Gospel of Mark Study #52

“The Longest Night”

Mark 15:1-15

Study #52 in Mark Series

INTRODUCTION:

Time is very elastic. It can stretch long and thin, or it can tighten up into a bunch. It can fly by on eagle’s wings, or it can drag past, ever so slowly, at a snail’s pace. On certain occasions we are hardly even aware of its passing because our mind is so occupied by other things. However, at other times we are painfully aware of every second, beating its deafening, deliberate, largo rhythm in our ears.

If you have ever spent the night at the bedside of a dying child, or parent, or spouse, or dear friend, then you know what I am talking about. If you have ever waited for hours at an airport for a loved one to come in from some distant place, then you know what I am talking about. The time seems to go on forever. Each minute of waiting is interminable.           

On the other hand, if you have ever taken a Caribbean cruise or a week-long vacation in Hawaii you know how swiftly time can slip away. Before you know it, you are on the plane headed back home saying to one another, “Where did the time go?” 

TRANSITION:

In our continuing study of the Gospel of Mark we are moving into chapter 15, the penultimate chapter of the book. Here we see Jesus, still in that last night before His crucifixion. The night began hours before when at around sundown Jesus and His 12 disciples entered the upper room to celebrate the feast of the Passover together. At the close of that Last Supper meal, Jesus took the bread and the cup and told them of a New Covenant in His blood. Then He led them out to the Mount of Olives and asked them to keep watch while He went a little way on ahead to pray. Three times He came back and found them sleeping. Yet He used that time to prepare His heart and mind for the trial that was at hand.

Finally, He awakened the disciples and told them that His time had come. While He was still speaking Judas and the mob stepped out of the trees, and after the betrayer’s kiss, Jesus was arrested and bound. He was led first to Annas, the retired high priest. Then He was taken before Caiaphas and the religious leaders who had been hurriedly called together in the middle of the night.           

They deliberated briefly and determined that Jesus was indeed guilty of blasphemy and deserving of death. They beat Him senseless, mocked Him, and spat upon Him. Then they turned Him over to the soldiers so that they too might have some fun beating on Him. While all that was going on, Peter denied the Lord three times, swearing to all those gathered down there in the courtyard that he did not know this man, Jesus. As the words left his mouth for the third and final time, Jesus, who apparently was being led out into the courtyard to await the wishes of the Sanhedrin, turned, and locked eyes with Peter. Filled with regret, remorse, and gut-wrenching sorrow Peter went out and wept bitterly, remembering Jesus’ words: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”

All these things happened on that same night, within the space of just a few hours. To Jesus, and probably to Peter and the other disciples, this was undoubtedly the longest and worst night that they had ever experienced. Every minute was torture. Let’s pick up the story at verse 1.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 1: And early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes, and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away, and delivered Him up to Pilate.

• You will remember that during the night they hurriedly pulled together as many of the Sanhedrin members as they could find to meet at the home of Caiaphas to serve as an ad hoc Grand Jury. However, as I mentioned last week, in doing this they broke several of their own laws. In Jerusalem only the 71 member Sanhedrin had jurisdiction. On top of that, any “courts” were forbidden to meet at night. Moreover, an accused person had a right to counsel. The accused also had legal protection against being forced or coerced to incriminate himself. All these laws were simply ignored in Jesus’ case, along with several others.
• Now, “…early in the morning…” the whole Sanhedrin was summoned to appear, this time in their official chambers in their “Hall of Hewn Stone” next to the Temple. The time was approximately 6:00 AM. Mark once again does not use the word Sanhedrin, but rather describes the three groups that comprised it—the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. Matthew, Luke, and John on the other hand use “Sanhedrin.”
• At this meeting, the decision was almost unanimous, except for Joseph of Arimathea (cf. Luke 23:51) and possibly Nicodemus. Regardless, Jesus was judged to be worthy of death, although they could not carry out the sentence. For that they had to enlist the aid of the Roman Prefect/Governor, Pontius Pilatus. Jesus was again bound and led out of the Temple court to Pilate’s residence to stand before him.

Verses 2-3: And Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And answering He said to him, “It is as you say.”  ³ And the chief priests began to accuse Him harshly.

• Although the Romans were almost obsessive about their record-keeping, little information has survived about the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilatus. We know that he was the 5^th in a line of seven Prefects that ruled over Judea from A.D. 6-41. Pilate governed for ten years, from AD 26-36.
• The primary functions of a Prefect were military, but as appointed representatives of the Empire they were responsible for the collection of imperial taxes, and had limited judicial functions, one of which being the appointment of the Jewish high priest, which, as you can imagine, thoroughly aggravated the Jews. Normally, Pilate resided in Caesarea on the coast, but he travelled throughout the province, especially to Jerusalem, while performing his duties. As governor of Judaea, Pilate commanded a relatively small auxiliary force of soldiers stationed in Caesarea and Jerusalem, such as at the Antonia Fortress, and temporarily anywhere else that might require a military presence. The total number of soldiers at his disposal numbered approximately 3,000. According to Philo, the Jewish historian, Pilate was “…inflexible, he was stubborn, of cruel disposition. He executed troublemakers without a trial.” He goes on to comment on Pilate’s “…venality, his violence, thefts, assaults, abusive behavior, endless executions, and endless savage ferocity.” 

Verses 4-5: And Pilate was questioning Him again, saying, “Do You make no answer? See how many charges they bring against You!”  ⁵ But Jesus made no further answer; so that Pilate was amazed [astonished].

