An Abandoned Savior

The Suffering Savior Saves the Suffering

Suffering isn’t the most popular topic to spend time considering.

If nothing else, we would like to hear how to stop suffering or, at least to muscle through times of suffering.

Yet, suffering is one of the most common topics throughout the Bible.

Not only will we all face suffering in our lives, but the normal Christian life will have seasons of suffering, especially if we are making a concerted effort to live out our faith authentically and to be a Gospel witness.

Therefore, it’s a vitally important topic to consider.

Suffering is a major theme within Mark’s gospel, and specifically the suffering of Jesus, and especially within the Passion narrative.

Throughout the Passion narrative, we clearly see that Jesus was prepared for the suffering He had to endure in order to become the Passover lamb.

This morning, we are going to begin a series of sermons that will focus in on some specific ways in which Jesus suffered.

As we see how Jesus suffered, we will consider how we both benefit from Jesus suffering and how we can grow in our walk with Him, even in the midst of our own seasons of suffering.

Weekly Theme: Abandonment

In fact, this is a common theme throughout this chapter, as Jesus will be abandoned and rejected by the very people He came to save.

Abandonment is an incredibly painful experience, because we are a relational people who crave relationship with others. When that relationship is broken, it causes us deep pain.

Abandonment can take the form of having someone’s back turned on us…

It can take the form of being stabbed in the back by someone we trusted…

It can take the form of being left alone in our hour of need…

Whatever the form, it hurts deeply.

In fact, I would suggest that most of us, once we’ve experienced it, would do everything we could to avoid it again.

And, if we knew beforehand we might to face it, we would probably do something to avoid experiencing this kind of pain.

This is part of the reason Jesus interaction with Peter and the other disciples in these next pericopes is so amazing; because He knows they will abandon Him and moves forward anyway.

Text: Mark 14:27-31, 53-54, 66-72

Verses 27-28

After the Last Supper, as the disciples followed Jesus to Gethsemane, He says something incredibly disturbing.

No doubt the disciples would have been confused, worried and sorrowful, wondering just what was about to happen to their beloved rabbi, and to them.

Instead of giving them comfort, as they may have hoped for, Jesus gives them a most disturbing statement: you will all fall away from me.

Greek word here is σκανδαλίζω (skandalizo), which means “to be or become filled with disgust or revulsion for someone (and therefore reject him).

It is in the passive sense, which indicates that this falling away will not be a willful completed defection, but that external factors will act upon them and cause them to do it.

This is likely because, as we will see next week, they failed to spiritually ready themselves for the hours ahead.

It’s where we get the English word “scandal” from.

In saying this, Jesus also quotes Zechariah 13:7.

It should be noted that Jesus says “I will strike down the shepherd”, which shows us something important about Christ’s passion: it didn’t happen outside of the will and sovereignty of God.

As we see in Isaiah 53, it was the will of the Lord to crush him and lay the iniquity of the world upon him.

But Jesus follows this with a picture of hope and grace.

Hope comes in the promise that He will rise again.

And the grace is that even though they would fall away and desert him, he would still go before them to Galilee (i.e. he would meet them in Galilee).

This shows that by saying they would “fall away” Jesus isn’t saying they will lose faith permanently, but that they would temporarily lose courage.

Verse 29

Peter arrogantly corrects Jesus, confidently claiming that even if all these guys fall away, I never will.

In essence, Peter says, “Not me Lord! Even though all of these other losers are going to fall away from you, you can count on me! I’m your guy!”

Peter clearly believes that his loyalty to Jesus surpasses all of the other disciples.

Verse 30

Jesus counters that not only will Peter deny Jesus, but that he would do it three times that very night!

The rooster crowing is a poetic way of saying, “before tomorrow morning.”

Verse 31

Peter, being Peter, doesn’t know when to drop it. He does one further, saying in essence, “Even if all of these, lesser disciples, deny you, I’ll be there. In fact, I’d die before I’d deny you.”

I believe that Peter truly believed this. Yes, he is boasting out of his own self-confidence in the quality of his faith, but at the time, I believe that Peter believes that he can do this.

Peter will find out that he was wrong.

But before we are too tough on Peter, look at the often-missed last part of this verse: Peter might have been the spokesperson, but all the disciples said the same thing: “Jesus, we love you so much that we would all face death before we deserted you.”

Next, we will jump forward to what I call “Peter’s Trial.”

It is proper to think of this as Peter’s “trial” in the courtyard. It takes place right in the middle of Jesus trials and shows a dichotomy of two people: one doing all he can to save himself, and the other willing to be crushed to save others.

