The Gospel of Mark: What Would You Do?

Jesus was in Jerusalem for what he knew would be his very last Passover celebration. As we come to this evening’s text, let me give you a brief timeline of what has taken place.

On Wednesday Jesus has taught in the Temple precincts, and as they are leaving the disciples comment on the majesty and beauty of the Temple and temple grounds. Jesus uses the opportunity to announce that a day is coming when they will be destroyed. They then proceed out of the city, up the Mount of Olives where Jesus preached what we’ve come to call the Olivet Discourse. Once again he predicts his death by crucifixion.

Late in the afternoon or early evening there is banquet in Jesus’ honor at the home of Simon the Leper. During the dinner, Mary (sister of Martha and Lazareth) anoints Jesus’ head and feet with expensive perfume. Judas gets all bent out of shape. Jesus announces that she is actually preparing him for his burial.

After dinner, Judas makes his way into Jerusalem where he meets with the chief priests and agrees to betray Jesus. Judas then begins to watch for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to the Jewish religious authorities.

On Thursday the day of preparation every home in Jerusalem, and every pilgrim in and around the city, is preparing for Passover. In Mark 14:12-16 Jesus has instructed the disciples to go into the city to make preparations. They’re going to find a man carrying a jar of water. They are to follow him, enter the home he goes into, and make arrangements with the homeowner. Mark 14:16 tells us, “They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.”

This brings us to our text for the evening. It is now Thursday evening — just before sundown when Passover begins. Jesus has arrived at the place where he would eat this last Passover meal with his disciples. Jesus, the Apostles, perhaps some other disciples and guests sit down and once more commemorate the most significant historical event in the life of their nation. That event was the ministry of the death angel as it went throughout the land of Egypt slaying every first born of man or beast. Only if he saw the blood on the door posts of the home would the angel "pass over" that home and not afflict it. The very next morning the people of Israel were released from their bondage and left Egypt. The meal that commemorated this event was to be passed down from generation to generation.

As the meal wear on, Jesus suddenly drops a bombshell upon his disciples. “While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”” (Mark 14:18, NIV84)

Can you imagine it! These twelve men have left all to follow Jesus. They've been with him through thick-and-thin for three years. They have laid aside careers, community, friendships and family to follow Him, and now he tells them that there is a traitor in their midst! How does he know? Who is it?

Here is a story every Christian knows. From our earliest days in Sunday School we have learned how Judas had earlier agreed to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver — the going price for a slave in that day. When the time was right Judas would lead the Jewish authorities and a contingent of soldiers to arrest Jesus. But the text in Mark’s Gospel reveals an interesting look at the other disciples.

I. THE SHARED SHAME OF THE DISCIPLES

1. can you imagine the scene?

a. toward the end of the Passover Meal, Jesus drops a bombshell

1) he has, more than likely, just lifted up the last or four cups of wine associated with the Passover — the Cup of Renewal, and quoted Exodus 6:7, "I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God." ... "Oh, by the way. One of you will betray me before the night is over."

b. jaws drop open ... eyes widen ... throats choke on half swallows of wine

1) and everyone looks over at Judas, right?

2. no, that’s not right, is it?

A. JUDAS IS ONLY A SMALL PART IN THE STORY OF THE BETRAYAL

1. when Jesus say " ... one of you will betray me," the story is not that Judas knows he is the betrayer

2. the real story is that eleven other, supposedly faithful and totally committed disciples each thinks that he might be the one

a. vs. 19 gives the sad accounting of a shared shame

“They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?” (Mark 14:19, NIV)

b. according to Luke’s gospel, this is where a heated argument breaks out among the Apostles over “which of them was considered to be greatest”

1) let the finger pointing and accusations begin

3. what did each one of them see within himself that caused him to think he might be the one?

a. what did Andrew, the very first disciple, see within himself that caused him to ask the question, "Lord, will it be me?"

b. what did Peter, who just three months before, boldly proclaimed, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," know about himself that caused him to ask the question, "Lord, it isn't me, is it?"

c. what did John, called the beloved disciple and the only one of the twelve to be with Jesus at his crucifixion, know about his life that made him ask, "Lord, am I the one?"

