Sunday, March 18, 2007
Mark 14:53-65
Senior Pastor
We are following this account in the Gospel of Mark as Jesus walks through these last twenty-four hours in his life. We began with 6:21 p.m. – Jesus at Supper. Then we moved to 10:01 p.m. – Jesus in the Garden. Last week we put the incident at 11:59 p.m. – Jesus Arrested. Now it is just a short time later as Mark tells the story. Jesus has been arrested by the temple authorities and taken to the high priest. This would be something like Jesus is arrested by the local police authorities and taken to the mayor’s house. It is not exactly what you would consider a trial in the strict sense of the word – more like a special hearing in the middle of the night, if you will.
But why arrest Jesus? It is hard for us to fathom. I mean, come on, he is a mild and meek fellow. He is loving and kind. Why could the authorities be so concerned as to have him arrested? Mark says they are looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death. (v.55) That seems a little harsh to us, doesn’t it? But, during the hearing they bring forth witnesses to testify against him. But they cannot agree and you might remember that in Jewish proceedings there must be two or three witnesses that agree to condemn someone.
So the high priest goes for the direct examination of Jesus. He asks Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’” (v. 60-62)
The high priest explodes, tears his clothes and yells blasphemy and they all condemn him to death. What just happened? Now I need some help from our biblical scholars to follow this proceeding.
There are several important things here that help us understand what just happened.
First, is to know that Messiah is the anointed one of God and within the history of Judaism usually denotes a king.
Second, is that the Blessed One is a direct reference to God. It was commanded in Jewish law not to take the name of the Lord in vain. In careful observance of that, it became the custom of Jews not to ever say the name of God, but to refer to God by other means. When reading the Hebrew Scriptures we find only consonants for the name of God YHWH, so one would not even pronounce it when reading scripture. In fact the name has been lost as over the centuries it was not repeated. So today we have recreated it by adding vowels, from the Hebrew word for Lord, to the consonants YHWH and come up with the name Yahweh. So, the high priest is asking “Are you the Son of God?”
Third, we note that Jesus gives two important answers. He starts with “I am” but also adds a quote from the Book of Daniel about the Son of Man. Both of these answers are steeped in meaning. When Jesus says, “I am” it is much more than just an affirmative answer. It is the name God gave Moses at the burning bush when he was called to go to Egypt and confront the Pharaoh to set the Hebrew people free. Moses asked God, which God should I tell them sent me. And God said, tell them “I AM” sent you. You can read that story in the 3rd chapter of Exodus. So this would be a clear allusion to Jesus identifying himself with God.
But he doesn’t stop there; he goes on with this quote from the 7th chapter of Daniel when he refers to himself as the Son of Man. Now in the Book of Daniel there is a conflict being described between different empires. The first four empires are seen as evil empires because they conquered and ruled over the Israelites. But the fifth empire is a good empire, a divinely ordained empire, in fact. This fifth empire is to be the final empire as well. For this empire and its ruler – that is to come – will rule forever. And who does Daniel say this ruler will be? – “one like a son of man.”
Listen to this passage from Daniel 7:13: I saw one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.
So Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man throughout Mark, it is his favorite title. Do you remember back in Mark chapter 8 when Peter declared that Jesus was Messiah,what Jesus did? He sternly ordered them to tell no one. Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering… -- there is the title. Jesus takes the imagery and fills it out. He sees himself as the one that Daniel expected long ago.
But the fourth thing to note is that he has chosen a title that implies power and authority, heavenly and earthly. He has chosen a title that suggests he is the leader of a kingdom that has divine sanction and will last forever. But wait - that is the role of the temple and the temple officials. Recognize that to say to the Jewish high priest or ruling council, by the way, I have the only legitimate power here, could be a problem. I have authority here, not you. I represent God here, not you.
Or further, think of the Roman official representing the Roman Empire hearing, by the way, I am the ruler of the empire that rules over all peoples, nations and languages. That is putting yourself in the place of Caesar. We can see how that would be not only a great affront, but grounds for execution? It is treason. It is being a disloyal subject. You can see how it could be seen as instigating a rebellion.
