NBBC KC - Mark 14:27-31

Introduction:

Content and Explanation: Mark 14:27-31

Mark 14:27 “27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’”

Friends, we jump to the night that Jesus will be betrayed, rejected, and suffer before He is sentenced to death and dies on the cross for our sins.

In fact, just before this scene, Jesus has observed with His disciples what we refer to as Communion or the Lord’s Table or the Lord’s Supper.

Friends, I love the Lord’s Table!

It pictures for us Jesus’ suffering so that we could be forgiven of our sins.

We reminded that our sins cost Jesus, the precious Son of God, His life.

We’re also reminded that Jesus is coming again because Jesus reminded His disciples that He will drink the fruit of the vine, from the cup, in God’s Kingdom (cf. Mk 14:25).

Friends, every time we celebrate the Lord’s Table, we are brought another moment closer to when Jesus will come!

Now, friends, Jesus and His disciples have headed to the Mount of Olives.

Once there, Jesus makes this statement about how His disciples will respond to Jesus in the near future.

Friends, does this statement that Jesus made give us the impression that the disciples would do something good?

No.

Unfortunately, the disciples will abandon Jesus in fear of their lives since Jesus will be taken into custody and, ultimately, put to death.

Friends, how would you feel if your closest friends starting leaving you alone?

Even worse, friends, how would you feel if your closest friends left you by yourself and there were a bunch of people who surrounded you and were making fun of you?

Friends, when I think of this, I begin to feel very uncomfortable but it’s far more worse what Jesus would experience when His disciples left Him alone.

Friends, Jesus makes an interesting statement about why the disciples would abandon Jesus.

What does Jesus refer to when He says that what the disciples would do was written down?

He’s referring to the OT!

Friends, God’s Word accurately noted ahead of time that Jesus’ disciples would abandon Jesus.

Friends, you can trust what God’s Word says is true because when it makes a statement about what will happen, it does.

Friends, this is because God is the One Who is in charge and is working out His plan.

But, friends, there’s something else that’s going on here.

This is not just God working out His plan.

This is also about what God knows about what we do.

You see, friends, what we do, the actions that we choose, start out as thoughts in our heart.

Friends, if the disciples do something terrible like abandon Jesus, then that means that something terrible is going on in their heart.

Friends, what is it about our heart that we want to do terrible things?

Sin.

Anything that we think, say, or do that displeases God.

Friends, even as Jesus is about to die for our sins, the disciples demonstrate yet again in those moments before He dies why He needs to - it’s because His disciples need it and so do we.

Friends, notice how Jesus moves from this news in His next statement.

Mark 14:28 “28 “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.””

Friends, what is Jesus promising here?

That He’s going to come back from the dead!

Friends, only One Who is God and has all power can make this promise!

Notice also, friends, Jesus makes another promise to His disciples.

He will see them again in Galilee, where He had often met with them!

Friends, this is huge!

Jesus has just said that His disciples would abandon Him.

Friends, if your best friend left you at your worst possible moment when others were making fun of you, would you want to see that friend again? (probably not!)

Friends, what this suggests for us is not only that Jesus will see them but that He wants to see them and that He will make things right where His disciples did wrong.

Friends, this is incredible grace!

We would likely be bitter.

But, Jesus forgives!

Friends, Jesus’ statement about the disciples is sad but Jesus makes a very hopeful promise to His disciples.

Notice how one of Jesus’ disciples responds.

Mark 14:29 “29 But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.””

Friends, between Jesus’ two statements, one sad and the other hopeful, Peter doesn’t pick up on the hopeful one!

This is odd because when we hear sad news we really want good news right away!

It’s like when your teacher gives you a grade that’s bad.

Then your teacher says but I’m going to let you redo the homework to get a better grade.

We think, “It’s going to be ok!”

This is not the way that Peter acts!

He acts like one who wants to argue about the first grade!

Friends, Peter is more concerned about what Jesus said about him than about Jesus coming back to life and meeting them again in Galilee!

