Preparations for the Passion

Mark 14:1-26

Introduction

One day I was coming home from Bible School in Winkler in my black Volkswagen beetle. I was just driving into Oak Bluff when a car coming toward me in the other lane, suddenly began to drift into my lane. He tried to steer and I braked, but it was too late and we collided head on. No one was hurt but as we exchanged information, we wondered “how did this happen?” The answer was not difficult to find. There were high banks on either side of the road so I couldn't hit the ditch to avoid a collision. The highway was slippery and we were on a banked curve and the other car was unable to keep from sliding into my lane.

             In this season of Lent we are on a journey to the cross and one of the questions which we might be asking is, “how did this happen?” Jesus was popular and was doing good things. People were being healed. He was being revealed as the one whom all the Jews were waiting for. How was it that such a good man was on the road to the cross? Mark 14:1-26 helps us understand.

I.                The Set Up For His Death

A.              The Intent To Kill Him 14:1, 2

Even though Jesus was popular, we know from Mark 3:6 that the religious leaders intended to kill him. There we read, "The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him." Their determination only intensified and in Mark 11:18 we read that, "… the chief priests and the scribes … kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching." Now in Mark 14:1 this intent is once again expressed.

But notice that they wanted to find a sly way to do it. The annual feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread were on at that time. People came from all over the place to celebrate this festival. Some estimates suggest that Jerusalem swelled to five times its usual population during the celebrations. Many of those who had come would have been from Galilee and would have known Jesus because he had had such a long and successful ministry there. The religious leaders knew that Jesus was popular and feared that if they arrested Him while such a large crowd was in Jerusalem they would have a riot on their hands. They did not want that, but their intent to kill him was firm, so they had to find a deceptive way to arrest Him.

B.              Preparation for Burial 14:3-9

What a contrasting story is provided in the next section while Jesus was in Bethany at a dinner. He was surrounded by his disciples, other followers and it is interesting that he was also in the company of those who, in other settings, would not have been invited – Simon the leper and a woman.

This woman, who is not identified in Mark, broke open an expensive jar of ointment and poured it on Jesus' head. Talk about a socially awkward moment! Some of those at the meal immediately pounced on her verbally. They accused her of wasting this expensive perfume. Nard was a product imported from India. The text says that it was worth more than a year’s wages. If we assume that it was a year’s wages for a day laborer and if we calculate using Manitoba’s minimum wage, which is $10.25 an hour that would make it worth about $20,500. The most expensive perfume in the world today is worth $2,150/oz. Depending on the size of her jar, it is not hard to imagine that she had something worth as much or more than the most expensive perfume you can get today. They complained that her act was wasteful. Their declared concern was for the poor, which is a noble thought. It was customary to care for the poor during Passover, and perhaps that was in their minds. Jesus had taught much about caring for the poor and perhaps His teaching was in their minds. Such an extravagant act would clearly be out of step with everything Jesus had taught, so "they scolded her.”

But Jesus surprised them and told them to “let her alone.” He went on to explain that the extravagant gift was not inappropriate at all.

            He said “She has performed a good service for me.” What she did was not in violation of the principles of Jesus, but was an act of great love and devotion. I don't know if it was even possible for her to open the bottle and pour out only a little bit, but she didn't do that. She broke the bottle and therefore had to use it all and so she poured it all on his head. You don’t give such an extravagant gift unless you truly love someone and she evidently loved Jesus a great deal. Her act of extravagant love raised the question for the other followers of Jesus and raises the question for us, “Do we love Jesus that much?” To love Him is a beautiful thing and to act on that love in extravagant ways is a good thing. How have we expressed our love for Jesus in extravagant ways?

            But we see that there was more to it when Jesus indicated that by her act she had prepared his body for burial. Once again we see that things are pointing towards his death, but what Jesus said shows that this act was doing more than pointing to his death, it was actually preparing for his burial. The anointing of a body for burial was a common practice. It would have been their way of expressing honor for the deceased person much the same way we honor and treat a deceased person’s body with dignity. It is interesting, however, that when Jesus was buried, in Mark at least, there is no indication that he was anointed for burial. Perhaps because he died on Sabbath or perhaps because He died as a criminal the anointing didn’t happen. The intent of the women who went to the grave after the Sabbath was to anoint his body for burial. But when the women got to the tomb, he wasn’t there anymore, so this anointing was the only anointing for burial that Jesus received. It is interesting to think that throughout his arrest, trial, crucifixion and burial the smell of the perfume probably lingered with him.

            By anointing His body for burial she was acting in accord with the announcements of his death. Three times Jesus had told the disciples that he was about to die and three times they seemed to be in denial. By her act she acknowledged His death and prepared Him for it.

C.              The Betrayer 14:10, 11

As we consider these stories, we see a very interesting sequence. In the first story we have an account of people who wanted to kill Jesus. Then we have an account of one who loved Jesus and sacrificed for Him. Then we have the third account of one who was prepared to sacrifice Jesus in order to gain money. This sequence causes the reader to ask, “Where do I stand? Am I for Jesus and willing to sacrifice for Him or am I against Jesus?”

