The Seen & Unseen Sovereignty of The Savior & The Passover Personified-Mark 14:12-31

As we begin this morning, go ahead and turn in your copies of God’s Word to the Gospel of Mark 14:12-31. We will read verses 12-25 shortly, so go ahead and have them marked and ready for that time.

When we were last together in the Gospel of Mark, we were challenged by 3 different types of individuals; those who were enemies of Jesus, one individual who displayed and extravagant love for Him, and the disciples, who at the time had a half-hearted, at best, love for Him. We were challenged to consider who we most closely resembled. We were also challenged to allow Jesus own extravagant love, transform us, in such way, that our love for Him would gladly throw aside that which we treasure most, for the sake of Him and His kingdom. That was the final chapter for His Disciples, when all was said and done, outside of Judas the betrayer, the remaining Disciples put their very life on the line for Jesus, their half-hearted love, had been transformed by His Extravagant Love.

With that as an introduction, would you please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word? Next Slide

Mark 14:12–25 ESV

12 And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us 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 carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16 And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. 17 And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20 He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Word, please be seated.

Next Slide

Invisible Sovereignty

You know, we have a tendency to be moved more by the major miraculous events Jesus displayed, than His control over the minute details of day to day life. One of the reasons for this is that we can see them clearly written on the pages of His Word. But if we really think about it, the way He weaves all of the unseen events of day to day life, into a perfect tapestry of His sovereign control of all things, are far more impressive. We looked at that just a few weeks ago when we saw the unthinkable take place, when the Roman soldiers ignored both the command of General Titus and of the emperor, when they lit the Temple on fire and dismantled it, thus fulfilling Jesus prophecy that “not one stone will be left on top of another”. Well this morning’s passage is another example of God silently working behind the scenes to accomplish the miraculous, in a way that you almost miss the miracle.

To do this, we go back a little over 600 years earlier, to the Babylonian Exile. At that point in time, the Northern Kingdom, which is where Jesus and all but one of His Disciples were from, had been in captivity for close to 150 years. However, they were taken captive by the Assyrian Empire, not the Babylonian Empire. The Southern Kingdom was taken captive by the Babylonians almost 150 years later in 586 BC. While the Southern Kingdom was in captivity, they changed their calendar to match that of the Babylonians. This meant that the Judean Jews, from the south, celebrated Jewish Feasts a day after Galilean Jews from the north. Now right now, some of you are thinking, “Wow, impressive Jim, but what does that have to do with anything?” Well, this is where it gets exciting. You see, God, in His sovereignty, used the Babylonian captivity, that began more than 600 years earlier, and the Southern Kingdom’s change in calendars, to open the door for Jesus, a Galilean Jew, to not only celebrate the Passover with His disciples on Thursday, which was when He instituted The Lords Supper, but also to become the ultimate Passover Lamb on the following day, at the exact moment the priests were sacrificing the passover lambs for Jews from Judea. Jesus Personified the Passover Celebration in both His institution of The Lord’s Table, what we call Communion, and in His becoming the ultimate Passover Lamb the next day.

His unseen miraculous Hand worked behind the scenes, to accomplish His Sovereign will.

From there, we move to a more visible miraculous move. Next Slide

Visible Sovereignty. Vs. 12-16; Mt. 26:17-10; Lk. 22:8-13

In these verses, we read that the disciples asked Jesus where they should go to prepare for the Passover. He then gives them, what appears to be some interesting instructions that are very specific and would have been difficult to plan out in advance. Now, to be honest, we don’t really know for sure that this event was miraculous. This could have been something Jesus prearranged. However, I lean towards the miraculous. Especially since it would be hard to imagine that Jesus could have known the exact moment they would see “a man carrying a jar of water”. With that in mind, this would have been a pretty significant picture of the sovereignty of the Savior. He would have had to have known that the exact moment they entered the town, they would see a man carrying a jar of water. This is significant because, customarily, men didn’t carry jars of water. That was a job reserved for women. But there is a different area of sovereignty here that may fit better with His unseen sovereignty. This is seen in the secrecy of the task.

You may want to write this in the margin of your Bible, right next to verse 13; “Why the secrecy?” Why wouldn’t Jesus tell them exactly where to go, instead of vague instructions to Peter and John (we learn it was Peter and John in Luke’s account of this event)? This is where we see more of His sovereignty over the unseen, and we see in verses 10-11. Remember, what we see in verses 10-11, took place back on Saturday night, the night before the Triumphal Entry. So, what happens in verses 10-11? (Judas approaches the chief priests about betraying Jesus). That’s right, no sooner had Jesus reprimanded Judas for his attack on Mary for her anointing of Jesus head and feet with the costly perfume from the alabaster flask, than an angry Judas approached the chief priest to betray Jesus. As we mentioned 2 weeks ago, the last thing Judas wanted to do was to betray Jesus in the midst of a crowd. Well, it would have been hard to find a better place for the betrayal than in an upper room, far away from the crowds. Rest assured, Judas was standing near by when the disciples asked where they should go to prepare for the Passover. Who knows, he may have been the one asking the question, we don’t really know. But the bottom line would have been, he was listening carefully for Jesus to disclose the location. That way he would know exactly where to send the men to arrest Jesus, minus the crowds.

