Mark 14

Mark 14:1-9

CHAPTER 62 A God to Trust and an Example to Follow “After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” (Mark 14:1-9) In this chapter Mark begins to describe those things which our Lord Jesus Christ suffered as the Lamb of God. Up to this point, he has spoken of our Savior as our Prophet, teaching us the things of God. Now, he begins to describe the Lord of glory as our great High Priest. Mark has shown us the miracles and sayings of the Master. Now, he begins to describe his vicarious sacrifice. God Our Savior The Scriptures set forth a stark contrast between the God of the Bible and the gods of men (Isaiah 45, 46, 47). The gods of men, those idols invented by men, the gods of this religious age no more resemble the God of the Bible than a gnat resembles an angel. The gods of religion want to do things, desire to do things, and try to do things, but are unable to accomplish them because of the works of the devil and the wills of men. The God of the Bible, the only true God, he who is our God and Savior never wants to do, desires to do, or tries to do anything except what he does. He is a God in whom we can be confident, a God who can be trusted implicitly, because he always has his way and does as he will. In these first two verses of Mark 14 we have a very clear example of God’s total sovereignty and omnipotent power to accomplish his will. He who truly is God over all and blessed forever always has his way. Here we see our great God disappointing the plans and designs of wicked men, overruling their wills and decisions to accomplish his own eternal purpose of grace in predestination. “After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.” Our Lord’s enemies did not want his death to be a public spectacle. Repeatedly, they tried to stone him to death, throw him off a cliff, or in some other way murder him without the common people being aware of what they had done. Notice the words of our text – Therefore, “the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.” But that was not what God had purposed. Therefore, in his wise and adorable providence, he simply overruled their schemes. God defeated their counsel and performed his own. It was the purpose of God from eternity that the Lord Jesus Christ must be lifted up upon the cursed tree and crucified as a cursed man as our Substitute. There was no other way possible for God to be both just and the Justifier of chosen sinners except by his own dear Son dying in our room and stead as our substitute. His justice must be satisfied. Else, he could not forgive sin. Christ alone, the God-man Mediator, could satisfy the justice of God for us. Yet, in order to fulfill the Scriptures, our Savior must die “according to the Scriptures.” You will recall that our Savior often said, with reference to his sin-atoning death at Calvary, “The Scriptures must be fulfilled” (Mark 14:49). In other words, the Lord Jesus must be betrayed by his own familiar friend for thirty pieces of silver, crucified by the hands of Gentiles at the insistence of the Jews, without a single bone in his body being broken, yet having his heart pierced. He must be numbered with transgressors in his death, mocked, beaten, spit upon, and stripped in public humiliation. And the soldiers who crucified him must cast lots to see which one would get his garment. All these things were prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures. But “the chief priests and scribes sought how they might take him by craft and put him to death.” That presented no problem to God Almighty! His counsel stood firm. His purpose was fulfilled. God’s will always prevails. These men thought they would put an end to Christ’s kingdom by killing him; but they were actually instruments in God’s hands for the erection and building of his kingdom.

When they did, with vile hearts, have the Lord Jesus crucified, they thought they would vilify him and make him a laughing stock; but God used them to make his name glorious. The Jews thought they would scare his disciples into silence by killing our Master; but God used their wicked deeds to embolden his disciples in preaching the gospel.Sovereignty and Responsibility Understand these two things plainly revealed in Holy Scripture: (1.) The Lord our God is in absolute control of this world (Psalms 76:10); and (2.) every person is so completely responsible for the evil he performs that they shall give account of every idle word they speak (Matthew 12:36). Though it was necessary that Christ our Passover be sacrificed for us, and though wicked men did no more in the crucifying of the Lord of Life and Glory than God had before ordained must be done (Acts 2:22-23; Acts 4:27-28), the deed itself and the malice with which it was performed was all their own. The opening verses of this chapter give us an awful representation of this fact, displaying the baseness of the depraved hearts of fallen men. — “The chief priests and scribes,” while engaged in the most solemn religious ceremonies, while pretending to worship God, sought to take the Son of God “by craft and put him to death!” That God, and that God alone, who is in absolute, total control of the entire universe, we can and should trust with implicit confidence in all things and with all things. The Word of God, the promises of God, the prophecies of Holy Scripture are all utterly meaningless, unless our God is the God who rules everything, whose will is always performed, whose purpose stands fast, whose thoughts are irresistible! Here is the basis of our faith and the foundation of our comfort. We live in a world of woe. We are often tossed to and fro in this world, confused and perplexed by many things. Let us ever rest ourselves in our God. “All things are of God.” All things are ordered by our heavenly Father for our good. All things are arranged by God’s infinite wisdom and omnipotent arm for his glory. Look yonder to Calvary and laugh at those will-worshippers, who vainly imagine that the events of this world are ordered not by the will of Almighty God, but by the wills of puny men! We often hear preachers and others say, “God will never interfere with the will of man.” This passage shows otherwise. It was the will of these men that Christ be put to death secretly. But God willed that he be publicly crucified in due time for the ungodly. God would not allow these wicked men to kill his Son when they wanted to, the way they wanted to, or in the place they wanted. However, he did permit them to kill his Son exactly according to the malice of their hearts. Yet, he used their sinful malice to accomplish his purpose of grace in the redemption of his people, exactly as he had purposed from eternity (Acts 13:28-30). If the god you trust can be controlled, hindered, or even influenced by you, by Satan, or by all the powers of earth and hell combined, the god you trust is no God at all, and you are an idolater. Our God is not a spectator or even a competitor in this world. He is the Ruler of it. Salvation is knowing him, the only true and living God as he is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ his Son, the God-man, our Savior (John 17:3). He who is our God is the God we can trust. An Example to Follow In Mark 14:3-9 we are given an example to follow. Here, Mark records, by divine inspiration, the story of a woman coming into the house of Simon the leper and anointing the Lord Jesus for his burial. It is an event recorded in all four of the gospel narratives (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 7, and John 12). Comparing Scripture with Scripture, I cannot avoid the conclusion that this woman was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, and that she is the same woman often referred to as Mary Magdalene, out of whom the Lord Jesus had cast seven devils (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2). Mary was a remarkable woman. Modest and unassuming, she said very little. In fact, as far as I can determine, there is only one sentence written in the Scriptures which was spoken by Mary. It is found in John 11:32. Yet, it is obvious that Mary was a woman of great wisdom, devotion, and faith, a woman who truly loved the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God presents Mary to us as an example of faith, devotion, and love on four different occasions. We see Mary sitting at the Lord’s feet, absorbing every word which fell from his lips (Luke 10:39). We see her falling at the Master’s feet in humble, submissive faith (John 11:32). As a broken-hearted woman might run into the arms of her husband for comfort, Mary ran to the Lord Jesus, fell at his feet, and sought comfort in him in her time of great sorrow. We see Mary early in the morning of the resurrection at the tomb where our Lord’s body had been buried (Matthew 28:1-9). She was the first one to hear the good news of the resurrection. She was the first one to see the risen Christ. This woman was the first one to proclaim the resurrection. Here in Mark 14, we see Mary in the house of Simon the leper breaking an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious,” anointing the Lord Jesus for his burial (Mark 14:3-9). This picture of this dear woman is perhaps the most instructive of the four. Our Lord himself declares, “She hath wrought a good work on me…She hath done what she could. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” Truly, this woman sets before us a remarkable example to follow.This good work, which was performed by Mary, might be most reasonably expected from any believer. Like you and me, Mary had experienced the grace of God in Christ. This work which she performed was only the spontaneous response of gratitude and love for the grace of God she had experienced. It was but her reasonable service (Romans 12:1-2).

Mary had been given faith in Christ. The Lord Jesus revealed himself to her and gave her the gift of faith. He chose her and graciously caused her to choose him. The demons who tormented her and held her captive were driven from her; and the Son of God established his throne in her heart. Her sins, which were many, were all forgiven her. The Lord graciously revealed to her the mysteries of the gospel.

Mary alone seems to have known and understood how the Lord Jesus would accomplish redemption by his death as our Substitute. With all these things in her heart, Mary came to Simon’s house to anoint her Lord in anticipation of his death and resurrection. They Murmured Mary’s loving devotion and sacrificial zeal drew a very unexpected response from those who witnessed it. “And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her” (Mark 14:3-5). Mary must have been shocked by the comments she heard. She only wanted in some modest, but public way to honor her Lord. For her good work Mary was severely censored by Judas, the church treasurer (John 12:4-6). All the disciples followed Judas’ wicked lead and became indignant at what they considered was Mary’s waste (Matthew 26:8). If you are committed to Christ, if you are inclined to do something for him, just for his honor and his glory, for the interests of his kingdom, for the furtherance of his gospel, simply because you love him, simply out of a deep sense of overwhelming gratitude, do not expect the approval of either the world, or religious hypocrites, or even true believers. The fact is, those who serve the Lord Jesus with the most ardent, self-sacrificing devotion are often ridiculed and criticized by those who ought to imitate their example. Whole-hearted devotion exposes and condemns half-hearted religion. It stirs up the wrath of those whose hearts are cold and indifferent. Real consecration to Christ is sure to be criticized and mocked by those who know nothing about it. Though her actions were criticized and condemned by others, even by her friends, the Lord Jesus approved of, highly esteemed, and commended both Mary and her work. “And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her” (Mark 14:6-9). Because the Lord Jesus was pleased with Mary, she seems oblivious to what anyone else had to say about the matter. She did it just for him. They really did not matter. Her faith in, love for, and devotion to the Son of God gave her courage and strength. If I am conscious that I am sincerely doing something as unto the Lord, for the glory of his name, the interests of his kingdom, and the furtherance of his gospel, the opinions of men, their approval and their disapproval, are really of no consequence to me. As David said to his half-hearted brothers, I say, “Is there not a cause?” We must not allow the opinions of men to be the rule of our actions (John 2:5; Galatians 1:16). A Good Work Here the Holy Spirit shows us what a good work is. Our Savior said of Mary, “She hath wrought a good work on me.” This woman is held before us as a noble example to follow. Our Lord holds her up as an example of what we should be and do as his servants in this world. Here are seven things about what this dear lady did, by which her work shows itself to be indeed a good work done for Christ.