When Judas went to the religious leaders and offered to betray Jesus to them, he played into their hands. This was the “stealthy way" in which they would be able to carry out their plot. But in another way it did not quite play into their hands. They didn't want to do it during the festival, but Judas provided them an opportunity and they went ahead anyway. This shift in their plan is a hint that things are not entirely going the way the religious leaders are plotting, but rather in the way that God is planning. Jesus was killed in connection with the Passover to point out that He was the Passover lamb bringing the New Covenant relationship with God. The Jewish leaders did not plan that, but God did and so in spite of the horror of human evil which is present in the story, we continue to see God’s hand overruling and bringing about His purposes.

So in these stories we have various incidents related to the preparation for the death of Jesus. We understand that it came about by the evil purposes of the religious leaders and by the cooperation of one of the disciples of Jesus. We see all the worst in humankind in the way things played out and we begin to understand how such a thing could have happened from the human point of view. But we also see that God had a plan in this. We begin to understand that Jesus was preparing for death because it was a divine necessity.

II.             The Meaning of His Death

In the next section these purposes of God are further explained.

A.              Passover Preparation 14:12-16

From all that is written in Mark 14:12ff, it seems that the meal spoken of was a Passover meal. As they prepare for the Passover, in the background is the knowledge of the plot to kill Jesus. If this was a movie, throughout this section the scary music would be playing. We need to understand that this was an intense time because Jesus knew that his death was only a short time away, the Jews had their plan in place and Judas was looking for an opportunity to enact it.

The intensity seems to be present in the preparations for the Passover meal. Did Jesus deliberately do these things in order to maintain secrecy about where he was. The Passover meal had to be held in Jerusalem, which was enemy territory for Him. The two who prepared for the Passover were sent to find a man carrying a water jug and to follow him. A man did not usually carry a water jug - that was woman’s work. Was this a secret signal which Jesus had pre-arranged to keep things quiet so that He would not be arrested before the right time?

            In the midst of these intense realities, the two disciples went about the ordinary job of preparing all things for the meal and then Jesus and his disciples gathered to eat what was probably their last meal together.

B.              A Broken Covenant 14:17-21

In the Passover meal there was a customary way of observing the remembrance of what happened when they came out of Egypt. But that isn’t what was emphasized as Jesus and the disciples began this meal. What is described emphasizes that what is happening is moving towards the death of Jesus.

            At this special family event, much like we would experience Christmas dinner, Jesus shocked the disciples by announcing that one of them would betray Him. In Mark 14:18, we read, "And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.'” Then all the disciples, one by one, with grief asked Jesus “not I!?” As they all said this, we wonder if they were uncertain about their own loyalty to Jesus. Without actually identifying Judas, Jesus said again in Mark 14:20, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me.” Because Jesus said twice that one of the twelve would betray Him the importance of this phrase cannot be missed. It is a reminder of Psalm 41:9 where we read, "Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me."

            By focusing on the betrayal in this way, Jesus was doing more than making an announcement. He was emphasizing the broken covenant. Judas had been a disciple and by eating with Jesus, He was implying, “I am with you.” Repeating twice that the betrayal would be by one who was eating with Him, Jesus emphasized that Judas was breaking covenant. He was saying to Jesus in the most horrible way possible, “I am not with you.” Eating with someone and then betraying them was one of the worst things anyone could do in that culture.

            Yet Jesus had another perspective when he said, “For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him.” As He did so, we are reminded once again that the death of Jesus was God’s plan. He was heading to the cross not only because Judas betrayed Him, but because it was written in Scripture that it must happen in this way. Even though this is true, Judas was doomed because of his part in it. The plan of God would move to its conclusion, but that did not remove responsibility from Judas for his evil part in it. Is it possible that this was a warning to Judas that he should not do what he planned to do? Was Jesus offering him a way out? God’s plan would not be prevented if Judas did not betray Jesus and perhaps Judas could be spared. But it was not to be that way and Judas went ahead with the betrayal.

C.              A New Covenant 14:22-26

As we mentioned earlier, this meal was a Passover meal. Once again, however, the meal did not progress according to traditional custom. Instead of explaining the meaning of the lamb and the herbs and spices, Jesus reinterpreted the Passover to reflect what was about to happen to Him by His death on the cross. In so doing, He opened their eyes to the reason for His death.

            First of all, Jesus took bread and broke it and said to them, “Take; this is my body.” In the Passover meal, the unleavened bread would have symbolized the haste with which they had to leave Egypt. Now Jesus was pointing to a new meaning. With the bread, they were to remember His body, which was broken for them. The picture of breaking bread was intended to point to His broken body. The offer of bread given to all of them was to remind them that His body had been offered to give life. His life was sacrificed to break the power of sin and death once for all.

            As He poured out the cup, He once again re-interpreted the meaning of the red wine. In Mark 14:24 we read, “This is my blood of the covenant.” The language of covenant would have reminded them of what happened when God made a covenant with the people of Israel. Exodus 24:8 says, "Moses took the blood and dashed it on the people, and said, 'See the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.'” When Moses sprinkled the blood on the people he established a covenant by the blood of an animal. What Jesus was doing was establishing a new covenant, also by blood. Finally we have a clear explanation of the meaning of what Jesus had been hinting at and pointing to. It would take later Biblical writers to explain this more clearly. For example, Hebrews 9:15 says, "For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant." No longer would animal sacrifices be required because Jesus' death on the cross provided a once for all sacrifice for the sin of many. Geddert writes, “Drinking blood would have been a horrible thing for any Jew…some horror should remain in the symbolic act, for the horror of Jesus’ death can never be fully erased. Those who identify with it, identify both with its horror and with its victory.”