• Why was Pilate amazed? For one thing, most people brought before him under possible sentence of death would be groveling at his feet begging for mercy, insisting on their innocence. However, this Jesus of Nazareth stood there before him in total serenity, like a visiting monarch, a true king. Jesus showed no fear. He was the perfect calm in the eye of the perfect storm. I also think that Pilate was amazed because he could not comprehend the degree of hatred being leveled against Jesus. It was totally out of proportion and thus made no sense to him. Pilate was confused by this whole situation.   

Verses 6-7: Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested.  ⁷ And the man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection.

• Politicians are no different today than in the days of old. Everything they do has a political reason and is evaluated on a cost/benefits basis. Pilate was a consummate politician, trying to maintain the balancing act of keeping both the Romans and the Jews happy at the same time. As a good-faith gesture to the conquered Jews he showed the mercy and benevolence of the Romans by annually releasing one prisoner at Passover time. It made him look good. It made him seem more approachable, more a friend to the Jews. However, it really was just a political scam. He knew it and the Jewish leaders knew it too.
• And this guy, Barabbas, was a real piece of work! A Jewish jihadist, if you will, he was working for the destruction of Rome. He was trying to stir up a rebellion among the Jews to throw off the Roman yoke of tyranny. In carrying out this mission his actions had recently resulted in people getting murdered. He was a fanatical nationalist who would have been happy to kill every Roman in Judaea.
• You can bet that Pilate did not want Barabbas released to once again prey on the Romans. On top of being an insurrectionist and a bandit (cf. John 18:40), he was also a murderer. Members of the zealot group known as the Sicarii (lit. “dagger-bearers”), with which Barabbas was likely connected, were known for coming up behind Roman soldiers in the crowded marketplaces and stabbing them through the spaces in their armor. Many soldiers had already died just that way, possibly some of them by Barabbas’ own hand. By the way, one of the twelve Apostles, Simon the Zealot, was part of this same band of murderers before Jesus called him to become a fisher of men rather than a killer of men. 

Verses 8-10: And the multitude went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them.  ⁹And Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”  ¹⁰ For he was aware that the chief priests had delivered Him up because of envy.

• Pontius Pilate knew that many in Jerusalem liked Jesus and probably thought that some in this crowd wanted Him released. But the religious leaders were the ones pushing for crucifixion. Moreover, I think he must have been thinking to himself, “Surely, they don’t really want me to have this guy killed. He’s a rabbi, and a Jew, after all. They would never want one of their own people crucified. Such a horrible death is reserved for evil people. They probably just want me to put a scare into him.” 

Verse 11: But the chief priests stirred up the multitude to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead.

• Notice this, the priests stirred up the people to demand that Jesus’ be put to death. The crowd was manipulated by their leaders. This put Pilate in an awkward spot. He did not want Barabbas released because he was clearly an enemy of Rome. On the other hand, this Jesus fellow seemed totally benign and harmless. So, what was he to do? 

Verses 12-14: And answering again, Pilate was saying to them, “Then what shall I do to Him whom you call the King of the Jews?”  ¹³ And they shouted back, “Crucify Him!”  ¹⁴ But Pilate was saying to them, “Why, what evil has He done?”  But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!”

• Pilate had seen enough condemned men to know that this man Jesus was not guilty of anything. He did not want to have to condemn an innocent man to death, not even a Jew. 

Verse 15: And wishing to satisfy the multitude, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him over to be crucified.

• Here is a case of political expediency trumping the rights of an innocent man. Pilate knew that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death. By his own testimony, based on his own interrogation of the witness, he knew that Jesus was not an evildoer and posed no threat to Rome. However, as an act of political expediency, to make the Jews happy and keep them from raising a stink that might get all the way back to Rome and cause him grief, he signed the paper to have Jesus beaten and then crucified, as though He were a common criminal. He did this knowing full well that he was sending an innocent man to a horrible death. For this I am confident that Pontius Pilatus will roast in Hell for all eternity.
• “…and after having Jesus scourged…” This act was accomplished with a leather whip with rough pieces of metal or bone tied at the ends of the strips. The victim was bent forward over a short post, and the punishment was administered to his naked back, buttocks, and legs. It literally tore the man’s back to ribbons. Often the resulting deep gashes opened the flesh all the way to the bone. Sometimes an ear would be torn off or an eye gouged out. Some men died under it. Some men came out of the ordeal raving insane. Very few retained consciousness through it. That is what Pilate ordered done to Jesus despite knowing that Jesus had done nothing to deserve such treatment.

CONCLUSION:

We usually think of this passage as describing the trial of Jesus. However, it really turned out to be the trial of the Jews, especially the religious leaders, and the trial of Pilate himself. They were the ones who were really on trial before the court of Heaven. In much the same way that Peter was inexorably forced toward a verdict defining his relationship with Jesus, so also Pilate and the Jews were given an opportunity to take a stand for or against Him. We see Pilate self-revealed as he attempts first to skirt the issue, and then to escape responsibility for the decision. In the end he knowingly freed a guilty man and condemned an innocent one.        

However, this story reminds us that ultimately every one of us must answer the question, “What is your decision about Jesus? What are you going to do with Him?” and our eternal destiny depends upon our answer.          

Nothing could be more cynical than the disregard for truth in this man, Pilate, who, knowing Jesus to be innocent, yet flogged and crucified the Son of God, through a selfish desire to ingratiate himself with the Jewish leaders. He was perfectly conscious of the wrongfulness of what he did, and this just increased his guilt.           

