Wisdom and Grace

Mark 14:12-21

     The tittle of the message this morning is wisdom and grace because that is what we see from Jesus in this passage. He is virtually hours away from the cross where He will become the Passover lamb who dies for the sin of the world. But first He is planning to celebrate the Passover feast with His disciples. It will be His last meal, and He will institute the Lord’s supper.

Meanwhile we see the wisdom of God on full display because Jesus is aware Judas has become a co-conspirator who intends to betray Him to the chief Priests and the scribes. And, at the same time, we see the grace of God as Jesus offers Judas every opportunity to repent and be forgiven. And what we learn from this passage is God provides us with that same opportunity today. If there is breath in our lungs we can turn to God, repent and be forgiven. (Mark 14:12-21)

  12      On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples *said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

  13      And He *sent two of His disciples and *said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him;

  14      and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”

  15      “And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished andready; prepare for us there.”

  16      The disciples went out and came to the city and found itjust as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

  17      When it was evening, He *came with the twelve.

  18      As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me.”

  19      They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?”

  20      And He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who dips with Me in the bowl.

  21      “For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” (Pray)

              There is an old saying that goes “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” And we all know what that means. Getting close to something doesn’t count if you don’t achieve the goal or win the prize. Let me ask you this; how close can someone come to Jesus and still not know Him? How close can someone come to heaven and still go to hell? The answer is Judas.

            Judas was a disciple. He was called to be an Apostle. He spent three and a half years by the side of Jesus as He walked the earth. He ate with Him, he traveled with Him, he slept near Him. He witnessed the miracles. He was made a preacher of the gospel. No one was so close to Jesus and yet so far away because Judas chose to be a traitor instead of a follower.

            And I wonder if that would be possible for some of us here today. I wonder if we could be that close to God and yet be so far away. I wonder if we could come to worship, hear the truth, and remain unconverted? Because of this story of Judas, I must believe we could, and this passage should serve as a warning for all of us. The good news is God’s wisdom and grace provides us with every opportunity to repent and be forgiven. And that’s what we see in this story.

            In verse 12-16 we see the wisdom of God as Jesus is forced to make secret arrangements to keep the Passover. And in Verses 17-21 we see the grace of God as Jesus gives Judas every opportunity to repent and be forgiven. And we have that same opportunity today. The question is what will you choose?

            The first thing I want you to see in this passage is the setting. Notice Vs. 12, “On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being slain.”  Mark identifies this for us as Thursday, the day before Jesus will be crucified. The feast of the Unleavened Bread actually does not begin until after the Passover, but the two events became so synonymous with each other they are mentioned in the same breath. They commemorate the same thing, the Exodus of Israel out of Egypt.

            But what is important in this passage is the question the disciples ask Jesus next. They say, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover.” This question tells us a couple of important things.

First, the disciples knew Jesus was going to celebrate the Passover. He wasn’t going to miss it. They knew He was obedient to the Word of God and the scriptures required the Passover be observed. It also required it to be observed inside the city of Jerusalem. The second thing this tells us is they have no idea where He plans on doing it. He has kept it a secret.

Jerusalem during the Passover was like a city hosting the Super Bowl. It would have been stirring with excitement. There would have been people from all over the world returning for the celebration. Josephus a first century historian estimates there was about 2-3 million people in the city that day. That means finding a hotel or making dinner reservations on the night before the event isn’t going to be easy, especially for a party of thirteen, Jesus and the twelve disciples.

So, the disciples come to Him and ask “where do you want us to go, what do you want us to do?  Because He has not even given them a hint about His plans. By the way, I think this a good question for all of us to ask every day. Where do you want me to go Lord? What is it you want me to do? How would you have me to do it?

What’s interesting to me is we take the opposite approach. We tell God what we are going to do and then we ask Him to bless it. We need to understand that God is the one who is omniscient and knows all things and we should seek His will for our lives and not our own. There is no doubt many of us here are facing important decisions in life and we need to be like the disciples and go to Jesus and ask Him, “what do you want me to do?”

The disciple show great maturity here, they might not have understood what Jesus was planning but they knew it was planned. They knew Jesus was the one with the solution to the problem. And He is the solution to the problems we face in our life as well.