            And so a new meal was enacted. The Old Covenant was set aside because Jesus provided a better sacrifice and thus brought in a New Covenant. This was God's plan and Jesus accomplished it. Each time we partake of this meal, we are reminded of the sacrifice of Jesus which has given us a new relationship with God.

            But Jesus would not eat that meal with His disciples again. He told them “Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Earlier in this text he had said, “…you will not always have me” by which he pointed to His coming death. As Jesus enacted the new covenant meal He indicated that he would “drink it new in the kingdom” and so gave hope for what was yet to come. The necessity of His death was not the end of the story, but leads to a new story.

Conclusion

This whole passage is about the preparation for Jesus' death and it is good for us to spend time meditating on His death.

In this story we see, plot and betrayal but also that in the right place, at the right time, on the right day God’s will was carried out. We see the humanly planned events which led to His death, but we also see the divine necessity which accomplished God's plan. Therefore, we rejoice that God is sovereign and we give thanks for the divine necessity which has established the new covenant by which we live and in which we are comforted with eternal hope.

Since this is what God has done for us, we must respond to it. The different stories provide us with examples of how different people responded to what God has done. How will we respond? Will we be like the Jewish leaders, who were against Jesus and wanted Him out of their life? Will we respond like Judas who portrayed support at first, but then in the most terrible way possible broke covenant with Jesus? Will we be like the disciples who followed Jesus, but struggled to truly understand and believe what He was saying? Will we be like the woman, who deeply loved Jesus and made a great sacrifice in order to express love for Him?

As we draw near to Easter which takes place in four weeks, let us take the time to meditate on and think deeply about the death of Jesus and carefully consider our response.

The Way of the Cross

Mark 8:27-9:1

Introduction

February 13 was Ash Wednesday and I suspect that for most of us that designation passed by without us even noticing it. For other people, it is a significant day because it marks the beginning of a season of fasting and repentance in preparation for Easter. Jeremy has already reminded us that we are in the season of Lent which extends for about 6 weeks leading up to Good Friday and Easter. Many people mark this season with some type of fasting – either from meat or something else. We have traditionally not marked it at all. This year, I would like to mark it not necessarily with fasting, but with focus. Beginning today and over the next 6 Sundays, whenever I am preaching, I plan to preach on some aspect of the story of the death of Christ. Today we will begin with Mark 8:27-9:1 and then go to Mark 14 and continue through the entire Passion story until we conclude on Easter Sunday with Mark 16. After Easter I plan to return to the rest of Mark and complete the series on this gospel.

I discovered an interesting thing in Mark. The word “boat” appears 17 times in Mark 1-8 and then never again in the entire book. The reason for this is that the early ministry of Jesus took place around the Sea of Galilee. In Mark 8:27 we read that, Jesus was in Caesarea Philippi, which is in the northern part of Israel, at the head waters of the Jordan River, near Mount Hermon. From there he took a journey, making one more brief stop in Capernaum in Mark 9:33; going down into Judea, the southern part of Israel in Mark 10:1, and then on to Jerusalem in Mark 10:32. The rest of his ministry from that point on takes place in the area around Jerusalem. Mark does this very deliberately because the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem is not only a journey across physical geography; it is also a journey to the cross. That journey begins in the section we are looking at today which contains the first mention of the death of Jesus. Until Easter, we will join Jesus in this journey to the cross in order to prepare our hearts to understand the gift which was given to us at the cross and to prepare our hearts to truly rejoice in the message of the resurrection. But we will also join Him in this journey because we are called to follow Him. It is a journey to the cross, but as we study these passages we will also discover that it is a journey of learning to follow Jesus.

I.                The Way of the Christ

A.              Who is Jesus?

Throughout Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, we have already noticed that His popularity increased greatly. People came not only from the region around the lake, but also from the entire country. As they observed that Jesus taught with authority, healed with compassion and cast out demons with power the question on everyone’s mind was, “who is this?”

            Jesus raised this question with His disciples and they reported that the people had certainly recognized that there was something special about Jesus. They associated him with some pretty significant people. Some thought He was John the Baptist. As we know from Mark 6, John who had had a significant ministry that impacted the entire country, had been beheaded by Herod. Some people heard the preaching of Jesus and saw His power and wondered if perhaps John the Baptist had risen from the dead. Others thought that perhaps He was Elijah. As you may remember, Elijah was probably the greatest miracle worker in the Old Testament and he had not died, but had been taken to heaven in a chariot. So some thought that this was Elijah returning. Still others identified him with one of the other prophets.

            In all of these conjectures, they had recognized that Jesus was special, but they had not really understood. They had identified him as a forerunner to the Messiah, but no one had actually perceived that He was Messiah.

B.              You are the Christ!

Then, as Jesus asked the disciples the same question, they responded with the right answer. Peter, quite clearly said, “You are the Messiah.”

What are we to make of this identification? We have so much more information than the disciples did and we have a lot of New Testament ideas about what this means. But what did it mean to the disciples that Jesus was the Messiah?