But I would submit to you that anyone who rejects Jesus Christ is essentially doing the same thing. To say “NO!” to the Savior, to reject His sacrifice on the cross, to turn away from the sinless Lamb of God for your own selfish reasons, whatever they might be, puts you in the very same category with Pontius Pilate. Pilate wanted to distance himself from Jesus. Now, for all eternity, he will get what he wanted. He will be eternally separated from the Savior and the salvation that Jesus died to give us. Likewise, if you reject Jesus, you too will be separated from Him forever, along with all that is good, and gracious, and kind, and beautiful. For, you see, He is the Creator and the Giver of every good and perfect gift, and to reject Him is to lose all that He has provided for us to enjoy. All that will be left for Pilate and those like him, will be an eternity of regret, remorse, and sadness.           

But on the other hand, the Bible clearly says that “whosoever will, may come.” In Acts 16 a Roman soldier asked the question, “What must I do to be saved?”  The answer he received was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” You too can do that today, right now, by believing the Gospel, repenting of your sins, and asking Christ to come into your life to be your Savior and Lord. Don’t put it off again. Do it now. You might not get another chance.

Gospel of Mark Study #51

“The Bottom of the Well”

Mark 14:66-72

Study #51 in Mark Series

INTRODUCTION:

During our first term as missionaries in South Brazil we partnered with a Brazilian couple for about two years in a new church-plant in a community called Parque Valença on the outskirts of Campinas in the state of São Paulo. It was an extremely poor neighborhood. Most of the houses were made of mud bricks and the floors were of concrete or packed dirt. Everyone there did manual labor and many did not even have enough to eat. One of the men in the congregation, José Egidio, was a well digger. Here in the USA that means one thing, but down there it meant something vastly different. He dug wells by hand, with a pick and a shovel, and used buckets on a rope for his partner to haul out the dirt and rocks.

It was a dark, dirty, difficult, and dangerous profession. It was dark because after the first few feet down José was working in pitch-blackness. It was dangerous because those dirt wells often caved in on the well digger. Many were killed. Or else sometimes the rope would break while they were going down into the well or coming back up and they would suffer terrible injuries. If you just use your imagination you can think of several other ways a man could get killed doing that job.

I liked and admired José, but I certainly did not begrudge him his job. The idea of going down into that deep, dark hole creeps me out still to this day. The bottom of the well is not a nice place to be.

TRANSITION:

That phase, “the bottom of the well,” can symbolize several different situations. Perhaps you have had your own “bottom of the well” experience. I have, and it was not pleasant! From the bottom of the well all you can see is a tiny little round dot of light that seems ridiculously out-of-reach. At the bottom of the well there is no hope. At the bottom of the well there is no light. At the bottom of the well there is no one who understands. 

Today we are going to see the apostle Peter at the bottom of his personal spiritual well. We are going to see him descend a deep dark hole and finally hit bottom. From that point there was nowhere else to go but up. But as he lay there at the bottom of his well, I can imagine that he thought there was no hope for him. He had committed what in his mind was an unforgiveable sin, not once, but three times. He had failed Jesus and he had failed himself and his friends. He had gone back on his word and had denied the Lord publicly. He was a broken man.

But after having been broken myself, and after having observed God at work in other people’s lives, I have come to believe that God specializes in pulling people out of wells and He specializes in using people who have been broken. He has a special talent for taking a person with no future and no options and making him or her into an instrument He can use for His glory. In fact, God used Peter’s “bottom of the well” experience to shape him into a useful servant. Let’s see exactly how He did it.

By way of review, we are looking at Mark’s account of those last few hours just before the Lord’s crucifixion. After Jesus was betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane by Judas into the hands of the soldiers, He was shackled and taken to the home of the high priest. He was examined first by Annas, the former high priest, and then taken to stand before Caiaphas, the currently presiding high priest. Although this was late at night, some members of the Sanhedrin were summoned to the home of Caiaphas to render judgment against Jesus. Meanwhile, down below in the courtyard, Peter was sitting by a campfire, surrounded by temple guards and some of the high priest’s servants. He had managed to gain entrance and was keeping his eyes and ears open for any news of what was happening to Jesus upstairs. 

NOTES on the Text:

Verses 66-67: And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came, ⁶⁷ and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, “You, too, were with Jesus the Nazarene.”

• Remember back to last week when I explained that Caiaphas, the high priest, and Annas, his father-in-law who was also the previous high priest, had their houses joined together kind of like a big 2-story duplex with a courtyard down below. People would come from the street through a gate and into a forecourt area. That led to the courtyard itself where Peter and the others were gathered around a fire for warmth and light. Jesus was being interrogated by the high priest and members of the Sanhedrin upstairs in the large salon in Caiaphas’ living area.
• We learn from John 18:15-17 that this servant-girl was the one who let Peter into the courtyard in the first place after another one of Jesus’ disciples [possibly John himself] put in a good word for Peter to help get him through the door: ¹⁵ Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, ¹⁶ but Peter stood outside at the door. So, the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.  ¹⁷ The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
• The servant-girl may not have even hardly glanced at Peter before, but now Mark says, “…she looked at him…” and Mark uses a word that means “to fix one’s gaze upon, or to scrutinize.” She looked at his face and studied his clothes and remembered that he had gained access with that other fellow’s help, who was also a Galilean. She connected the dots and concluded correctly that Peter was with Jesus.

Verse 68: But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he went out onto the porch. 

