Mark 16:53-65
The King is Judged
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Sermon Summary
Mark 14:53-65
The Unjust Scene:
First we need to take a detailed account of Mark 14:53-65, highlighting Jesus' trial before the high priest, the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. This scene is characterized by false accusations and a lack of justice, as Jesus faces hostility and rejection despite the lack of valid testimony against him.
Jesus is the Messiah:
Jesus' identifies himself as the Messiah, anointed to be the eternal king, fulfilling the promises made to David. This role challenges the existing power structures, threatening the authority of the Jewish leaders.
Jesus is the Divine One:
By affirming His identity in response to the high priest's question, Jesus claims divinity, aligning Himself with the "Son of Man" seen in Daniel's visions, indicating His divine nature and authority.
Jesus is the Judge:
Jesus' declaration before the high priest points to His role as the ultimate judge, coming with divine glory to judge the living and the dead, a concept that may challenge modern sensibilities but is central to His identity.
Jesus is our High Priest:
It is significant that Jesus is our High Priest. Jesus is contrasted with the high priests of the Old Testament. Unlike them, Jesus' priesthood is eternal, offering a perfect sacrifice once for all sins.
Jesus is our Sacrifice:
Jesus is our sacrifice, fulfilling Isaiah 53:7 by willingly suffering injustice and death to atone for our sins. All of the Old Testament sacrifices offered by traditional priests were inadequate in comparison to His ultimate sacrifice.
Conclusion - We Believe:
We affirm our belief in Jesus as described in the Scriptures: as the Messiah, the Divine One, the Judge, our High Priest, and our Sacrifice. We must not distort Jesus' identity to fit personal or cultural preferences. It is of upmost importance to hold to the biblical revelation of who Jesus is for true peace, hope, and eternal life.
Sample Bible Study
Sample Bible Study: Mark 14:53-65
Objective: To explore the theological significance of Jesus' trial and His declarations about His identity, understanding His role as Messiah, Divine Judge, High Priest, and Sacrifice.
Scriptural References:
Psalm 22: Understand the messianic psalm that Jesus quotes on the cross and its significance in the context of His suffering and identification with humanity's pain.
Daniel 7:13-14: Examine the prophecy about the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven, affirming Jesus' divine authority and role as Judge.
Hebrews 7-10: Reflect on Jesus as the ultimate High Priest and His one-time, perfect sacrifice that fulfills and transcends the Old Testament priesthood and sacrificial system.
Historical Context: Discuss the historical and cultural expectations of the Messiah among the Jews of Jesus' time and how Jesus' claims challenged both the religious authority and popular messianic expectations.
Practical Applications:
Faith in the True Jesus: Encourage personal reflection on whether one's understanding of Jesus aligns with His scriptural identity as Messiah, Divine Judge, High Priest, and Sacrifice.
Living in Light of Jesus' Identity: Discuss how recognizing Jesus' full identity impacts our daily lives, calling, and witness to others.
Westminster Confession and Catechisms:
Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter VIII: Explores the office of Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King, and His fulfillment of these roles in His earthly ministry and atoning work.
Westminster Larger Catechism, Q&A 42-45: Discusses Christ's humiliation and exaltation, emphasizing His trial, death, resurrection, and ascension as central to His work of redemption.
Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 21-28: Provides a concise overview of Christ's mediatorial work and the significance of His death and resurrection for believers' salvation.
Weekday Devotionals
Monday: The Anointed Sufferer
Scripture Reading: Psalm 22:1-5
Reflection: As we delve into Psalm 22, we encounter the profound anguish of David, which foreshadows the deeper suffering of Christ on the cross. This Psalm, quoted by Jesus, reveals the depth of His identification with our pain and abandonment. Yet, in the midst of despair, there remains a steadfast trust in the Father's deliverance. Imagine the perfect judge of the world suffering a gruesome and unjust death. Why would Jesus, who knew no sin, suffer this way? With each pound of the nail, drop of blood, and curse against Him, Jesus was taking our sins upon himself. The spotless lamb humbled himself so you may have life everlasting.
Prayer Prompt: Pray for a heart that clings to God's faithfulness in times of despair, remembering that Christ, our Anointed Sufferer, has paved the way from anguish to assurance through His own cries to the Father.
Tuesday: The Unjust Trial
Scripture Reading: Mark 14:53-65
Reflection: Mark's account of Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin exposes the depths of human injustice and corruption. As the torches flickered in the dark hour, Jesus, the embodiment of truth and righteousness, is met with false accusations and mockery. He was the light of the world yet his trial was clouded in darkness. His silent submission speaks of His sovereign control and sacrificial love. He who is the way, the truth, and the light, was willing to be lied against for us.
Prayer Prompt: Pray for the courage to stand for truth and justice in a world that often mirrors the unjust courts of Jesus' time, asking God for the grace to reflect Christ's righteousness and love in the face of opposition. Ask God for strength as the world may hate, persecute, and lie about you because of Jesus’s sake.
Wednesday: The Divine Messiah
Scripture Reading: Daniel 7:13-14
Reflection: How do you think of Jesus. If you closed your eyes and imagined him what would he look like? So often the images of Jesus we have are fall so far short of His glory. We like to make him like us. But, Daniel's vision of the "Son of Man" coming with the clouds of heaven presents a majestic picture of Christ's divine authority and eternal kingship. Jesus' affirmation of this title before Caiaphas reveals His identity as the Divine Messiah, destined to reign with power and glory. God made it clear to John the glory of Jesus being the Son of Man when he saw Him in his vision:
12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Re 1:12–18.
Prayer Prompt: Pray for a deeper revelation of Jesus as the Divine Messiah in your life, asking for the faith to see beyond the temporal to His eternal kingdom, where He reigns as Lord of lords.