The Hebrew word “Messiah” means “being anointed with oil.” Being anointed meant being set apart for service and being recognized by God and others as called. In Exodus 28:41 we read, "You shall put them on your brother Aaron, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, so that they may serve me as priests." In other words, when Aaron was called as priest, he was anointed with oil and set apart to serve the people of Israel. Anointing implied a call from God and a special assignment from God.

Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed the coming of a special person who would be called of God to redeem His people. God promised King David that an eternal king would come from his family line. This promise was repeated in Jeremiah 23:5 which says, "The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. This concept is also reflected in Daniel 7:13,14 where we read,    "As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed." These promises formed the background out of which the Jewish people were expecting an anointed one, a Messiah, to come and deliver them and reign eternally.

            Peter identified Jesus as this one – promised by God and anointed by God to reign forever. How amazing! And yet how puzzling when Jesus warned them to keep silent about His identity. Why would he do that?

C.              His Path of Suffering

After this warning to keep silent, Jesus went on to teach them what being Messiah would mean. In Mark 8:31, Jesus announced to his disciples, for the first time, what was going to happen to Him. He was going to suffer. He was going to be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law. He was going to be killed. Then after three days he was going to rise again.

            In Mark, there are three times when Jesus announced to His disciples that he was going to be killed. This is the first time. Another prediction occurs in Mark 9:31 and a third in Mark 10:33. These announcements are all part of the path to Jerusalem, the path to the cross.

            Peter’s reaction to this announcement was to “rebuke” Jesus. Peter must have rejoiced when he heard Jesus affirm that He was Messiah. But we can also imagine his confusion when he heard Jesus talk about suffering and death. The word for rebuke is a strong word. It is the same word used by Jesus when he rebuked the demons as he was casting them out. Why such a strong reaction? Peter had a view of a Messiah who was victorious. Didn’t the promise to David indicate that this king would reign eternally? Didn’t the promise to Daniel say that He was to have everlasting dominion? How could Jesus, the Messiah, speak of suffering and death? Peter could not wrap his head around that at all and so the only logical thing was to rebuke Jesus. Peter’s understanding was the same understanding that most of the people of his time had and they were not ready to hear about a path to victory through suffering and that was why Jesus told the disciples not to tell others his identity. They would have misunderstood the meaning of being Messiah, which would have closed their ears to the message of Jesus.

            And yet this path which Jesus announced was necessary. The word for “must,” in vs. 31, is a significant technical term for divine necessity. It was because God planned it and God predicted it that it was necessary for Jesus to follow this path. In Isaiah 53, the path of the suffering Messiah was clearly laid out and Jesus accepted that path and was willing to follow it. It was necessary.

            Therefore when Peter rebuked Jesus, it represented a way other than the one God had planned, and in fact, represented a temptation for Jesus. The path was not easy, but it was necessary and He had chosen it and anything that would derail him from it would be a temptation of Satan. So when Jesus rebuked Peter, using the same word Peter had used, he was not personally attacking Peter, but rather, refusing the temptation which his words represented. He explained that the path he was on was “the things of God” and the avoidance of that path was “the things of men.”

            Jesus revealed that He was God’s sent one and explained that the path to victory which He was going to take was a path that led through obedience to God’s will and meant suffering and death.

II.             The Way of the Disciple

In Mark 8:34, Jesus changed the direction of his comments to speak not only to the disciples, but also to the crowds. After revealing to His disciples what it meant that He was Messiah, He spoke to all about what it means to follow Messiah.

            What Jesus said next has a very strong connection to what He just said. These two sections are connected in the sense that following Jesus means going the same way that He went. Jesus lived in a certain way and if we want to “come after” Him, we need to live in the same way that He lived. If it is our life’s purpose to come after Christ, then we need to answer the question, “How do I walk in that way?” Jesus answered that question when he told His disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

A.              Deny Yourself

Jesus denied Himself. Philippians 2 says that He “emptied Himself.” By that we understand that He gave up heaven and all the comfort, glory and wonder that it meant. He accepted the loss of dignity by becoming a baby. He accepted the loss of honor and took up the shame of being hung on a cross. Why did He do these things? He did it because He had come to accomplish the purpose for which God had sent Him. There was only one thing that was important to Him and that was not his own will, but doing the will of God.

Therefore, to deny one’s self means that, as Geddert says, “the self is denied as the controlling center.” When we accept Jesus and become His follower, the basic question of life changes and we no longer ask “what do I want” but we begin to ask, “What does Jesus want?” Are we asking questions about our life values? What does Jesus want? Are we asking the question of where we will live? What does Jesus want? Are we asking the question of a career path? What does Jesus want? Are we asking the question of how to live in our retirement? What does Jesus want?

Why do we ask this question? Because like Jesus, to deny our self means that we recognize that we are not on earth to do our own thing, but that we are on earth to be on mission for God. We exist to make the name of Jesus known. Is that true in our life or have the pleasures of this life or the drive for comfort become our reason for existence?

B.              Take Up Your Cross

As we follow the example of Jesus, we understand that Jesus accepted a cross. Philippians 2:8 says, "…he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross!” Jesus understood that He “must be killed.” He knew that it was God’s will for Him to go to death. For Jesus the form that that death would take would be death on a literal Roman cross. He walked the streets of Jerusalem carrying the cross and when they arrived at Golgotha, the soldiers nailed him to that cross and that cross became the place of his death. That is what denying self and taking up the cross meant for Jesus.

