THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Mark: Jesus, The Perfect Servant Of God

Part III: The Perfect Sacrifice Of Jesus, The Perfect Servant Of God, Mark 11:1-15:47

Q. Christ's Example Of Handling The Dreadful Loneliness Of His Assigned Sufferings

(Mark 14:26-31)

I. Introduction

A. Mark's Gospel was written by John Mark who was rebounding from having abandoned Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:13) due to Mark's lapse in following Christ over some difficulty.

B. That difficulty may have been in part his shock over the Acts 13:8 spiritual opposition of Elymas the sorcerer.

C. A difficult trial one can face is painful loneliness when other spiritually ignorant believers get wrongfully disillusioned with another innocent believer and break fellowship with him, what Jesus faced, Mark 14:26-31.

D. We today are called to follow in Jesus' footsteps (1 Peter 2:20-21), so how He faced such a difficulty is worth our viewing that we might learn how God would have us handle it if we were to face it today (as follows):

II. Christ's Example Of Handling The Dreadful Loneliness Of His Assigned Sufferings, Mark 14:26-31.

A. Jesus was reminded in Mark 14:26 from the singing of the great Hallel hymn after the Passover meal that it was the Father's will that He now head toward the suffering of the cross in order to provide salvation for man:

1. The Jews typically sang the "great Hallel," the great psalm of praise found in Psalm 113-118 at the Pascal meal (G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According to Mark, 1927, p. 293).

2. The last sentences of that hymn call for the binding of the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar coupled with praise to God for His lovingkindness that endures forever, Ibid.

3. Accordingly, Jesus was reminded by this hymn of His need to be sacrificed on the cross as God's Lamb for the sins of the world (John 1:29) to save man by His grace, and that just as Jesus finished the Passover meal and started to head toward Gethsemanee where He would be betrayed unto death, Mark 14:26.

B. Focusing on His imminent suffering and death, Jesus announced that all of His disciples would take offense (skandalisthesesthe) at His sufferings and death, refusing to associate with Him (cf. 14:30) and deserting Him (cf. 14:50), their loyalty to Him temporarily collapsing, Mark 14:27a; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 178.

C. This event would fulfill God the Father's plan predicted in Zechariah 13:7 that He would smite the Shepherd, Jesus, and that the sheep, Christ's disciples, would be scattered, Mark 14:27b. This smiting would be against One Whom the Father there claimed was literally "close to Me," wording used in Leviticus 6:2 and 18:20 to speak of a "near relative." Thus, God the Father was "claiming identity of nature or unity of essence with His Shepherd, thus strongly affirming the Messiah's deity," Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1569.

D. Jesus then knew that He was headed into suffering that would horribly alienate Him not only from His disillusioned disciples, but from the Father, His equal and with Whom He had always had intimate fellowship!

E. Mark 14:29-31 records the resulting conversation between Jesus and His disciples on this His prediction:

1. Peter claimed that though all others would be offended at Jesus so as to abandon Him, he would not, with the word "I" being placed in the emphatic position, Mark 14:29; Ibid., Bib. Know. Com., N. T., p. 179.

2. Jesus replied that before the cock crowed twice that night, Peter would deny Him three times, Mark 14:30.

3. Peter more strongly affirmed that he would die with Jesus before ever denying Him in disillusionment, to which all the other disciples likewise added their claims of trusting commitment to Jesus, Mark 14:31.

F. Nevertheless, the unthinkable alienation would occur: the disciples would all be offended and disillusioned at Christ's sufferings, so they would abandon Him, and even God the Father with Whom Jesus had eternally known the closest of spiritual fellowship would smite Him at the cross, turning from having fellowship with Him as Jesus utterly alone became sin for us on the cross to provide atonement for us, cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21.

G. However, what provided encouragement for Christ to face all of this horrible alienation from His disciples and from the Father was His hope in the plan of God -- His coming resurrection and meeting with His disciples in Galilee to commission them to disciple the world, Mark 14:28 with Matthew 28:16-20.

Lesson: Jesus handled the coming suffering of relational alienation from His weak, ignorant, disillusioned disciples and from even the Father's fellowship on the cross by anticipating the Father's plan to raise Him from the dead, to restore His relationship with His disciples and to save the world through that cross. (Hebrews 12:2)

Application: May we also handle even great alienation from other believers due to their weakness or ignorance with the Biblical hope that God's plan includes such suffering for the eventual discipling of others.