1. It was a work done for the glory of Christ alone. — She was wrapped up in, absorbed with, and consumed by the Lord Jesus Christ. She cherished him. This perfume was meant for no one but him. She had no regard for herself, the consequences of her actions, what she might lose, or what she might gain. She wanted nothing but to honor Christ.
2. This was an act of pure love. — This is exactly what Luke’s narrative of this event teaches us (Luke 7:36-50). The one thing that motivated this woman to do what she did was love for Christ (1 John 4:19; 2 Corinthians 5:14). When our hearts and lives are ruled by love for Christ, they are well ruled.
3. This was a work requiring considerable cost, self-denial, and sacrifice. — If you read the accounts of Mark and John, you will find that this ointment was worth nearly a year’s wages (300 pence - Compare Matthew 20:9-13).
4. This great sacrifice was the result of thoughtful, deliberate preparation. — This was something she had been planning for some time. She had been saving this rich, costly perfume specifically to use it for Christ’s honor at the appropriate opportunity (John 12:2).
5. This woman’s sacrifice was made silently. — She said nothing; she drew as little attention to herself as she possibly could. She said nothing about what she would like to do, what she planned to do, what she was doing, or what she had done. She just did what she could.
6. This was the response of a believing heart to the sacrifice of her Lord. — This woman appears to have been the only one of the Lord’s disciples who clearly understood at the time how he must accomplish our redemption by his death as our Substitute.
7. This was an act of faith. — She anointed him for his burial, but she did so in anticipation of his resurrection (Isaiah 53:10-12). The primary object of embalming was and is a belief in the resurrection of the dead. I see in this incident a blessed foretaste of the honor that shall be given to God’s elect on the Day of Judgment. In that great and glorious day no honor done to Christ shall be forgotten. The speeches of orators, the feats of warriors, the deeds of the greatest politicians, the trophies of athletes, the poetry and literature and art produced by men, all shall be forgotten; but this work, and the least work of any and every believing man and woman, even the giving of a cup of cold water in Christ name shall be remembered and honored before men by God himself! So let us do what we can for our Redeemer and his honor as he gives us opportunity (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 15:58).

Mark 14:3-9

CHAPTER 63 A Good Work Done for Christ “And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me.

For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” (Mark 14:3-9) In these verses Mark records, by divine inspiration, the story of a woman coming into the house of Simon the leper and anointing the Lord Jesus for his burial. It is an event recorded in all four of the gospel narratives (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 7, and John 12). Passing over the negative attitudes and wicked conduct of Judas and the Lord’s disciples, I want us only to observe what this woman did, why she did it, and what the Lord Jesus said about her and her work. This was the Master’s commentary on this dear woman and what she did. — “She hath wrought a good work on me…She hath done what she could. She is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her” (Mark 14:6; Mark 14:8-9). May God the Holy Spirit be our Teacher as we seek to learn from him the lessons set before us in this portion of his Word. A Scripture Fulfilled “And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head” (Mark 14:3). This act performed upon the Lord Jesus was an act of singular respect and honor. It showed great humility on the part of this woman. More importantly, it was a literal fulfillment of the Song of Solomon (Mark 1:12) — “While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.” What this woman did for the honor of Christ, every gospel preacher must do every time he stands to preach the gospel. The Word of God is like a sacred chest containing precious spikenard, the rich, fragrant spikenard of Christ crucified. As this dear women broke open her box of spikenard, it is the privilege and responsibility of the gospel preacher to break open the Word of God, that the sweet, sweet aroma of Christ may fill his house. The gospel of Christ is as ointment poured forth. The sweet savor of the knowledge of Christ is diffused in the house of God when Christ is preached. Let every ransomed sinner anoint the Son of God spiritually, by faith in him, giving him the honor he so richly deserves. Anoint him as your sovereign King, with the kiss of allegiance. Anoint him as your glorious Savior with the kiss of repentance. Anoint him as your Beloved with the kiss of affection. A Sinner Forgiven When we read Luke’s account of this event, we find that Luke was inspired to give a few details that Mark was inspired to omit; and those details help us to understand the reason for this woman’s actions. “And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:36-39) This woman was Mary Magdalene, mentioned in the next chapter, out of whom the Lord had cast seven devils. Though most conservative and liberal theologians and commentators alike disagree, I am convinced that all four accounts of our Lord being anointed by a woman are of the same event, performed by the same woman. Try to picture the scene here. Here is a woman who had been a notorious sinner, once possessed of seven devils. But she had been the object of God’s saving grace. The Lord Jesus had forgiven her of all her sins, robed her in his righteousness, and told her plainly that he would soon die as her Substitute and rise again. Now, here she stands, looking at him, listening to him, loving him. As she stood at his feet behind him, she remembered what she was and who she was. She remembered who he is and what he had done for her. She knew that the time of his death was at hand. Her heart broke with gratitude and love for Christ. She wanted to honor him. So she washed his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. A woman’s hair is her glory (1 Corinthians 11:15). She untied her glory as she knelt at the Savior’s feet, and wiped his feet with that which was her glory. Then, she kissed his feet, and kissed the incessantly. The Savior said, “This woman, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet” (Luke 7:45). And she anointed him. She poured the ointment on his head. When she did, it ran down his beard, over his body, down to his feet. A Simple Faith “She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying” (Mark 14:8). Faith is simply trusting Christ, taking God at his Word, believing him. That faith which stands in the word of man is not faith at all. True faith stands in the Word of God alone. Our Lord Jesus told his disciples that he must die and rise again. Mary simply believed him, and came as a penitent sinner to anoint him for his burial. Where does your faith stand? What is the basis of your faith? Is it your feeling? Your experience? Or, is it the Word of God? Faith believes the Word of God (1 John 5:7-12). The basis of our faith is the Word of God, and the Word of God alone. I fully agree with Martin Luther who wrote… “Feelings come and feelings go, And feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the Word of God; Naught else is worth believing!” With David, I say, “My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.” — “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” — “Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.” — “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope” (Psalms 119:81; Psalms 119:114; Psalms 119:49). Our feelings are no basis for hope. Our hope is in that which God has caused to be written in Holy Scripture. If I have “a good hope through grace,” I ought to be able to turn to some text, or fact, or doctrine of God’s Word as the source and basis of it. Our confidence must arise from something that God has said in his Word, that we have received and believed with our hearts. — “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). — “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26). Good feelings are deceiving, unless we can point to “Thus saith the Lord” as the basis of our hope.

Our hope is found in, arises from, and is based upon the Book of God. — “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). The Book of God was written specifically to give believing sinners an assured hope of grace, salvation and eternal life in Christ (1 John 5:1-3). The basis of hope is the Word of God. And that which is revealed in the Word of God which gives us hope is the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Substitute (Romans 8:34-35; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Christ is the Foundation upon which we are built. — “Christ is our Hope” (1 Timothy 1:1). — We “hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). — “The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him” (Lamentations 3:24). — Our hope is in Christ, our Covenant Surety, our blessed, sin-atoning Redeemer, our Righteousness, and our Advocate and High Priest in heaven. — “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12). The basis of our hope is the Word of God. That which is revealed in this Book that gives us hope is the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I want you to see that the good hope of grace and salvation that God gives to his elect is something that is felt in us, felt inwardly in our hearts. The Apostle Paul speaks of God’s saints as people “rejoicing in hope” (Romans 12:12). We read in Romans 5:5, “Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” A Service Found Mary wanted to honor the Lord Jesus. She wanted to serve him. She wanted everyone around her to understand how gracious he had been to her, how much she owed him, how great, how glorious he is. But how could she do it. She was a woman. Modesty and obedience to God would not allow her to preach.

She could not become a pastor, a deacon, a missionary, or an evangelist. But Mary was not one of our modern, mouthy, obnoxious domineering women. This woman, rather than being repulsed by her proper place in the kingdom of God, used it most honorably. She found a place where she could serve her Lord. She found a way to do something for Christ. She could not do what others could do.

But she could do what she could do, and she did. Look at what our Lord says of her in Mark 14:8. — “She hath done what she could.” What an honorable thing! Blessed is that person who does what he or she can for Christ! Mary did what she had opportunity to do. She did what she had the God given ability to do. And she did what she could when it had to be done. Had she not done this thing now, she could never have done it at all. — “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). — “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23). Because she did what she could, the Lord Jesus said of this woman, “She hath wrought a good work on me.” Oh, for grace to do what I can for Christ! If we would just do what we could, we would do a good work for our Master. Let me show you several things which are obvious about this great thing Mary did for the Lord Jesus, several things that make her work a good work. Mary did what she did for the glory of Christ alone. — All that perfume, all that sweet aroma, all that precious spikenard was meant for Christ alone! This was an act of pure love. — Love never counts the cost. Love never weighs the consequence. Love never considers a loss a loss when the loss is made for the one who is loved. This was a work requiring considerable sacrifice and self-denial. — Three hundred pence was a year’s wages (Matthew 20:9-13). Though it was a spontaneous act of love, this sacrifice and anointing required thoughtful, deliberate preparation. — Our Master tells us (John 12:7) that Mary had specifically kept this precious ointment for this occasion. Mary did this thing without calling any attention to herself. — Spurgeon said, “Silent acts of love have musical voices in the ears of Jesus. Sound no trumpet before thee, or Jesus will take warning and be gone.” This was the response of Mary’s heart to the sacrifice of her Savior, her Lord, her Redeemer. — She believed what she heard the Lord speak (John 3:14-16) and understood that the price of her soul’s ransom was his life’s precious blood! This great sacrifice was a work of faith. — She knew that the Lord Jesus was about to die as her Substitute; but she believed that he would rise from the dead. Therefore, she anointed him for his burial in anticipation of his resurrection (Isaiah 53:10-12). It appears that everything Mary owned in this world was in that little box of precious spikenard she had saved. With happy, willing, grateful heart, she poured it all out on the Savior. Even so, if we would honor the Lord Jesus Christ, he must be honored with all we have (Romans 12:1-2). Those who have been forgiven much love much. A Singular Fame “Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her” (Mark 14:9). Mary lost nothing. Her oil was not wasted. Her labor was not spent in vain. She got by it that good name which Solomon says is “better than precious ointment.” You can count on this: those who honor Christ, Christ will honor (1 Samuel 2:30). — “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Mark 14:10-16

CHAPTER 64 “Furnished and Prepared” “And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?

And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.” (Mark 14:10-16) In Mark 14 we have come to that solemn evening which preceded the most significant event in history. We should always read the things recorded here with great care, asking God the Holy Spirit to be our Teacher, asking him to inscribe the lessons in these verses upon our hearts with the finger of omnipotent grace. From old eternity, before the worlds were made, the Lord God ordained the sacrificial, sin-atoning death of his darling Son at Calvary. He predestined the time, place, and means of his Son’s death as well as its sure accomplishments. God set forth his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, to satisfy his justice for the sins of his people, to put away our sins, so that he might be both just and the Justifier of all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The holy, just, and true God demands satisfaction for sin.

Satisfaction could be made only by the sacrifice of his dear Son. Therefore, as it is written, “When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” The Lord Jesus lived as our representative for 33 years in perfect righteousness. He worked out a perfect righteousness for us. But his obedience in life alone could never save anyone. Justice must be satisfied. Our debt had to be paid.

Our sins must be punished to the full satisfaction of divine justice. Therefore, “In due time Christ died for the ungodly.” The time had come for the observance of the passover. Therefore, the Master sent two of his disciples to Jerusalem in preparation for this ordinance of divine worship. What are the lessons set before us in this passage of Inspiration by God the Holy Spirit? False Faith First, Judas is held before us as a glaring example of false faith. There are many in the visible church of God like Judas, many profess faith in Christ who do not possess faith in Christ. “And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him” (Mark 14:10-11). Like Judas, many men and women feel much, experience much, and do much in religion in the name of Christ, whose faith is but a false faith, a satanic delusion. It is impossible to imagine a greater, more glaring example of this fact than Judas Iscariot. J. C. Ryle rightly observed, “If ever there was a man who at one time looked like a true disciple of Christ, and bade fair to reach heaven, that man was Judas.” — Judas was personally chosen by Christ himself to be an apostle. He was a close companion of the Son of God for three years. He was an eye-witness to the mighty works and miracles of the Lord Jesus throughout his earthly ministry. Judas was a fellow-laborer with Peter, James, and John for three years.

