Sunday, March 11, 2007
Mark 14:43-50
Senior Pastor
With the Gospel of Mark as our guide, we are walking slowly through these last twenty-four hours in Jesus’ life. We are stopping to investigate significant moments that Mark describes. We began with his description of the Last Supper two weeks ago. We learned about the background of the Passover and the covenant God established with the people of Israel. Then we looked at how Jesus opened that covenant in a new way to all of us, non-Jews. Then last week Susan led us through an exploration of Jesus in the garden praying and the importance of understanding those points in our lives when we clearly surrender our will to the will of God. Jesus has just done that in the passage before where we began to read today.
Immediately (v. 43) Mark writes, while Jesus is still talking to the disciples, Judas and a crowd from the temple guard arrive to arrest Jesus. In the dark of the night, Judas identifies the one to be arrested with a kiss. The guards move in to arrest him, but before they can complete the arrest and take him away, one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. (v. 47)
Mark does not name this one, but in the Gospel of John we are told that it was Peter who acted with boldness on that night. Peter draws his sword and with one swift move begins the attack. Peter is ready for the fight. Peter has told Jesus that he will not deny him. Peter is ready to go down fighting.
I think it is important to pause here long enough to think about this for a moment. Typically we chastise Peter for saying he would not deny Jesus and then denying him three times. But, as I was reading and studying for our time together this week I thought about Peter’s bold action to defend Jesus here. I thought, look at this, Peter does not deny Jesus. He stands up for Jesus. He is ready to give his life right here, there is no denial in him.
But, then Jesus stops the action when he speaks: Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I am a bandit? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled. (v. 48-49) If we read the same passage in the gospels of Matthew, Luke or John, Jesus stops the action even more directly. But in all of these accounts one thing is clear – Peter is ready for a sword fight. He is ready to give his life for the life of Christ if that is what it takes to protect the Master.
Yet, we should recall that in the passage just preceding this Peter is sleeping while Jesus is surrendering to the will of God. Jesus is ready to surrender to God and therefore not face the authorities with violence, but with love. Peter is ready for the sword fight, but not the surrender.
Now, it is important to remember what Jesus has been emphasizing to his disciples on this final trip to Jerusalem. He has taught them many things, but there in one thing he has told them repeatedly. In fact, he has pointed this out to them three times – beginning back in Chapter 8 and then again in 9 and finally in chapter 10. He has told them how he is going to die. Listen, to Mark in Chapter 8, verse 31, Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering… and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes… and be killed. Do you remember what happened next? Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him for saying such a thing. But Jesus says to Peter and all the disciples, Get behind me Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. (8:33)
Then Jesus explains further to the disciples and to the crowd with them: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (8:34) But it is such a hard lesson to hear – for them and for us. Suffering, rejection, death – is that what he said? What is this talk of taking up a cross?
Then in Chapter 9, Mark records that Jesus told them again about his death and they did not understand. So Jesus calls them back together and says, Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. (9:35)
Then for the third time in Chapter 10 Jesus explains, if you want to read along look to verse 32: They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.” (10:32- 34)
James and John skip over the terrible part of the prediction and ask if when it is all over can they be seated on his right and left. They are ready for the glory. The ten hear it and they are angry. Jesus calls them together again and says, You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you… but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. (10:42-44) (See chapter 4 in The Last Week by Borg & Crossan for a fuller analysis on this.)
Just as Peter is ready for a fight, the disciples are ready for glory, for the kingdom to come. But Jesus is telling them that this kingdom does not look like what they expect a kingdom to look like. In this kingdom greatness is founded on being a slave, on being a servant, on not being first, but being last. In fact, it is tied to the willingness to suffer with and for others, if that is what it takes.
You would not know it by looking at her. Dr. Helen Roseveare looked like an ordinary women in her seventies. But she was far from ordinary. She had lived most of her life in the wilds of Africa as a medical missionary. Not only served there over several decades, but in fact suffered some horrendous violence at the hands of rebels. After enduring being beaten and raped repeatedly she suffered an emotional breakdown and left the mission field. She shared that people often asked her if it was worth it. She said she would tell them no, it was too costly.