• Peter’s denial was fast and furious. It was also strengthened by repetition: “I do not know” and “I do not understand” what you are talking about. Both statements were lies. He both knew and understood what she was saying, and he lied through his teeth, denying that he had any connection with that raggedy Jesus of Nazareth fellow.
• “And he went out onto the porch.” This so-called porch was really the forecourt or vestibule area leading from the street into the courtyard. Being farther from the fire it was darker, and it protected him from curious eyes.
• Some of the Bible versions include the words, “…and the cock crowed,” at the end of this verse, but the words are lacking in the older Greek manuscripts. However, it does not change the facts or the content of the account, as you will see down in verse 72.

Verse 69: And the maid [i.e., servant-girl] saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!”

• Apparently the same big-mouthed servant-girl got another glimpse of Peter lurking around the courtyard and spoke up again. This time, though, she addressed her words, not to Peter, but to the other bystanders. I imagine that as soon as the words left her lips all eyes turned to look at Peter. Can you imagine the feeling of panic that must have gone through him? He was probably terrified.
• I need to stop and explain something. If you compare the four Gospel accounts describing Peter’s three denials it starts to get confusing, because each one tells the story in a little different way, giving different details. For example, Matthew 26:71 speaks of a second maid who pointed the finger at Peter. And Luke 22:58 tells of a man who accused Peter of being with Jesus. And John 18:26 says that one of those making accusations was a relative of Malchus, the servant of the high priest, whose ear Peter had whacked off. No doubt, all of these are true and historically accurate, and it makes perfect sense if you think about it. The first one who accused Peter of being with Jesus was the servant-girl and she accused Peter to his face. After that, however, the accusations were made about him to the bystanders, opening the door for many people to weigh in on the topic. They were yelling at him and accusing him and pointing him out to others. Very quickly Peter found himself surrounded by accusers and he responded with vehemence to all of them.

Verse 70: But again, he was denying it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too.”

• “But again, he was denying it.” Just like before, in an infuriated voice, with as much disdain as he could muster, he repeatedly denied that he had ever known Jesus. The verb tense carries the sense of repeated action. Stating it in several different ways, for everyone to hear, Peter disavowed himself of any connection whatsoever with the so-called “Prophet from Galilee.”

Verse 71: But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this fellow you are talking about!” 

• To make things worse, Peter called down curses upon himself. Where is says, “…he began to curse and swear,” it does not mean that he used profanity. It means that he “pronounced a curse,” almost certainly upon himself, if he was not telling the truth. The New Living Translation says this in verse 71: “Peter swore, ‘A curse on me if I’m lying. I do not know this man you are talking about!’” To put it another way he said something like, “May I be struck by lightning if I am lying about this. With God as my witness, I swear on a stack of Bibles, upon my mother’s grave, that I do not know this guy, Jesus the Nazarene, that you all keep talking about!” That is what he did. And he did it in a loud voice; loud enough that everybody in that courtyard could hear him. 

Verse 72: And immediately a cock [i.e., rooster] crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before a cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he began to weep. 

• The incredible timing of that rooster crowing is amazing. The text says, “Immediately.” As the words were leaving Peter’s mouth the rooster let loose with a loud crow for the second time. The second Peter heard that sound, Jesus’ words pierced his heart like an arrow: “Before a cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”  
• But it was not just the memory of Jesus’ words that struck Peter like an arrow. Something else happened, and it sent him to the very bottom of the well.
• Luke tells the story this way in Luke 22:60-62: “⁶⁰ But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about.’ And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹ At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: ‘Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know Me.’  ⁶² And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.”
• In some horrible string of events Jesus was apparently being moved from one place to another and He witnessed Peter’s last denial and heard him swear that he did not know Jesus. All He did was turn and look at Peter. Their eyes locked in that moment, and Peter knew in an instant that Jesus had heard every word he had spoken.
• The text says, “And he began to weep.” That is an understatement. He wept, and wept, and it seemed there was no end to his tears and his sorrow. That was the moment when he hit bottom—when he reached the bottom of his well.

CONCLUSION:

But Peter’s fall to the bottom of the well did not happen all at once. In fact, he had been in freefall for quite a while, and he did not even know it. This, I believe, is something that we need to examine, because our “well” experiences do not happen all at once either. They are always a series of events, usually tied to our messed-up thinking and bad decisions. 

The story of Peter’s fall leaves us feeling helpless, powerless to intervene, as we witness the tragedy unfold until he has finally passed the point-of-no-return and crashes at the bottom of the well. Let’s look at some of the landmarks on the way down:

1.       His childish self-confidence and scorn for other people (14:29)

2.      His failure to discipline his sleepy flesh in the Garden (14:37)

3.      His cowardice when the soldiers showed up to capture Jesus (14:50)

4.      His “following at a distance” out of fear (14:54)

5.      His hanging out with the enemies of Jesus in the courtyard (14:54)

All these things made his actual denial logical and almost inevitable. His battle against temptation in the high priest’s courtyard had been lost long before, which reminds us that the time for the Christian to fight temptation is before it is encountered, not when it is staring us in the face.

The real tragedy of Peter’s story is that each step downward might have been a step upward. At each point along the way Peter was forced to take a stand and to declare himself. At last, he could no longer remain silent; he either had to admit or deny his connection with Jesus. God laid out a path for him and the issues were clear-cut. But Peter chose, deliberately, and three times, to deny the Lord. And so those promptings of grace became occasions of condemnation, and he regretted his decision for the rest of his life.           