He was doctrinally orthodox, as doctrinally orthodox as the rest of those men who were personally taught the gospel by the lips of the Lord Jesus. He was sent forth with the others to preach the gospel and perform miracles in the name of Christ. Judas was highly regarded by all the other apostles, so highly regarded that he was made the church treasurer, so highly regarded that even when the Lord Jesus said “One of you shall betray me,” not one of them suspected Judas! Yet Judas was apostate, a child of the devil all along. He departed from the faith completely. He betrayed the Son of God with the kiss of a friend!

If we compare Mark’s account with what we are told in John 13:27 of Satan entering into Judas, it seems obvious that Mary’s act of pouring her ointment out upon her Savior’s head caused such rage in Judas that it became the incentive that moved him to perform his vile deed. How often that grace the Lord gives his chosen stirs the malice of the reprobate (Acts 7:54).

Judas must have gone from Bethany into Jerusalem, immediately after the Lord’s commendation of Mary for her good work. Remember, the chief priests were in council at Jerusalem when this took place (Mark 14:1). Once Judas made his hellish deal with the chief priests, to cover his diabolical purpose, he returned to the disciples and sat with them at the supper. How can we account for the conduct of this man? Was he once saved and then lost at last? Nonsense! Those who speak like that know nothing of the grace of God. When God saves, he saves forever (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

He gives eternal life; and those to whom he gives eternal life shall never perish (John 10:28). Judas was a tare sewn among the wheat, a goat among the Lord’s sheep, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He had the garments of religion, but not the garment of salvation. He had the doctrine of Christ, but not Christ. He had the religion of Christ, but not redemption. Though he professed to be a disciple of Christ, Judas was a covetous man. “The love of money” was the cause of his fall. Covetousness was his ruin. That same groveling covetousness which enslaved Balaam and turned Gehazi into a leper brought Judas to utter apostasy and to hell.

The Holy Spirit tells us plainly that “He was a thief” (John 12:6). Judas stands before us as a glaring commentary on 1 Timothy 6:10. — “The love of money is the root of all evil!” Do not be content with anything short of the true grace of God in Christ. Great knowledge, great gifts, great experiences, great privileges, an outwardly holy life, church membership, power in prayer, preaching, and witnessing are all useless things, if we are not converted. We must be born again, made righteousness, and converted by the grace of God. “Beware of covetousness!” Covetousness is a sin that eats like a cancer. It is the most heart-hardening of all idolatries. If we indulge this lust of the flesh, there is no end to the wickedness into which it will lead us. May God give us grace to be content with such things as we have (Hebrews 13:5). Money is not the one thing needful. Christ is! How do we account for Judas’ behavior? Judas was a sinner, a fallen child of Adam, apt to be taken captive by Satan at his will. Who can comprehend the enormity of the fall? Let all who have experienced God’s rich mercy in Christ ever give thanks to him for his precious, free, distinguishing grace (John 13:18; 1 Corinthians 4:7).Christ is God Second, we have before us another of those many displays of the fact that the man Christ Jesus really is himself God. “And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.”(Mark 14:12-16). Throughout his earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ claimed that he is God. The Scriptures everywhere assert that he is God. In fact, if he is not God, he was not a good man, but a liar and an imposter; and we are yet in our sins. He who is our Savior and Redeemer must also be our God. Only one who is both God and man could put away sin. Frequently, this man, Jesus of Nazareth, demonstrated in the clearest manner possible the attributes of divinity, by which he enforced his claims.

Who but the omnipotent God could raise the dead with nothing but the words of his mouth, the touch of his hand, or the will of his heart? Who but the Creator God could multiply a few loaves and fishes to feed thousands so completely that none wanted another bite and twelve baskets of fragments remained? Who but the all-knowing, omniscient God could have known that his disciples, upon entering Jerusalem, would find a man carrying a pitcher into a specific house, with a room large enough for him and his disciples to keep the passover together? Jesus Christ the man is himself God over all and blessed forever! Preparation for Worship Third, we have before us an example of the fact that the worship of God requires preparation and sacrifice. In order to keep the feast of the passover and worship God, our Lord and his disciples must go to Jerusalem. There it was common practice for people to prepare and rent out rooms to the multitudes who came in from outside the city. Our Lord and his disciples did not live in luxury. They purposefully avoided anything like a show of wealth. However, when it came to worshipping God, keeping the feast of the passover, no ordinary place would do.

He sent his disciples ahead of time to find the finest, most well-prepared, well-furnished place in town. One of the old writers suggested that the words “furnished and prepared,” mean that the room was beautifully adorned and laid with carpets. Once the disciples found this large upper room, beautifully adorned and laid with carpets, they were commanded — “There make ready for us.” Robert Hawker reminds us that the keeping of the passover required considerable preparation. He wrote… “By the disciples’ making ready the Passover, I should apprehend they bought a lamb to celebrate this feast; and as the law enjoined, they must have carried it to the court of the temple for slaughter, and there burnt the fat upon the altar, sprinkling the blood upon it, before they brought it home to the house where it was to be eaten. And I should apprehend also, that the roasting it whole, and the bitter herbs, and bread and wine, were all included in what is said of the disciples’ making ready before that Jesus came in the evening to sit down with the twelve. See Exodus 12 throughout. Deuteronomy 16:1-8.”In all this we have a vivid portrayal of something woefully neglected in our day — Preparation for Worship! How little thought is given to the seriousness of public worship and our need to prepare ourselves for the worship of God! This is a matter about which much needs to be said. As the passover had to be kept at Jerusalem, if we would worship God, we must come to the place where he has established his worship. I know that God is Spirit, and we worship him in Spirit. But I also know that we must worship him in truth. We cannot worship God in falsehood. We cannot worship God apart from the ministry of his Word in the assembly of his saints, where he has established his Word and his worship. God detests profaneness, irreverence and carelessness in his presence. We cannot and will not worship him without preparation (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2; James 1:19-21). When we come together with God’s saints for public worship, we should remember that we are coming into the house of God to hear from and worship God Almighty in all the splendor, beauty and glory of his holy being. We must see that we give him the reverence of our hearts. Let us ever come to God’s house prepared to worship. We should prepare our hearts, our bodies and our minds to worship God. This may mean cutting out some weekend recreation, or curtailing our hours of work in order to get enough rest so that we do not come to the house of God tired and sleepy. If people stay up late on Saturday night, sleep late on Sunday morning, and rush into the house of God without thought or preparation of heart, they are not likely to worship God. More often than not, their minds will wander in a thousand directions until, weary from lack of rest, they go to sleep. God deserves better! We ought to come to the house of God, the seat of public worship, promptly. Men and women have a thousand excuses for being late for worship services, but these same people get to work every day on time, get their children dressed, fed and off to school on time, and get to an appointment at the doctor’s on time. Why do people persistently come to the house of God late? - Because they do not consider the worship of God to be a matter of great importance. If our souls, the gospel of Christ, the worship of Christ and the glory of Christ are important to us, we will arrange to come to the house of God with promptness. Would you be late for an appointment with the President of the United States, the Queen of England, or any dignitary? Tardiness for such an appointment would be embarrassing to you and intolerable before your royal host. Dare we treat the King of heaven with less regard? We should always come praying for grace to worship. We should seek grace from the Lord to worship in the Spirit. We are to pray for God to speak to our hearts through his Word, in the prayers that are offered and by the songs that are sung. We are to pray for those who lead the congregation in worship, that they may be led of the Spirit, and for the man who preaches the gospel, that he may preach in power. We should pray for ourselves and our brethren, that we may see, hear, worship and obey the Lord Jesus Christ. We should always come to the house of God for prayer and praise. We must be prepared to worship when we come. We are to put the cares of the world, as much as possible, out of our minds, and sit before the throne of God with humility, wonder, attention and reverence. No disturbances or distractions of any kind are to be tolerated. It is unthinkable that men and women who hold God in reverence would run in and out, talk, allow their children to play, or disrupt the worship of God with crying babies, while the Word of God is being read, the praise of God is being sung, the message of God is being delivered, or the throne of God is being supplicated! The keeping of the passover involved considerable personal sacrifice; and we can never worship God without personal sacrifice. Read Malachi 1 and understand this: — God almighty will not be worshipped with our leftovers! He deserves the best of our time, our attention and our property. If we bring less, we need not expect the God of Glory to receive it! Christ our Passover Fourth, let us rejoice to remember that “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” That fact is stated in 1 Corinthians 5:7; and it is beautifully illustrated here. It was no accident that our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified on the very day that the paschal lamb was sacrificed. This was not a fluke, a matter of lucky timing, or the result of blind fate or chance! This came to pass as it did by the hand of God. He predestinated it in eternity and arranged it in providence. It was thus arranged because God would make it manifest that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, is the true Passover, of whom the Old Testament paschal lamb was but a type, picture, and prophecy. Indeed, all the laws, ordinances, and sacrifices of Old Testament worship pointed to Christ, were fulfilled by Christ, and have been forever abolished by Christ as a way, means, or grounds of worship. The passover was a reminder of deliverance from bondage, darkness, and tyranny, according to the promise of God made with a covenant head long before the bondage ever began. The passover was a reminder of special, particular redemption by the life’s blood and violent death of an innocent lamb. The passover was a reminder of blood sprinkled, applied to every house in Israel, by the commandment of God. In Exodus 12:23 we read, “For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.” Most of the commentators I have consulted give the impression that as the destroyer went through the land of Goshen, whenever he saw the blood of the lamb applied to the door posts and lintel of a house, he simply skipped by that house. But the words “pass over” mean something else. They mean “jump, or leap against.” In other words, when the blood was applied to the house, the Lord God himself, Jehovah (God who saves), jumped against the door of that house to protect it from the destroyer! What a picture! Child of God, try to grasp this, — He who is himself the mighty God has jumped over your door and stands between you and the destroyer! None were safe on the night of the Passover, except those who personally ate the slain lamb. And so it is with regard to the crucified Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. None are safe, except those who eat his flesh and drink his blood. None are safe, except those who personally trust the Son of God. “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever” (John 6:53-58). All for whom the paschal lamb was slain had the blood applied by the father’s hand, ate of the lamb personally, and came out of Egypt by God’s almighty, stretched out arm, at exactly the time God had ordained. That is a very clear and precise picture of our redemption by Christ. It is a threefold redemption: — Redemption by Divine Purpose, — Redemption by Divine Purchase, and — Redemption by Divine Power.

Mark 14:17-25

CHAPTER 65 Lessons from the Last Supper “And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” ( Mark 14:17-25) In the verses before us we have Mark’s inspired account of the last supper our Savior ate with his disciples the night before he as crucified. No doubt, we have all wondered what that last meal must have been like. What solemnity, what anxiety, what fears must have filled the disciples’ hearts! What love, what grace, what compassion dropped from the Savior’s every word and gesture! What demonic hypocrisy, what cold hatred, what spiritual hardness possessed the betrayer! What reverence the picture before us in this passage of Scripture demands! May God the Holy Spirit teach us the things revealed in this portion of Holy Scripture. A Question To FaceAs the Lord Jesus and his disciples sat together at the passover table, the Master announced that one of them would betray him. When he did, they all asked, “Is it I?” (Mark 14:17-20). “And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.” Matthew informs us that, after hearing all the others ask, “Lord, is it I?…Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I?” (Matthew 26:21-25). Judas is held before us throughout the gospels as a beacon, warning us to beware of religion without Christ. Judas was a man whose heart was as hard as it was hypocritical, as stony as it was sinful, and as proud as it was base. His religion gave him a cloak for his wickedness. His barren familiarity with the things of God made him twofold more the child of hell than he was before. But do not forget, this hellish man appeared to be very pious to all who observed him. Even after he agreed to betray the Son of God with a kiss, he kept up the appearances of sincerity.

