VOICE OF THE TEACHER #10

Mark 14-15
Thursday, April 9, 2009
with Matt Johnson

Mark 14:1-11 -
Jesus anointed with perfume.
Disciples angry over wasted wealth.
Judas goes to betray Jesus.

Mark 14:12-26
Passover meal with disciples.
Points out betrayal.
Institutes new covenant.

Mark 14:27-31, 66-72
Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him 3 times.
Peter says he’ll follow him to the death.
Peter finds himself in the courtyard of the leading Priest and denies any association with Jesus.

Mark 14:32-42
Jesus takes the group to pray at Mount of Olives.
Leaves them to pray on their own while he goes to pray.
Jesus prays one last time to ask God to take the burden of the cross.
He returns to the disciples, but they keep falling asleep.
The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Mark 14:43-52
Judas continually kisses Jesus.
Jesus arrested.
Peter cuts off ear of servant of high priest.
Jesus calls to light the fact that he’s arrested under the cover of night.
Disciples scatter.

Mark 14:53-65
Jesus taken to home of high priest.
They try in vain to get witnesses against Jesus, but no one has stories that match.
Finally they ask Jesus if he is the son of God.
He responds – I am!
High priest freaks, they begin the abuse.

Mark 15:1-15
Priests take Jesus to Pilate, who questions Jesus.
Jesus is quiet before Pilate.
Pilate offers Jesus or Barabbas.
Crowds, stirred by the Priests, call for Barabbas to be released.
Jesus released by Pilate to be flogged and then crucified.

Mark 15:16-32
Soldiers mock him with purple robe and crown of thorns.
Simon forced to carry the cross piece because Jesus could not continue.
Jesus was crucified.
Soldiers gambled over his clothes.
Crowd mocks him, telling him to come off the cross if he’s so capable.

Mark 15:33-41
Darkness falls over the earth.
Jesus cries out to God, why have you forsaken me?
Jesus took last breath, curtain at temple torn from top to bottom.
Roman officer recognizes Jesus as son of God.

Mark 15:42-47
Joseph asks for Jesus’ body.
Pilate surprised that Jesus is already dead.
Jesus buried in a tomb that belonged to Joseph.
Women saw location of tomb.

If we read through the account of the events of the cross with honest and open eyes, we find ourselves smack in the middle of it. We’re there betraying Christ for what amounts to an insignificant sack of coins that would quickly run out. We’re there at the table, saying “I’ll stick with you forever…” only to deny him a few hours later or run away at the first sign of trouble. We’re there falling asleep when we should be praying. We’re there in the crowds, shouting “Crucify Him” because he hasn’t met our expectations.

You know, it’s great that we’ve got scripture that gives us accounts of real people like the disciples. It puts a name and a face to the issues that we struggle with, and we relate to their struggles, their faith, and their failures. The problem is, sometimes we get so caught up in looking for us in scripture, that we miss Him. We miss the point of the book – to tell us about God! What’s he saying and doing in the middle of the story? If we really pay attention, we can hear the voice of the teacher in the events of the cross.

Did you hear the voice of the teacher?
Maybe it was lost in the story of the events of the cross that we hear so often. Maybe it was lost in the brutality of the suffering of Jesus. Maybe you missed it, but it was there! It’s been there all along as we’ve been following the Gospel of Mark...

“The healthy don’t need a doctor, the sick do. I’ve come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.”

“For even I, the son of Man, came here not to be served, but to serve others and to give my life as a ransom for many!”

It’s here, in this text too… do you hear it yet?

“This is my blood, poured out for many, sealing the new covenant between god and his people.”

It’s there in the midst of it all. Jesus is still teaching, still correcting, still doing everything that he can to make sure that his kingdom is understood. Even with the burden of the cross weighing so heavily on his mind, in his final encounters with his disciples he’s still working to equip them with the knowledge of the kingdom that they need.

His kingdom is about him first, not social justice. We can too easily spend so much time “doing good” for Jesus that we miss him. Pay attention to him first!

His kingdom is about looking at the world through Jesus lenses first. He didn’t abolish Passover, He instituted communion. A remembrance not of temporary freedom from Egypt, but of eternal freedom from sin.

His kingdom is about being submissive in prayer. God, please help me with this, but God, ultimately I want what you want!

His kingdom is about being ok with silence. In the face of accusations and temptations, Jesus did not find it necessary to defend himself to the masses.

In the midst of it all, in the cries, in the shouts, in the whispers, and ultimately in the silence, the voice of the teacher is singular and focused – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that who ever believes in him will not die, but will have eternal life…”

Can you hear it yet?

SHMILY (see how much I love you) Story...