THE PASSION ACCORDING TO MARK.
Mark 14:1-72, Mark 15:1-47.
I). THE PREPARATION.
Mark 14:1-11.
1. The Plot to Kill Jesus (Mark 14:1-2).
The first thing that we notice as we enter into this passage is that it was the LORD who was setting the timetable for Jesus’ death. It was "the feast of the PASSOVER, and of Unleavened Bread” (MARK 14:1a). In other words, it was the commemoration of the deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt. Later, in interpreting and applying these events for us, the Apostle Paul could report: ‘Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us’ (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:7).
The second thing that we may notice is the manipulative plan of Satan that the LORD was using and overruling throughout. “The chief priests and the scribes” (MARK 14:1b) were making an unholy alliance (cf. Psalm 2:2), consulting how they might take Jesus by guile and put Him to death.
But, they said, “not during the feast, lest there might be a tumult among the people!” (MARK 14:2).
2. Jesus Anointed at Bethany (Mark 14:3-9).
Mark next describes an incident in Bethany, in the house of one “Simon the leper.” In a singular act of devotion, “a woman” approached Jesus having an alabaster box full of very precious ointment, and poured it upon His head as He sat (MARK 14:3).
“There were some,” we are told, who “had indignation within themselves” (MARK 14:4). ‘To what purpose is this waste?’ they argued:
‘For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor,’ they continued. And they “murmured” against her (MARK 14:5).
This must have upset the woman; whose humility and spirituality is apparent. Jesus came to her defence: “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? she has wrought a good work upon Me” (MARK 14:6).
When our work proceeds out of a devotion to Jesus, we will find ourselves criticised, sometimes even by our fellow-believers. Yet our heart’s extravagance is a sacrifice of a sweet savour to the Lord. What this woman did was accepted as part of her 'reasonable service’ (cf. Romans 12:1), because her motives and her motivation were sound.
This is not to undermine the place of almsgiving in Christian service. Jesus says that we will always have the poor (MARK 14:7), and we should always minister to them appropriately. This is taught throughout the Bible. Yet for the Christian this is no longer a legal obligation, but a debt of gratitude for what Jesus has done for us through His death and resurrection.
Jesus applauded the woman for her perception that this costly ointment was intended to be kept for His burial (MARK 14:8). It was now poured out in an act of sacrificial giving because His time had come. The woman had had the insight and precognition to thus anoint Jesus for his burial.
“The gospel shall be preached in the whole world.” And wherever it is preached, says Jesus, the fragrance of this woman’s act of devotion shall stand as a testimony (MARK 14:9). And so it is!
3. Judas Offers to Betray Jesus (Mark 14:10-11).
It was at this point that Judas Iscariot, “one of the twelve” (MARK 14:10) went to the chief priests and offered to betray Jesus.
They in turn promised to give him money; and Judas thereafter “sought how he might conveniently betray” Jesus (MARK 14:11).
We see here an example of how ‘the LOVE of money' is the 'root of all kinds of evil’ (cf. 1 Timothy 6:10).
II). PASSOVER AND COMMUNION.
Mark 14:12-26.
The Passover meal was designed to commemorate the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt (cf. Exodus 12:14). Out of it grew our Lord’s Supper, in which we remember what Jesus was accomplishing on this very night, centuries later, in delivering us out of ‘the bondage of sin and death’ (cf. Romans 8:2). It was only apt that Jesus and His disciples should keep the Passover one last time (MARK 14:12), before Jesus fulfilled all it stood for in His Passover sacrifice on Calvary’s hill (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:7).
Still in control, Jesus sent two of His disciples with a message to a man saying, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” (MARK 14:14). The two disciples, wondrously, found EVERYTHING exactly as Jesus had said, and made ready the Passover (MARK 14:13-16). In the evening, Jesus came with the twelve (MARK 14:17).
It should have been a happy meal but, under the shadow of the Cross, ‘with bitter herbs they shall eat it’ (cf. Exodus 12:8). Jesus had solemn words to speak (MARK 14:18).
Jesus knew who His betrayer was, even before anyone else in His little group knew. The other disciples did not ask, ‘Is it Judas Iscariot?’ but rather each of them asked, “Lord, is it I?” (MARK 14:19). Well, it was one of them who was dipping in the dish with Him, but woe betide that man. “The Son of man goes as it was written of him,” said Jesus, but “it would have been better for that man (who betrayed Jesus) if he had not been born” (MARK 14:20-21).
It is here, at last, that the Passover meal begins to fuse into the Lord’s Supper. “As they were eating” Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples. Usually the person presiding over a Passover meal would lift the unleavened bread and say, ‘This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the wilderness.’ Jesus said, “Take, eat; this is my body” (MARK 14:22).
Jesus knew that He would soon be going to the Cross, and was using the opportunity as a teaching moment. HE is the bread of life, and the bread of Communion represents HIM (cf. John 6:35). And just as He was present with the disciples in the first Communion, so He is a very real presence with us when we remember Him in this way which HE first ordained.