But when Jesus spoke this, the disciples would not have understood all of this. They barely understood that Jesus the Messiah was going to die and they had no idea that He was going to die on a cross. What would they have been thinking as Jesus told them to “take up the cross?” The picture of crucifixion which they would have understood was that rebels against Rome were crucified. These rebels against Rome would have been paraded down the street carrying their cross. The parade would have been a symbol that they had ceased rebelling against Rome and that they were submissive to the ruling powers. Perhaps what they would have understood is that cross bearing was a symbol of the end of rebellion and a picture of submission.

If we understand it that way to take up one’s cross describes what the disciple life is all about. What does that mean for us today? It is likely that the disciples would have understood this to mean that to be a disciple of Jesus means to stop rebelling against God and instead submit to God. The difference is that rebels against Rome were forced to carry their cross. We have a choice, and it is one we must make daily. How will we live in submission to God?

For Jesus this submission meant going through suffering. Taking up the cross cost Jesus shame, suffering, and even His life. Are we willing to follow God wherever He leads us? What if it costs us the shame of being ridiculed for Jesus? Are we willing to bear that shame and keep speaking about Him? It may cost us the loss of job and friends. Are we willing to follow that far? It may cost us our life? If we were called before a judge and knew that the question would be, “do you believe in Jesus?” and knew that to answer “yes” would mean death; how would we answer? Perhaps the more difficult question is, “If we are never asked that question, but live every day in a peaceful world with good friends and many blessings; how will we answer? Will we submit to God no matter where He leads us?

C.                          To Follow Jesus

When Jesus said “If anyone would come after me…” He indicated that following Him is voluntary. Notice He said “If.” So the question comes to us, “Is it our aspiration to follow after Jesus?”

            The word which we most often use to identify ourselves, the word which the world uses to identify us is the word “Christian.” The word Christian is made up of two parts “Christ” and “ian.” The Greek ending “ian” is a word that is used in this form in different settings to refer to belonging. For example, it could have been used about a slave as one who belonged to his master. So, for example, if I was a slave of Carla, I would belong to her and it would be correct to call me a “Carlian.” Therefore a Christian is simply someone who belongs to Christ.

            What is your relationship to Christ? Do you only see Him as a good role model to follow? Do you simply see Him as the one who has your ticket to eternity? Or are you, a person who belongs to Christ, whose life is all about learning to be like Christ, to be one who adheres to Christ?

To follow Jesus means that we accompany Jesus. Jesus has set the path before us and walks on it with us by His Spirit. Are we walking along with Him? After Easter, we will look at more passages in Mark which will describe more clearly what some of the implications of following Jesus are.

III.           It Is Gain!

Taking up our cross is a great challenge, but too often we have missed understanding what it really means. How many times have we said, “well, that is the cross I have to bear.” What are we saying? We are implying, “Poor me! I have it so hard, but that is just my lot in life and I guess I will have to suffer it.” That is self pity and is not what bearing our cross is about.

            If we read this text accurately, we will notice that self pity was not the attitude of Jesus, nor is it what He meant for us. Denying self and accepting submission is not about embracing hardship for its own sake or accepting suffering for the sake of suffering. Rather, this is God’s path to victory.

            Why was Jesus willing to die on the cross? Because He knew that it was the way God had chosen to gain victory over evil and sin and death. The path of Jesus which He explained to the disciples in Mark 8:31 concluded with the promise of resurrection!

            Coming after Jesus is not an invitation to choose what is hard. “Losing our life” is not about taking the hardest path we can find in order to beat ourselves for Jesus. The path of Jesus, which we are called to follow, is intended as the way to find life. Jesus says, “those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” It is an invitation to make a choice between a few measly pebbles and the gold of Christ’s kingdom. Even if we gain the whole world, even if we win the greatest wealth in the world, even if we could buy Dubai, we would not have what we get if we are willing to give up everything, submit to God and accept the path which may lead through suffering. Jesus sets life before us! He says, if we succumb to the temptation to deny Him now because it is so much fun living in this world, or it is so hard to stand up for Him because everyone mocks us, or we don't want to give up our life as martyrs; we may find in the end that He will deny us. So as Geddert says, “The cross is a way of living, not just a way of dying.” Look at what the text says we will gain if we follow Jesus. We will save our life, we will gain our soul and when Jesus comes back we will experience the glory of the Father! Now what do you want, a handful of dirt or glory?

Conclusion

Jesus began His journey to Jerusalem and the cross from as far away as He could get in Israel and this passage shows us that his physical travels are a metaphor for his journey to the cross.

In a similar way, the disciples were on a journey. They did not arrive at perfection in following Jesus right away. Peter boldly declared, "You are the Messiah" but then in the next sentence he rebuked Jesus and so demonstrated a complete misunderstanding of the meaning of following Jesus. Several more times Jesus announced His death and resurrection so that by the time He died on the cross the disciples should have known what it meant. But it was at that point that all the disciples fled and Peter denied Him. They still had not understood what it meant to follow Jesus. They were beginning to understand and later they would understand.

