Can I Get A Witness?

Start with reading Mark 14:53–72

Introduction

As a native of the Washington DC area, I see what makes the DMV special. Besides it being the area of the nation’s capital, and professional sports teams, you see a city that is filled with museums, monuments, and memorials. And out of all of the memorials there, there is one in particular that stands out to me and it is not for what the memorial stands for, but in what is engraved in light of what it stands for, and it is not necessarily the memorials that we typically think about in DC. For me, it is the Korean War Memorial. There is a phase etched in the granite with the words, “Freedom Isn’t Free.” But in the scope of redemptive history and the message of the good news of Jesus, we see that “freedom is free,” but, it isn’t cheap. Here, we are beginning to see what that cost looks like.

What we see here, is Mark pointing to Jesus as the suffering servant, and the question that we have to answer in light of the text is how do we respond in light of Jesus, the suffering servant?

What we see also is the picture of a witness! A Certain kind of witness, and how to live as a witness. So if I were to title this message it would be the question:

“Can I get a witness?!”

Before we get to what is happening in , we need to be reminded as to what Jesus said in . Jesus’ warning was more than an end times prophesy but also a warning of what was coming in the near future. About what will happen when he is arrested and how his disciples should respond. In the immediate, Jesus warning is a call to be faithful. And we see the reality of this warning in :

Review (briefly) Mark 13

We see Jesus warning of his betrayal at the Passover

We see Jesus predicting Peter’s denial

We see his disciples sleeping when Jesus is praying in distress

We see Jesus being betrayed by Judas and arrested:

This brings me to the first witness as Jesus being the faithful witness

The Faithful Witness

(Mark 14:53–65)

1. Jesus was dealing with a “Kangaroo Court” - The trial was rigged

He endured 6 hearings in a matter of hours

Mark does not go into details into each of the trials but this is to dive straight into

3 ecclesiastical trials (Jewish religious authorities)

3 civil trials (Roman Political Authorities)

Mark does not go into details into each of the trials but his account dives straight into the point of Jesus as the Suffering Servant

They had already decided on the death of Jesus, but they had to create a legal charge in order to justify the death penalty. Plus given the fact that this was taking place during the Passover, they had to be careful in how they went about this. They had to “secure the conviction.”

Jesus was set up and accused with lie after lie, and their testimonies could not even correspond and agree. Mark makes it clear that the Sanhedrin was looking for testimony in order to put Jesus to death, and would use false testimony if it served their means

Jesus was set up and accused with lie after lie, and their testimonies could not even correspond and agree. Mark makes it clear that the Sanhedrin was looking for testimony in order to put Jesus to death, and would use false testimony if it served their means. This false testimony was claiming direct, first hand experience to what Jesus was saying. To say he would tear it down by human hands is to say that he would do it through human agency whereas his building it not by hands is to imply that it would be done through divine agency. But even here, the charges couldn’t be substantiated.

Jesus was set up and accused with lie after lie, and their testimonies could not even correspond and agree. Mark makes it clear that the Sanhedrin was looking for testimony in order to put Jesus to death, and would use false testimony if it served their means. This false testimony was claiming direct, first hand experience to what Jesus was saying. To say he would tear it down by human hands is to say that he would do it through human agency whereas his building it not by hands is to imply that it would be done through divine agency. But even here, the charges couldn’t be substantiated.

Even with the intensity of the moment, with the severity of the “charges” The silence of Christ was a prophetic sign: (CSB) says:

2. The resurrected and glorified Christ is called the “faithful witness.” ()

yet he did not open his mouth.

yet he did not open his mouth.

Like a lamb led to the slaughter

“He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth.

yet he did not open his mouth.

and like a sheep silent before her shearers,

Like a lamb led to the slaughter

and like a sheep silent before her shearers,

he did not open his mouth.

he did not open his mouth.”

But we see the resurrected and glorified Christ is called the “faithful witness.” ()

We

3. Jesus now affirms his messianic identity

The high priest

a. Asking Jesus if he is “Son of the Blessed One” was used out of respect of the name of God so calling God blessed refereed to his uniqueness.

“Numerous times in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus asked those who followed Him and those He healed to be silent concerning His identity. The time for the “messianic secret” has now come to an end. Called, under divine oath, to bear witness to His true identity, He directly and openly affirms, ‘I am.’ He also identifies with Daniel’s apocalyptic Son of Man… () with in identifying Himself as the Messiah and God’s Son (cf. ). Today I stand before you, but there is coming a day when you will stand before me in judgment! A great reversal is coming!”

By referring to himself as the Son of Man is to imply his kingship as judge.

