Mark 14:53-65 The Kangaroo Court

Joel and Mary Nadel, Covenant United Reformed Church

From: The Holy Bible and J.C. Ryle’s “Expository Comments on the Gospels - Mark”

House Rules: Phones, Respect, Stay on the Text

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Review

Begin with the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry

Message: “Repent and believe the Gospel” - the Gospel was Jesus life and death

Preached, taught, performed miracles for three years”

Now in Jerusalem to fulfill the Gospel promise - to die for our sins

Mark 14:53-65

Mark 14:53-65 “They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’ ” Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him,…”

Ecclesiastes 10:6 NASB95

folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places.

Introduction

The fake trial of Jesus is a great example of what Solomon was talking about in Ecclesiastes

Here we see the Son of God, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” being investigated as a criminal by the most senior leadership in the Jewish nation - the chief priests, the elders and the scribes

Here we see these supposedly great and learned men working together to kill their own Messiah, the very son of God- the one who will return one day to pass judgement on them and all mankind

This all sounds like craziness, but it is true

Let’s see what lessons we can learn from the details of this passage:

Mark 14:54 NASB95

Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.

Christians can be foolish - putting themselves into temptation

No question about it, this was a foolish thing to do

Peter had already forsaken the Lord and run away - you would think he would remember his own weakness and not put himself in danger again

This was a silly thing to do - he did not think through the risks at all

It brought him into even more trials of his faith, trials that he was not prepared for

It also brought him into bad company, where nothing good was likely to happen

It prepared the way for his greatest sin - his three denials of Jesus

Experience tells us that when a believer starts to backslide from his faith, he rarely stops with the first mistake - he rarely trips up just once

When the backsliding starts, a sort of blindness of understanding sets in - it is like he is in a panic, and makes mistake after mistake

He seems to throw his own common sense out the window

His first sin starts a snowballing effect, and he continues going down hill, committing more sins as he goes

King David is an example - it started with idleness and boredom and ended with all manner of crimes - including for his family

Peter started with being a coward, then put himself in the path of temptation, and ended up denying Christ

Faithful Christians need to be on the lookout for the beginning of backsliding

It is like a hole that develops in a dam - it starts out as a few drops and ends as a flood

Once we start deviating from the path of righteousness, there is no telling where we may end up

We need to avoid evil like the plague - we cannot play with fire

We shouldn't be afraid to be too strict or precise

Remember the Lord’s prayer “Lead us not into temptation” - its the most important petition there

Mark 14:56 NASB95

For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent.

Secondly, the Lord Jesus had to put up with lies and liars, at this trial

This was far from the easiest part of the Lord’s passion

To be falsely arrested and tried as a criminal is hard enough

To hear people making up false charges, and slandering - to listen to all the lying accusations against your character and know its not true - this is a cross indeed!

Prov 18:8 "the words of a talebearer are as wounds”

Ps 120:2 “Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, From a deceitful tongue.”

This is all part of what Jesus had to experience for our sake - the cost of our salvation was very great to Him

True Christians should never be surprised if people slander or lie about them and their action

We should look forward to it, its part of the cross we need to bear after we turn to Christ

Lies and false reports are the work of Satan - if he cannot keep us from serving Christ, he will harass us to make our service difficult and uncomfortable

Luke 6:26 ““Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”

Matt 5:11 ““Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.”

Mark 14:61–62 (NASB95)

Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Last, but not least - the Lord testified He was the Messiah, and would come again in glory

These words of the Lord are very important and we need to remember them

I have heard unbelievers say categorically that nowhere in the bible did Jesus say He was the son of God.

Either they haven’t read the Bible

or, they don’t understand what the words mean

He clearly said “I am” the Christ (talk about “I am”)

The Jews could never say that they were not told that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ of God.

They couldn’t say that because He was such a poor and lowly person, He shouldn’t be believed.

He told them plainly that He would come again in glory and greatness - but not until the second coming

He testified that they would see Him in royal majesty, “sitting at the right hand of Power”, coming in the clouds of heaven - a Judge, conqueror and King.

If Israel chose not to believe Him, it was not because they were not told

The lesson for us is that it is certain that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again

Here, at the end of His earthly ministry, in the face of deadly enemies, He states this mighty truth that He will be back to judge the world. Implication: they cannot kill Him

We need to make this one of the most important truths in our faith - we need to remember every day that the Lord will come again

The Christ of the Bible, who we believe in, not only died for us and rose again, but He lives for us and intercedes with the Father, and He will one day return to us in glory, to gather up and reward His people, and punish all His enemies

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