Betrayal

Intro

Sports and upsets; the unsurprising helpers

Setting up Sermon:

All throughout Mark, the Religious Leaders have opposed Jesus. They have sought many times to do away with him. They don’t like Jesus, and time and time again they have made it clear they do not agree with him. They called him Beelzebul, that is Satan himself back in chapter 3. And finally, following their encounter with Jesus during his final time in the temple, they have had enough. They are irate and ready to put him to death. It’s only a matter of time until they establish a plot to kill him. And that's where we pick back up this morning in Mark 14:1-25. A few things to help us before we read our text this morning. In most of your Bibles, you will see various section headings here in Mark 14. Each of these sections in how they are broken up are actually doing double duty throughout Mark 14. All of it is setting up the reality that Jesus is Betrayed, but we are going to look at this over 2 weeks. In these first 25 verses though, we see that Jesus is betrayed by one of his own, Judas, yet Jesus is not the victim of injustice here. In fact, he goes as a willing sacrifice as the silent lamb given for the Passing over the sin of all who will trust in his blood. Hopefully in stating this, you will be helped now as we read Mark 14:1-25…

Main Point: Jesus willingly came to lay down his life as the Passover Lamb to establish a new covenant with all who would believe in him.

Points:

A Woeful Betrayal

A Beautiful Act

A New Covenant

A Woeful Betrayal

—We just read in Mark 14:21 that Jesus says: 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 the man if he had not been born. In this verse we see both the sovereignty of God and human responsibility. The betrayer is held accountable for his sin, but Jesus, the Son of Man willingly goes for it is the sovereign plan of the LORD that Jesus is betrayed into the hands of sinners. —Here in Mark 14:1-21 we see that Jesus, despite saying he did not know the time of the end of the age, shows quickly that he is all knowing. Just glance back through Mark 14:12-16 in Jesus giving two of his disciples specific details about what they would find as he sent them into the city. There in verse 16, we read: 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 immediately following this revelation, as Jesus sits down with his disciples to eat the Passover meal, he reveals to them that one among the twelve is going to betray him, one who is eating with him as written there at the end of verse 18. These events do not catch Jesus by surprise, he as God the Son is aware of all that is to happen to him. For despite the coming betrayal that is to take place, the Son of Man goes as it is written of him.

—In the midst of considering the betrayal against Jesus, it is crucial for us to understand that Jesus both knew of the betrayal beforehand and willingly went despite it. He did not shrink back. For this was the very purpose in which Jesus came, to be given into the hands of sinners as a willing sacrifice. The plot of the religious leaders is wicked, the betrayal of Jesus is woeful, but most importantly all of this was the plan of the Father from the beginning. Each of these acts was to be used for his purpose and his glory! And this is told for the strengthening of faith, both for the first disciples and ours.

—Imagine if all that we had of Jesus’ arrest and betrayal was what we see in Mark 14, excluding verses 17-21. It would appear that Judas and the religious leaders outsmarted Jesus and overcame him through their deceptive plot. It would appear as if Jesus was dragged to the cross. But that is not the case. Through the betrayal of one of the twelve, Jesus willingly goes to the cross as a willing sacrifice. Over and over again in Mark 14, Jesus knows what awaits him, but he keeps pressing forward, even as it causes him anguish as we will look at next week there in verses 32-42. Regarding this note of Jesus' willingness to go, one commentator says, “And though it was of no advantage to the disciples to be informed, at that time, of the obedience which he was rendering to the Father, yet afterwards this doctrine tended in no small degree to the edification of their faith. In like manner, it is of singular utility to us at the present day, because we behold, as in bright mirror, the voluntary sacrifice, by which all the transgressions of the world were blotted out, and contemplating the Son of God advancing with cheerfulness and courage to death, we already behold him victorious over death.”

—Jesus, the Son of God shines brightly as we grasp that he willingly went in the midst of this woeful betrayal. He willingly went as a sacrifice. For as is said of the coming Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53:7, He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. Jesus could have shouted and been delivered. But he didn’t. He went as he was betrayed for our sake and out of joyful obedience to the Father. Regardless of who you are this morning, we must consider the willing sacrifice of the Son of God and marvel at the glory of the Lamb who was slain for us. Jesus did not have his life taken away, he gladly came to lay it down to save sinners.

—However, though Jesus came to lay down his own life instead of having it taken, we must not mistake the responsibility of man in this too. Just because Jesus acted according to the Sovereignty of the Father, the act of betrayal is not excused. For God indeed rules over every aspect of human life, but this does not excuse us in being accountable for our actions. And this is why Jesus says woe to the one who betrays him. For he betrayed the Son of Man into the hands of sinners for a sum of money.And in the end, finding himself being on the outside looking in.

