A Bold and Faithful Witness

Introduction

Two weeks ago I ended the sermon with a story of a martyr. Today I start a sermon with another story of a famous Christian martyr named, Polycarp.

Polycarp was a respected pastor in western Asia Minor, discipled under the apostle John. In the mid-second century, he was brought in by the Roman authorities for refusing to declare Caesar as Lord and insisting that Jesus is Lord.

While they were prepared to shove him into the lions, they preferred that he deny Jesus by swearing allegiance to Caesar, instead. “Simply swear by Caesar” the governor pled.

When Polycarp refused, the governor said, “Then I’ll throw you to the beasts.” Polycarp: “Bring on your beasts.” The governor replied, “If you scorn the beasts, I’ll have you burned.”

Polycarp: “You try to frighten me with the fire that burns for an hour, and you forget the fire of hell that never goes out.” Most famously Polycarp said, “Eighty-six years I have served [Christ], and he had done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?”

So… they burned Polycarp at the stake!

What’s your response to stories like that? I imagine there are different responses.

Some are inspired and want to die a martyr’s death w/ Polycarp.

Like some who watch military movies and wish they could have been there.

Others think, “No way do I ever want anything remotely close to that happening to me!”

Most of us struggle that we could be that kind of a bold and faithful witness!

Don’t all of us know of a time or 20 where we choked in a bold witness for Jesus?

A coworker brings up a spiritual topic… we stay quiet!

A relative asks us what we think about some hot morality topic in the culture…we try to skirt around it.

A friend wants to go see a movie that counters to your values… “I’ve got something that night.”

As Jesus stood before the Jewish leaders and was a bold and faithful witness, those who were associated with Jesus failed him miserably (v. 50).

Today… Jesus’ bold and faithful witness is like a brilliant diamond on the backdrop of the ugliness of unfaithful witnesses around him.

We will look at: (1) the ugly backdrop of unfaithful witnesses, (2) the brilliance of Christ’s bold and faithful witness, and (3) how to become that bold and faithful witness.

[Read Mark 14:43-72 & Pray]

TS: This passage is primarily a tale of two witnesses—the unfaithful and the faithful. First, we see…

The Ugliness of an Unfaithful Witnesses (vv. 43-52, 66-72)

Think about how shocking this story is if you are reading it for the first time!

Judas, “one of the twelve” (v. 43), had three years of life with Jesus… and he betrays Jesus!

Peter made some of the most radical of verbal commitments to Jesus… and he denied knowing Jesus!

Yet even through these two examples ugly and unfaithful witnesses, we learn something! What?

A. Judas Betrayed Jesus with Willfulness (vv. 43-52).

Judas leads a crowd of soldiers (not a lynch mob) to Jesus w/ the prearranged sign—a kiss!

A kiss on the cheek or hand was a sign of affection for a friend/rabbi… so how treacherous!

A kiss means… that Judas knew Jesus SO WELL that he could pick him out in a dark night.

A kiss means… that Judas was SO HARDENED that he would betray Jesus with such a sign of love!

A kiss means… that Judas was BOLDLY betrayed Jesus with WILLFUL premeditation!

It makes me ask… “How did Judas arrive at this hard-hearted condition? Were their signs?”

John points to him stealing from the money bag… but that wasn’t common knowledge!

Clearly he didn’t understand Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom… since he brought an armed guard!

The world’s kingdoms must use coercion and force to maintain their power. That’s why the “bottom line” for secular American thinking is often, “Do you vote democrat or republican?”

Jesus even asks somewhat sarcastically how they missed it so badly in vv. 48-49.

“Robber” = “Revolutionary” or “Insurrectionist” in the Roman context.

Did Judas lead them to believe that it might turn violent? Did he so badly understand God’s kingdom?

Maybe that is what Judas was disappointed by and why he gave up on Jesus? Don’t know for sure.

Now to be clear Jesus was a revolutionary… but not one like the world understands!