Judas convinced all the disciples that he was a true believer, one truly devoted to the Savior. None were even slightly suspicious of him. To the very end they all thought Judas was alright. Perhaps Judas even convinced himself that he was genuine. He knew he had done wrong; but he may not have known he was a lost man, a child of hell, the son of perdition. The Scripture says, “Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I?

He said unto him, Thou hast said.” The betrayer’s heart was hard beyond imagination. He had just returned from his meeting with the chief priests, with whom he arranged to betray the Son of God with a kiss. Yet, he took his place with the other apostles at the table, pretending to be one of them, pretending to be a true worshipper of God, utterly devoted to Christ. What obduracy of heart hypocrisy produces! Matthew tells us that the other disciples asked, “Lord, Is it I?” But Judas did not call him “Lord.” Judas called him “Master,” saying, “Master, Is it I?” The word “Master” is a title implying a closeness and affection that is not conveyed by the more reverential title “Lord.” While asking the question merely to give the appearance of sincerity, Judas chose the word “Master,” rather than “Lord,” because he wanted to show his love for and allegiance to the one he was arranging to betray! Judas’ behavior should convince us to examine ourselves continually and honestly. I do not know how to deal with the matters of examination and assurance as they ought to be dealt with; but I do know that faith in Christ is neither proud presumption nor dread despair. Assurance is neither a fleshly familiarity with God, nor a slavish fear of God. The believer’s hope lies somewhere between that carnal security that says, “Once saved always saved,” and that blind, stoic fatalism that says “If I’m one of the elect, I’ll be saved, if not I won’t.” In the Word of God we are constantly hedged in on two sides. On the one side, we have the many promises of God, lest we despair. But on the other side are countless warnings, lest we presume. On the one side, we see sinful men and women kept by the power of grace, assuring us of immutable grace. On the other side, we see apostate after apostate, warning us that we must endure to the end if we would be saved. Therefore we are to examine ourselves and make our calling and election sure (2 Corinthians 13:5; 2 Peter 1:2-11). A Conflict Resolved “The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born” (Mark 14:21; Matthew 26:24; Luke 22:22). — The question is often asked, “Did Judas have a choice in this matter?” The Scriptures clearly state that our Lord Jesus died according to the purpose and decree of God. The Scriptures manifestly prophesied Judas’ betrayal of the Lord Jesus. Surely, then, he cannot be blamed and held accountable for what he did. Such reasoning may suit our puny brains; but such reasoning is entirely wrong. Whether we can understand it or not, we must bow to the Word of God. These two are facts plainly revealed in Holy Scripture: (1.) God almighty is totally sovereign and always does exactly what he will (Isaiah 14:26-27; Isaiah 46:9-10; Ephesians 1:11); and (2.) Every man is totally responsible for his own sin.

While the actions of wicked men and women never thwart, but only fulfill the purposes of God, God does not compel, coerce, entice, or tempt any man to evil (James 1:13-18). Reprobation and judgment are always presented to us in the Word of God as matters of justice and divine retribution. Salvation, grace, and eternal life are always presented as the sovereign prerogative and gift of God (Romans 6:23). The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the will, decree and Word of God (1 Corinthians 15:1-3). He died according to the purpose of God revealed in the Word, according to the promises of God throughout the Word, according to the prophecies of God in the Word, and according to the pictures of grace in the Word. And one of the means used by our God to accomplish his purpose of grace in redemption was Judas’ willful betrayal of the Lord Jesus (Acts 2:23).A Picture of Redemption“And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many” (Mark 14:22-24). The Lord Jesus did not bless the bread and wine in the sense of consecrating them, making them holy, or changing their substance. He blessed them in exactly the same way we bless them, or bless a meal, in the sense of giving thanks to God for them. The breaking of the bread and distribution of the wine, by the Lord Jesus was expressly intended to convey the spiritual lessons of his body being broken and his blood shed. ­ Peace and pardon come to sinners in and through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all his people. The unleavened bread represented our Redeemer’s holy humanity, his body, which was especially prepared by God the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary to put away our sins (Hebrews 10:1-5). It was a body without sin, in which righteousness was established by our Lord’s obedience, and the body sacrificed for us.The cup of wine represented the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ by which we are redeemed (Hebrews 9:22). It is the blood of the new covenant, the blood by which all the blessings of the covenant of grace flow to chosen sinners (Hebrews 9:11-16; Hebrews 13:20). The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is infinitely meritorious, effectual, sin-atoning, precious blood. All the blessings of the covenant were set forth and sealed in his blood. And we are specifically told by Christ himself that his precious blood was shed not for all, but for many.

It was not shed for those who are forever lost in hell. It was shed for God’s elect, those who were actually redeemed by his blood when he died to redeem them. The words Joseph Irons penned 200 years ago on this subject accurately describe the common delusion of our day. “The common delusion of the day in which we live is to think of and speak of Christ as if He were merely a Savior who had done all he could to save all mankind, but after all, had left it quite uncertain whether any will be eventually saved; whereas, his official character (Prophet, Priest, King, Messiah, Redeemer, Mediator, Covenant Head, Surety, Lord), and consequent covenant engagements, render the salvation of all his church a matter of infallible certainty.” Eating the bread and drinking the wine is a picture of that God given faith by which we personally receive Christ for ourselves (John 6:51-58). All who eat and drink the flesh and blood of the Son of God live forever. It is written, “Believe n the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved!” An Ordinance to Keep“And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Mark 14:22-25). The institution of the Lord’s Supper as soon as the paschal feast was finished, as Robert Hawker observes, “intimates the superseding of the one, in the establishment of the other.” We are not left to guess about this. The apostle Paul, writing by divine inspiration, tells us that our Savior here established the blessed ordinance of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-29). The Lord’s Supper is not a sacrament, a means by which we obtain grace. It is an ordinance by which we celebrate grace bestowed upon us through the precious blood of Christ. Justin Martyr wrote, “The Lord’s Supper is food made up all of thanksgiving.” As often as we come together to observe the Lord’s Supper, let every believer examine himself, and then eat the bread and drink the wine in faith, “Discerning the Lord’s body,” understanding what Christ accomplished for us by his incarnation and death as our Substitute. Let us eat the bread and drink the wine with humility, gratitude, love and hope, “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 1:21). There is a day coming when we shall drink new wine with our Savior in the kingdom of God.