We are all on the same kind of a journey. Sometimes we see glimpses of great insight. When we hear people say, "I have committed myself to doing whatever I am asked" we hear the voice of servanthood. When we see people not retiring at 65, but continuing to do whatever they can, we see examples of love for Jesus. When I have asked people who are seriously ill or even dying declare that they want to be a blessing even at that stage in their life, I see an example of someone putting Jesus first. When young people give up well paying jobs in order to do what God calls them to do, we see followers of Jesus. When we see people willing to die for their faith, we see what it means to be a disciple.

Each of us is on that journey. If we have accepted Jesus as Lord, we have entered onto that journey. We probably won't get it completely right away, but we need to continue on the journey and grow in following Jesus. The question we need to ask is, "What is the next step on my journey of following Jesus?" Is there something I need to deny, something I need to lose for Jesus' sake, some way of living I need to embrace as I take the next step in following Jesus? Such living leads to life! May we walk in it.

Why Are You So Afraid?

Mark 4:35-5:43
Introduction

Singapore boasts the worlds largest giant observation wheel called the Singapore Flyer. In 2010, "The Amazing Race" offered a fast forward in which one team had to take the Singapore Flyer to the top and then they were to go outside the capsule which holds passengers and walk from one capsule to another. Of course they had safety gear on, but one of the brothers who did this was terribly afraid of heights and it took all his courage to do it. What are you afraid of?

            Fear of heights is called Acrophobia, but there are many other fears and some rather unusual ones. Did you know that Alektorophobia  is the fear of chickens; Lachanophobia the fear of vegetables and Peladophobia the fear of bald people? What are you afraid of?

Psychologists and psychiatrists classify most phobias into three categories. Social phobias which are fears involving other people or social situations such as performance anxiety; specific phobias such as fear of a single specific panic trigger such as spiders, snakes, dogs, water, heights etc. and Agoraphobia which is a generalized fear of leaving home or a small familiar 'safe' area. What are you afraid of?

            One year I was heading home from Simonhouse Bible Camp to The Pas with a group of men. I was driving and all of a sudden I hit black ice. The road had been clear, but very suddenly it was very slippery and the car began to swerve. I lifted my foot off the accelerator and began to steer against the swerve. To say the least, I was alert, but the man beside me, who had previously survived a fairly serious accident was terrified. I am very thankful that we stayed between the ditches and that there was no car coming towards us. What are you afraid of?

            If we know that we have a God who is all powerful and loves us, is there any reason for fear? How does being a disciple of Jesus help us deal with fear? Today we will look at lessons on fear and faith from the stories in Mark 4:35-5:43.

I.                Four Stories

There are four stories in this section so let us take a look at these stories.

A.              Jesus Calms the Storm

Jesus had been teaching his disciples through parables and near the end of that day Jesus suggested to the disciples that they should cross the lake. It almost seems as if Jesus was going to an appointment. While they were on the way a serious wind storm came up. Apparently this is not uncommon on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had been teaching and ministering to the people and was tired and so he was in the back of the boat sleeping. By this time it was likely dark and the storm was getting so serious that the waves began to crash over the sides of the boat and the boat was in danger of swamping. It was so serious that, as Geddert says, “Even experienced fishermen consider it life-threatening, but not Jesus; he sleeps.” The disciples woke Jesus up with what seems to be a rebuke asking Him, “…do you not care that we are perishing?” One wonders why they woke him up. Did they want him to help bail? Did they want him to pray like the sailors wanted Jonah to pray to his God? It does not seem as if they expected him to calm the sea but, Jesus woke up and told the wind and the waves to quiet down and they did. The great storm became a great calm at the word of Jesus and the disciples were amazed at what Jesus did and even more amazed at Jesus.

B.              Jesus Heals the Demoniac

When they arrived on the other side, one assumes that it was morning. The area was identified as the area of the Gerasenes. It was primarily an area in which Gentile people lived. We also know this because of the presence of a herd of pigs, which would not have existed in an area where Jews lived, because they considered pigs as unclean animals. Almost immediately a man who lived in that area noticed Jesus coming and ran towards Him. This man lived in the tombs. When we think of these tombs we have to remember that in those days tombs were not neat rows of 6 foot deep graves covered by earth and decorated with flowers or granite markers. Most likely it was an area in which there were caves which were used as graves. The man would have found shelter in these caves which were also occupied by bodies or at least bones. What a terrible place to live! He was a deeply disturbed man who was uncontrollable and also in so much inner turmoil that he did himself harm by cutting himself. We still read about cutting today and one web site commenting on self harm says, “Cutting is a way some people try to cope with the pain of strong emotions, intense pressure, or upsetting relationship problems. They may be dealing with feelings that seem too difficult to bear, or bad situations they think can't change.” That is likely what this man was experiencing.

It is a little confusing to know exactly who was speaking in the conversation between the man and Jesus. Why did the man come toward Jesus even though he was possessed by demons? Who was in control when the man knelt before Jesus – the man or the demons? What was the meaning of his kneeling? When Jesus addressed the man, it was the demons who spoke declaring that the man was possessed by many demons. These demons recognized Jesus and His authority and requested not to be sent out of the area and Jesus permitted them to be sent into the pigs. I believe that the demons were out to destroy the man, but they could not completely destroy him because he retained a little of his own mind and will. When the demons went into the pigs, they had complete control and destroyed the pigs and themselves. Even though they did not want to be sent out of the area, most would have understood that being destroyed in the sea also indicated their going to the place of destruction.

