Today’s reading shows both the trial and the triumph of what Jesus did for His people and how His entire ministry was based on fulfilling the words of OT prophecy.
Mark 14: The Plot to Kill Jesus
1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him,
2 for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people."
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that?
5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her.
6 But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.
7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me.
8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.
9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."
Judas to Betray Jesus
10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.
11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.
The Passover with the Disciples
12 And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
13 And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him,
14 and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'
15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us."
16 And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
17 And when it was evening, he came with the twelve.
18 And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me."
19 They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, "Is it I?"
20 He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me.
21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."
Institution of the Lord's Supper
22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body."
23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.
24 And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
27 And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'
28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee."
29 Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not."
30 And Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times."
31 But he said emphatically, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." And they all said the same.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."
33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.
34 And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch."
35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36 And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?
38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.
41 And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."
Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard."
45 And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, "Rabbi!" And he kissed him.
46 And they laid hands on him and seized him.
47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
48 And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?
49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled."
50 And they all left him and fled.
A Young Man Flees
51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him,
52 but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.
Jesus Before the Council
53 And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.
54 And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire.
55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none.
56 For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree.
57 And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying,
58 "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.'"
59 Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.
60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?"
61 But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"
62 And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."
63 And the high priest tore his garments and said, "What further witnesses do we need?
64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving death.
65 And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" And the guards received him with blows.
Peter Denies Jesus
66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came,
67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus."
68 But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you mean." And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed.
69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them."
70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, "Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean."
71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know this man of whom you speak."
72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and wept.
Things to think about…
1. Jesus healed wherever He went. Did he not heal Simon, Mark 14:3. If He did, then why is Simon called, Simon the Leper – present tense. Maybe Jesus did heal him and the name stuck. You couldn’t eat with a Leper and so Simon is in all likelihood healed. The Pulpit Commentary gives some good insight, “Simon the leper. Not that he was a leper now, but either the appellation was hereditary, in reference to some such malady inflicted on his family, or he himself, having been cured by Christ, retained the name in memory of his cleansing. So St. Matthew is called "the publican" after he had relinquished his obnoxious business (Matthew 10:3), and the revived man is termed "the dead" (Luke 7:15). The frequency of the name Simon among the Jews rendered the addition of a surname expedient; thus we have Simon the Cananite, Simon the tanner, Simon Bar-john, etc.” In this case, Simon the Leper, but who was no longer a leper. In the same way we are no longer condemned and under the judgement of God, but redeemed and part of His family.
2. In Mark 14:3-6 Jesus is anointed with expensive oil and Jesus says “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me”. This woman’s offering cost her almost a year’s wages. Her extravagance was scolded by the disciples. Remember James and John wanted to be first and second in the kingdom. Jesus said the last shall be first and the first, last. I think this woman is somewhere near the front.
3. Jesus says the poor you will always have with you, Mark 14:7. People have used that statement to speak out against ministries that alleviate the suffering of the impoverished like ‘the Micah Project’, World Vision and other Christian ministries. Where does faith and fatalism start and stop with this statement made by Jesus in your opinion? We will always have sin with us until Christ returns, but we are called to share the gospel and see as many spared from its eternal consequences. The same I suggest is true when relieving the poor from their affliction.
4. Judas seeks to betray Jesus, Mark 14:10, 11 and then sits down with Jesus to celebrate the Passover. He knew that Jesus knew what people were thinking because he had seen it happen over the years he was with Jesus. Jesus said that he was the man of destruction, John 17:12. Judas would eventually betray Jesus in a bold faced betrayal by kissing Him. Did Judas ever have a choice do you think? We know he later felt remorse and hung himself, so why did he not feel remorse in the midst of his cowardly act of betrayal? Sometimes our will rules over our conscience – never a healthy practise.
5. Peter of course is no different to Judas in the fact that they both have a sinful disposition, Mark 14:26-31, the only difference is that God’s grace would be upon Peter and he would be restored through genuine repentance. Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane shows the real issue where He says the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, vs 38. How much do we rely on our own efforts and personal responsibility and accountability and how much do we rely on God’s grace and sovereignty? How do you reconcile the balance? Jesus acknowledges both these realities in vs 49. Jesus would only be arrested according to the scriptures.
6. Mark 14:58 confirms that the re-built temple Jesus was talking about would not be made with hands and that this was common knowledge among the people. The Jews will desire to rebuild a third temple, but Christ’s body is where the true temple of the Holy Spirit resides. All born again believers are pasrt of His temple.
7. Jesus knew that the question asked in Mark 14:61 and His answer given in vs 62 would incriminate Him and give Him the death sentence. I am glad He made that choice on my behalf. If He didn’t, we would still be lost in our sins. But would I stand up for Him even to the point of death if required? I am exhorted to pick up my cross and follow Him wherever He leads – but to death? I believe if any of us are ever required to die for the cause of Christ – our Lord will give us the grace by His Spirit to stand in that hour. I believe that if we ever had to lay down our lives for the cause of Christ we first need to see the frailty of our flesh – for Peter, this happened as outlined in Mark 14:66-71. Has the Lord humbled you to this point at all? Pride is a deceitful thing and unless we have been brought low we very unlikely to see its influence subside in our lives.
8. Unfortunately, we can all relate to Peter in this regard in some way, Mark 14:66-72. Praise God Jesus restores us simply because we are His. Jesus promises never to leave us nor forsake us. He will make sure that we remain in His grace. Praise God!
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon:-“Dealing with demons” – Mark 5
a. Discuss Sunday’s sermon and your understanding of Satan’s work in the life of believers and his influence in the world.
b. What should our response be to these situations?
c. How do we use the influence of Satan in sharing the gospel with unbelievers?
d. Pray for our witness with our friends, workmates, family and neighbours who are outside of Christ.
Prayer Points
1. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you saved..
2. Pray for Kids@church and our Youth group.
3. Pray for Chuwar Youth and Jarrod’s ministry. Pray as he meets with youth at Westside, this week as well as the growing young adults ministry.
4. How you can serve in ministry this year.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. More visitors on Sunday – Pray this continues and they get involved in the life of the church.
2. Young adults ministry is growing – keep praying as Jarrod develops this ministry.
3. Kids@Church and Youth ministries are a great blessing. Pray for Rosie and Jarrod as they start out for term 2.
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Chuwar Youth and Kids@Church have started back.
2. Mother’s Day High Tea. Sat 10am Church. Speaker and pampering, 13th May RSVP Suzanne 1/5/2023. Ph:- 0418 889 683.
3. Remember to check your duty rosters for term 2.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for April...
Q. 7. In how many persons does this one God exist? A. In three persons.