Mark 14:26-31

CHAPTER 66 A Great Savior for Great Sinners “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.” (Mark 14:26-31) When John Newton was an old man he once said, “I am an old man now and cannot remember as well as I used to; but I remember two great things: I remember that I am a great sinner; and Jesus Christ is a great Savior.” Truly, the Lord Jesus Christ shows himself the great Savior of great sinners in these six verses of Inspiration. Christ’s greatness as our Savior is set before us here in three things: The people he saves, the punishment he suffered, and the perseverance of his love. The People He Saves Our blessed Savior knew exactly what he was getting when he saved us. That shows his greatness as our Savior. My sin often astonishes me; but it never astonishes him. The Lord Jesus knew when he chose me, long before he saved me, what a vile, fickle sinner I would be. He knew before he saved me that I would constantly be in need of his grace and his forgiveness. Just in case you are wondering, he knew the same about you. We see this clearly exemplified in this passage. Our Lord knew the weaknesses, sins, and infirmities of his disciples. He told them plainly what they were going to do. Their pride was offended when they heard it. None of them really believed they were capable of such evil. He said, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night.” He told Peter, specifically, “Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.” Yet, our Savior’s knowledge of what poor disciples they would be did not prevent him from choosing these men to be his disciples, even his apostles. And his knowledge of what poor disciples we would be did not prevent him from choosing us. The Lord Jesus loved us and chose us, though he knew we would never choose him and would never love him in return, except he create that love in us and cause us by his grace to choose him. Our Savior loved us, though he knew that our love for him, as long as we live in this world, will be an alloyed love at best. The Son of God chose us, as he did these disciples, to be his intimate friends and companions, though he knew beforehand what great evil we would do. With such a charitable, gracious, forbearing Savior, you and I ought to be charitable, forbearing, and gracious with one another. We ought never conclude that a person has no grace, or does not know Christ, because we perceive that he or she has many weaknesses and much corruption. We are all weak, sinful, fallen and falling creatures. Our only hope is grace. Our only salvation is Christ. As such, we ought to pity one another. God the Holy Spirit puts it this way, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children” (Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:1). — Our Savior’s greatness is to be seen in the people he saves. “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31) The Punishment He Suffered Next, our blessed Savior’s greatness as our Savior is displayed in the punishment he suffered as our Substitute. — “And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered” (Mark 14:27). In making that statement the Lord Jesus was quoting Zechariah 13:7. “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.” In order to redeem and save us the Son of God assumed our nature, became one of us. bore our sins in his own body on the tree, was made sin for us, and voluntarily suffered all the infinite fulness of God’s holy wrath to the full satisfaction of his justice as our Substitute. Look at this verse line by line. “Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd.” — The Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah’s Shepherd. These are the words of God the Father concerning his Son as our Mediator. He calls the God-man “My Shepherd,” because he was chosen, appointed, called, and trusted by God the Father as the Shepherd of his sheep in the covenant of grace before the world began. He is the One on whom the Father has laid the iniquity of his sheep. And he is the one responsible and accountable for the sheep. Those words, “Awake, O sword,” speak of the violent death of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the glittering sword of divine justice, which was drawn out against him, when he was made sin for us. That sword, once unsheathed in Jehovah’s angry hands of omnipotent wrath, was never sheathed again, until it was sheathed forever in Immanuel’s heart! The sword of justice is here called to “awake,” because it appeared to sleep, and to have been asleep for a very long time. It had been a long, long time since sin first entered into the world by our father Adam demanding satisfaction. It had been a very long time since the Son of God, our ever-blessed Christ, stepped forward and became our Surety, pledging himself in eternity to satisfy the justice of God for us. It had been a long time since the promise was first given that the Son of God would be stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted as our Substitute. “Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts.” — He who is our Redeemer is and must be a man; and this man, who is our Substitute and Savior, is and must be Jehovah’s fellow — God incarnate! “Smite the Shepherd!” — The order was given by God himself to the sword of his justice to smite his darling Son to death. The Lord Jesus Christ was delivered to death and slain by the hand of God, according to the decree of God, at the command of God, for the glory of God. Next, we hear the God of Glory who slew his Son for us declare, “and the sheep shall be scattered.” This is the part of Zechariah’s prophecy that our Lord Jesus applied to his disciples, when he said, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night.” “Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad…But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.” (Matthew 26:31; Matthew 26:56) “Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” — I am so thankful that the text does not end there. The Lord God goes on to say something else, something great and glorious! — “And I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.” These “little ones” are the sheep who were scattered, the straying, scattered sheep, the disciples of Christ who forsook him. Yet, the text in Zechariah clearly speaks of more than just those sheep. It speaks of the certain salvation of all the Lord’s sheep. Zechariah’s prophecy asserts emphatically that all those sheep for whom the Shepherd was smitten at Calvary shall be saved. “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” (Zechariah 13:7-9) There is a remnant according to the election of grace (here called a third part of the earth), which shall be saved because Christ died for them. The Lord God says, “I will turn mine hand upon the little ones,” not his hand of wrath and justice, but his hand of mercy, grace, and power. The Perseverance of His Love We see our Savior’s greatness in the perseverance of his love, too. I will say nothing about the perseverance of his love for us through all the ages of time and all the stages of our rebellion and ungodliness. Let me simply remind you of the perseverance of his mercy, love, and grace to his erring, fallen, sinful people. What great comfort there is for our souls in this! The Lord Jesus does not cast off or forsake his people because of their faults, failures, and sins. He knows what we are. — “He remembereth our frame. He knoweth that we are dust.” Like a loving husband who has taken a wife, takes her forever, and never dreams of putting her away because he later finds some fault in her, so Christ took us, knowing our deformity, to be his bride forever. Yes, the Lord Jesus chose us, redeemed us, called us, and took us for his bride, knowing full well what he was getting! He is a merciful and compassionate High Priest. It is the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ to pass over iniquity, transgression, and sin. “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing” (Proverbs 25:2). Our Lord Jesus knew what we were before he saved us; yet he saved us. He knew what we would be after he saved us; yet he saved us. He cannot be induced for any reason, by anything, or at any time to cast us away now! He says, “I will never leave the nor forsake thee.” He is our unchanging, unchangeable God, “Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, and today, and for ever!” A Great Thief What a great thief unbelief is! Our Lord Jesus spoke to his disciples often and plainly about his death and his resurrection. He said, in Mark 14:28, “But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.” He could not have been clearer. Yet, his words seem to have just passed over their heads altogether. Not one of the disciples laid them up in his heart. Not one of the disciples remembered them. When he was betrayed, they all forsook him. When he was crucified, they were almost driven to despair. When he was raised from the dead, and they were told about it by credible witnesses, none of them were quick to believe it. Only in eternity will we know how much we have robbed ourselves by our unbelief. Our unbelief robs God of his glory; and robs us of more peace, joy, and contentment than we can imagine. Like Hagar’s well in the wilderness, we have the truths and promises of our God right before our eyes in his Word; but we do not see them, because of unbelief (Genesis 21:19). What anxiety, what tears, what misgivings, what sorrows we might avoid if we simply believed God! Great Sinners “But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all” (Mark 14:29-31). What great and horrible sinners we are! There is in all of us an enormous measure of pride that must be abased, a huge portion of self-confidence that must be destroyed, and a hideous mass of self-righteousness that must be slain. Peter simply could not believe what the Lord Jesus said. He argued in defense of himself. He was highly offended and insulted that the Lord should even think he might forsake him. He said, “If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee.” But Peter was not alone in his arrogance. All the other disciples were of the same high opinion about themselves. — “Likewise said they all.” Peter told the truth. He was truly willing to die with his Lord, and eventually did. But Peter, as well as the others, was unaware of the great evil still in him, which had to be exposed and dealt with. In just twelve hours, all these men forsook the Master. Their bold, proud claims were forgotten. Their promises of fidelity were swept away. Their imagined strength withered. Their great faith failed. Yet, even in this, we see the overruling hand of our God in goodness, grace, and providence. Had Peter not trembled before the maid and denied his Lord here, he could never have preached so boldly as he did at Pentecost or confessed Christ so fearlessly as he did in Acts 4. Had Peter and these disciples, our brethren, not forsaken the Lord Jesus, we could never have known the goodness, grace, love, and faithfulness of our great God and Savior in his absolute immutability toward his fallen saints as it is here revealed. Though redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, justified, forgiven of all sin, regenerated and kept by the grace of God, we are still such great sinners, that there is no sin into which the most eminent saint will not run, except God hold us by his grace. — “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Wisely does Solomon counsel us, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26). “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13) What great reason we have to ever give thanks to our God that salvation is by grace alone, without works!

Mark 14:32-42

CHAPTER 67 Gethsemane “And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.” (Mark 14:32-42) We come now with the Son of God into his favorite place of prayer, the garden of Gethsemane. The word “Gethsemane” means “olive press.” What a fitting place Gethsemane was for the events which transpired on this dark, dark night. Here, the Lord of glory wept in agony of soul, prayed with a heavy, broken heart, and began to have his soul crushed in anticipation of being made sin for us. So heavy was the burden of his heart that the pores of his flesh poured with a bloody sweat! I never read this passage and its parallels in Mathew, Luke, and John without a great sense of utter ignorance and inability. How can a mortal man of sinful flesh comprehend what our Master experienced in Gethsemane? It is simply impossible. You can imagine how utterly insufficient I feel in attempting to explain, to any degree, the meaning of this passage. This portion of Holy Scripture contains things which the wisest of faithful, godly men cannot explain. As we look at our Savior and his disciples as they are set before us in this passage, I will direct your attention to those things that are obvious. The Cause of Sorrow “And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:32-36). What was the cause of this great heaviness and sorrow? What was it that crushed our Master’s heart? What so greatly disturbed him? Certainly, it was not the fear of physical pain, the fear of death, or even the fear of dying on the cross. That which crushed our Savior’s heart was the anticipation of being made sin for us. The heavy, heavy burden that crushed his very soul was the enormous load of sin and guilt, the sin and guilt of all God’s elect which was about to be made his. Our Savior’s great sorrow was caused by his anticipation of being made sin for us. “It was,” wrote J.C. Ryle, “a sense of the unutterable weight of our sins and transgressions which were then specially laid upon him.” He who knew no sin was about to be made sin for us! He who is the only man who really knows what sin is, the only man who sees sin as God sees sin, was about to become sin! He who is the holy, harmless, undefiled Lamb of God was about to be made sin, about to be made a curse for us! The holy Son of God was about to be made sin and forsaken by his Father! Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, “began to be sore amazed,” to be in great consternation and astonishment, at the sight of all the sins of his people coming upon him; at the black storm of wrath that was gathering thick over him; at the sword of justice which was brandished against him, and at the curse of his own righteous law which, like thunderbolts of vengeance from heaven, was directed at him. No wonder the verse closes by telling us that in consideration of these things our Savior began “to be very heavy!” That which crushed our Savior’s very heart and soul was the very thing for which he had come into the world: — The prospect of what he must endure as our Substitute. The Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate God, our Mediator and Surety, died in our place, in the place of God’s elect, as our Substitute. By his own blood, when he was made sin for us, when he was slain in our stead, he satisfied the justice of God for us, magnified his holy law, made it honorable, and purchased for us the complete, everlasting forgiveness of all our sins. He died, the Just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. Christ died at Calvary so that God might be both just and the Justifier of all who believe. It is written, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged” (Proverbs 16:7; Romans 3:19-28; Ephesians 1:7). Since the Lord Jesus Christ died as the sinners’ Substitute, since he has met and fully satisfied the justice of God for us, believing sinners have no reason ever to fear condemnation by God, accusation before God, or separation from God (Romans 8:1-4; Romans 8:31-39). Let every believing sinner ever rejoice and give thanks to the lord Jesus Christ. Since Christ died for me, I cannot die! If you are in Christ, if you believe on the Son of God, there is no possibility of condemnation for you. No sin shall ever be laid to your charge. You cannot be separated from the love of God in Christ. It was the enormous load of our sin and our guilt that crushed our Savior’s heart in Gethsemane (Isaiah 53:4-6), a load of sin and guilt that would have crushed us in hell forever; but a load that can never come upon us now, because Christ died in our place! Let us never look lightly upon sin. What a horrible, monstrous, ignominious thing it must be! Nothing so displays the exceeding sinfulness of sin as the death of our Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. When the holy Lord God found sin on his own darling Son, he poured out all the fury of his holy wrath and unmitigated justice upon him, he forsook him, and he killed him without mercy! If God finds sin on you, he will do the same thing to you, forever! The Savior’s Prayer “And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:34-36). In his time of great heaviness, sorrow and distress, we find our Lord Jesus in prayer. What an example he sets before us. The first one to whom we should turn in every time of trouble is our heavenly Father. Our God should be the first to hear the words of our complaints. He may or may not relieve our trouble; but it is good for our souls for us to unburden our hearts at the throne of grace. There, and only there, will we discover the all-sufficiency of his grace. — “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). — “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray” (James 5:13). But what was our Lord praying for in the garden of Gethsemane? Let us never entertain idle curiosity about the things of God, especially when discussing the heart-wrenching agony of soul endured by the Son of God to save us. Still, this agony of soul which the Lord Jesus endured for us is recorded in all four Gospel narratives. Matthew and Mark both tell us that our Savior uttered this prayer in much the same words three times. Luke adds the details about his bloody sweat and an angel coming to minister to him. “And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” (Matthew 26:39-42) “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:41-44) While the apostle John does not specifically deal with our Lord’s prayer in Gethsemane, he does give us a hint at the meaning of his prayer. In John 12 we see our Savior in a similar position and experience six days before the betrayal in Gethsemane “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