Jesus, knowing exactly what was going on in the mind of Judas, sent His 2 closest disciples with a very specific mission. Most believe that Peter and John never returned, they spent the rest of the afternoon preparing the Passover meal and getting a Passover lamb and having it inspected and killed by the Temple priests, who then sprinkled some of it’s blood on the Altar. Jesus kept the remainder of the 12 with Him until they went to the home Jesus had sent Peter and John to for preparations. Which is what we see taking place in verse 17. By the way, the reference to “the twelve” in verse 17, does not mean there were twelve disciples with Him at that time, but was a more of the generic title for His disciples.

From there we move to: Next Slide

The Sovereign Announcement. Vs. 18; Mt. 26:21; Jn. 13:21-30

This is purely a guess on my part, but I believe that as the Disciples were interacting with Jesus that night during the Passover, they noticed He was rather subdued. The Passover Celebration was just that, it was a celebration. Jerusalem was packed with countless thousands of families celebrating the redemption of their fore-fathers from 400 years of slavery at the hands of the Egyptians. It was a night unlike any other. In fact, that was a traditional question asked by the youngest child in the home during the Passover Celebration; “Father, why is this night unlike any other?” The father would then recount the story of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. A beautiful story of redemption! But on this night, Jesus appeared anything but celebratory. Perhaps one of them asked Him why His heart was heavy? Or maybe, just maybe, right after He handed them the bread they were to dip into the bitter herb, signifying the bitter life they lived in Egypt, maybe He foretold of the bitterness He was about to experience, when He said;

“Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me, one who is eating with Me.”

This would have sent shockwaves reverberating through the disciples. That is exactly what we see in verse 19; “They began to be sorrowful and say to Him one after another, ‘Is it I?’” By the way, notice how different their response it here, compared to their response in verse 31, when Jesus announced they would “all fall away”. We tend to dwell on Peter’s prideful declaration that he would never fall away, but in verse 31 we find that they all said the same thing. But here, in reference to the betrayal, there was a sense of foreboding in all of them, when each asked “Is it I?” I believe there was something significant at play here. We learn in John 13 that shortly after the meal had begun, Jesus did something very profound.

It was customary that as you entered a home in those days, that there was a basin, towel and pitcher of water by the door. As you entered, the lowest of the servants would then wash the feet of those entering. Well evidently as they entered, there was no servant available. Chances are every eye was drawn to the basin as they entered, but none would have ever stooped to....well stoop down and wash the others feet. I would imagine that Jesus silently watched as one by one everyone entered and reclined at the table. Jesus also reclined, but after all others were situated, He silently rose to His feet, laid aside His outer garment, wrapped a towel around His Divine Waist, poured water into the basin, and took upon Himself the role of the lowest servant of the house and washed the feet of all of His disciples, including the feet of the betrayer! After washing their feet, among other things, He said to them; “I have given you an example that you should also do just as I have done for you.” Consequently, their pride was temporarily diminished. Thus they humbly responded’ “Is it I?” Their prideful response from verse 31 took place a few hours later, the foot washing no longer fresh in their memories.

Jesus then went on to be more specific in His description of who would betray Him, but we learn from John 13, that it was still not clear to them who would betray Him.

Next Slide

Culpability In The Midst of Sovereignty. Vs. 20; Mt. 26:23 & 25; Jn. 13:10-11, & 18; Ps. 41:9

From Early on in church history, there have been attempts to excuse Judas for his betrayal. Some have said that Judas didn’t fully understand what he was doing, he was just trying to force Jesus Hand to establish His kingdom, then and there. Others have tried to excuse him by saying that this was all a part of the sovereign plan of God, therefore Judas was not to blame. But I believe those excuses are wrong. While this was a part of the sovereign plan of God, Judas also played a role. In fact, as this story unfolds, it seems very evident that Jesus gave Judas multiple opportunities to change the course he started the previous Saturday evening.

I believe the first opportunity would have been while Jesus was washing the feet of the Disciples. John gives us a pretty detailed look at this in John 13. As He was washing their feet, when He came to Peter, Peter tried to stop Him. Jesus replied; “If I do not wash you, you have no share with Me.” To which Peter replied; “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus (then) said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For He knew who was to betray Him; that was why He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

This is pure speculation on my part, but I believe that as Jesus said; “but not everyone of you is clean.” He looked Judas in the eyes, sort of a signal to him that it wasn’t to late to stop what he had planned. One of the reasons I believe this is based on what Jesus went on to say in verse 18 of John 13. In verse 18, Jesus quotes David from Ps. 41:9. In Psalm 41:9, David was recounting when one of his closest followers, Ahithophel, who had eaten bread with him, betrayed him and joined Absalom’s rebellion against his father, David. Judas had also eaten bread with Jesus. In fact, in Mt. 26:23, Jesus said of the betrayer; “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with Me will betray Me” , again a quote from Ps. 41:9. Judas then leans into Jesus and asks; “Is it I, Rabbi?” To which Jesus replied; “You have said so.”

