Events of Passion Morning
27 May 2018 AM – Mark 14:53-15:20 – Mr17 – Scott Childs
Introduction: A small girl had been promised the privilege of climbing to a nearby hilltop where her brother enjoyed playing. But when she came within sight of the steep, rough path, she drew back in dismay. “Why, there isn’t a smooth spot anywhere. It’s all bumpy and stony!” she exclaimed.
“Yes,” said her more experienced older brother, “but how else would we ever climb to the top if it wasn’t? The stones and bumps are what we step on to get there. Source unknown
Jesus’ path on Passion morning was full of stones and bumps, but they were leading Him to the purpose of His coming to earth – to die for our sins and to rise again in victory.
Transition: In this section of scripture, I find three events from which we can find principles for our daily lives.
The first event that contains principles is…
1. Christ’s Confession (14:53-65)
It was now the very early hours of the morning. Some suggest about 3 a.m. John 18:13 tells us that they took Jesus first to Annas the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest. He asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. Jesus would not answer and they hit Him (Jn 18:19-24). They then took Jesus to Caiaphas’ house where were gathered the high priests, elders and scribes. This group formed the Sanhedrin. At least 23 of the 71 had to be present. Constable
a. Jesus faced false accusations
1) Yes, many falsely accused Jesus, but the accusations did not agree and could not be proven.
2) Jesus remained silent when falsely accused (14:61).
b. He confessed the truth
1) When clearly asked if he was the Christ, Jesus answered “I am” (14:62).
a) He claimed to be the Christ or the long awaited Messiah.
b) He claimed to be the Son of the Blessed. Mt 26:63 says “the Son of God”. Claiming to be the Son of God made Him equal with God for which He was accused of blasphemy.
c) Kenneth Wuest states, “The words, “the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power,” a reference to Psalm 110:1, “and coming with the clouds of heaven,” a reference to Daniel 7:13, were considered as a claim to Messiahship by the Jews, as the Old Testament passages to which reference was made were looked upon as Messianic.”
2) Jesus was no mere man.
a) An angel introduced Him as God. (Matthew 1:23) “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
b) John called Him God, (John 1:1) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:14) “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
c) He was God in human flesh. (1 Timothy 3:16) “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
d) God the Father called Jesus God. (Hebrews 1:8) “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”
3) For His truthful answer, His enemies abused Him.
a) They said He was guilty of death (14:64).
b) Some spit on Him. Mt 26:67 says they spit in His face.
c) Others blindfolded Him and then punched Him and asked Him to prophesy as to who hit Him.
O When Jesus was falsely accused, He remained silent. I don’t think this means we should never defend ourselves against false accusations. But it does mean that we need to stay calm. Remember, it is not shameful to suffer as a Christian. (1 Peter 4:16) “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”
O We must boldly confess that Jesus is the Christ, God in human flesh. If Jesus was not the eternal God, He could not pay our eternal sin debt. Yes, Jesus is God.
The second event that contains principles is…
2. Peter’s Conflict (14:66-72)
a. Peter wanted to see what would happen to Jesus
1) He entered the palace (i.e., courtyard) of Caiaphas (14:66)
2) He wanted to be near to hear the outcome.
b. Peter feared to be aligned with Christ
1) First, Peter denied being one of those with Jesus (14:67). The rooster crowed the first time.
2) Next, Peter denied being one of Jesus’ followers (14:69)
3) Third, he was identified as a disciple of Jesus because of his Galilaean accent. (14:70). He then began to curse and swear. This does not mean he blasphemed God. It means he wished a curse on himself if he was lying and took an oath that he was being truthful. The rooster crowed again and Peter remembered Jesus’ words. Just then, Jesus looked over at Peter (14:72). Peter turned and left and wept bitterly.
O Peter had clearly denied Christ three times. This is a temptation that we often face. Perhaps you have never flatly denied being a Christian, but have you denied Him by not speaking up for Him or walking away from a chance to witness for Him or by laughing at a dirty joke instead of standing up for Christ? Have you denied Christ by not putting Him first in your life? There are many ways to deny Christ. We must be on guard.
The third event that contains principles is…
3. Pilate’s Consent (15:1-20)
Probably shortly after daybreak, the Jews took Jesus to the judgment hall to get Pilate’s permission to crucify Him.
a. Pilate knew that Jesus was not guilty
1) Pilate questioned Jesus. He asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews. Jesus answered, “Thou sayest it.” That is another way of saying “Yes”. John gives more detail of this question in John 18:31-37.
2) Jesus refused to answer the false accusations laid against Him (15:4-5).
3) Pilate tried to release Jesus in a special deal, but the people cried out to release Barabbas a murder instead (15:6-11).
4) After questioning Jesus, he said “I find not fault in Him.” (Jn 18:38)
b. Pilate consented to have Jesus crucified
Even though Pilate knew Jesus was not guilty he still consented to have Jesus crucified.
1) He consented against the evidence (Lu 23:14)
2) He consented against his conscience (Mt 27:24)
3) He consented against his wife’s warning (Mt 27:19)
4) He consented though He knew the Jews envied Jesus (15:10).
5) He consented because of blackmail (Jn 19:12).
O Was Pilate wrong for consenting to crucify Christ? What do you think? Yes! Do we ever do the same? When your children ask to do something that you know is not the best for them, do you consent? When a friend invites you to a party that you know will not honour God, do you consent to go? When the boss tells you to lie or do something illegal, do you consent to keep your job? God wants us to do right no matter what it costs us. That is hard, but it is the right thing to do.
Conclusion: We have looked at three events that took place on the morning of Jesus’ Passion (the day of His crucifixion). 1. Christ’s confession: Jesus is the Christ. He was God in human flesh. He took the false accusations calmly and so should we. 2. Peter’s conflict: He was identified as a follower of Jesus and three times he denied it. Daily we face temptations to deny Christ in one way or another. Remember, silence when we should speak for Christ is a type of denial. 3. Pilate’s consent: Knowing the truth that Jesus was not guilty, he consented to have Him crucified. Consenting to do wrong is giving in to what we know displeases God. May God help us to never consent to do wrong.
Song: Yield Not to Temptation – 364