We are tempted to try and make excuses for Peter because we feel sorry for him. We see ourselves in him, and our own weaknesses, and we suspect that under the same circumstances we might have failed as miserably as he did. However, unless we see the heinousness of his sin, we cannot understand the bitterness of his remorse, or the depth of his repentance, nor the riches of God’s grace in his restoration. Our point in this study is not to analyze by what easy steps Peter’s fall came, but to realize the terrible nature of the fall itself.

Remember this: To underestimate the gravity of our sin always leads to underestimating the value of God’s redemption, and ultimately, robs the cross of its glory.           

I want to add one more comment, and this is important. The only unimpeachable witness and source of information about the events in that courtyard was Peter himself. Years later, Peter was Mark’s primary source of information to write his Gospel. Peter himself was the one who shared the story of his worst defeat, his worst hour, his greatest failure. Yet that which for him was the lowest point of his life was the place where he really discovered God’s love and forgiveness. I believe that for the rest of his life Peter told this story, his story, and used it as an example of God’s grace, mercy, and restoration. People must have marveled as that big old fisherman, with tears in his eyes, would say, “If God could love me, and forgive me, and restore me after what I did to Jesus, then He can and will do it for you too.”           

The experience that was Peter’s greatest shame became his greatest glory, and the platform from which he could preach about the amazing grace of God.

FEEDBACK:

What lesson are you taking away from this story? What has stood out to you? What do you think the Lord wants to teach you today from this passage and how will it make you a better Christ-follower?

Gospel of Mark Study #50

“Lying Witnesses in a Kangaroo Court”

Mark 14:53-65

Study #50 in Mark Series

INTRODUCTION:

Wikipedia, that infallible online fount of all things true, defines the term “kangaroo court” as: A colloquial term for a sham legal proceeding or court. The outcome of a trial by a kangaroo court is essentially determined in advance, usually for the purpose of ensuring conviction, either by going through the motions of manipulated procedure or by allowing no defence at all. A kangaroo court’s proceedings deny due process rights in the name of expediency. Such rights include the right to summon witnesses, the right of cross-examination, the right not to incriminate oneself, the right not to be tried on secret evidence, the right to control one’s own defence, the right to exclude evidence that is improperly obtained, irrelevant or inherently inadmissible, e.g., hearsay, the right to exclude judges or jurors on the grounds of partiality or conflict of interest, and the right of appeal.

From West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, we learn the history of the expression: A “kangaroo court” is an unfair, biased, or hasty judicial proceeding that ends in a harsh punishment; an unauthorized trial conducted by individuals who have taken the law into their own hands, such as those put on by vigilantes or prison inmates; a proceeding and its leaders who are considered sham, corrupt, and without regard for the law. The concept of kangaroo court dates to the early nineteenth century. Scholars trace its origin to the historical practice of itinerant judges on the U.S. frontier. These roving judges were paid on the basis of how many trials they conducted, and in some instances their salary depended on the fines from the defendants they convicted. The term kangaroo court comes from the image of these judges hopping from place to place, guided less by concern for justice than by the desire to wrap up as many trials as the day allowed. (From West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, Second Edition. Copyright 2008, The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.) 

TRANSITION:

Today, as we examine the trial proceedings of Jesus that led up to His crucifixion, we can clearly see that He was the victim of a “kangaroo court” and a “kangaroo trial.” Moreover, the witnesses against Him lied through their teeth and yet their testimony was accepted as gospel truth. This was one of the most egregious examples of jurisprudence gone horribly wrong in all of history. Let’s look at the details. 

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 53: And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together.

• After Judas kissed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, thus marking Him as the man they were looking for, He was shackled and taken away to face His accusers. The text says that He was taken to the high priest, a man named Caiaphas. However, John 18:13 adds that they first took Jesus to Annas, Caiaphas’ father-in-law, who was the previous high priest and who still wielded a great deal of authority and influence over the Sanhedrin. After Annas examined Jesus, he told the guards to take Jesus to see Caiaphas. Their two houses were joined, separated only by a courtyard. For that second audience at Caiaphas’ house many of the Jews leaders assembled, along with many interested onlookers. But where were the disciples? 

Verse 54: And 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.

• Under cover of night, Peter followed Jesus and the guards into the courtyard area, and he hung around to see if he could pick up any scraps of information. In the darkness, apparently, he had not been identified as the one who had lopped off the ear of the high priest’s servant.
• These “officers” were the temple police officers, not the Roman soldiers who had helped with the arrest. Most likely the Romans had already returned to their barracks, although they got involved again early the next morning.
• So, Peter was sitting there among the temple guards and the servants of the high priest, warming himself before that bonfire, hoping that no one would recognize him. But at least HE WAS THERE! The other disciples had all high-tailed it and were in hiding.
• Mark’s account is very thorough, but we must compare it with the other three Gospels to put the story together with the correct chronology. In our next study we will look specifically at how Peter swore three times that he did not even know Jesus, as recorded in Mark 14:66-72. But what you need to understand is that Peter’s denials of Jesus all occurred while Jesus was in the house being interviewed by the high priest, as described in verses 53-54. 

Verses 55-56: Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death; and they were finding none.  ⁵⁶ For many were giving false testimony against Him, and yet their testimony was not consistent.

