Mark 14:1-42

Depend on God Through Sacrifice

Mark 14:1–11 ESV

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.

EXPLAIN

Here we see another:

“Markan Sandwich”

A — Religious leaders seeking to kill Jesus

B — Woman who anoints Jesus

A — Judas seeking to betray Jesus

Mark’s intention is to contrast the hypocrisy of those who seemed religious, but in their hearts were evil…

with a woman who showed her heart of devotion to Christ through sacrifice.

The Religious Leaders

The religious leaders felt threatened by Jesus.

They did not recognize him as the Messiah,

and wanted him dead.

The Woman

This woman, on the other hand, DID recognize that Jesus was the Messiah.

Bringing an expensive flask of perfume worth about a year’s worth of wages in that day…

She poured it over Jesus’ head.

Amazingly, the disciples scolded her!

We know they loved Jesus, since they were willing to give everything to follow Him…

and yet were quick to criticize her act of devotion.

But Jesus defends the woman, and shows the meaning of what she has done.

She anointed Jesus’ body, in anticipation of his death and burial.

She probably did not know what she was doing,

but to this day, we remember her act of sacrificial worship!

Judas

Then we learn more about Judas’ character. He was filled with greed.

This was apparently the straw that broke the camel’s back for Judas.

He had enough, and went to betray Jesus to the leaders.

Summary

The religious leaders and Judas were fuelled by greed and selfishness…

but this women understood what was truly valuable.

She was willing to give up earthly wealth/treasure to worship Jesus, her Messiah.

ILLUSTRATE

Aron Ralston was hiking in a remote Utah canyon when he arm became trapped in a boulder.

Over the next 127 hours, he struggled to stay alive as he waited for rescue.

As his supplies began to dwindle, he realized help wasn’t coming.

If he was going to survive, he was going to have to save himself.

Does anyone know the story? What happened?

He amputated his own arm, using a dull pocket knife, and limited medical knowledge.

Summary

This is a graphic demonstration of the lengths someone will go to survive.

APPLY

Aron Rolston was willing to make the hard, and painful, decision to sacrifice his arm in order to save his life.

The woman in our story was willing to make the hard, and costly decision to sacrifice something of value in order to show her devotion to Christ.

Any casual Christian would look at this situation and think she’s crazy!

Admit it! We all would!

If we all saw someone come forward and surrender something worth $50,000…

We would think exactly like the disciples!

But…

The way we know what someone values, is by what they are willing to sacrifice for.

In what ways do we see people around us making sacrifices for things they value?

sacrificing time to get fit/earn money/enjoy a hobby.

sacrificing money to get something they want

sacrificing peace to purchase something (by going into debt they sacrifice financial peace)

Summary

We show our devotion to Christ by what we are willing to sacrifice for Him.

Is there something on your heart that you feel is coming before God?

If there is…

Give it up for Lent!

This is a great opportunity to sacrifice something in remembrance of Christ and all that He sacrificed on our behalf.

Depend on God Through His Plan

Mark 14:12–31 ESV

And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

EXPLAIN

We see that God is in control, and nothing here is happening by accident or coincidence.

This is God’s plan coming to fruition.

These events were taking place during the passover

In his commentary, Bill Cook says…

“The Passover commemorated the most important event in Israel’s history—God’s miraculous deliverance of the people from Egyptian bondage.”

When God was about to deliver his people from Egypt,

he commanded them to slaughter a lamb and spread it’s blood on the doorposts of their house.

Then when the angel passed through to kill the firstborn, he would “passover” the homes of those who obeyed.

Then Mark uses another sandwich…

“Markan Sandwich”

A — Future betrayal of a disciple

B — Future sacrifice of Jesus

A — Future abandonment by disciples

Mark is wanting to contrast the disciples’ failure to be faithful to Christ as they should,

with Christ’s willingness to be faithful even unto death.

Through this meal, Jesus initiates a new “Passover” celebration, which we call:

The Lord’s Supper

The bread representing Jesus’ body sacrificed in our place… and

The wine representing Jesus’ blood poured out for our sin.

Summary

Even though this seemed like a victory for the enemy,

God was working His plan of salvation to save people from bondage to Satan.

ILLUSTRATE

In 1970, NASA launched “Apollo 13” to the moon.

Before they reached the moon, an oxygen tank exploded.

Though the aircraft was heavily damaged, the crew managed to fly it around the moon and back to earth.

The question was whether they would survive re-entering earth’s atmosphere.

As the team on the ground discussed the odds…

everything seemed to be working against them.

One person made the comment:

“This could be the worst disaster NASA has ever experienced.”