This he said, signifying what death he should die.” (John 12:23-33) Here we see our Savior in great agony of soul. His agony was clearly related to his death at Calvary. Yet, he set his face steadfastly toward the cross without flinching. While he certainly has his death at Calvary in mind, our Lord Jesus, obviously, was not asking that he might be kept from that appointment for which he came into this world. He had come to this place on purpose, that he might be betrayed by Judas, arrested, and hanged upon the cursed tree by the hands of wicked men to fulfill the will of his Father as our covenant Surety (Hebrews 10:1-10). If the Lord Jesus was not praying to be saved from dying in our place as our sin-atoning Substitute, what was he praying for his Father to do here? Our dear Savior was here, once more, under the assault of hell. Satan was making his last effort to keep him from fulfilling his Father’s purpose of grace in redemption. He was doing everything he could to keep the Seed of the woman from crushing his head. I have no doubt at all that our Savior, being overwhelmed with the prospect of being made sin, in this state of soul agony, was as a man fearful of dying before he had finished his work, before he reached the cross. He was fearful of dying in the garden of Gethsemane. There is no other event in his humiliation to which the words of Heb 5:7 might reference. — “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.” We must never forget that our Lord Jesus is both God and man in one glorious person. As God he could never know fear. Yet, he could not be a man tempted in all points like as we are if he did not know fear. These two, distinct natures in Christ, the divine and the human, are obvious throughout the Gospel narratives, especially in those passages dealing with his temptations, sufferings, and death. Here in Gethsemane we see the man Christ Jesus begging for relief from this great trial of agony. Yet, his submission and resignation to the Father’s will is submission and resignation to his own will as God. “The hour” from which our Lord prayed for release was not the hour for which he had come into the world, but this hour in the Garden. “The cup” which he prayed might pass from him was not the cup of his Father’s wrath. That cup Jehovah’s Servant took with determinate purpose and resolve. The cup he wanted to pass from him was the fear of dying in the Garden before he could take the cup of his Father’s wrath and drink it for us. Christ’s Example What a remarkable example our Savior set before us of submission to the will of God. — “And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36). “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:21-24). This is the highest measure of practical godliness and holiness. Let men brag and boast to themselves and before others as they may about their imaginary godly deeds. The surrender of my will to God’s will in all things is godliness: — to bear patiently whatever my Father sends, — to desire only what God has purposed, — to want nothing but what God wills, — to prefer pain to pleasure, if that is my Father’s will, — to willingly be as passive before God as wet clay in the potter’s hands. That is godliness. Nothing can make us happier in this world than submission to the will of God. Nothing brings us so much heartache and misery in this world as having our own way. May God give us grace to willingly submit to his will. Submit to his eternal will of predestination and his performed will in providence, and learn to live in peace. Like Eli of old, regarding all matters, may God the Holy Spirit teach us to say, “It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good.” Submit to his revealed will in Scripture, and walk in obedience to him. Horrid Indifference “And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.” (Mark 14:37-40). What fickle, slothful, sinful creatures the very best of God’s saints are in this world! We have a painful illustration of this fact in the slothful indifference of Peter, James, and John. But we have an even more painful illustration of it in ourselves. How horribly we sleep when we ought to pray, ignore our Lord when he is near, and quickly let slip those things we ought to hold fast! Again, we see clearly that God’s people, all who are born of God, so long as they live in this world, are people with two diametrically opposite, warring natures (Romans 7:14-23; Galatians 5:17; Psalms 73). The spirit is ready and willing, it truly is; but the flesh is sinful and weak. Therefore, we must ever watch and pray. We must always be on guard, as soldiers in hostile, enemy territory, knowing that there is a malicious traitor within. We must fight the battles daily. We must wage warfare against our flesh daily. Our rest is yet to come. “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-24) Sleep On “And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.” (Mark 14:41-42) What reason we have to give thanks to our dear Savior for his steadfast resolve as our Surety. How we ought to admire and love him! — “He cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough.” These words, “It is enough,” are related only by Mark. Did the Lord Jesus here speak as though the work of our redemption was already done? It certainly appears that he did. The word “enough” carries the idea of a debt paid in full. Our Lord is not now chastising his sleeping disciples, but speaking for their comfort and ours.

He is saying, “It is done, the work is complete, I have finished the work of my obedience.” — “The hour is come.” The appointed hour of his death, the appointed hour of redemption had come. — “Rise up, let us go.” The blessed Savior says here, “I must finish the work my Father gave me to do for you. I must go yonder to die in your place.” Nothing could keep our Savior from Calvary. Nothing could keep him from dying for us. Nothing could prevent him from accomplishing that death at Jerusalem for which he had come into this world. And, blessed be his name, nothing can keep him from saving those whom he redeemed with his own precious blood at Calvary! Let us ever find and take our rest in him (Matthew 11:28-30).

Mark 14:43-52

CHAPTER 68 The Betrayal “And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. And they laid their hands on him, and took him. And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?

I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. And they all forsook him, and fled. And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.” (Mark 14:43-52) The agonies of Gethsemane are over. The temptations our Lord endured there, from the assaults of the prince of darkness, are finished. In Mark 14:42 the Lord Jesus called Peter, James, and John, rousing them from their sleep, and hurried them to follow him, as he went forth in holy zeal to meet the betrayer and the band of soldiers following him, to finish his work. Let us never fail to remember that in the totality of his work as our Substitute our Lord Jesus Christ did what he did for us as Jehovah’s voluntary Servant (Psalms 40:6-8; John 10:16-18). Robert Hawker wrote… “He had said before to Judas at the table, that thou doest do quickly. But no man at the table knew for what intent Jesus said this unto him (John 13:27-28). But we may learn from it, that it showed the promptness of Christ’s heart to the work. And though he knew the sorrows which it must induce, yet, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame. Yea, Jesus called the time, the hour of his glory. And as soon as the traitor had left the company, Jesus declared that he was now glorified. (See John 13:31-32). I request you never to lose sight of those two grand points, in the sufferings and death of the Lord Jesus. The one is: the infinite dignity of his person, God and Man in one. The other is the free-will offering of the Lord. Behold him under these views coming forth from the garden to meet the traitor, and crying out, Rise up! let us go! lo! he that betrayeth me is at hand.” With those things in mind, let’s look into this passage of Holy Scripture dealing with our Savior’s arrest in the garden, and ask God the Holy Spirit to inscribe its lessons upon our hearts. I direct your attention to five things in these verses. The Enemies of God This passage opens by identifying the enemies of God. We should always be aware of who our Lord’s enemies are and where they are found. His enemies are the same in all ages; and they are found in the same places. We need to be able to recognize them, because our Lord’s enemies are our enemies. Notice how they are identified for us in Mark 14:43. “Judas, one of the twelve.” The Roman Soldiers — “A great multitude with swords and staves.” “The chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders.” Our Lords enemies and ours are ever to be found among the people of the world. That is no surprise. We expect the world to oppose Christ, the gospel of his grace, and us, as we preach it. If we preach the gospel, insisting that men have no righteousness of their own, declaring that the only righteousness there is is the righteousness of God in Christ, we expect the world’s opposition. The offense of the cross has not ceased (Matthew 5:10-12). We have come to expect opposition and persecution from religionists as well. The lost religious people of this world, being duped, deceived, lied to, and instigated by their leaders, their chief priests, their scribes, and their elders, being ignorant of Christ and the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in him, are historically the most incessant persecutors of God’s saints in the world. History demonstrates the fact that the politicians of the world become persecutors of believers only when instigated (as here) by God hating religionists, who are too good in their own eyes to need grace, a sin-atoning substitute, and imputed righteousness. No one hates grace like lost religionists! There is no missionary field in the world more needy or more hostile today than the professed church of this reprobate age. We expect to find our enemies in the world, and even in the religious world around us. But, often the Lord’s enemies and ours are wolves in sheep’s clothing and, like “Judas, one of the twelve,” are found in the house of his friends (Psalms 41:9; Psalms 55:12-13). Our Lord warned us repeatedly, as did his apostles throughout the New Testament, that our most dangerous foes are those whom we least suspect, those who are, by profession, our brothers, sisters, and friends. These warnings are given not to make us suspicious and wary of one another, but to prepare us for the shock and pain of betrayal (Matthew 10:24-26). The Kingdom of God Second, we must never expect the people of this world, neither the politicians, nor the educators, nor the religionists of this world, to understand the nature of the kingdom of God. In fact, our Lord’s own disciples did not grasp what he taught in this regard at the time. This blood thirsty mob came out against the Lord Jesus, as if they were hunting for a wild, murdering revolutionary, with swords and clubs. When they did, one of the Lord’s disciples drew out a sword and cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear. John tells us that that bold, zealous, but mistaken disciple was Peter. But the Lord Jesus stopped the conflict by healing the man’s ear, as Luke tells us. The chief priests and scribes clung tenaciously to the errant idea that Messiah’s kingdom would be a worldly, political, Zionist kingdom. They, therefore, expected that this man who claimed to be the Messiah would defend his kingdom with the sword. They came prepared for a blood letting conflict. Our Lord later told Pilate plainly that his kingdom is not of this world. This is a lesson which still needs to be taught, and taught often (John 18:36). The kingdom of God is not, has never been, and can never be built, promoted, and propagated by the arm of the flesh. The cause of truth does not need political, legislative, or carnal force to maintain it. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). It is written, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Papacy, Mohammedanism, Hinduism, and Judaism must have the sword to survive. The kingdom of God stands not by the sword, but in spite of it. False religion depends upon and survives by every carnal means imaginable: programs, puppet shows, entertainment, bake sales, tricks, gimmicks, rituals, and ceremonies. Whatever it takes to be successful is what is done! It is a sad fact that pastors, local churches and religious denominations and organizations in the United States (both liberal and conservative) commonly engage in political debate. We cannot protect or expand the cause of Christ by political and social activism, no matter how great or sincere the efforts. Ours is a spiritual battle waged against worldly ideologies and dogmas arrayed against God. The only way we can triumph over them is by the gospel. The church and kingdom of God, the gospel of his grace stands by the power of God the Holy Spirit, by the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and the effectual operations of his grace in the hearts of men by the Word (Hebrews 4:12). The Lord God has not left us here to be political activists, but to be evangelists. It is not ours to seek to reform the nation. Our only business is the glory of God in the salvation of sinners. If we would do God’s work, in God’s name, for God’s glory, it must be done in God’s way. The church and kingdom of God can only be built by the preaching of the gospel. Our needs for that work are supplied by the generous giving of God’s people, as they are directed by the Spirit of God. The Word of God Everything that happened to our Savior, everything he suffered at the hands of ungodly, reprobate men, from Gethsemane to Calvary, was written hundreds of years before in the Word of God. These men, by their wicked deeds, not only fulfilled the Scriptures, they stand as unanswerable arguments for the infallible, inerrant, verbal inspiration of the Word of God. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.” (Mark 14:48-49) “Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.” (Acts 13:26-29) The rage of his enemies, the betrayal of Judas, the price of the betrayal (30 pieces of silver!), the forsaking of his friends, our Lord’s being dealt with as a malefactor, numbered with the transgressors, the piercing of his hands and feet, the parting of his raiment, all were precisely foretold in the Word of God. Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53 were precisely fulfilled, exactly as they were written. How can we account for these things? “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:19-21) Everything that took place in the sufferings of the Son of God was ordered and ordained by God, written in his Word, and brought to pass by his hand for the ransom of our souls, to make atonement for our sin. Those armed men Judas brought with him to take the Master, Judas, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the Jews, Herod, and Pilate, were but the hands of God, unconscious instruments of his sovereignty, by which he accomplished his purpose! “Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword: From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.” (Psalms 17:13-14) Children of God, here is rest for our souls, a soft, soft pillow for our aching heads. Everything and everyone in this world is ruled by the wisdom, grace, and goodness of our omnipotent God! The course of this world is usually contrary to our desires. The church of God seems always to be struggling to survive. The wickedness of men appears to abound on every hand. The inconsistencies of our brethren often hurt and disturb us. Our own sins and inconsistencies disappoint and disturb many, and cause us great distress. But he who is our God and heavenly Father knows exactly what he is doing. And he always does only that which is absolutely best. He is simply fulfilling his purpose, working out his plan, accomplishing his predestination, fulfilling his Word. Read the 2nd Psalm and rejoice. On the resurrection morning, when all things are made manifest, our Lord will show that even in the most distressing times and circumstances, he was simply fulfilling his wise and holy will. The People of God Again and again, the Holy Spirit reminds us of the faults and failures, fickleness and falls, sins and shortcomings of the people of God in this world. — “And they all forsook him, and fled” (Mark 14:50). Noah’s drunkenness, Abraham’s fear, Lot’s choice, David’s adultery and murder, Peter’s fall, and the abandonment of our Lord by all his disciples in the garden are things recorded for our learning. They are written to teach us and remind us that all flesh is grass and salvation is of the Lord. Our only righteousness is that which God has given us in Christ. If we are kept in grace, we are kept and preserved by grace alone. We must never place any confidence in ourselves. With these faithful, faithful men, faith gave way to fear. Overwhelmed by their circumstances, they all forsook their Savior and fled. We ought to be humbled before the Lord, knowing that our flesh is just like theirs, weak and prone to any and every sin. How charitable we should be to our erring, fallen, inconsistent brothers and sisters. We ought to be most thankful to our God for his faithful, preserving grace. We should ever be mindful of and give praise to our God for such a sympathizing High Priest as our Lord Jesus Christ is who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. If there is one trial more difficult to bear than any other, I think it must be disappointment, betrayal, or abandonment by one who is close and trusted as a friend, companion, or loved one. But there is one faithful Friend who never disappoints his friends; and his compassions fail not! The Gospel of God “And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked” (Mark 14:51-52). We are not told who this young man was. That may be because no one knew his name. It seems that he was awakened in the middle of the night by all the commotion going on around him. He seems to have simply wrapped a sheet around himself to step outside and see what was happening. As he followed the crowd, trying to see, the soldiers grabbed him. So furious was the blood thirsty mob that they were ready to arrest and kill anyone even suspected of being a follower of Jesus. Realizing the danger he had unwittingly stepped into, this young man “fled from them naked,” leaving his sheet behind. Why is this, seemingly insignificant, event written in the Book of God? I know it is written for our learning, that we might through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures have hope (Romans 15:4). But what are we to learn from this event? It seems to me that this young man is held before us here as a portrayal of the gospel itself, a picture of a sinner redeemed by the blood of Christ. He seems to be a providential antitype of what took place on the day of atonement and at the ceremonial cleansing of the leper (Leviticus 16:22; Leviticus 14:7). When the leper was cleansed, one bird was killed and the other bird, being dipped in the dead birds blood, was set free. One the day of atonement one goat was slain and the other set free. Even so, in the gospel we learn that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was slain for us, and we are set free, just as he was taken in the garden and this young man fled away to freedom. I have no idea whether that is why this event is recorded; but I do know by the glorious experience of grace that the allegory is true! The law of God and hell itself held me in its grip; but when it took my Substitute, I fled away to freedom. The law stripped me naked. Fearing for my life, I left my filthy rags of self-righteousness in its teeth, and fled away naked to Christ. “Nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to Thy cross I cling. Helpless, look to Thee for grace, Naked, look to Thee for dress!”