Based on these verses, I, as well as most commentators I have read, believe Jesus was providing Judas opportunities to stop the betrayal. But Judas, with a hardened heart, had already made up his mind, and nothing was going to deter him from betraying Jesus, for the price of a slave.

Yes, this was all a part of the sovereign plan of God, but Judas was also culpable, he played a role. Scripture is not crystal clear on where the sovereignty of God meets the free will of man, but we do see both in Scripture, which is what appears to be taking place here.

We now see; Next Slide

The Passover Personified. Vs. 22-26; Mt. 26:26-30; Lk. 22:14-20

For the, almost, 1500 years leading up to that night in the Upper Room, the Passover had always been about remembering. Specifically a remembrance of the redemption provided by God, when He redeemed the Nation of Israel from the hand of the Egyptians. At the same time, it was also always an opportunity to look forward to another redemption, not just for the Nation of Israel, but for all who would put their faith and trust in the ultimate Passover Lamb. The One of whom John the Baptists proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world.” You see, over those years of the Passover Celebration, every lamb that was slain, symbolized the divine deliverance that was to come. On this night, Jesus instituted a New Memorial Meal, one that didn’t look back at a temporal redemption from their bondage in Egypt, but looked forward to a permanent redemption of all who would call on His name, not from the bondage of slavery to Egypt, but from the bondage of the power and penalty of sin.

The very next day, at the exact moment the passover lambs were being sacrificed, Jesus-Himself, became the final Passover Lamb, thus He Personified the Passover. And from that point forward, the Lord’s Supper, what many call Communion, was established, to remember what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, when He became the only Passover Lamb that would satisfy the requirements established by God for THE payment of our sins.

The last thing we look at this morning is; Next Slide

Forgiveness In Advance of the Fall. Vs. 27-31; Mt. 26:31-35; Jn. 13:36-38; Lk. 22:31-34

You have all probably heard many messages preached about Peter’s denial of Jesus. But I want to look at it from a different angle this morning. I already mentioned that Jesus didn’t just single Peter out for falling away. In Mark 14:27 He makes if very clear that “You will all fall away”. Jesus only singles Peter out because of Peter’s prideful declaration that “Even though they all fall away, I will not.”

What I want us to look at as we finish this passage this morning, is what we see in verse 28. This verse should be a source of great encouragement to all off us this morning. Look at verse 28, Next Slide what is the assurance that Jesus gives the Disciples, on the heels of telling them that each of them would deny Him? He says;

Mark 14:28 ESV

28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

So, despite the fact that when He needed them most, every single Disciple would turn their individual and collective backs on Him, He refuses to do the same to them. In fact, He promises two amazing truths, First-He would conquer death, He would raise from the dead. Now this could easily have been a hard pill to swallow for the Disciples. Had He been like most people, once someone close to you has let you down when you needed them most, you want nothing to do with them from that point forward. And if you did run into them again, you would unload your wrath on them!

“How could you do that to me? You promised you would stand by me no matter what!”

Stop real quick here, look at verse 31, what do all of the disciples, not just Peter say to Jesus? “If I must die with You, I will not deny You!”

But Jesus is not like us! What does He tell the disciples in verse 28? He basically is saying; “I know that you will all let Me down when I need you most, but despite that, you will see Me again, and you need not fear, because I will not let you down!” That is the second amazing truth we learn in this verse.

What a word for us today! Because there is not a one of us listening, or speaking, for that matter, who has not, by word, action or both, denied our sovereign Savior. And Jesus declares to us; “I know that you have let Me down, but despite that, I will not let you down! I will never leave you or forsake you! I will be with you through thick and thin, in good times and bad. Not a moment will go by, that I am not right there with you, and if you will allow Me, I will accomplish great things as you yield to Me, your sovereign Savior.”

Let’s close our time this morning in prayer.

Heavenly Father, what joy it is to come before You, our Sovereign God. Sovereign over the unseen day to day events of life, as You weave together all those details of life to miraculously accomplish Your perfect will. But also sovereign over the visible miracles, again to accomplish Your perfect will. We lift high the Name of Jesus this morning, He Who personified the perfect Passover Lamb for us. We give you praise this morning, praise that despite our regular denial of You, You will never leave us or forsake us. May Your love transform us, as it did Your Disciples, that Your light might shine through us, for Your glory. We pray this in the matchless Name of Jesus, our Sovereign Savior, Amen.