Then flight director, Gene Kranz said…

“This could be our finest hour.”

The crew then worked tirelessly to make a plan that would bring the astronauts safely home,

and they succeeded!

Summary

Rather than giving up in the midst of adversity and experiencing failure…

they worked together and defied the odds.

APPLY

I don’t know about you guys, but I am a perfectionist planner.

I do not take a step in any direction until I have a fool-proof plan.

The problem is, that doesn’t exist.

We have plans for your life, or at least hopes, dreams, and desires…

and you want them to go exactly the way you plan them.

We don’t want to face any trouble, struggle, or hardship.

But God actually uses the difficult seasons of our lives to shape, mold, and grow us.

“Often in our darkest moments we find God doing his greatest work in us and for us.” — Bill Cook

Can you think of times in your own life, or someone else’s life, where God grew them through trials?

My mom passing away…

Jessica’s dad passing away…

Summary

We must avoid the temptation to turn away and abandon Jesus.

Jesus was faithful to God unto death, knowing that His deepest pain, would mean our greatest victory.

What is going on in your life that God may be a part of God’s plan?

We must strive to draw near to God…

to learn to depend on Him and call on Him in difficult situations…

seeking to be faithful servants as He builds His kingdom through us.

Depend on God Through Difficulty

Mark 14:32–42 ESV

And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

EXPLAIN

As Jesus’ death draws nearer, He withdraws to pray.

We see the importance of this event, as Jesus takes his inner circle, Peter, James, and John with him.

Jesus is facing intense emotion and sorrow.

Jesus is not afraid of death,

or he would have never come back to Jerusalem.

or he would not have continued to confront the Jewish leaders.

Jesus is not afraid of the cross,

he had predicted his death on numerous occasions.

The reason Jesus is responds the way he does is:

He is about to bear the sin of mankind; and

experience separation from His Father.

Jesus does not want to experience this separation, so he prays honestly to God that if there is another way that He wouldn’t have to go through it.

Even in the midst of His anguish, Jesus uses the affectionate name for God, “Abba” meaning Father.

Jesus also recognizes God’s power, that “all things are possible” for him.

But ultimately, Jesus submits to God’s will rather than His own.

Bill Cook says…

“Some might say that God didn’t answer Jesus. He did. He just said no. There is not another way. Jesus must drink the cup of God’s wrath.”

Mark contrasts Jesus’ ability to trust God for strength in the midst of temptation…

with the disciples inability.

Summary

As a result of their prayerlessness,

the disciples will all give in to temptation and abandon Jesus…

while Jesus, strengthened through prayer,

will stand strong in the face of His greatest trial.

ILLUSTRATE

Eric Liddell was a Scottish athlete who became famous for refusing to run in the 100-meter race in the 1924 Olympics in Paris.

Liddell chose not to run because it was on a Sunday, which went against his convictions as a Christian.

Instead he ran the 400-meter race, where he won a gold medal, setting a new world record.

Liddell’s story gets more interesting…

Following his passion to become a missionary, he went to China to spread the gospel.

During World War 2, Liddell would be imprisoned, considered to be a threat.

Despite harsh and brutal conditions, Liddell’s faith and trust in God sustained him,

and he continued to selflessly minister to the needs of fellow prisoners,

giving them hope and encouragement.

His love and care led to his nickname, “Uncle Eric.”

Summary

Sadly, he passed away only months before the camp was liberated.

His story continues to inspire, in remembrance of his selfless dedication to serving others and living out his Christian faith, even in the darkest of circumstances.

APPLY

There are three quotes that I found that were attributed to Liddell that I want to base my application of this text on.

First:

"We are all missionaries. Wherever we go, we either bring people nearer to Christ or we repel them from Christ."

Christ was willing to surrender himself, in order to bring us nearer to God.

We must be willing to follow his example.

We must live holy lives that point people to Christ…

We must be willing to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations to help others draw near to Christ.

Second:

"Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God’s plans, but God is not helpless among the ruins."

Jesus was not afraid of his circumstances that seemed like failure. He knew that God was in control, and he trusted in His plan.

We must be willing to follow Jesus’ example.

We must accept the situation God has placed us in.

Trust God…

pray and ask for strength through it…

ask for wisdom to know how you can be faithful to what God is doing.

Third:

"We are stronger as a united group than when we try to go it alone. There’s a power in the collective, a strength in unity."

Jesus was let down by his disciples in his moment of greatest need…

But he still had the strength and power of His Father and the Spirit.

We must draw near to God and seek His strength in difficult circumstances.

We also have one another!

We have fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that we can lean on.

That’s what these small groups are for!

What difficult situation in your life might God be using to grow you or others?