That is the setting of our story. The next thing I want you to see in this passage is the instructions, Vs. 13-16. Here Jesus gives two of His disciples some very odd instructions. They are to carry out this secret mission. Jesus knows Judas is looking for every opportunity to betray Him and the Upper room would have been the perfect place to do it. So, notice what He does.

Vs. 13 says, “He sent two of His disciples.” Now we know who these two disciples are. Luke tells us in his version of the story, this is Peter and John. They were two disciples Jesus could trust. He knew they would keep the location a secret. He knew they would do exactly what He told them to do. He continues the instructions and says, “Go into the city and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water, follow him.”

Notice the man is going to meet them. There not going to have to look for the man, this is a divine appointment, He is going to meet you. That tells us that Jesus has made previous arrangements with this homeowner in Jerusalem to use this upper room. Because He knows exactly what is going to take place.

So,  as Peter and John go into Jerusalem on the busies day of the year. Out of the maize of millions of people in the streets there will be one single man that you cannot miss. Why? Because he will be carrying a waterpot on his head.

In first century, Jerusalem men didn’t carry waterpots. It was their custom that women carried waterpots, and men carried waterskins. So, this was the equivalent to a man walking around in America carrying a purse. He was going to be unmistakable. Peter and John were not going to miss it.

Notice there not supposed to approach the man but follow Him. This shows us the precision of the plan by Jesus. Evidently the homeowner is involved, he must be a believer because he has agreed to participate in this covert operation. I can’t help but notice how Jesus is intimately involved in every detail. He’s got it all planned out.

This reminds me of a story I heard. A woman listened to a sermon from G Cambelt Morgan and afterwards she came to him and said, “Dr. Morgan God is so big I feel like I shouldn’t bring the little things in my life before Him in prayer.” Dr. Morgan replied, “dear woman everything in your life is little before God.” We need to understand there is nothing in this world that is big to God and of course He is involved in the little things in our life because everything to Him is a little thing.

But why all this secret planning? For a couple of reasons. 1. It hid the location from Judas and made it impossible for Him to tell anyone. Judas wouldn’t know where the Passover meal would take place until he arrived. 2. Jesus wanted to make sure there were no disruptions. This was easily the most important meal eaten in the history of the world. It would be Jesus last meal on earth. He is going to institute the Lord’s Supper and explain the importance of the cross to salvation. His blood is the wine, and His body is the bread.

Notice Vs. 15, “And he himself (homeowner) will show you a large upper room furnished and ready, prepare for us there.” Everything is furnished and ready in the room. Jesus has prepared everything. The tables are in place. The couches are where they are supposed to be. The dinner ware is on the table. Now, it’s up to Peter and John to prepare the meal.

This speaks to the divine sovereignty of God and human responsibility working together. God uses us to carry out His work in the world. He prepares hearts but it is up to us to witness. He prepares opportunities but it is up to us to serve Him. He prepares our families, and it is up to us to lead them. God works hand and hand with us. He delegates authority.

Notice what Peter and John found when they came into the city, Vs. 16. “They found it just as He had told them.” What faith this must have taken? What trust in the plan of God? Notice they didn’t ask for more details. They just did what Jesus told them to do. We spend must of our time praying, “God if you just show me your will, I will follow it.” And God says, “I have given you 66 books of my will, start by following that.”

This plan by Jesus shows us that God was in complete control of the situation. Everything in this story was happening just the way God wanted it to happen. In His timing and not mans. And that should bring us great comfort. As we stand here in the present, God has already gone into the future and made arrangements in our life.

The next thing I want you to see in this passage is the announcement, Vs 17-21. Vs. 17 begins with the phrase “when it was evening.” This would have been around 6 o’clock for the first century Jews.

 Jesus and the disciples have all arrived safely at the house. There have been no interruptions, everything has gone as planned. They are reclining at the table eating dinner and Jesus drops this bombshell into the room. Like a bolt of lightning, He makes this shocking announcement.

 Vs. 18 says, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me-one who is eating with me.” To betray means to be disloyal. It means to break a relationship with treachery and that’s what Judas has done. He has torn this whole thing apart. This was horrifying, and it echoes Psalm 41:9 a Messianic Psalm that says, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”

It seems unbelievable that someone would do this. That someone acting like a friend is a traitor.  How could someone live such a double life? We see it every day in the Christian world.