When you’re more concerned about what someone said about you than the good news that you’ve heard, it’s because you’re more concerned about yourself.

Friends, Peter thinks a lot of himself to compare suggest that, whatever might happen, he won’t abandon Jesus like the rest of the disciples would!

Friends, notice that Jesus does not back down from the statement that He made to Peter.

Mark 14:30 “30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.””

Friends, Jesus knows what Peter will do and what we will do.

But, friends, just like before, this goes beyond merely knowing what someone will do.

This is about knowing Peter’s heart.

The Lord knows what Peter is capable of doing.

Peter will deny the Lord because Peter has a heart that is not fully faithful to the Lord.

Notice friends, that, just as Jesus reinforces His statement against Peter so here Peter reinforces his statement about remaining true to the Lord.

Mark 14:31 “31 But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.”

Notice, friends, Peter portrays himself as so confident in his abilities that he would be willing to die for Jesus than to deny Him!

Peter isn’t alone in this as the other disciples join in!

Application: Humble yourselves before God’s Word because you’re going to think you’re better than you are.

Friends, how did Peter respond when Jesus told him twice that Peter would deny and abandon Jesus?

He insisted that he would neither abandon nor deny Jesus, even if it cost him his life and if the other disciples abandoned Jesus.

Friends, when we say that we can do great and important things that we claim others can’t do, we do we call that?

Boasting.

Friends, all across Scripture, we’re reminded that boasting is a sin; Psalm 10:3 “3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord.”

Friends, we also have an issue with boasting.

Friends, have you ever won something and used it to make other people feel jealous?

Friends, have you ever looked at what you can do and compared yourself to another and thought, “I’m better”?

These, friends, and many more are all examples of boasting.

Friends, we know that boasting is wrong; it’s a sin that God hates.

Friends, God hates sin and must punish sinners.

But, friends, as our memory verse reminds us, Jesus rose from the dead and this gives us hope to be able to be forgive of our sins.

Friends, believe on the Lord Jesus as your only Savior from your sins today.

Scripture Memory - Mark 14:28 “28 “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.””

Explanation - Friends, not only does this promise give hope that we can be forgiven of any sins, including boasting, but it also gives us hope that we can be humble instead of proud.

You see, friends, when you believe on Jesus to save you, He gives you a new heart through the Spirit that He gives so that you are transformed and constantly being changed to want to live to please the Lord, to include rejecting boasting.

Friends, if you are struggling with pride and boasting, you have the Holy Spirit to help you fight against these desires to help you humble yourself instead.

Friends, when you do sin by boasting, and the Holy Spirit will let you know when you have, you can ask the Lord Jesus to forgive you, and He will.

Friends, rely on the Holy Spirit to help you be humble, seeking Him to helping you to live faithfully.

Repetition - Mark 14:28 “28 “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.””

Conclusion:

Discussion Questions:

What did Jesus tell His disciples that they would soon do? - fall away, or leave Jesus all alone during His suffering, rejection, and death

What did Jesus say was the reason for His statement that the disciples would leave Jesus during such difficulty? - because it was written in God’s Word

What did Jesus promise would happen after His suffering, rejection, and death? - He would be raised

What did Jesus promise that He would do with the disciples after He had been raised from the dead? - He would meet them in Galilee; He would see them again after He died!

Who spoke up after Jesus told His disciples that they would abandon Jesus but that Jesus would see them again in Galilee? - Peter

What did Peter claim that he would do that the other disciples wouldn’t? - he wouldn’t abandon Jesus

What did Jesus say that Peter would do that same night before a rooster would crow twice? - deny Jesus 3 times

How did Peter respond to Jesus’s statement about Peter denying Jesus? - he insisted that he would not deny Jesus

What did Peter tell Jesus that he was willing to do? - to die with Jesus

How did the other disciples respond to Jesus after Peter maintained that he would not deny Jesus but was willing to die with Jesus? - they would do the same