—Judas was one who had walked with Jesus, he was in his inner circle, but this act of betrayal shows that Judas was not one of faith. Luke’s parallel gospel account tells us that Satan entered into Judas there in Luke 22:3. But it is not as Judas was one of God’s elect, that is one in Christ, then wooed away. Judas was never in Christ, he was never one who had put faith in him. And in this moment then, his heart fully hardens against Christ in this betrayal, he is fully given over to Satan as one who has rejected Christ to spend an eternity separated from Christ.Woe indeed.

So friends, may the woe that fell on Judas serve as a grave warning to each and everyone of us. —For God’s sovereignty isn’t something that excuses us from responsibility. It is to fuel our faithfulness and pursuit of holiness. It doesn’t matter how close of proximity we have to Jesus, if we fail to put our faith in him alone for salvation. Acknowledging Jesus means nothing unless we humbly and gladly submit ourselves under the King and follow him! This is why we must continue to humble ourselves and test our own hearts and what is it we truly love? We must ask ourselves, what are we laboring for here at Central City Baptist Church? If it is to hold the status quo of what we once were, then woe be to us, for we are no different than the religious leaders and Judas. They wanted to go with the status quo. They wanted to only ensure freedom was had for Israel. Instead our eyes need to not be set on holding the status quo, but on the beauty and glory of the willingly sacrifice who came. And giving ourselves completely and wholly to him, and that is where we turn in our second point this morning, a Beautiful Act.

A Beautiful Act

—For as Judas serves as a warning, the unnamed woman mentioned in Mark 14:3-9 serves as an example for us. This woman is left unnamed in Mark’s gospel account, but in John’s gospel, we find that this unnamed woman is Mary, the sister of Lazarus, the one raised from the dead. And she comes bringing this expensive ointment of Nard to anoint Jesus with. Her actions bring both criticism and commendation. She receives the criticism of some of the disciples, but commendation from Jesus himself!

—Mary had brought this expensive ointment of pure nard, broken the jar, for in those days there weren't fancy stoppers for the oil. You had to break the jar and use the entirety of the oil in one use. There was no using a bit now and then reusing it later. So she broke the flask of this costly ointment and poured it on the head of Jesus. But this act caused the disciples to become indignant, that is mad. There in verse 4 it says, There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that?”

—This response tells us something about the heart, it is quick to criticize and slow to understand. And this is true not just of the group of disciples here, but of every one of us. For the disciples failed to even attempt to understand the significance and beauty of Mary’s actions. Instead, not only did it make them mad, but they tried to justify themselves through piety in seeming to think about the poor. Caring for the poor is something that God’s law in the Old Testament made clear. And Jesus taught likewise the need to care for the poor. To give drink to those who were thirsty and to feed those who were hungry. In fact, he said to care for them was the same as if we were caring for Him. But that was not what was at stake here in Mary anointing Jesus. Sure, the ointment was expensive. Sure, Mary could have sold this and cared greatly for many poor within the area. The nard was worth 300 denari as stated there in verse 5 if looking at a more literal translation. But the NIV helps the reader out in how it says that it was more than a year’s wages. And this is why the disciples were stunned at Mary’s seemingly waste of this nard being poured on Jesus’ head. They are thinking of how expensive this is and what she could have or should have done with it. They are putting onto her what they think she should have done with it.

—Now, I’m sure no one here has ever guilt tripped someone in their heart for not being on the same level with you in one of your areas of interest, including that of ministry? Surely no one here is ever bothered why isn’t so and so more involved with the Shoebox Ministry or canned food drives, or participating in other service projects. Surely no one looks down on those who aren’t attending Sunday School classes, failing to realize simply for some to make it to the morning service is a miracle of God. And it could go on and on. Now, if all of you just said you have never done that, your hearts and words betray you. This is the way our hearts run towards sin in criticizing others. And we are all at moments guilty of this. But instead of us looking like our failed brothers at the wrong thing, we need to see where Jesus turns all of our attention. First, look again with me at verse 6, it says...

—In her action of pouring this costly nard on his head, Jesus says what she has done is a beautiful thing as he steps in between the disciples and Mary, defending her. While the disciples tried to show their religiousness with their piety, Mary is seen not for her religious piety, but her treasuring the unsurpassing worth of Jesus and giving it all to him! Her act of devotion is not only beautiful, but there in verse 9, Jesus tells us that what she has done will be told wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world. That is, her act of faith and devotion are to be told to others as the gospel spreads both to Jews and Gentiles around the world.