Then she said something incredible: “The Lord spoke to me. He said, ‘Helen, that’s the wrong question. The question is not, Was it worth it? The question is, Am I worthy? And I said, ‘Of course you are. Lord. You are worthy.’”
She went back into the mission field and continued to accomplish amazing things for Christ in Africa. (Leadership Devotions, p. 110, editor David Goetz)
During this Lenten journey, Jesus is trying to teach us about the nature of the kingdom of God. It is a different kind of kingdom. It is a kingdom in which suffering is not all loss. In God’s economy suffering can and does bring redemption. A love that is willing to suffer in the service of others brings life. The suffering love, which Christ not only spoke of but embodied, reveals to us the nature of God. It reveals to us a God that is present even in the midst of the suffering.
One of our great Biblical scholars in writing about this passage said, “Jesus in Gethsemane is the parable of God. His agony shows what redemption costs God. His steadfastness reflects a God who holds to his saving purpose despite all that humankind does to the contrary. Although we, through sin, do all we can to flee the divine grace, in Jesus, God moves with determination toward our salvation. The good news of Gethsemane is the faithfulness of God.” (p. 263 in Mark from the Interpretation Series by Lamar Williamson, Jr.)
I saw a really good movie a few months ago called The Guardian. It stars Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. It is a story about the Coast Guard, particularly about a special group inside the Coast Guard known as the rescue swimmers. There are some 39,000 men and women in the Coast Guard but only 200 rescue swimmers. They are the ones trained to come save you when you are in trouble. When your boat capsizes, when your home floods, when hurricanes rage, they go out. When everybody else is fleeing for safety, that is when they go out. They are some of the ones shot at when trying to rescue people in New Orleans after the hurricanes. They continued their efforts to rescue those folks.
The movie follows one group of trainees trying to become rescue swimmers. One of the instructors tells this group during orientation: “Coming here gives you a really good chance to die… slow, cold and alone in a vast sea. It also gives you a chance to save lives – there is no greater calling in the world than that.”
The motto of the Coast Guard is “So Others May Live.” So others may live. During their rigorous training at one point their trainer asks: “Will you sacrifice your life so others may live?” The trainees know the right answer and give it: “Yes, senior chief.” The trainer goes on, the question is, “Will you?” “Or when you are suffering from hypothermia and are exhausted, will you give up?”
Many wash out before the end of training. But then very near the end, with only a few trainees left, their senior trainer asks again, “Will you come look for me if I am lost?” “Yes, Senior Chief.” “Will you come save me if I am drowning?” “Yes, Senior Chief.” He pauses for a moment then says, “I believe you will.”
“Will you sacrifice your life so others may live?”
“Will you come look for me if I am lost?”
These are the questions of Gethsemane. These are the questions Jesus asks his
disciples… then and now.
11:59
p.m. – Jesus Arrested 3/11/07
Immediately…
…one of those who stood near drew his __________…
Peter does not deny Jesus. He stands up for Jesus.
He is ready to give his ________ right here,
Jesus is ready to surrender to ________…
Peter is ready for the sword fight…
He has told them how he is going to die.
But it is such a hard lesson to hear – for them and for
____.
Suffering, rejection, death – is that what he said?
Just as Peter is ready for a fight,
the disciples are ready for __________…
In this kingdom greatness is founded on being a __________,
…tied to the willingness to suffer with and for others…
Dr. H________ Roseveare
“The question is not, Was it worth it?
The question is, ____ ___ worthy?”
shows what redemption costs God. His steadfastness reflects
a God who
holds to his saving purpose despite all that
humankind does
to the contrary. Although we, through
sin,
do all we can to flee the divine grace, in Jesus, God
moves
with determination toward ______ salvation. The good news
of Gethsemane is the faithfulness of God.”
“Will you sacrifice your life so others may live?”
“Will you come look for me if I am ________?”