• The first two “kangaroo trials” took place in the houses of the high priests, first Annas, then Caiaphas. Then Jesus was held under arrest, probably right there in the courtyard, until the whole Sanhedrin could assemble in their chamber. Later that night when all the religious leaders had gathered Jesus was led to the Temple area and into the Sanhedrin’s meeting chamber, known as the “Hall of Hewn Stone.” This was the first of two trials before the Sanhedrin. The second occurred early the next morning.
• What you must understand is that the Jews did not have the authority to execute Jesus. As a conquered people, they were subject to the rules of their masters, the Romans, who kept that authority for themselves. All the Sanhedrin could do was serve as a kind of Grand Jury to prepare an indictment against Jesus, but they could not pronounce judgment or carry out the sentence of death.
• The 71 members of the Sanhedrin had cooked this thing up well in advance and were all in on it. Again, Mark does not use the word, “Sanhedrin,” but rather describes it by listing the three groups that comprised this high court of the Jews.
• Even before Jesus’ arrest they had been trying to locate credible people who would testify against Him but all they could come up with were either people who loved Him and had been healed by Him, or, lying witnesses who could not even keep their stories straight. Not only were they lying, but they were lying badly, which must have really frustrated these religious leaders. They knew they had to come up with some believable witnesses if they were to win the help of the Roman governor in condemning Jesus to death.

Verses 57-59: Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, ⁵⁸ “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’”  ⁵⁹ And not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.

• Mark points out that they had their stories all fouled up. This accusation was based on Jesus’ words uttered three years before on the occasion of the first cleansing of the Temple, during His early Judean ministry as recorded in John 2:19. From their statement it is easy to see that they either totally misunderstood Jesus’ words on that occasion, or deliberately twisted His words in order to falsely condemn Him.

Verses 60-61a: And the high priest arose and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You make no answer to what these men are testifying against You?”  ⁶¹ But He kept silent and made no answer.

• The inconsistencies among the testimonies of these so-called “witnesses” and their inability to get Jesus to say anything at all must have frustrated the daylights out of the Sanhedrin, and especially the high priest, Caiaphas. He undoubtedly saw this as a threat to his leadership if he could not get the best of this backwoods preacher from Galilee.

Verses 61b-62: Again, the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”  ⁶² 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.”

• In verse 61 we see the high priest pulling out his secret weapon. Mark does not give us the details, but Matthew does, in 26:63. He writes: “But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, ‘I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.’” In other words, the high priest placed Jesus under solemn oath, which made it obligatory for Him to answer. He had no way out. He was forced to utter the words that would condemn Him.
• In doing this Caiaphas broke one of the rules laid clearly laid down in the law—he asked a leading question designed to get Jesus to incriminate Himself. Bluntly he asked Jesus if He was the Messiah.
• But look at how He did it. Mark records that Jesus invoked the most holy phrase in Judaism. When the high priest asked Him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus’ answer rocked them back on their heels: “I AM!” By that statement Jesus equated Himself with the God of Israel who revealed Himself to Moses back at the Burning Bush, as recorded in Exodus 3:13-15. From there He invoked Daniel 7:13-14 and Psalm 110:1 to declare that He was indeed the promised Messiah of Israel.

Verses 63-64: And tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?  ⁶⁴ “You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.

• This act by the high priest was the traditional response to hearing what he believed was pure blasphemy—he ripped his clothing. In his mind, for anyone to claim to be the Son of God was nothing short of blasphemy and was punishable by death. Unless, of course, the person was telling the truth, a possibility he did not consider worth a second glance.
• Jesus had just done Caiaphas a great favor because now he no longer had to come up with witnesses. Jesus had condemned Himself by His own words. Inside his shriveled up little black heart, the high priest had to be giving himself high-fives. This was going to be so easy, a piece of cake, he thought to himself.
• Immediately he turned and made his appeal to the assembled Sanhedrin. “You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” The answer was obvious— “He is guilty! Crucify him!”

Verse 65: And 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.

• This is interesting. Suddenly, this group of fine, religious church people turned into a pack of vicious animals. They spit on Jesus. Then they jumped on Him and began to beat the tar out of Him. In that moment, their vitriolic hatred spilled over the top, and they became not only judge and jury, but executioner as well. Some of them covered His head and then beat Him repeatedly, saying, “Prophey for us if you can. Who hit you? Come on and tell us. Give us a name if you are so great.”
• Once the religious leaders had their fill of fun the Temple police guards took their turn at abusing Jesus.

CONCLUSION:

When I read about that night and those shameful events, I am embarrassed to be a human being, connected to those people in any way. However, Jesus is not the one that we should feel sorry for. Of all the characters in that drama He was the one who was most together and serene. He was in control of what was going on. He was not some sort of a poor victim. He was the Lord of lords and King of kings who had come to this earth on a mission, and He was seeing it through to the end.

This was not something that “kangaroo court” was doing to Him. Had Jesus not allowed it they would not have been able to even lay a hand on Him. If He had not been willing, they would not have had any power over Him whatsoever because He was clearly in charge.           

We see a glimpse of that fact in Matthew’s account of what went on in the Garden of Gethsemane. When Judas and the mob showed up, to protect Jesus, Peter pulled a sword and went to work. However, all he managed to do was to lop off the ear of a servant. In Matthew 26:52-54 we read: “Then Jesus said to him [Peter], ‘Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?’” By the way, a Roman “legion” equaled 6,000 troops. Times 12 that comes to 72,000 angels.           

In these verses we can see Jesus’ amazing courage. He knew very well that to answer Caiaphas’ question the way He did would seal His fate and take Him straight to the cross, but He did not waver, and He did not falter. Think about it… had He simply denied the charges they would have been powerless to touch Him. They had no proof, nor any credible witnesses.  