—But why was it beautiful? Why will it be told? Because, Mary, the sister of Lazarus grasped what the disciples and others had continued to miss. That he was headed to suffer as the Messiah King. His own death was coming, and Mary wanted to show thanks and worth to the Suffering Messiah King by anointing him in preparation for his burial. And this is exactly what we see there in verses 7 and 8 as Jesus tells them that they will always have the poor with them. Brothers and sisters, we would do well in continuing to reach out and serve those impoverished around us, but it can’t be done out of religious piety, but out of faithfulness in following Christ! For that is what we learn here in this section of text.

—Jesus commends Mary for her act of devotion to him in doing what she could. And it should not be lost on us, that this is much like what we saw Jesus say about the widow back in Mark 12:41-44 who gave the two coins out of her poverty. While the amount is different, they both gave out of what they have in showing the value of Jesus over earthly treasures. They gave to glorify God.

—What Mary does here is beautiful, for it shows her acting out of love and devotion to Jesus. Her beautiful act also sits between the plot of the religious leaders and the betrayal of Judas to show what true faithfulness is to look like. Friends, it is not our acts of caring for the poor, our filled weeks with “Christian” activity that mark us as faithful. What marks us as faithful, what marks us to be commended by Christ is our devotion to Him. Seeing that he is more worthy than anything else in this world. That he is worth giving up our last two coins or a year’s wages for. That he is worth following, no matter what lays ahead.

—Mary’s example is one worthy of following and imitating. Christian, let’s see the unsurpassing worth of Jesus, for it is he alone who brings about a new covenant, established by the shedding of his own blood. And this is where we turn in our third and final point this morning, A New Covenant.

A New Covenant

—Now, as I stated prior to reading the text, all of these passages are doing double duty within Mark 14 with Markian sandwich after sandwich. But here, in the middle of the woeful betrayal and the warning of the sheep about to be scattered, which we will get to next week, Jesus and the disciples partake of the Passover meal. And as they do so, Jesus establishes a new and better Passover. The first Passover looked back to what God had done on the night in which he passed over the houses with blood covering the doorways, sparing their firstborn, as opposed to the killing of the firstborn of all the Egyptians who had opposed God and his people. This is the event in which was read about earlier in the service from Exodus 12.

—But now, Jesus teaches his disciples that the bread is his body and the cup is the blood of the covenant that is poured out for many. Now, this in no way is teaching the idea of transubstantiation as the Catholic Church believes. A belief that the elements of the Lord’s Supper literally become the flesh and blood of Jesus. The elements of the Supper have always represented a symbol of what was taking place on the cross. They are the word made visible to us. For on the cross, as Jesus’ blood was shed, it was his blood that was to become like that of the Passover Lamb whose blood was put on the doorposts. God would look at that blood, and pass by. This time though, it wasn’t a door of a house, but it was a door of hearts. Hearts that must believe that Jesus shed his own blood to cover our sin. Belief that there is salvation in Jesus and Jesus alone. Belief that Jesus defeated death by rising again. Hence, a new and better Passover. For instead of this Passover being extended to only the 12 present, it was being extended for all who would come to believe in Jesus throughout all time. Meaning that you and I are invited to partake in the Supper as the disciples did on that night. We are invited to it from the moment we come to faith and are baptized into church membership. Bobby Jamieson writes in his book Going Public, “Baptism is the front door into the house, and the Lord’s Supper is the family meal. All who belong to the family identify themselves by “showing up” in baptism, and their unity as a family is both displayed and sealed as they sit down to eat together.” The Lord’s Supper is our family meal as the church where we remember Jesus and his Passover of our sin, sparing us from the guilt of death that we deserved. For by faith in Jesus, those sins are wiped away and we are no longer guilty, but declared innocent by His blood. Jesus establishes the new covenant with his blood, making it secure and lasting forever. Hebrews 7:26-28 says:

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

—Jesus is our once and forever sacrifice for covering sin. This is what is established in the Lord’s Supper. And it is this that we are called to remember this as often as we partake of the Supper until Christ returns again. Just look at what Jesus says in verse 25...

—While Jesus will not take the Supper with us in this present world, there is the guarantee that those who are in Him will drink it with him in the kingdom of God where the new heavens and the new earth will be fully established!

—So brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s behold the glory of the Lamb of God who was slain for us, continually seeing his unsurpassing worth, and giving our lives to him. And friends, if you have yet to believe, what are you waiting for? For woe to you if you fail to believe in time. Repent today and believe before you too are given over completely to Satan.

—Let’s pray...