#62 Two Rocks Series

#62 Two Rocks

Series: Mark

Chuck Sligh

February 13, 2022

NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com. Please mention the title of the sermon and the Bible text to help me find the sermon in my archives.

TEXT: Mark 14:53-72 – "And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. 54 And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. 55 And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. 56 For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. 57 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, 58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. 59 But neither so did their witness agree together. 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? 64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. 65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. 68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. 69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. 70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. 71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. 72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.”"

INTRODUCTION

Today we’ll examine the trial of Jesus and Peter’s three famous denials. Mark frames the story in such a way as to show a contrast between the failure of one man—Peter, and the steadfastness of the Son of Man—Jesus.

Mark 14:53-72 is a contrast between two rocks…

• Christ the Rock, “the spiritual rock” Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 10:4 who is now the “foundation” of the Church, remains unmoved and unmovable in our story.

• The other rock was Simon who was renamed Peter—Petros in the Greek, which means “rock.” – He fails to stand up for Jesus in the moment of Jesus’ greatest need.

Mark sets the stage for us in verses 53-54 – “And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. 54 And Peter followed him at a distance, right into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.”

Already past midnight, the Sanhedrin came filing in from every corner of Jerusalem. Peter followed Jesus at a distance, right into the house of Caiaphas, the high priest and president of the Sanhedrin.

Thus began the Jewish trial of Jesus. Though they went through all the motions of a legal court proceeding, this meeting was illegal for several reasons:

• First, legal proceedings were not supposed to take place at night.

• Nor were they supposed to take place anywhere except in the Temple.

• Finally, a sentence of a capital offence could not be made during Passover.

Despite all these infractions, they began their kangaroo court anyway.

Meanwhile, somehow Peter managed to enter the courtyard of Caiaphas’s home. There in the courtyard of Caiaphas, Peter was in imminent danger. Peter was the most prominent of the disciples and those opposed to Jesus might easily recognize him.