4. Jesus calls them back to order, and at the end of the Passover meal, institutes a brand new meal that they are to celebrate until he returns, vs. 22-24

a. they sing a hymn and depart for the Mount of Olives, and on the way Jesus drops two more bombshells, vs. 27-31

5. Jesus’ predictions are staggering in their scope

a. one of the Twelve will betray him, vs. 18 (indeed Judas is already on his way)

b. Peter, the leader of the Twelve, will disown him, vs. 30

c. the remainder of the Twelve will fall away and flee from him, vs. 27

1) and to a man they all insist this will never happen, vs. 31

6. what are we to make of this whole scale desertion by Jesus’ closest confidants?

B. FAITHLESSNESS IS A TEMPTATION THAT LIES AT THE DOORSTEP OF EVERY BELIEVER'S HEART

1. Judas' betrayal of Christ was a cold and calculated scheme

"Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He." (John 13:16-19, NIV)

a. in vs. 18, Jesus quotes from Psalm 41:9

ILLUS. This Psalm, particularly vs. 9, is a reference to the betrayal of Ahithophel. He was David’s friend, and trusted counselor, but he went over to Absalom’s side when he rebelled against his father. Jesus uses this event in David’s life to illustrate what is about to happen to him.

b. it is important to understand why Jesus brought up the subject of His betrayal at this point in John’s gospel

1) 1st, He does not want the disciples to be surprised when it happens

2) 2nd, He does not want them to think that He is surprised by what is about to happen

c. all of this in accordance with the Father’s redemptive plan

2. it is hard to feel any sorrow for Judas

a. his character reveals that wealth was more alluring to him than Christ's teachings of love and peace

b. many scholars believe that Judas was a Zealot — one who advocated the violent overthrow of the Roman occupancy of their country

c. I think it’s possible that when Judas saw that Jesus was not the kind of Messiah he expected he turned on Lord

d. Judas was not a follower of the Christ, but a self-serving user of Jesus

3. Judas' betrayal was one of outright treachery by one who never actually or fully submitted to the Lordship of Christ

a. his was the worst kind of betrayal

4. there is another kind of betrayal — the one that you and I are often guilty of

a. it is not a deliberate betrayal

b. it is a betrayal that proceeds out of our carelessness and lack of commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ

5. unless you are careful in sustaining the vitality of your Christian walk there is always the tragic possibility that you too may be found faithless to the one who has called you into his marvelous grace

ILLUS. If you don't think that this can happen, look at our church's membership roll. I'll bet you'll find a lot of names that are not represented by their faces in church on Sunday!

a. there are many professing Christians who must say, "Lord, is it I?" and never be entirely sure that it is not

II. THE SCALE OF OUR FAITHLESSNESS

1. I believe there are three areas where the shame of faithlessness always lies at the doorstep of our hearts

2. one of the questions this passage raises is Why is Jesus deliberately ambiguous?

a. Jesus, after all, knows who the betrayer is ... why doesn’t he just come out and say so?

3. Jesus wants every one of the disciples to look in his heart

a. when he says, “One of you will betray me,” Jesus uses a word that means to hand over or sell

1) the sin of betrayal is actually a sin of motivation

2) the sin of betrayal is to say, “One of you serves me as long as it benefits you, but you’re going to sell me out the minute it costs you.”

3) what Jesus wants them to see and what Jesus wants you and me to see is you may not be a Judas through and through, but we all have a little of Judas in us

b. Christianity has never been a religion of outward performance, but of inward longing

1) a longing to love Jesus, and serve Jesus and be like Jesus who is the lover of our soul

4. so what are some of the ways we express faithlessness if we’re not careful?

A. WE ARE FAITHLESS WHEN OUR RELIGION BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT TO US THAN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

1. may I share an observation with you?

a. it is easy to be religious

1) the temptation is for us to simply go through the motions, play the game, and give lip-service to our faith

2. I have no doubts that Judas was a religious man

a. but in the very act of betrayal we discover that his religion was more important to him than his relationship with the Lord

3. I am a Southern Baptist because I choose to be a Southern Baptist

a. that means I will hold certain doctrinal and theological positions

b. that means my worship practices will be different than the other denominations

c. that means that my belief about church polity — how we do church — is distinctive

1) my Baptist forefathers have left me a rich heritage in which I take great pride — even though I am a first generation Baptist!