Each of the four cups of the Passover meal was associated with a line of Exodus 6:6-7. The third cup is linked to the words ‘I will redeem you.’ Jesus took this cup and invested it with new meaning (MARK 14:23-24). Instead of the blood of the original Passover lamb, it comes to represent His own blood.
Jesus inaugurated a new covenant in words similar to the institution of the old (cf. Exodus 24:8). In an echo of the last verse of the fourth Servant Song, ‘He bare the sin of many’ (cf. Isaiah 53:12), Jesus’ blood is “shed for many” for the remission of sins (MARK 14:24).
Like Passover, Communion refers back to a past deliverance. Like Passover, Communion provides sustenance for the journey. Like Passover, Communion anticipates the future.
For Israel it is the promised land, and even in exile the hope is still expressed: ‘Next year in Jerusalem.’ For Christians it is a heavenly banquet over which Jesus, their Messiah and ours, will preside (MARK 14:25).
Our passage ends with praise (MARK 14:26). The disciples' hymn book was the book of Psalms. Their Psalms for Passover would end, ‘O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for His mercy endures forever’ (cf. Psalm 118:29). And with that they would proceed to Gethsemane.
III). THE DENIAL BY PETER.
Mark 14:27-72.
In the Bible, the weakness of God’s servants is held aloft as an example for all to see. The account of Peter’s denial of Jesus is a humbling reminder that even the best of men is vulnerable to the wiles of the devil, if he allows himself to be caught off guard.
Temptation has a way of creeping up on us, especially when we least expect it. Peter and the other apostles had walked with Jesus and listened to His teachings for three years. They had just attended the first ever service of communion, and yet this was where Peter’s downfall began. This should warn us to be on our guard at all times.
There were several steps which led to Peter’s denial of Jesus.
First, there was his SELF-CONFIDENCE.
Jesus had warned the disciples that they would all be offended because of Him (MARK 14:27-28).
Peter replied that even if everyone else was offended because of Jesus, yet he would not be offended (MARK 14:29).
Peter felt that he was strong and loyal enough to follow Jesus, so Jesus warned him again: “Today, even this night, before the cock crows twice, you shall deny me three times” (MARK 14:30).
We cannot serve Him in our own strength, but Peter remained convinced that he was capable of persevering, even “if I have to die with you” (MARK 14:31).
It is easy for Christians to speak courageous words when we are safe and secure, and feel the nearness of Jesus. The real test comes when we are persecuted, and must give an account of the hope that is within us. If we are depending upon our own strength to see us through the challenges of life, we will surely fail. We must look to God for strength.
Second, we find Peter SLEEPING IN A TIME OF PRAYER.
Jesus took Peter and two other men with Him whilst He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was a solemn occasion, yet when Jesus came back he found all three disciples sleeping. Our Lord rebuked them, addressing Peter in particular: “Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation” (MARK 14:37-38).
A second and a third time Jesus prayed, and each time He returned the three disciples were sleeping. We all know that it is easier to sleep than to pray!
The third step towards Peter’s denial of Jesus was COWARDICE.
All the disciples fled when Jesus was arrested (MARK 14:50; cf. MARK 14:51-52, which is thought to be Mark's own autograph). Peter was not alone in his fearfulness, but where were his bold words now? How different things seem when we are confronted with the reality rather than just the threat of persecution.
This cowardice was further aggravated by Peter KEEPING AT A DISTANCE FROM JESUS in His crisis hour (MARK 14:54a). It is so easy to distance ourselves from the cause of Christ when persecution comes.
Then Peter found himself in UNSYMPATHETIC COMPANY (MARK 14:54b). We must be careful to surround ourselves by the right kind of companions. The scene was being set for the last stage of Peter’s downfall.
It was here that he would be accused of being one of the disciples of Jesus, and three times deny it. It was here that his cowardice would be reduced to cursing and swearing (MARK 14:66-71).
Let us not doubt the SERIOUSNESS of Peter’s sin.
Sin first brought death into the world, and for a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ to deny his Master is a sin against the light of the gospel.
It was sin that made it necessary for Jesus to die so that we might be forgiven. Will we deny the one who has loved us and given Himself for us? We should know better!
Sin also has CONSEQUENCES.
Just as it first separated man from God, and brought death into the world, it grieves the conscience of the believer. Bold Peter was at last reduced to bitter tears (MARK 14:72).
The peace which Jesus had left His disciples in the upper room was shattered. Peter had chosen to keep at a distance from his Lord, and now he could no longer enjoy the closeness of communion with God. This is the lowest point in his experience.
Yet Peter’s tears were TEARS OF REPENTANCE.
We might weep because of our sin. Our tears might be on account of sadness at the pain we have caused. We might cry out to God because we know we have offended Him and fear His judgment.
All this is good, but it might amount to no more than the whimpering of Esau when he regretted having sold his birthright: ‘he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears’ (cf. Hebrews 12:17).
Peter’s tears amounted to more than regret. Unlike Judas, Peter did not go and hang himself. Peter felt a sorrow which led him to true repentance.