As a consequence the man was completely changed. No longer wild and uncontrollable, as he had been before, we read three important statements about him which indicate the tremendous change which had taken place. In Mark 5:15 we read that he was "sitting there, clothed and in his right mind." The people from the surrounding area were astounded and asked Jesus to leave the area. The response of the people is interesting and Geddert asks, “Do they really prefer to cope with demons than with a power great enough to expel them? Or do they just love their pigs more than the life that was saved when the pigs were lost?” Jesus did not stay where he was not wanted and began the return journey to the other side of the lake.

The man asked to go with Jesus, but was sent back to his home town to tell what God had done for him and he went back to his home town and told what Jesus had done for him.

C.              Jesus Heals a Sick Woman

When Jesus got back to the other side of the lake again he had a very different reception. Here people wanted him around and wanted to experience all that He could do for them. While he was once again ministering and teaching, a synagogue leader came to make a request of Jesus. With all of the conflict Jesus had with such people it is interesting that this man was ready to accept help from Jesus. His daughter was so seriously ill that she was dying and he requested that Jesus come and heal her and Jesus began to make His way to this man's home.

On the way he was interrupted. A woman, who had had a medical problem for a long time came to Jesus. The text doesn’t say what the cause of her bleeding was, but we have enough information to know that she was uncomfortable and unwell, probably anemic and weak and certainly unclean. So her problem was not only that the doctors had made her poor or that she had to constantly deal with her bleeding. She was also probably shunned by others.

Because of all her problems, she was too ashamed to come up to Jesus and identify herself and ask for healing. She did, however, have enough courage to quietly, and she hoped unnoticed, sneak through the crowd and touch Jesus. She believed that if she could only touch His garment, she would be healed.

So that is what she did and when she did, she noticed within herself immediately that she was healed. At the same time, Jesus noticed within himself that power for healing had gone out of him and he asked, “Who touched my clothes?” The disciples grasped the ridiculousness of the question and mockingly asked Jesus, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?” But the woman knew that the gig was up and confessed that she was the one who had touched him. Jesus addressed her as daughter and with this compassionate, personal touch He assured her of healing. He intended not only physical healing, but healing of her social situation and also healing of her soul. She was given complete healing.

D.             Jesus Raises a Child

Meanwhile Jairus was probably getting quite anxious. He knew that his daughter needed help quickly or there would be no hope. This delay was not helping and sure enough by the time all had been sorted out, people from Jairus’ home came and told him not to bother Jesus anymore because it was too late, the girl had died.

Jesus, however, encouraged the man and they kept going. When they got to his home, they noticed that a crowd of mourners had already gathered. It was common to hire professional mourners to assist in the grieving process and that is why these people who appeared to be so sincere in their grieving, so quickly turned to mocking when Jesus suggested that the girl was not dead, but sleeping.

Jesus took only three disciples and the parents with him into the house and the little girl was raised from the dead. The detail of her age was added to let the reader know that the girl was old enough to walk. Having been weakened by the process of dying, Jesus encouraged the parents to give her something to eat. They and the disciples were astonished that Jesus had raised this girl from the dead, but were told to speak to no one about this. This command was probably given because Jesus was careful not to draw thrill seekers, but followers, which brings us to the question of discipleship. What do we learn about following Jesus in this passage?

II.             Fear and Faith

There are all kinds of connections between these stories. The sea is mentioned in two of them. Twelve years is mentioned in two of them. Ritual defilement is present in three of them, but the connection which is made in every one of them is fear.

            In Mark 4:38 we read that the disciples feared the storm. It was a terrible storm and when they addressed Jesus, they manifested their terror when they declared that they were afraid that they were about to be destroyed. Jesus speaks of fear again in Mark 4:40 when he asks them, “Why are you afraid?” When they observed that Jesus calmed the storm we read that now they fear Jesus. The Greek translation would be, "They feared with a great fear.” Fear appears again in the next story in the response of the people to what happened. When they saw the man who had formerly been demon possessed sitting and listening to Jesus in his right mind, Mark 5:15 says, “They were afraid.” As we read on we notice in Mark 5:17 that they were so afraid that they asked Jesus to leave their region. Fear is also present in the woman when she was found out. We read in Mark 5:33 that the woman, “…fell at his feet and trembling with fear...” In this verse, fear is emphasized by the use of two words for fear, “trembling and fear.” Fear is also present in the heart of the father when he hears that his daughter is dead. But he really has no time to feel or experience that fear because Jesus immediately calms him by telling him, "Do not fear, only believe."

            We notice in these stories that there are two kinds of fear. On the one hand, there is the fear of scary situations. When the waves began to crash over the side of the boat, the disciples were afraid. Well, we can understand that kind of fear. When the woman was found out and was in danger of being exposed and possibly judged for her bold foray into the crowd, we can understand why she was afraid. When the father heard that his daughter was dead, we certainly understand why he feared. This kind of fear makes a lot of sense to us and we can identify with it. We also fear many similar situations – natural disasters, illness, shame, death. They are terrifying things and we can hardly fathom not being afraid of them.