Verses 53-54

It was probably a foolish mistake on Peter’s part to come into the courtyard. He probably did it out of a dedication to the Lord, but he put himself in a situation he was ill-equipped to handle.

Having already abandoned the Lord, Peter should have realized right there that his faith wasn’t as strong as he believed it to be. So, putting himself in the very lion’s den, as it were, was a mistake.

Verses 66-68

A servant girl recognizes Peter and attempts to out him in front of everyone.

And the same guy who just a few short hours before said he would even face death before he denied Jesus, denies Jesus.

However, it’s important to bear in mind that Peter is no coward.

Peter walked on water while all the disciples were afraid of a “ghost.”

Peter boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, a statement that could get him stoned by the Jews.

As the mob descended on Jesus in the garden, it was Peter who stood up and took up his sword in defense of Jesus.

However, under extreme pressure and fear, even a brave, rock of a man like Peter, can crack.

His first denial recorded here is kind of a hidden denial. He says, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Sort of like pleading ignorance to something you aren’t really ignorant about.

Verse 69-70a

The servant girl isn’t finished. She points him out to others, probably looking for some guilt by association.

Peter now denies it outright.

He lies…

Verse 70b-72

The third denial comes on the heels of the argument intensifying. They recognize him as a Galilean, and so he must be with this Galilean named Jesus.

This goes to the cultural and religious contempt the Judeans held Galileans in.

They saw them as unclean, pseudo-religious, hayseeds, and rebellious riffraff…unlike them, sophisticated Judeans.

Peter not only lies by denying it, but uses curses to strengthen his argument.

This doesn’t mean using cuss words, but saying something like, “I swear to God…” or “…a curse on me if this isn’t true.”

When the rooster crows the realization sets in and Peter is overcome with guilt.

Big Idea: Jesus suffered the pain of abandonment by those closest to Him.

Jesus suffering wasn’t just at the hands of the Jewish people and the Romans, but even by His own followers.

This is a far greater pain than what He faced at the hands of non-believers.

Yet, this didn’t come as a shock to Him, and He fulfilled His ministry anyway.

Peter’s denial of Jesus should challenge us that even the most committed disciple can fail in his or her walk with Christ.

How can we guard against failure?

There is no guarantee…however:

Resist undeserved self-confidence in the strength of our faith.

Our self-confidence can easily shipwreck our faith without humility and a clear recognition of just how frail we can be.

There is more wickedness in our hearts than many of us would like to admit.

J.C. Ryle: “There is no degree of sin into which the greatest saint may not run, if he is not held up by the grace of God, and if he does not watch and pray...The seeds of every wickedness lie hidden in our hearts. They only need the convenient season to spring forth into a mischievous vitality.”

1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

Proverbs 28:26 ESV

Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Proverbs 16:18 ESV

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Live lives of faith and devotion.

Remember that giving into our weaknesses leads to greater hardship down the road.

Know your weaknesses, and as much as you are able, avoid situations in which the enemy can exploit your weaknesses.

What do we do when we fail?

There is Good News:

Our failures don’t come as a surprise to the Lord.

Bear this in mind: Jesus knew you better than you knew yourself when He saved you and He saved you anyway; and He knows you better than you know yourself now, and He keeps you around!

Why? Because His love for His people is greater than our failures.

JC Ryle: “Let us take comfort in the thought that the Lord Jesus does not cast off His believing people because of failures and imperfections. He knows what they are. He takes them...and once joined with Him by faith, will never put them away. He is a merciful and compassionate High-priest. It is His glory to pass over the transgressions of His people, and to cover their many sins. He knew what they were before conversion,--wicked, guilty, and defiled; yet He loved them. He knows what they will be after conversion,--weak, erring, and frail; yet He loves them. He has undertaken to save them, notwithstanding all their shortcomings, and what He has undertaken He will perform.”

Jesus offers forgiveness and restoration to His people despite our failures.

As with Peter, after the resurrection, Jesus not only forgives, but He sets us on a better path for the future.

Peter’s loyalty to Jesus would be tested, and unfortunately, that loyalty wasn’t as strong as he once believed. I think if we are honest, we have probably experienced our own failures in our faith and loyalty to Christ.

If faced correctly, exposing the cracks in our faith and loyalty to Jesus can open up the opportunity for repair, renewal and a better future.

What do we do when others fail?

One area of struggle for most of us is that we want grace for ourselves, and justice for everyone else.

We must always be mindful that the same grace we daily depend on is also given to others in equal or greater measure.

Should we give less grace to others than our Master gives to us?

Catherine Marshall “Criticalness Fast”...

How about we try this one day this week and see what happens?