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

O. Learning From The Contrasting Results Of The Contrasting Responses To God's Word

(Mark 14:17-21)

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

C. There exists a lesson in this matter on the great contrast in the pathway of life and the destiny that occurs to people due to their personal responses to God's Word, and we do well to heed it (as follows):

II. Learning From The Contrasting Results Of The Contrasting Responses To God's Word.

A. Mark 14:17-21 presents the first part of Christ's final Passover meal with His disciples, and it focuses on His comment regarding Judas' imminent betrayal, that this sin would be committed against Him by one who was eating with Him, which, in Israel's culture of that era, was the worst form of treachery, B. K. C., N. T., p. 177.

B. Significantly, Jesus' very negative woe about the betrayer, Judas, in Mark 14:21 contrasts greatly with His promise to Mary in Mark 14:9 (Ibid.; cf. John 12:1-8), and comparing what happened to the lives and destinies of Mary and Judas shows the great contrasting results for how people respond to God's Word (as follows):

1. Mary accepted and believed Jesus words, eagerly and submissively sitting at His feet to hear Him teach (Luke 10:38-42) while Judas never did believe Jesus words according to John 6:64, 70.

2. Thus, the contrasting results of these contrasting decisions by these two people are very great (as follows):

a. Mary loved Jesus more than money, spending a lot of it to buy costly ointment to anoint Him in worship (Mark 14:3) where Judas loved money more than Jesus so that he betrayed Him to gain it, Mark 14:10-11.

b. Mary was self-sacrificing, paying a lot of money for the ointment and humbly anointing Jesus with it in public regardless what onlookers around her would think or say while Judas led the criticism about Mary out of the self-serving lust for the money the ointment might have gained him as the pilfering treasurer of the group of Christ's disciples, John 12:3-6.

c. Mary publicly worshiped Jesus and Judas secretly betrayed Him, Mk. 14:3; Jn. 12:1-3; Mk. 14:10-11.

d. Mary was criticized for her act of devotion to Jesus while she did not criticize the onlookers (Mark 14:3-5) where Judas led the public criticism against her, Mark 14:4-5 with John 12:4-5. This pattern is followed today according to Galatians 4:29, where those with false spirituality persecute the upright.

e. Mary was greatly complimented by Jesus while Judas was greatly condemned by Jesus, Mark 14:9, 21: Christ predicted that Mary would be honored throughout the whole world wherever the Gospel of His death and resurrection was preached as she had anointed His body for burial before His death, but Jesus claimed it would have been better for Judas never to have been born for betraying Him in unbelief.

f. Mary ended up enjoying honor with a worldwide fellowship of believers as Jesus noted that her deed of devotion would be proclaimed where the Gospel was preached so that believers throughout history would one day fellowship with her to her honor, Mark 14:9. In striking contrast, Judas would end up in deep remorse committing a dreadfully painful suicide alone (Acts 1:16-18) to his shame (Acts 1:19) and so end up in hell and, like the antichrist, be called a "son of perdition," cf. John 17:12 with 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

g. Judas' initial position as a disciple and potential apostle was given to another (Acts 1:20-26) while Mary's place of sitting at Jesus' feet to heed Him was never taken away from her, Luke 10:42.

h. The expensive ointment Mary expended, though lost in her act of worship, has produced great blessing for her from God, but the money Judas gained from betraying Jesus he lost by throwing it down in the temple in remorse, which money was then used to buy the potter's field to bury foreigners, Matt. 27:3-10.

Lesson: Where Mary wholeheartedly heeded Jesus' words, leading to her devoted worship of Him with resulting manifold blessings both in her earthly life and in her eternal life to come, Judas did not believe Jesus' words, leading to a tragic earthly life, death and eternal damnation.

Application: (1) May we like Mary believe the Gospel to be saved and go to heaven instead of going to hell like Judas, John 3:16. (2) Then, may we recall that the choices we make either to heed or not to heed God's Word will lead us down a path of consequent blessing or its lack, and that contrast in time will only greatly intensify.