Here we can also clearly see Jesus’ amazing confidence. In verse 62, even with the cross now a certainty He continued to speak with complete confidence of His ultimate triumph. Again, the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”  ⁶² 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.” Jesus knew that the war was already won. There was nothing that these wicked men could do to Him. His course was set, and the wheels were already in motion. Soon the job would be finished, the price would be paid, the work of redemption would be complete, and salvation would be available to “whosoever will come.”

And it is in this last fact that we see His amazing compassion. The fact that He was laying down His life for these very scoundrels who were manipulating and scheming to kill Him is truly amazing. It is counter to everything that we are in our humanness. We understand vengeance, anger, getting even, etc. but we do not understand pure love, grace unbounded, and mercy that is free-flowing and abundant. Yet those are the things that Jesus demonstrated here in the hours before His crucifixion. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Gospel of Mark Study #49

“Sealed with a Kiss”

Mark 14:43-52

Study #49 in Mark Series

INTRODUCTION:

Some of you can still remember back to your good old days as hormone-bedeviled teenagers when you used to send and receive “love letters.” So, do you remember what S.W.A.K. stood for? “Sealed with a Kiss.” I can remember getting a few of those letters. I can remember sniffing the paper and running my finger over the handwritten letters. Guys in the service would often get perfumed letters from their sweethearts and at the bottom it would have a set of red lip prints with those letters, SWAK. That would nearly set a buck private’s heart throbbing right out of his chest.

Then, of course, there was the famous Bobby Vinton song entitled “Sealed with a Kiss.” The words went like this… 

Though we’ve got to say goodbye for the summer,
Darling, I promise you this:
I’ll send you all my love every day in a letter,
Sealed with a kiss. 

CHORUS:
Yes, it’s gonna be a cold, lonely summer
But I’ll fill the emptiness;
I’ll send you all my dreams every day in a letter,
Sealed with a kiss.

TRANSITION:

In our passage for today we are going to see that song title come to mean something quite different. Today we see Jesus after His last meal with the apostles, after they left the Upper Room and went out to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. Last week we looked at the verses describing His conversations with the Father, asking that, if it might be possible to let that hour, that cup pass from Him. We also saw that as He was wrestling in prayer with what lay ahead of Him the disciples were sacked out on the grass, sound asleep. They failed Him miserably in His greatest time of need. They offered Him no support or encouragement whatsoever.

As we read this passage, we become aware of the high drama that was taking place there in the Garden. But who were the players? Let’s look at them one by one. First, we will see Judas, the betrayer, the traitor. Secondly, we will look at the mob that accompanied Judas. Thirdly, we will take a hard look at the disciples, this band of brothers that had vowed to stand with Jesus, come what may. And fourth, we will look at an unidentified young man who arrived at the scene wearing little and left wearing less. And, of course, amid this emotional, violent storm we see Jesus, the only calm person in the bunch, ready to face the crowd, ready to face the cross, ready to die for you and for me.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 43: 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.

• Mark says that while Jesus was still speaking, Judas and the lynch mob showed up. What was Jesus saying? You must look back to the preceding verse, verse 42. He said to Peter, James, and John: “Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” Talk about timing! Just as Jesus was saying these words, Judas stepped out of the bushes.
• Who were the men with Judas? The text says that they were “from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.” Those were the three groups that comprised the Sanhedrin, the high court of the Jews. In other words, this was an official delegation of thugs, sent by the Sanhedrin to capture Jesus. They are described as having “swords and clubs.” John’s account tells us in 18:3 that along with the Temple police officers, there were also Roman soldiers present. These would have probably been members of the Roman cohort stationed in Jerusalem’s Castle of Antonia, at the northern edge of the temple area.

Verse 44: 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.”

• Here you see the careful planning on the part of Judas. Not wanting to run the risk of them arresting the wrong man in the dim torchlight of the garden, Judas came up with a practical plan—he would go up to Jesus and give Him a kiss. That way there would be no mistake.

Verses 45-46: After coming, Judas immediately went to Him, saying, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him.  ⁴⁶ They laid hands on Him and seized Him.

• This is so painful to contemplate. Judas walked up and greeted Jesus in the most respectful way possible. He did two things that showed the respect of a disciple for his teacher: (1) First, Judas addressed Jesus as “Master.” He called Jesus, “Rabbi.” That was a term of love and respect. But coming out of Judas’ lying mouth there was no respect intended. (2) Second, Judas greeted Jesus with a kiss, which was also part of the traditional greeting of a student for his master. But notice the hypocrisy of Judas. In verse 44 the word he used for “kiss” is philein (φιλειν), which is simply the Greek verb meaning “to kiss.” It was usually just a peck on each cheek. However, in verse 45 where Mark records the way that Judas kissed Jesus, he uses the intensive form of the verb, kataphilein (καταφιλειν), which is a passionate lover’s kiss. Judas hammered the nails into his own coffin with his false words and his false kiss. It is amazing to me that Judas could live so close to Christ for three years, and yet could harden his heart against the Savior. It is beyond my comprehension! 

Verse 47: But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.