His affirmation surpasses any idea or conception of the Messiah in human eyes. He implies his divine authority, and even more troubling to the high priest, they will one day see it. He is not blaspheming, he’s calling it like it is. Jesus is more than a man. Even in trial, Jesus is communicating that he is Lord over history, present age, and the age to come.

How do you think the high priest responded? Blasphemy! How dare he be so arrogant against God! The Sanhedrin now pronounces their verdict: Guilty and deserving of death! However, the Sanhedrin did not have the power or authority to execute someone. The authority to put Jesus to death legally belonged to Rome.

What we see here though is the fundamental choice that we all have to make concerning Jesus:

Either Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God or he was a liar and a blasphemer.

We see how the Jewish leaders respond to “who is Jesus.” How will we?

Jesus is subject to further humiliation and injustice and it gets worse.

A False Witness

(Mark 14:66–72)

Peter is that trash talking friend: “Selling Wolf Tickets”

We see that Mark is communicating that this is taking place at the same time Jesus is before the Sanhedrin. While Jesus is undergoing an intense interrogation, Peter is outside in the courtyard. Notice how Mark presents a contrast of how Jesus responds and how Peter responds. Look at Peter’s “trial” and look at Jesus’. Peter was talking really bold but when things got real, Peter got real...

Peter followed from a distance. He warms himself.

and while Jesus remains faithful to the truth under immense pressure and hostility, to the place of death, Peter buckles under the slightest and gentlest of pressure and lies to save himself.

How does Peter deny Jesus?

How does Peter deny Jesus?

He was with Jesus

His reply: “I don’t know what you’re talking about”

2. He is one of them

His reply: “I don’t belong to Him”

3. He is certainly one of them (His Galilean accent gave him away)

HIs reply: “I don’t know the man”

How do we deny Jesus?

How do we deny Jesus?

What happened when Peter remembered?

What happens when we remember?

Does it bring us to repentance?

The Suffering Witness

The Suffering Witness

Read aloud ()

The suffering witness suffered because he was mission driven

The suffering witness suffered because he was mission driven

We see the connection between power and suffering:

Suffering in Silence

Pilate had earthly power to free him, but in silence, Jesus’ exercised his power in suffering so that the mission could be accomplished.

2. Suffering in Substitution

Suffered injustice

In order to satisfy the justice of God on our behalf, he had to suffer the injustice of humanity

b. Notice the change in the charges:

In front of the Sanhedrin, the charge was blasphemy

In front of Pilate, the charge was that he was the King of the Jews: In other words, sedition and treason

For Pilate, the political implications of the charges against Jesus as “King of the Jews” were important.

Was Jesus another king challenging Caesar?

Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent and unjustly treated

He found no grounds for charging him ()

His wife warned him due to a terrible dream of him, affirming His righteousness ()

He knew that the chief priests only arrested Jesus out of envy ()

Pilate had the chance to do the right thing, but used the Passover festival to play a political game.

Barabbas was a murderer, and even worse as a rebel and “freedom fighter” a revolutionary that Rome would have no problem putting to death, and would in order to send a message to the people.

Pilate had an opportunity to “stick it” to the Sanhedrin if the people went with his option of releasing Jesus, but things did not go according to plan:

It was according to God’s plan even if it wasn’t according to

But the chief priests had other plans stirring the crowd

Any word of rebellion or bad reports in his jurisdiction getting back to Rome would at the very least be a career killer.

Pilate sent Jesus to be crucified to pacify the crowd in a way that would preserve his popularity rather than administering justice.

Suffering in agony (v. 15)

humiliation

psychological

spiritual

physical

“Without knowing it, the religious leaders and Pilate and Barabbas were all part of a tapestry of grace which God was weaving for sinners. Their actions spoke louder than their words, louder than the cries of the crowds for Jesus’ blood. Jesus was not dying for His own crimes, but for the crimes of others; not for His own sins, but the sins of others. He did not die for Himself, he died for us!” Sinclair Ferguson

He follows up with a question: “Have you ever seen what they were all too blind to notice?

That leads to my last witness: YOU!

We are all Witnesses!

The Endgame Illustration:

It reminds me of a good movie series. We understand that all the movies are connected but without the end, we are left in suspense. But when we see the end, in light of the whole story, we celebrate the finished work. Especially when we have seen the story over and over again. I love the Marvel Universe and the Avengers movies. When Infinity War came out, we see what appears to be the end of our heroes and the villan, Thanos won. With the snap of a finger, life would never be the same. We were left confused and despondent because the story didn’t go the way we thought it would. But the story didn’t end at Infinity War, it ended with Endgame.

We are all witnesses!

To the power of the good news, that the story does not end here!

To the power of the good news, that the story does not end here! Endgame is coming!