesus Christ, available because of his death and resurrection?  The gift is eternal life in the presence of our Abba Father.  Consequently, we will say with the millions before us: Yet not what I will, but what you will.  Today we join the endless throng and sing praise to God!