For example, in 1986 the Chicago Tribune reported there was a man named William Madix who became none as the “evangelical bank robber.” He killed two F.B.I. agents before he was gunned down himself. Even though he was involved in all these robberies he maintained the image of a Christian family man.

He gave testimonies at his church and was featured in Home Life Magazine as an outstanding example of a Christian man. Judas would have understood him perfectly. All you got to do is learn the right words and act the right way, and you can deceive even the elect of God.

I want you notice that Jesus is giving Judas every opportunity to repent and be forgiven. He is trying to stir up conviction in his heart. Imagine what is going through Judas mind when Jesus says, “One of you sitting here will betray me.” Judas thought his sin was hidden. I mean not even the disciples knew what he was doing, and they were his closest friends. He must wonder at this point, “does Jesus really know, and how does Jesus know?” Maybe He is just guessing.

Scripture doesn’t tell us what Judas was thinking, but one thing we do know is Judas wasn’t convicted of his sin. At least not enough to repent and ask for forgiveness. But notice what happened to the faithful and true disciples. Vs. 19, “They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?”

Their hearts were heavy, and they began to feel sorrow. They felt convicted and began to evaluate themselves. They show a great sense of maturity here. They know they are weak and could easily fall away from God. And I wonder if you know that today? I wonder if you recognize that in yourself. We so easily align ourselves with the heroes of the faith, but the truth is we are all one step away from being Judas.

 I want you to notice the disciples were not looking around the room pointing their finger at others. They are evaluating themselves. I can’t help but think to myself, the man who should have been convicted, wasn’t. The man who should have been grieved, wasn’t. The man who should have been examining himself, wasn’t. And the man who should have repented and asked for forgiveness didn’t.

There are two lessons I think are critical that we learn from this passage. 1. The faithful followers of Christ know they are weak and in danger of falling away. 2. We need to spend our time evaluating ourselves and not others. Acts 8:22 says, “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.”

Also, I want you to notice when the disciples ask who it is, who’s responsible, who’s the betrayer, Jesus refuses to expose Judas. Look at Vs. 20 “And He said to them, it is one of the twelve, one who dips with me in the bowl.” Jesus is intentionally shielding the identity of the traitor. You would think He would expose him and let the other disciples take care of him. But instead, He keeps it to Himself.

How different that is from us when we learn about the sins in someone’s life. We can’t wait to expose people when they do something wrong. Instead of encouraging people and helping them make things right we tear them to pieces. Proverbs 17:9 says, “He who conceals a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.”

There is a time to expose people in their sin, but it is only in desperate circumstances. Otherwise, everything begins and ends with grace. I think each one of us should consider what Jesus did and how He refused to expose Judas before we begin to expose the sin in someone else’s life. (a friend of mine) You either stop what your doing or I am going to tell your wife.

The last thing I want to share with you in this passage is the warning, Vs 21. Here Jesus warns Judas of the terrible judgment that is coming if he continues down this road. Vs. 21 says, “But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed, “It would have been good for that man if he had not been born,”

Notice the grace of God as He warns the sinner of the coming judgment. Judas is told in advance. He can still repent. He can still be saved. As long as he is alive the grace of God is available to him, warning him of the consequences of his actions.

But notice Jesus doesn’t compel him into submission. No one is forced to turn from their evil. God’s grace honors the free will of man, and He allows us to pursue the desires of our heart. He loves us, He cares for us, and He warns us, but He never forces are obedience.

God’s wisdom and grace provides us every opportunity to repent and be forgiven. But it’s important to understand that there comes a point and time when that opportunity no longer exists. There comes a time when we have rejected Jesus for the last time. And what we learn from this story is a warning not only for those outside the walls of the church, but denial, betrayal, and rejection takes place inside the inner circle.

We are all one step away from being Judas. We are all one step away from falling away. Jesus warns us to evaluate ourselves and humbly seek forgiveness. So, I want to urge you today, don’t take God’s grace for granted. And don’t live this Christian life in vain. Give God your very best and receive the best He has instore for your life. Take every opportunity that He gives you to repent and be forgiven.