Jesus’ kingdom is not about external-coercive power but internal-transforming power. e.g. Beatitudes.

Matthew 5:3–10 ESV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

But perhaps Judas seems to have misunderstand or not liked that!

Any signs of Judas’ betrayal were hard/impossible to see except for Jesus. Yet we see this sort of “betrayal” of Jesus even still today.

Probably not as much in the older generations but growing among younger gens… “deconversion.”

Sometimes leads to radically unbiblical “Christianity.”

OR more often a complete renouncing of all Christianity… often over sexual morality issue.

“Big names” in Christian circles have sometimes become “deconverted”—e.g. Joshua Harris.

In an increasingly secular public world, “deconversion” will probably become more common.

But here is the important things for us to keep in mind through this…

It’s not new to Christianity! It’s only new to us in the American context.

It’s not taking God by surprise since this happened even among Jesus’ closest followers.

It’s not threatening the advancement of God’s kingdom in the world.

While we always grieve when people renounce Christ, our faith need not be crushed!

TS: Judas willfully betrayed Jesus with a full crash and burn to follow! But Peter was also unfaithful through in a different way...

B. Peter Denied Jesus in Weakness (vv. 66-72).

Peter had a good intent to suffer/die with Jesus… but he overestimated his own spiritual strength.

Peter earlier had taken a slice off the ear of the servant of the High Priest (v. 47)... in for the fight?

But when Jesus just hands himself over to the enemy, Peter seems to get confused by what’s happening!

Peter’s resolve to stand with Jesus is further tested in the courtyard of the high priest. He is identified as Jesus’ disciple and yet Peter keeps backing away from Jesus.

1.) Peter Denies Understanding the Servant Girl (vv. 67-68).

You can identify with Peter, can’t you?

Anxiety of the moment…an unprepared spiritual condition (sleeping)…leading to some shockingly cowardly words out of your mouth? Who hasn’t waffled in a moment far less dangerous than that?

If it happened once, you could easily give Peter a pass! But Peter moves further away from Jesus to the gateway and it gets worse (v. 68).

2.) Peter Denies Belonging to Jesus (vv. 69-70a).

The servant girl would not mind her own business! She again sees him at the gate and starts talking to others about Peter being one of Jesus’ disciples (Galilean)!

Earlier Peter could hide with a vague response of “not understanding.” But now he’s flat out accused of “belonging” to Jesus with other people watching as well (v. 69).

Now Peter’s denial is even more obvious and blatantly a lie! He “kept denying it” (v. 70).

3.) Peter Denies KnowingJesus with Curses (vv. 70b-71).

Peter is now obviously in his lie rather deep as other people start to insist that they know he is one of Jesus’ disciples!

Peter denies it again… but does so by invoking a curse.

EITHER a curse on himself: “May God strike me dead if I am lying about this!” (ESV, NIV)

OR a curse on Jesus: “May God curse this man who is under investigation!”

In about 110 AD, Pliny the Younger (Roman governor in Turkey) noted how he would use a threefold interrogation technique to test the authenticity of a Christian’s faith. Three times he would ask, “Are you a Christian?” w/ threats of punishment. The accused proved his or her innocence by cursing Jesus — something, Pliny insists, “those who are really Christians cannot be made to do.”

The point isn’t to say that Peter wasn’t a real Christian...as I believe he very much was...but to show that his threefold denial of Jesus was about as spiritually low as he could go!

But that’s a good illustration of how we spiritually drift as well…a little at a time!

C.S. Lewis (?)… Every choice to obey/disobey or to give into/rest temptation…that choice turns a bit of our innermost being either toward God or away from God. There’s no middle option.

With every opportunity to be a bold and faithful witness for Christ, Peter was turning a little more away from Jesus. The result was that “the rock” hit rock bottom!

TS: But here’s the good news…while Judas was betraying Jesus and Peter in the very same moment was denying Jesus, Jesus was upstairs being a bold and faithful witness!

The Beauty of Christ’s Faithful Witness (vv. 53-65)

The council/sanhedrin (70 + 1) is gathered together to bring charges against Jesus.