Paul calls this ‘repentance unto salvation’ (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:9-10).
The proof of Peter’s repentance comes in Peter’s RESTORATION.
After the resurrection of Jesus, the angel told the women at the tomb to go and speak to his disciples - ‘and Peter’ (cf. Mark 16:7).
The Lord was still working in the heart of His humbled disciple. In a short time he would be welcomed back into the fold.
And just as Peter had denied Jesus three times, Jesus called upon Peter to confess his love for Jesus three times (cf. John 21:15-17).
The surest sign of our repentance is a renewed love towards the Lord Jesus Christ, and the willingness to confess Him before men.
IV). THE KING FORSAKEN.
Mark 15:1-39.
After the Sanhedrin had delivered Jesus to Pilate, the first thing that Pilate asked Jesus was, “Are you the KING OF THE JEWS?” Jesus answered, “Thou sayest” (Mark 15:2). Beyond that, Jesus refused to answer any of the accusations brought against Him by His accusers.
Pilate had an arrangement with the crowd during the Passover, that he would release one prisoner to them. This was his opportunity to release Jesus without losing face. “Will ye that I release unto you the KING OF THE JEWS?” (Mark 15:9).
The chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. “What would ye then that I should do (unto Him) whom ye call the KING OF THE JEWS?” (Mark 15:12). And they cried out, “Crucify Him.” “Why, what evil has He done?” No answer but to cry out all the more exceedingly, “Crucify Him” (Mark 15:13-14).
Now Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, and that the chief priests had delivered Him out of envy. Pilate also knew that Barabbas was guilty but, willing to content the people, Pilate released Barabbas to them, and had Jesus scourged and handed over to be crucified. Amongst other abuses, the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, mockingly similar in shape to the royal diadem of Caesar, and thrust that upon the head of Jesus, and they began to salute Him, “Hail, KING OF THE JEWS” (Mark 15:18).
At the third hour (9 a.m.), they crucified Him. The superscription of His accusation read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Mark 15:26). Jesus was crucified between two thieves, in fulfilment of the Scripture which says, “He was numbered with the transgressors” (Mark 15:28; cf. Isaiah 53:12).
Passers-by, priests, and scribes all now mocked Jesus. “Let CHRIST THE KING OF ISRAEL descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe” (Mark 15:32).
At the sixth hour (12 noon), darkness covered the whole land, for three full hours. Too long to be an eclipse. At the ninth hour (3 p.m.), Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?” (Mark 15:34; cf. Psalm 22:1).
This is the only time when Jesus addressed the LORD as “My God” rather than “Father.” It is known as the cry of dereliction. Yet it is remarkable that, deserted though He may have felt, Jesus still knew God as HIS God. Believers can draw great strength from this, even at times when we too may feel bereft of the felt presence of God with us.
We may well ask the same question, “Why?” Why did Jesus have to go through all this? Why this momentary break in communication between the Father and the Son?
The answer is that it was Necessary. It was impossible for man’s salvation to be procured in any other way. Remember Jesus’ prayer in the Garden: ‘O my Father, IF IT BE POSSIBLE let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt’ (Matthew 26:39). There was no other way, so it had to happen like this.
There was no other way by which a holy God might be both ‘just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus’ (Romans 3:26). It was a perfect exchange: Jesus ‘became sin for us,” “that we might become the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Corinthians 5:21). A holy God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13) so, for that long moment in history, the Father could not look upon His beloved Son.
The wonder is that the forsaken-ness of Jesus unites us to God. As Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost, “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Mark 15:37-38). Now, this veil was too large and heavy for any human hands to tear, and too high for them to reach. The fact that it was torn “FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM” can only be by the hand of God Himself.
The significance of this is that this heavy curtain symbolised the barrier between God and man. No man might pass behind the veil in the Temple into the presence of God apart from the high priest, and that only once per year, on the Day of Atonement. Now the way into the very presence of God is opened to all, by the sacrifice of Jesus, once and for all and for ever.
As we step over the historical threshold represented by the rending of this veil, the first person to realise the full meaning of what has just happened was not one of the ‘religious’ people, but the Roman centurion. “Truly,” he announced, “THIS MAN WAS THE SON OF GOD” (Mark 15:39).
The Beloved Son was forsaken, but only for a season, that all might come in. There is no trial of His people in which He is not a present participant as THE way of escape (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13). To His Name be glory.
V). THE WITNESSES TO THE DEATH OF JESUS.
Mark 15:40-47.
It would be wrong to say that there were only women around the Cross, since Joseph was near enough to be aware of the moment of Jesus’ demise (Mark 15:43) – and John was evidently there (John 19:26-27).
Nevertheless, the following account is very much about the women. In the first scene, they are “afar off” (Mark 15:40), attentive to all that is happening. In the second scene they take centre stage (Mark 16:1).
Then of course, in our list of characters, there is Pilate (Mark 15:43-45) – although by now he is falling into a shadowy background.
Yet the main character remains – Jesus. Or at least, His body, His corpse (Mark 15:45). Jesus was surely dead, and certified so by the authorities.
