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

N. Cautious Living Amid The Great Contrast In Man's Responses To God's Truth

(Mark 14:12-16)

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. When Mark later learned that serving Christ includes facing sharply contrasting responses to one's ministry, he also had to learn how to live cautiously in view of that contrast, what Jesus exampled in Mark 14:12-16.

D. We view the passage for insight on careful living in view of the great contrast in man's responses to the truth:

II. Cautious Living Amid The Great Contrast In Man's Responses To God's Truth, Mark 14:12-16.

A. In Mark 14:12, Jesus faced a difficult crisis formed by a great contrast in man's responses to the truth:

1. After He corrected the disciples' errant criticism of Mary in Mark 14:1-9, and after Judas' hatred of His correction seen in Judas' going to the religious leaders to offer to betray Jesus unto them in Mark 14:10-11, the disciples asked Christ where He wanted them to go to prepare for Him to eat the Passover, Mark 14:12.

2. From the human perspective, this question created a significant, delicate crisis for Jesus (as follows):

a. Jesus could not tell all the disciples about the meal's location, for Judas would know and inform the religious leaders where they could go to arrest Jesus in private apart from the crowds, Mark 14:1-2.

b. However, being under the Law (Galatians 4:4), Christ was required to eat the Passover in obedience to Exodus 12:1-14, so He had to make preparations to eat the Passover meal.

c. Nevertheless, were Jesus to decline to tell any of His disciples where He would observe the meal, Judas would have reason to suspect that Jesus knew of his plan to betray him, thus squelching his intent to carry out that plan to where the Scriptures about Judas' betrayal of Jesus might not be fulfilled, Mark 14:17-21.

B. So, to fulfill God's will, Jesus cautiously make reasonably secret plans beforehand, but in a low-profile way that Judas would both not know beforehand where the meal would occur while also not suspecting that Jesus knew of His plans to betray Him, Mark 14:13-15:

1. Jesus sent forth two of the twelve disciples, whom we know from Luke 22:8 were Peter and John, to go into the city of Jerusalem to prepare for Him to eat the Passover there, Mark 14:13a.

2. However, instead of announcing before all the disciples the address lest Judas take the information to the religious leaders to arrest Him there, Jesus told the two disciples that they would meet a man in the city who would be carrying an "earthen jar" (keramion, Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T., 1967, p. 430) of water, that they should follow him to a house, Mark 14:13b.

3. Normally, "only women carried water jars," so Jesus' directions indicate He had prearranged the meal with the homeowner and planned to guide the disciples to the home using this unusual sight of the man with the jar without the disciples' knowing beforehand the location of the home, Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 176.

4. This instruction would not have given Judas cause to suspect that Jesus knew of his betrayal plans:

a. The disciples all knew Israel's rulers wanted Jesus killed (Jn. 11:8), so some secrecy was to be expected.

b. Also, Peter and John were of the "inner three" (Mark 9:2), so Christ's sending them versus other disciples to prepare the meal would not have alerted Judas to Jesus' knowledge of his plans to betray Him.

5. Jesus told Peter and John to follow the man with the jar to a home and ask its owner, "The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?" a secret signal in leaving out Jesus' name to show they were not spies from the religious leaders but Jesus' disciples, Mark 14:14 NIV.

6. Jesus claimed the homeowner would then show them a large upper room furnished and prepared where He and His disciples could eat the Passover. There the two disciples were to prepare the meal, Mark 14:15.

C. The men followed Jesus' instructions, finding just what He said, and they prepared the Passover, Mark 14:16.

Lesson: When facing the contrasting response to His defense of Mary that resulted in the disciples repenting but with Judas turning against Him in hatred, Jesus privately preplanned while publically acting in a low-profile manner to avoid creating problems with Judas while also heeding the Law and ministering to the other disciples.

Application: If facing contrasting responses to the ministry of the truth, may we live cautiously as did Jesus.