Lots of scholarly speculation about the legality of a night-time trial (Mishnah).

But clear that they were not looking for “truth” but for something they could pin on Jesus.

However, they could find absolutely nothing to pin on Jesus!

Mark 14:55–56 ESV

55 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 56 For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree.

The closest that the religious leaders could come to pinning something on Jesus was in v. 58:

Mark 14:58 ESV

58 “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.’ ”

If true… this was a very serious charge. But it wasn’t true… at least not in the sense that they were thinking. Furthermore, even those witnesses didn’t agree (v. 59).

So the trial is at a standstill b/c they’ve got nothing against him!

Finally the High Priest—who seems a little irritated by how poorly the prosecution is doing—stands up and asks Jesus, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed [One]?”

Up until now, Jesus has been silent and not answering charges against him in fulfillment of Isa. 53:7.

Isaiah 53:7 ESV

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

But now breaking his silence, Jesus gives them the “blasphemous” claim that they need:

Jesus told many to not share his identity openly. And he’s been somewhat cryptic in public contexts about his Messianic identity. But now it’s all revealed!

Notice just how much Jesus’ statement in v. 62 reveals:

I am

He is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed [One]. Ironically… the confession comes from the High Priest himself who is looking for Jesus to deny it.

Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power

“Power” = God. This remind us of Psalm 110:1 — Messianic identity.

Coming with the clouds of heaven

Daniel 7 where the “one like the Son of Man” comes from the throne of God with the glory-cloud to earth with an eternal kingdom.

Jesus is now making the open claim that he is the Messiah, the Son of God who is the one seated at the right hand of God and who will come again with the clouds of God’s glory to set up his eternal kingdom. And while the Sanhedrin sits over him in judgment today, he will one day be their Judge in a great reversal!

The High Priest is so enraged at Jesus’ “blasphemous” words that he calls for a conviction by the Sanhedrin which they do! And they hand him over to the guards for his trial and crucifixion before Pilate!

TS: So here we do have the brilliance of this bold and faithful witness of Jesus before his enemies in stark contrast to the ugly, unfaithful witness of Judas and especially Peter. How can we become a bold and faithful witness like Jesus Christ?

The Call to be a Bold and Faithful Witness

Perhaps some of you are still wondering about the young man in vv. 51-52.

How can you not wonder about the first recorded streaker in the history of humanity? Lots of speculation about his identity—though most think it is Mark himself (like a Hitchcock cameo).

But it’s illustrative… Isn’t that how Peter probably felt when asked about Jesus? Naked and vulnerable? Isn’t that how we often feel when we are called upon to make a bold and faithful witness for Jesus?

How do we become bolder and more faithful witnesses for Jesus? How do we become more and more like a Polycarp or a Peter 2.0 in Acts?

It’s about being clothed with Christ’s righteousness and to live knowing I’m clothed with Christ.

It’s about my sense of identity being so wrapped up with Jesus that to deny him is to deny the core of who I am.

It’s about coming to the place of accepting what Jesus said to prepare his followers for hostility:

Matthew 5:11–12 ESV

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Peter was restored by Jesus, filled with the Spirit at Pentecost, and became a very bold and faithful witness in his life about Jesus!

He probably often still felt naked and vulnerable when being a bold and faithful witness to Christ.

But he learned to by faith move toward the opportunity and not run away! We can too!

But what if you have failed to be a bold and faithful witness for Christ? Two things…

Don’t crucify yourself b/c we’ve all been cowards when we should have been bold!

Remember the grace of Jesus!

When Peter denied Jesus the third time, Luke’s account says that Jesus looked straight at Peter (Lk. 22:61). But what kind of look was that?

I would suggest that it was a look of compassion, not shame…of love, not rejection.

Jesus has grace for people who fail to be his bold and faithful witnesses because he he was the perfectly bold and faithful witness who gives us his righteousness to wear as a gift of his grace.