            But there is another kind of fear that is present in these stories and that is the fear of the divine power of Jesus. When the disciples saw that the wind and the waves obeyed Jesus, they “were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this?’” They were aware of being in the presence of someone with power way beyond anything they had ever seen before. They feared, but not in the positive sense of “fear of the Lord” but in a sense of terror at the great power of Jesus. A similar type of fear is seen in the people in the area of the Gerasenes. They observed that Jesus had power over a power which none of them could control. They feared this man because they could not control him. He had been among them for some time and had probably done terrible things, if not to them, at least to himself. But now they met someone who could control this uncontrollable man, which meant that Jesus had even more power than the demons did. They feared the power of God which was present among them.

            But both kinds of fear are overcome by the same answer and that is faith.             Fear and faith are put together in this passage as a lesson on following Jesus.

            In Mark 4:40, Jesus says to the disciples, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”  It seems that He was surprised that after all that they had seen in Jesus, they still didn’t get it. His question implies that if they believed in Him, they would not fear – not even when their boat was in danger of being swamped.

            We see that faith is the answer again when we hear that it was through faith that the woman was healed. Geddert says, “Faith was the conduit through which Jesus’ power could flow to her need.”

            It was also through faith that the daughter of Jairus was healed. In Mark 5:36, Jesus said to the synagogue ruler, “Do not fear, only believe.”

Clearly fear and faith are mutually exclusive. Either of the two kinds of fear, which we see in these stories are not responses of faith. Faith overcomes the fear of circumstances and the fear of God’s mysterious power.

These stories encourage us. Jesus asked the disciples, “Have you still no faith?” Even though they lived in the presence of Jesus they didn’t always get it right away. We also struggle as they did and Jesus invites us also to have faith and not to fear.

III.           Faith Wins Over Fear

Why can we respond in faith? We can respond in faith when we know Jesus and these stories help us get to know Jesus.

A.              The Example of Jesus

The first encouragement to faith is presented when we observe that Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat. Some may suggest that He was just a deep sleeper because He was so tired, but I believe the story is intended to show us what Jesus was like. He was not overcome with fear by the presence of a great storm. Even when they woke him up and screamed in his face that they were going to die, He was calm and did not fear. The example of Jesus encourages us to also have faith.

We may be tempted to say, “yes, but that was Jesus” but I don’t think that should stop us from learning from Him. Jesus is our example and so we need to follow that example. If He did not fear, we are also encouraged not to fear. Because we have Jesus right with us at all times in the person of the Holy Spirit, we have every reason to follow His example to trust and not fear.

B.              The Power of Jesus

These stories also give us another reason to have faith instead of fear. They demonstrate the power which Jesus had over each of the four different situations.

Jesus has power to overcome the wind and the waves. If we rest in dependence on Jesus, we rest in dependence on the one who can calm the storms. Whatever the storms, whether physical storms involving real wind and real waves, or the storms in our mind or soul, we can rest in His power to do what needs to be done in these situations.

            He also has power over demonic forces and can change a man who is out of control into a person in control. John Calvin writes, (2:436) “Though we are not tortured by the devil, yet he holds us as his slaves, till the Son of God delivers us from his tyranny. Naked, torn, and disfigured, we wander about, till he restores us to soundness of mind.”

            Jesus also has the power to heal long term illness and restore wholeness. The woman had been suffering for a long time and was broken in so many ways, but Jesus was not deterred by this long term problem. He had power over it.

            Finally, we see that Jesus has power over life and death. That is why he speaks of death as sleep. Because Jesus has conquered death, we can speak of death not as an ending, but as sleep with the confidence of waking in eternity.

The power of Jesus and the reality of our relationship with Him allow us to have faith and not succumb to fear.

C.              The Compassion of Jesus

There is one other powerful idea in these stories and a connection between at least three of them that also encourages us to trust.

            There is a common bond between the demon possessed man, the woman who was bleeding and the dead girl. Not one of them would have been touched by any religious person in Israel. They were all unclean and would all have been avoided. The man was demon possessed and a Gentile and the common feeling would have been, "don’t touch this man." But Jesus went across the sea in a terrible storm to touch him and make him whole. The woman with the bleeding problem could not be touched and would have avoided others, as they avoided her. But Jesus allowed himself to be touched by her and was not bothered by that at all. A corpse was by definition unclean. If a family member died, it brought not only the grief of death, but also the religious necessity to deal with uncleanness. But Jesus went into her room and “took her by the hand.” He was not afraid of touching her or any unclean person, because He was able to cleanse them.

            In Jesus we see such compassion. What is the uncleanness in your life? Is it a sin you have not dealt with? Is it a depth of sin so awful you cannot speak to anyone about it? Jesus is not afraid of your sin and if you put your faith in Him, He will cleanse you. No matter who we are, we do not need to fear Jesus. He welcomes us when we come to Him.

Conclusion

When you have a test at school, what is the purpose of the test? Is it not to see what you have learned? Jesus had been teaching the disciples through the parables about the need to see with eyes of faith and hear with ears of faith. Had they learned? When they got into the boat it was time for a test and we learn that they failed the test. But the test became another opportunity to learn.

So we also experience many tests in life. Jesus asks us, as he did the disciples in Mark 4:40, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” But He also encourages us as he did Jairus in Mark 5:36, “Do not fear, only believe.”