Mark 14:53-65

CHAPTER 69 “They Led Jesus Away” “And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. But neither so did their witness agree together.

And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?

And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.” (Mark 14:53-65) Solomon tells us that one evil he had seen under the sun is “when folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place” (Ecclesiastes 10:5-6). No words can more accurately describe the scene before us in Mark 14:53-65. Here is the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” arraigned as a common criminal before “all the chief priests, and the elders, and the scribes.” In these verses of Holy Scripture the Holy Spirit inspired Mark to record an astounding piece of history for our comfort and edification in the knowledge of Christ. Here all the religious and political leaders of the Jews were gathered in complete agreement for the express purpose of murdering the Christ of God. These trusted, upstanding leaders of the nation deliberately sought false witnesses to condemn to death the holy Son of God. Here puny, petty, sinful men dared sit in judgment over the very God who made them, calling God himself to give an account to them, judging him who will one day come again to this earth to judge them and all the world! In this passage of Scripture, in this inspired, historical narrative, we see “folly setting in great dignity and the rich setting in low place.” Though he was rich, yet for our sakes, the Lord Jesus Christ became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. Peter’s Great Folly Great falls are usually preceded by smaller inconsistencies. We know that God’s saints in this world are sinners still. We need nothing more than a moment’s reflection upon our own hearts to convince us of that fact. Loved from eternity, chosen by grace, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, called by his Spirit, robed in his righteousness and kept by the power of his grace we are. Yet, we live in this body of flesh. We are sinners still. Therefore, we are warned repeatedly to watch, and pray, and beware. If we would honor the Lord our God in this world, if we would live in this world for the glory of Christ, we must beware of the sin that is in us. We must pray for grace to keep us from the evil that is in us. And we must watch over our souls with great care, resisting the world the flesh and the devil. We all know these things. Yet, we all commonly act as though they are unnecessary. Peter stands before us as a glaring example of just how foolishly we often act, refusing to take heed to our Master’s word and refusing to beware of ourselves. — “And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire” (Mark 14:54). The Lord Jesus warned Peter plainly that Satan desired to have him, that he might sift him as wheat. He told Peter that he was about to both forsake him and deny him. But Peter did not believe he could do such things. Even after forsaking the Lord Jesus in the garden, Peter rushed headlong into greater temptation. He saw no danger within or without. Yet, there were plenty of warnings, numerous red flags, which should have kept Peter from his dreadful, inexcusable act of denying Christ. — — The Lord Jesus told Peter that Satan was after him. — Peter’s rashness and pride, once exposed by the Master, should have humbled him. — Fleeing from the Lord Jesus in the garden in fear, forsaking him in the hour of trouble, should have made him aware of his weakness. — But now, just before his denial of his Savior, we see Peter following Christ afar off, sitting in the company of the Lord’s malicious enemies, as one of them, warming himself by their fire! Lot would never have wound up living in Sodom had he not made his first choice of the well watered plains to the south based upon his lusts after the things of the world. In his old age, I am sure, as Bro. Lot thought about his wife, his daughters, and his sons-in-law in hell, as he looked over an ill-spent life full of wasted opportunities, he must have rued the day when strife over cattle separated him from Abraham! — David would never have taken Bathsheba, he would never have murdered his faithful servant, Uriah, had he not lingered in the palace in ease, when there was a battle to be fought for the glory of God. — Peter would not have been tempted to deny the Lord Jesus as he did, if he had not followed the Lord afar off into the palace of the high priest, sat down with the Lord’s enemies, and warmed himself by their fire. — Let us ever take heed to ourselves, lest we fall into temptation by our own inconsistencies and indiscretions. Let us ever pray that we may not be led into temptation, but that the Lord would ever deliver us from evil. “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” (Proverbs 4:20-27) “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 1:21). We must ever beware of our own sinfulness, depravity, and weakness. May God give us grace ever to trust Christ and seek his glory. Ever resist temptation. Always strive against sin. Crucify the flesh. Say no to ungodliness. Do not ever be afraid of being too particular or too strict with yourself. Once we give in to petty inconsistencies, once we begin to indulge the flesh, we are paving the road to shame. Christ’s Great Humiliation Our Lord Jesus Christ willingly endured indescribably great shame and humiliation that he might be our great Savior. Mark records our Savior’s arrest, the false accusations made against him, the venomous spit of men’s throats upon his face, the angry beatings our Lord endured, the cruel buffeting, the haughty slaps of rage, and the taunting jeers and mockery Immanuel endured before the high priests and the assembly of the chief priests and elders of Israel. These things are not easily endured. We would never voluntarily subject ourselves to such things. But the Son of God, our Savior, willingly took our shame, as well as the sin that caused it, that he might redeem us and save us from our sins (Isaiah 53:4-7; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 2:10). Robert Hawker wrote, “Every minute circumstance merits our closest regard. Perhaps there is not the smallest indignity offered to the person of the Lord Jesus, but had a mystical meaning.” As soon as he was arrested, the Lamb of God was led away to the high priest, because the law of God required that the sacrifice be brought before the priest for inspection before it was offered upon God’s altar (Leviticus 17:5). Our Great God Our holy Redeemer was accused of plotting to destroy the temple, refusing to pay tribute to Caesar, and blasphemy against God. These and many other charges were brought forward; but no witnesses could be found, or even hired, to substantiate them. But when the high priest asked him pointedly, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” and the Lord Jesus told him plainly that he is, asserting his eternal divinity and Godhead, “all condemned him to be guilty of death.” He who is our great Savior is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. The man Christ Jesus is our great God and Savior. The high priest asked our Lord this solemn question: — “Art thou the Christ the Son of the blessed?” And our Lord Jesus gave him an immediate, unmistakable answer. — “And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). Our Master was dealing with an arrogant, self-righteous, know-it-all rebel. When he answered this great religious leader, he did not gratify his imaginary brilliance or show the least respect for his position. He offered no proof for his assertion, though there was an abundance of proof at hand. He simply stated the fact of who he was and is, demanding that this sinner make an immediate decision. Look at our Lord’s statement carefully, and hear it clearly. He said to this Caiaphas, the high priest of Israel, “I AM!” That is no small statement! The Lord Jesus could have used any word he desired. He could have simply said, “Yes,” or “That is who I am,”, or “The Scriptures testify that I am.” Instead, he chose to answer this rebel in such a way that he must either bow to him, or demand his execution. He took the very name of God unto himself! This man said to the high priest, the elders and the scribes, “I AM THE I AM!” Then he said, “You shall see me, the Son of man, sitting as God on the right hand of power!” That is the meaning of the next part of the sentence. To sit on the right hand of power is to sit upon the throne of God! In other words the Lord Jesus said to Caiaphas, “Just in case you did not get my meaning, I am telling you that this man standing in front of you is God almighty.” He came into this world as a man to save his people from their sins. Caiaphas was about to have him executed, precisely because he was determined to die upon the cursed tree as our Substitute. When he finished his work of redemption, he went back to glory and took his seat upon the throne of God, the throne of grace. Now, there is a man in Glory who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, a man who is himself our great God! He rules the universe for us. He intercedes for us. He will save us. Our Lord Jesus said to Caiaphas, “You will soon see me come again in the clouds of heaven to sit in judgment over you!” — “And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” What a stern warning this is! There is a judgment to come. One day soon, you and I will stand before the great white throne, before the tribunal of the holy Lord God. Man’s Great Offense Man’s unbelief is a willful, deliberate choice and decided declaration that God is a liar, that Jesus Christ deserved to be put to death, and that the Word of God is a horrible, hellish hoax devised to delude and deceive the souls of men. Like Caiaphas, sinners are confronted with the claims of the Christ of God. We must either bow to his claims or perish under the wrath of God. As we preach the gospel, we call for a decision from all who hear. — “Will you, or will you not trust the Son of God? Bow to him you will, sooner or later; but will you bow to him now and seek his mercy whose wrath you cannot bear?” If the rebel says, “No,” his unbelief is not a matter of ignorance or indifference. He is saying, “God is a liar, Jesus Christ was an imposter who deserved to be put to death, and the Bible is a hellish hoax upon the souls of men.” That is what Caiaphas did; and that’s what every unbeliever does. Unbelief is nothing less than spitting upon the face of the Son of God; but men will not forever spit upon the Christ of God and get by (1 John 5:10-12; Proverbs 1:23-33).

Mark 14:66-72

CHAPTER 70 Peter’s Fall and Restoration “And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.

