Mark 14:53-72 (You are Judas. You are Peter.)
Notes
Transcript
Mark 14:53-72 (You are Judas. You are Peter.)
Mark 14:53-72 (You are Judas. You are Peter.)
They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled. Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest, and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ” But even on this point their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I am, and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’ ” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death. Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him and beat him. While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the female servants of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.” But he denied it, saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. And the female servant, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean, and you talk like one.” But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Peter follows the priest’s police to the courtyard of the High Priest
It is a sham trial
Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree.
Jesus called this in Mark 8:31, using exactly the same people groups as Mark uses in Mark 14.
Priests, elders, and scribes (which form the Sanhedrin)
They could not get their story straight.
One might ask how we know about these proceedings. It is possible there was a man present or at least would be told what happened whose name was Theophilus.
There was a high priest that went by this name in the years 37-41 CE
If that name sounds familiar, it should. It is the name of the patron who sponsored Luke’s work.
According to Torah, the moment the witnesses do not agree, there is no case and he should be let go.
But we know from the prophets that the religious leadership is corrupt, and nothing has changed.
Its rulers give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets give oracles for money; yet they lean upon the Lord and say, “Surely the Lord is with us! No harm shall come upon us.”
If the religious leadership believed scripture, they would not be doing what they are doing.
But they don’t believe it
They have done violence to scripture to make it say what they want it to say
But scripture is the testimony against them
Watch out leaders…!
Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ” But even on this point their testimony did not agree.
We talked about this last week.
Is 2:8, and Jer 10:3 speak of things made with human hands.
Jesus is putting a direct assault on the temple as something that has become for the leaders an idol.
Not to mention, it was built by a roman king.
How far have they fallen from the days when God gave artisans knowledge about how to build the tabernacle to outsourcing the work to Roman engineers.
The temple, the buildings, the system, the power associated with Rome
Has for them become their god
They are idolators, just as their fathers were
Jesus remains silent in the face of the accusers…
So the high priest comes forward…
But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
“Blessed One” is their way of saying the divine name Yahweh
Jesus said, “I am, and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’ ”
Dan 7:13 and Psalm 110:1 are the two sections that Jesus marries in his answer. And he answers both questions. Are you Messiah and are you Hashem?
Daniel 7:13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.”
Psalm 110:1 “The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.””
Jesus asked the scribes a question about this in Mark 12:35-37.
Mark 12:35–37 “And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.”
The Glory of the LORD is coming on a cloud.
How do you capture a cloud?
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death.
Leviticus 10:6 “And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the Lord has kindled.”
Leviticus 21:10–12 “The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes.”
The priests (especially the High Priest) is not to tear his clothes. The clothes are a thing holy to the LORD, they are not yours to tear.
To tear your clothes is to tear something that belongs to Yahweh
The Mishnah Sanhedrin
7:5 A He who blasphemes [M. 7:4D1] [Lev. 24:10] is liable only when he will have fully pronounced the divine Name.
B Said R. Joshua b. Qorha, “On every day of a trial they examine the witnesses with a substituted name, [such as], ‘May Yose smite Yose.”
C “[Once] the trial is over, they would not put him to death [on the basis of evidence given] with the euphemism, but they put out everyone and ask the most important of the witnesses, saying to him, ‘Say, what exactly did you hear [in detail]?’
D “And he says what he heard.
E p 598 “And the judges stand on their feet and tear their clothing, and never sew them back up.
F “And the second witness says, ‘Also I [heard] what he heard.’
G “And the third witness says, ‘Also I [heard] what he heard.’ “
According to A above, Jesus is not guilty of pronouncing the name. However, if he answered the “I Am” in Hebrew, then he would be guilty.
That said, there is no prohibition in scripture regarding pronouncing Yahweh’s name
The prohibition is only in the Mishnah
It is a failed reading of the commandment to ‘not lift up the LORD’s Name as a worthless thing.’
They are doing violence to Torah.
While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the female servants of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”
Peter is likely sitting by a fire with those who are aligned with the high priest.
Now…he is able to stay awake
Now…he is in the company of the traitors
Do not make the mistake of making Peter innocent
He is not.
And he denies knowing what she is talking about…
And the female servant, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean, and you talk like one.”
The you talk like one phrase is questionable as to its validity, but we are not going to care about that for a moment.
Because, if true, then the author is equating Peter to a moment in scripture when two brothers, Gilead and Ephraim, were fighting with one another in Judges 12.
And the way they tested who was who in that episode is how the person said a name:
Sibboleth
Shibboleth
It determined if you lived or died, but the event was about one tribe going to war without the other.
But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
The same betrayal the disciples saw in Judas is the same betrayal the other disciples and Peter demonstrate.
How can we deny Jesus today?
We can dismiss what he taught, cherry picking what we like and don’t like (People)
We can twist what he said, making it mean something it does not (Leaders)
“The one I kiss is the one to arrest”
“He is a blasphemer, kill him”
“I am, and you will see me coming on a could”
“I curse and swear I do not know this man!”
Peter’s weeping is of no value to the story.
He is not spreading the seed of the word in that moment
Peter is Judas, don’t feel bad for him or make excuses for him
Judas is the word for Judah
Peter is a Judian because his loyalty is to the temple in Jerusalem
Peter’s shepherd, in this moment, is the High Priest and the system he represents
And you…you are Judas…you are Peter…
If you are looking for one righteous person left
You will not find one
That is the point of the story
The leaders are functioning like Babylon (Rome)
They are the serpent who will strike the heel of the woman’s seed.
Next week, we will see the faithful aligned with the power of Rome to finalize the strike.
It is a strict WARNING to NOT integrate your system with Rome (government)
Because you are Judas:
You turn in your brothers and sisters to be prosecuted by people who are supposed to be faithful, but what do you find in church?
Injustice
Because you are Peter:
You are first to grab a sword to kill your enemy
You heard and care nothing of what Jesus said about enemies
Injustice
The scandal of innocence is the glory of self righteousness
When human beings do something terrible everyone is shocked
Why: Because the law does not abound
Where the law abounds you understand your own corruption
Therefore you have no wisdom or insight
And grace does not abound.
When you understand your own corruption, you will not be surprised by the corruption of others
And you will understand grace
When we see violence from…
The oppressor or The Oppressed
And we pick sides
We are Judas
We are Peter
Scripture condemns you
Because the man the disciples (Judas and Peter) left behind…
The one who just ate with them…
Who will give himself for them…
He says of them…
None will be left behind.
None of the ones you hate…
None of the ones you love...
I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.”
Mark 14:53-72 (You are Judas. You are Peter.)
Mark 14:53-72 (You are Judas. You are Peter.)