What they do not realize is that the kingdom of which Jesus speaks is not a kingdom or empire based on power backed up by military might, as were those Jesus is facing. Last week we spent a good deal of time on reading the descriptions Jesus gives about himself when he talks of the Son of Man. In fact, we realized that Jesus on three different occasions makes clear that this kingdom 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. Although this is not a military threat, it is definitely a threat to the status quo. Now we know the answer to the question we began with this morning: Why arrest Jesus? He is a threat to the power structures of his day.
(Borg and Crossan in The Last Week, p. 130ff)
Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day – known these days as an excuse to have a party with green beer or to pinch someone not wearing green. But not unlike Santa Claus, St. Patrick was a real person from Christian history with an extraordinary story.
Patrick was not
Irish; he was born on the island of Britain.
Raised in relative comfort, at the age of 16, he was kidnapped by a
party of marauding Irish raiders, carried to Ireland, and sold into slavery. He was sent by his Irish master to tend
sheep. Miserable and alone, he turned
increasingly to prayer. He served this
solitary exile for six years until in a dream God told him to flee from his
captivity. Walking a great distance to
the coast, he found the ship that would take him back to his family.
The reunion with his
family was only temporary. In another
dream, he described hearing a call from the people of Ireland to come back to
them and walk among them. Patrick understood
this as God's call to missionary service to go as a Christian witness to the
Irish. In answer to that call, he
traveled to France where he undertook studies for the priesthood and was
ordained.
Eventually he was
entrusted with the mission of evangelizing the Irish, who, on their isolated
island, were a pagan and warlike people having never been conquered by the
legions of Rome. Fulfilling his
youthful dream, Patrick, now a bishop in the company of several disciples, returned
to Ireland in March of the year 433 AD.
He was almost 50 years old.
Not a great deal is
known of Patrick's preaching, but he and his companions were certainly fearless
to approach such a fierce, unfriendly population with faith their only
protection. Perhaps the most remarkable
thing about St. Patrick's conversion of Ireland is that it was peaceful.
Christianity had
come to many other nations in Europe at the point of a sword, only in the
bloody aftermath of Roman conquest. Not
so Ireland. In those other cases, the
conquered nations had accepted Christianity. But in this case, Christianity had
accepted Ireland and that approach led a pagan nation to become a Christian
center, even unto this day. (3/14/07 tothesource
web journal)
St. Patrick suffered at the hands of the Irish but returned only love. He faced his perpetrators just as Christ did. Jesus listened to God and suffered for us. St. Patrick listened to God and suffered for the Irish.
I believe God is still speaking – do you? If so, with God leading,
who might you reach by offering love?
12:29
a.m. – Jesus On Trial 3/18/07
We began with 6:21 p.m. – Jesus at ____________.
Then we moved to 10:01 p.m. – Jesus in the Garden.
Last week we put the incident at 11:59 p.m. – Jesus
Arrested.
But why ____________ Jesus?
v. 60 - _____
1… Messiah is the anointed one of God… denotes a ________.
2… is that the Blessed One is a direct reference to ______.
3… we note that Jesus gives ______ important answers.
And God said, tell them “I AM” sent you.
Daniel 7:13: I
saw one like a son of man coming with the
clouds …To him was given dominion and glory and
kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve
______.
…an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away…
…the Son of ______ throughout Mark, it is his favorite title.
4… chosen a __________ that implies power and authority…
…not a kingdom or empire based on power… military might…
Why arrest Jesus? He is a threat to the __________ structures…
St. __________________ Day
…returned to
Ireland in March of the year ______ AD.
…St. Patrick's
conversion of Ireland… was ________________.
I believe God is still speaking – do you? If so, with God leading,
who might you reach by offering ________?
Kid’s Question:
What title does Jesus use as his favorite in Mark?