But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.” (Mark 14:66-72) The verses before us record the painful, but very instructive, story of Peter’s terrible denial of the Lord Jesus. This sad story is recorded in detail in all four gospel narratives. Yet, neither Matthew, Mark, Luke, nor John make any excuse for or defense of their friend, Peter. They all wrote their histories, not as mere men writing about men, but as instruments of divine inspiration. This story of Peter’s fall was written by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit for our learning and admonition. May the Spirit of God, who gave us this story four times, now inscribe its lessons upon our hearts by his almighty grace, for Christ’s sake. Try to picture the scene and the events which transpired on that cold, bitter night. It was a solemn, solemn night. Our Lord Jesus himself called it, “the judgment (crisis) of this world.” The disciples had just observed the last passover meal of the legal dispensation and the first communion service of the gospel age. The Lord Jesus told them plainly of his certain, imminent betrayal and death. Peter, James and John had spent the night with the Son of God in Gethsemane. On that sacred evening, our Savior preached that marvelous sermon that is recorded in John 14, 15, 16.

It was on this night, earlier in the evening, that our Master, our great High Priest, offered that great prayer for us recorded in John 17. The soldiers came, like a mob of lynch men, into the garden to arrest the Lord of glory, led by his own familiar friend, Judas Iscariot. Judas betrayed him with a kiss. And Peter denied the Lord Jesus, denied him again, and denied him a third time, cussing like a sailor. Why is this record given four times in the New Testament? Surely the Holy Spirit means for us to give it special attention. There at least four reasons why this sad tale is told in such detail by all four gospel writers. Peter’s denial of the Lord Jesus must have greatly increased the pain and sufferings of our tender-hearted Savior. The Holy Spirit would set before us in a most emphatic way the greatness of our Savior’s saving power, the majesty of his unconditional grace, and the immutability of his faithfulness. The divine Comforter knew that we would all be subject to these same temptations. This fourfold record of Peter’s fall is intended to be a startling, instructive lesson for us concerning the frailty of the best of men, and especially a startling reminder of our own frailty. The Word of God does not tell us very much even about the very best of men who lived in Bible times. The histories of God’s saints in Scripture are very scanty. Yet, the Word of God very particularly records the faults and falls of the most eminent saints. It seems that the Holy Spirit’s purpose is to remind us incessantly that “all flesh is grass!” The best of men are only men at best. And he incessantly reminds us that “Salvation is of the Lord!” Peter was not the infallible bishop of Rome, as the papists pretend. He was just a frail, fallible, fickle, sinful man. In fact, about the only thing the pope has in common with Peter is his denial of Christ. Peter’s fall seems to say to us all, “You, too, are weak. You, too, will fall, if left to yourself. Do not ever trust yourself. Trust Christ entirely. Lean on him incessantly. Do not rely upon your great experiences or the imaginary strength and firmness of your faith. Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. Christ alone can hold you up. Christ alone can keep you.” We must ever watch and pray! We must each diligently watch over our own souls and prayerfully seek the Lord’s preserving grace, if we would live for the honor of his name. I want to live for the honor of Christ. I want to honor and magnify him in my living, as well as in my preaching and writing. I know that you who love him want the same thing. My heart shudders, my soul trembles at the thought of bringing reproach upon the name of him who loved me and gave himself for me. Yet, I know this: — Unless Christ himself preserves me from the evil that is in me, and preserves you from the evil that is in you, we will, most certainly, profane his name. The Circumstances of Peter’s Fall How did such a great man come to commit such a grievous evil? This portion of Holy Scripture is not talking about a lost man, but a saint, a child of God, redeemed by blood, justified in Christ, saved by grace, and sanctified by the Spirit. Peter was a faithful giant among faithful giants. Few before him and few after him could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. He was a man strong in faith, firm in conviction, bold in preaching and unrelenting in his zeal for Christ. This man was eminent even among the apostles, a leader among leaders, an example among examples. But this man, great as he was, was just a man. Like you and me, he was a man whose heart, by nature, was full of sin, whose flesh was weak. On that dark, dark night in the High Priest’s palace, this man’s evil heart broke out in a horrible display of ungodliness, in an act as evil and vile as any in human history. The godly apostle Peter blasphemously denied the Son of God with foul oaths! How can we account for this thing? As we look at the circumstances of Peter’s fall, I remind you, there were no extenuating circumstances to excuse or even mitigate his guilt. Indeed, everything recorded in the inspired gospel records aggravates his offense. Peter’s fall was very strange because he was one of the Lord Jesus’ most highly favored and most highly honored disciples. — The greater our privileges and the higher our honors, the greater our responsibilities are and the more horrible our offenses. The Lord had done so much for Peter. He was one of the very first to whom the Son of God made himself known while he was in the world, one of the first to be saved by the power of his Word (John 1:40-42). Peter was in the inner circle of the Master’s most intimate friends. He seems to have been the chief spokesman for the early church. Peter’s fall is especially sad, because he was plainly and faithfully warned of his great danger (Luke 22:31-34). Our Lord Jesus told Peter in the plainest language possible exactly what was going to happen to him. He even gave him the details. Peter was told of the danger to which he was about to be exposed. Satan desired to have him. His faith would be fiercely attacked. Therefore, he must watch and pray that he enter not into temptation. But Peter walked headlong into danger. He rejected the light God had given him. He ignored the revelation of God’s Word. Peter’s guilt is aggravated by the fact that it came so soon after he had confidently declared his loyalty to Christ (Matthew 26:31-35; Luke 22:33). Just a few short hours after proudly and confidently boasting of his love for Christ, Peter cussed and denied him three times. How fickle we are! Peter’s fall did not come at once, but by degrees. He followed the Lord afar off. Then, he sat in the seat of scorners, seeking the comfort and warmth their fire provided. Next, he denied the Lord Jesus by degrees. At first, he pretended not to understand the maiden’s words. Then, he denied that he knew the man. He denied his own confession of faith and, by implication if not outright, denied the Savior’s divinity (Compare Matthew 16:18 and John 6:69). At last, he took the profane language of base, ungodly men to prove that he was no follower of the holy Lamb of God. There are many, many ways by which men and women deny the Lord Jesus Christ; but usually the falls of God’s saints are not sudden. Normally, great falls are preceded by much smaller inconsistencies. It takes very little to make a great saint fall into great sin, if God leaves him to himself. Peter’s trial was nothing but the word of a weak young woman, who said, “Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.” Here is another very great aggravation of Peter’s sin: — All this was done very close to the place where his Lord and Master was at that time suffering for him, bearing his reproach! The Lord Jesus Christ was standing right in front of Peter, hearing every word! What was the reason for Peter’s fall? How can we account for this? How did this man, so great, so unique in so many ways, come to commit such a horrible offense? Peter was far too proud of himself, far too confident of his own strength. He was overcome by the fear of man; in this case, by the fear of a woman who had no obvious power against him. He neglected watchfulness over his own heart and soul (Proverbs 4:23). I suspect that, like mother Eve, Peter had begun to doubt the Savior’s word. The Means of Peter’s Recovery Peter fell; but he didn’t perish. His faith weakened; but it did not die. He sinned; but he was not cast off or forsaken. He denied the Lord; but the Lord did not deny him. Peter belonged to Christ; and Christ can never lose one of his own. The good Shepherd can never lose one of his sheep. Peter fell; but Christ graciously raised him up. The righteous fall seven times a day; but the Lord raises them up (Proverbs 24:16). How did the Lord Jesus restore his fallen servant? I see four things the Lord used to restore his fallen child. First, he used a work of providence. — “The cock crew!” God has many ways of reaching a man’s conscience. He can make asses speak as easily as prophets and roosters to crow on cue. Second, he used a work of grace. — “The Lord turned and looked on Peter” (Luke 22:61). What a look that must have been! The Lord Jesus turned to Peter. Peter did not turn to the Lord. He looked upon Peter, not in anger and disgust, but in mercy, love and grace! That look was a look of tenderness, compassion and faithfulness.

With that look, the Lord spoke silently, but effectually, to the heart of his fallen son. He seems to have said, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love. — Ye have not chosen me; but I have chosen you. — I gave unto you eternal life; and you shall never perish. — I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. — I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions. — Fear not, for I have redeemed thee. — In me thy righteousness is found. — I am thy strength. — I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. — Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. — Return unto me, return unto me; and I will pardon. — Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” Third, he used a work of the word. —- “Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him” (Mark 14:72). At the appointed time, the Word of God graciously and effectually brought Peter to repentance. Fourth, Peter was restored by a work of our blessed Advocate, the Lord Jesus, who told him even before his fall, “I have prayed for thee” (Luke 22:32). As a great High Priest and Intercessor, the Lord Jesus Christ prayed for Peter’s preservation in faith and restoration by grace, even before he fell! That same great High Priest is our Advocate on high. He intercedes for us now, and has interceded for us from eternity (1 John 2:1-2). These thoughts thrill my heart and flood my soul with joy! The Lord Jesus Christ is full of tenderness and mercy. His faithfulness is great. And his compassions never fail. He who is our God and Savior is a faithful, unfailingly faithful God and Savior! If you are a believer, if truly you trust Christ alone as your Lord and Savior, nothing shall ever separate you from him, not even your sins (Romans 4:8). Nothing can separate us from his mercy, love and grace. Nothing can separate us from his tender care and saving power (Romans 8:35-39). The Signs of Peter’s Restoration The Lord’s works for and upon Peter were effectual. They accomplished their intended design. And Peter was graciously restored by the very Savior he so vehemently denied. His trial and fall were not accidents. Satan ran God’s child through his rough sifter; but he lost nothing in the process, but chaff. Peter came out of this thing a much better man than he was before (Acts 2, 4). Even this tragic affair was under the control of God’s sovereign providence and according to his purpose of grace. Let us ever remember that the devil is God’s devil. That fiend of hell is the unwilling, unwitting vassal of the Almighty (Isaiah 14:12-27). The dragon of hell is as much included in all things working together for good to God’s elect as the angels of light (Romans 8:28). Immediately after the Lord looked upon him, Peter went out of the place (Luke 22:62). Once fire was restored in his soul, he no longer needed the warmth of that fire which the Lord’s enemies had kindled. He immediately forsook those who had turned his heart from his Lord. As he left the high priest’s house, Peter wept bitterly (Mark 14:72; Luke 22:62). Convulsive weeping overcame him. He couldn’t stand himself. His very heart was crushed within him. Oh, blessed is that man whose heart is broken before God. Christ Jesus heals the broken-hearted! “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise!” Do you know anything about repentance? The Lessons for Us Today What are we to learn from this tragic event in Peter’s life? How can we benefit from it? What lessons are taught by this man’s fall and restoration? Certainly, these things are recorded by the Spirit of God to teach us something about ourselves. We must never be presumptuous about ourselves. We are all very much like Peter in his weakness. We are all fickle, sinful wretches by nature. There is no evil in this world of which we are not capable (1 Corinthians 10:12; 1 Corinthians 4:7). May God the Holy Spirit teach us and give us grace never to be severe with our erring brethren. Peter’s fall and restoration is an emphatic declaration that “Salvation is of the Lord.” It is altogether the work of God’s free grace in Christ. It is unconditional, immutable and indestructible! What blessed security our souls have in Christ! Nothing can ever sever us from our Savior! “Once in Christ, in Christ forever!” O how great is the faithfulness of our great God and Savior! — “He abideth faithful!” — “Faithful is he that calleth you!” — “Great is thy faithfulness!” “He will never, never leave us, Nor will let us quite leave Him.” “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” Trust Christ alone. Live always at the cross. Cling to your crucified Savior tenaciously. As often as you fall, return to him. He will receive you. He will forgive you. He will be gracious to you. He will forget the wrong you have done!