• This is truly a fascinating part of the story. Who was this overzealous swordsman? Mark does not reveal which of the disciples pulled the sword. Neither does Matthew’s Gospel or Luke’s. Only the Gospel of John points the finger at Peter. Luke, on the other hand, is the only one who tells the story of Jesus restoring the servant’s ear, a quiet miracle, often overlooked.
• Why did Peter have a sword in the first place? To answer that question, you need to turn back to the discussion Jesus had with His disciples just prior to going out to the Mount of Olives as recorded in Luke 22:35-38. There Jesus said this: “When I sent you without purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.  ³⁶ He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you do not have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. ³⁷ It is written: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in Me. Yes, what is written about Me is reaching its fulfilment.”  ³⁸ The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That is enough,” He replied. From this passage I conclude that Jesus was making sure that every jot and tittle of the prophecies concerning His death were fulfilled, to the letter. The passage He referred to was Isaiah 53:12, which says, “Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” Jesus clearly did not intend for the swords to be used that night to defend Him from His accusers, but merely to fulfil the Scriptures. Apparently, Peter misunderstood, yet again.
• Remember too, Peter was a fisherman, not a soldier, and probably had little experience in wielding a sword. He may have been going for the head of the first guy who laid a hand on Jesus. It was a brave attempt, but his aim was off. He only managed to whack off the guy’s right ear.

Verses 48-49: And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber?  ⁴⁹ Every day I was with you in the Temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfil the Scriptures.”

• This rebuke must have really stung these religious leaders. They knew that what they were doing was wrong. They knew that it was illegal. But this is how lynch mobs and secret police have always operated in every part of the world. The Nazi Gestapo agents would almost always make their raids at night. Why? Two reasons: first, they would catch their victims totally by surprise and unable to defend themselves; and secondly, the neighbors would generally be so confused that they would not react to the injustice of the arrests.
• “…But this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.” Once again, Jesus was concerned that the Scriptures be fulfilled to the letter. But what does Jesus mean by this? To which scripture is He referring? Luke, in his Gospel account is more specific. He records Jesus as quoting once again from Isaiah 53:12, a Messianic passage that pointed right straight at Jesus.

Verse 50: And they all left Him and fled.

• Who are the “they”? The 11 disciples, obviously. Realizing that the same fate might possibly befall them, they all left Jesus standing there with Judas and the soldiers and hightailed it out of there headed who knows where. Most of them did not show their faces again until after the burial when they reassembled in the upper room.

Verses 51-52: A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him.  ⁵² But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

• Here we meet the last character in this drama. This is, without a doubt, one of the most bizarre passages in the Bible. Mark is the only one of the four Gospel writers that includes this incident, and he only tells us just enough to make us curious for more information.
• Who was this “young man”? Why was he following Jesus? Why was he only half dressed? Where did he go after streaking off through the woods in nothing but his sandals?
• Some have postulated that this young man was Mark himself, which might explain why he leaves out the details of the story. If I were the person in question, I would have left my name out of it too.
• We know that John Mark was a young man, probably a teenager when this event occurred. We also know that later the Christians in Jerusalem met at the home of Mark’s mother, Mary. In fact, some Bible scholars believe that the upper room very possibly belonged to Mark’s family. In that case, it is not difficult to see how young Mark, out of sheer curiosity, might have gotten up from his bed and followed Jesus and the disciples out to the Garden of Gethsemane, just wanting to see what they were up to. I can just see him, wrapped in his night sheet, peering out from the bushes as the soldiers showed up. Whatever the case, whoever the young man was, he nearly got himself arrested along with Jesus. When somebody suddenly grabbed his sheet and yelled, “Hey you!” he let go of the sheet and hotfooted it out of the Garden in nothing but what his momma gave him.
• If it was indeed Mark himself, we can see why only he included the story, and why he did not identify himself as the scantily clad culprit. We will have to wait until Heaven to get the “rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey always used to say.

CONCLUSION:

So, what are we to do with this text? What are we to conclude from it? How can we benefit from it and become better followers of Jesus by applying it to our lives?

One truth that stands out to me has to do with Peter and his attempt at swordsmanship; namely, that spiritual battles can never be fought with worldly weapons. While I truly admire Peter for his willingness to at least try to do something to save Jesus from the mob, we quickly see that his method was ineffective to say the least. There are times when we must rely solely on the Lord and “stand in the power of His might.”           

My second observation concerns Judas. Let’s think about this for a just a moment… what did Judas really do that was so evil?

Ø  In the first place, he betrayed Jesus with false words, by saying things about Him that he did not believe in his heart. In other words, he lied, pure and simple. Specifically, he addressed Jesus as “Master,” when he had no intention of making Jesus the master of his life. BUT… how is that different from what we do when we constantly refer to Him and even pray to Him, calling Him LORD Jesus Christ, knowing full well that He is not crowned as Lord and Master or our life. An example would be a song by Matt Redman entitled “The Way of the Cross.” Check out these lyrics: 

Show me the way of the cross once again,

Denying myself for the love that I’ve gained.

Everything’s You now, everything’s changed.

It’s time you had my whole life; You can have it all.

Yes, I resolve to give it all.

Some things must die; some things must live.

Not, “what can I gain,” but “what can I give?”

If much is required when much is received,

Then You can have my whole life; Jesus have it all. 

Ø  Secondly, Judas betrayed Jesus with a false symbol of love and affection. He kissed Jesus, a sign of love and respect, but Judas felt neither toward Jesus. BUT… how is that so different from what we do when we offer broken down, lame, second-hand sacrifices to Him out of the leftovers of our life. Isn’t that sort of like a false kiss? It pretends to be one thing but is really something else. 

Ø  Thirdly, Judas traded Jesus for material wealth, thinking that money would make him happier. He sold the Savior for 30 pieces of silver. BUT… how is that different from what we do when we chase after everything the world has to offer us, putting material possessions, and worldly fame, power, and the applause of men ahead of God, putting our personal comfort and pleasures ahead of the Kingdom of God, giving Him lip-service but nothing more?