4. Southern Baptist — that's my religion and I am committed to it

a. as important as my religion is to me, it cannot, it must not, and by the grace of God, it will not take precedent over my relationship with Jesus Christ

1) I am a Baptist by conviction

2) I am a Southern Baptist by choice

3) but ... I am a Christian by grace

5. what is the implication of this?

a. if you’re a Christian, we is family and family ought to love each other

6. it is our relationship to Jesus Christ, and not our denominational label that makes this kind of fellowship possible

B. WE ARE FAITHLESS WHEN WE WOULD RATHER 'PLAY CHURCH' THAN SERVE CHRIST

1. playing church is the natural outcome when our religion is more important to us than our relationship with Jesus

2. if you are merely concerned about your religion, chances are you're just playing church

ILLUS. One day during vacation Bible School over in Adrian, Missouri, I was in the back office running the copy machine when I heard some of the kids come in. They were children who regularly came to our church and their mothers were teaching in our Vacation Bible School. Amber, a rather precocious five-year-old at the time, had gotten some of her friends together and announced, "We're gonna play church now.” I thought, “Isn’t that precious!’ And so a watched through the door. Amber pulled a chair up behind the pulpit, stood up in it and announced to her diminutive congregation, "I'll preach, and the rest of you can sit in the pews and go to sleep!"

a. one has to wonder how, after following Christ for some three years, Judas could do what he did

b. part of the answer is that he was just play acting

3. we must be ever so careful

a. there is little outward difference between the Christ-centered life and the church-centered life

b. there is a big difference inwardly

4. the difference is that of motivation and attitude

a. in our society we tend to equate our business at church with the degree of our spirituality

1) the busier we are the more spiritual we must be

b. Jesus says, "No, No, No"

c. Jesus did not say, "If any man would come after me, let him prepare a pot-roast, pile the kids in the mini-van and go to church."

1) he did say, "If any many would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me."

5. if we are going to win this world to Jesus there is going have to be a conversion not of the lost, but of the church

a. we're going to have to repent of our business ... and maybe some hypocrisy

1) we need to understand that playing church is not the same as serving Christ

C. WE ARE FAITHLESS WHEN OUR SECULAR AGENDAS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR SPIRITUAL AGENDAS

1. Judas' real agenda was wealth

ILLUS. John’s Gospel gives us a clue to his real character when the Bible tells us that, " ... he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put

into it." (John 12:6).

2. what secular agendas have superseded your loyalty to the risen Lord?

a. is it your job?

b. or your hobby?

c. or your recreational pursuits?

d. a club or a civic group?

e. maybe even a fellowship group or organization within church?

3. Jesus gave us our primary agenda when he said that the greatest commandment it to

" ... love the Lord your God with all you heart, all of your soul, all of your mind and all of your strength."

a. the second is like it, " ... love your neighbor as yourself."

4. we reveal our faithlessness when the things of this world have more appeal to us than the one who has redeemed us by his blood

Every single time the Lord’s Supper is celebrated and all of his intimates and friends come and participate in it, at present the Lord’s Supper is what is wrong with the world. Over the years you've heard me mention G.K. Chesterton, the famous Catholic, British writer? Years ago, the London Times asked a series of prominent writers to write an essay on what is wrong with the world. All G.K. Chesterton did was write in a simple telegram basically and said, “Dear sirs, I am. Signed, G.K. Chesterton.” Chesterton understood the doctrine of the universality of sin. It’s tempting to look at the Apostles as great men, great men of faith who walked with Jesus, and who, almost to a man died a martyrs death. Yet this passage show us what God means when he tells Cain, “ ... sin is crouching at the door.”

The good news is that Jesus died even for the sin of our faithlessness. When Jesus cried out "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," he was pleading for our lives.

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