Thursday: The High Priest and Sacrifice
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16 & 10:11-18
Reflection: Hebrews reminds us that we have a great High Priest, Jesus, who has passed through the heavens and can sympathize with our weaknesses. Unlike the earthly priests, Jesus' sacrifice was once for all, offering us unrestricted access to the throne of grace. Do you take hold of that grace? Jesus bears our names upon his chest. Jesus walks among the lamp stands caring for his people. Jesus, the lamb who was slain, eternally cares for you body and soul.
Prayer Prompt: Pray for a renewed appreciation for Christ's role as our High Priest and Sacrifice. Take time to thank Him for His unparalleled love and intercession. Ask God to give you the grace to confidently approach His throne, knowing your High Priest understands your every weakness.
Friday: The King of Righteousness and Peace
Scripture Reading: Psalm 110
Reflection: Psalm 110 prophesies the exaltation of Christ as the eternal King and Priest, ruling in the midst of His enemies. How may dictators rule today? How many politicians are hungry for power? How many presidents, prime ministers, and principalities of this world openly profess and show that they follow Jesus? Do many judges have their consciences bound by what God declares is good and just? How many of our legislatures seek to bring glory to God? Our heats may become gloomy and sad as we look around in despair at the state of our world. But, as Christians we have hope. The sun always shines even behind the clouds trying to block the light. Psalm 110 celebrates the ultimate victory of righteousness and peace through the Messiah, who sits at the right hand of God. King Jesus will come again. Our Priest is forever.
Prayer Prompt: Pray for the coming of Christ's kingdom in its fullness, where righteousness and peace will reign supreme. Ask for the strength to be an agent of His peace and righteousness in a world that yearns for true justice and harmony.
Reflective Article
Understanding Jesus: Beyond the Surface
In a world cluttered with diverse portrayals and interpretations of Jesus, it's vital to anchor our understanding in the profound truths revealed in Scripture. Recently, as we journeyed through Psalm 22 and Mark 14:53-65, we were invited into a deeper comprehension of Jesus' identity, His sufferings, and His ultimate mission. This exploration is not just an academic exercise but a call to see Jesus through the lens of His own revelation and the prophecies that foretold His coming. If we are honest with ourselves, sometimes we can be downright uncomfortable with the Jesus we find in the Bible. He doesn’t always line with our modern sensibilities. He doesn’t always aline with the prevailing cultural philosophies. He doesn’t always alien with what we like. The question is, do we accept Jesus for who He says He is? Or, do we remake and remodel Jesus into who we want Him to be? To do the second is to make Jesus into an idol.
Jesus: The Messiah and the Divine
Jesus, in His trial before the high priest, claimed unequivocally to be the Messiah, the anointed One promised throughout the Old Testament. This wasn't a mere claim to a title but an assertion of His identity and mission. He was the one anointed to bring salvation, to establish God's kingdom, and to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Jesus' reference to Daniel 7:13, where He identifies Himself as the "Son of Man" coming with the clouds of heaven, not only asserts His divine authority but also His preexistence and His role in the final judgment. Most people, besides anti-supernaturalists, can at least entertain Jesus’ preexistence. However, our modern sensibilities are ruffled and we get uncomfortable with the idea of Jesus judging. Our western minds can hardly grasp a Jesus who commands legions of angels, who has his robe dipped in blood, and who will someday bring and end to those who oppose him.
The Unjust Trial: A Reflection of Human Resistance to Divine Authority
The trial of Jesus before the high priest and the Sanhedrin was marked by injustice and a blatant disregard for the law. This scene serves as a powerful mirror reflecting humanity's resistance to divine authority. Despite the lack of credible evidence against Him, Jesus was condemned, revealing the depths of human sin and the lengths to which we go to reject God's sovereignty. Those who were to be the heralds and protectors of justice were filled with corruption. The high priest, sitting in the judgment seat, had already concluded this one had to die. The leaders were out for blood. They needed to preserve their own power and the uneasy status quo with the Romans. Jesus was an obstacle to the peace, power, and prosperity they enjoyed.
Jesus: The High Priest and Our Sacrifice
In a profound twist of divine irony, the trial that was meant to condemn Jesus instead highlighted His role as our High Priest and the perfect sacrifice for our sins. God loves to do this does he not? So often when we read the Bible we think the story is going one way and God flips it on its head. They thought they were getting rid of Jesus. But, with divine perspective Jesus knew what would come not only after the cross but even to the end of time. Jesus knew that unlike the high priests of old who offered repeated sacrifices that could never take away sins, He would offer Himself once for all. Jesus is the true Mediator between God and man. Jesus fulfilled and surpassed the roles played by figures like Caiaphas. Caiaphas did not know it then. But, he was only a type and shadow. His anointing was only meant to mirror Jesus’s. His days would end, but, Jesus’s minister would last forever in the order of Melchizedek.
Practical Implications for Our Lives
Identity in Christ: Understanding Jesus as both Messiah and divine challenges us to find our identity in Him. We are called to be His followers, shaped and defined by His life, death, and resurrection. We must accept Jesus for whom He says He is.
Justice and Injustice: Jesus' unjust trial and His response teach us about the nature of true justice. As His followers, we are called to pursue justice, not as the world defines it, but as an expression of God's kingdom values. We must also not be surprised when we find ourselves the victims of injustice. Even if persecution should come, we can praise God that we have been counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ.
Worship and Sacrifice: Recognizing Jesus as our High Priest and sacrifice transforms our approach to worship. It's not about rituals or ceremonies but about a life laid down in surrender to Him. We can come to worship reminding each other of the King who reigns forever. We can worship Jesus in spirit and truth knowing He is the Christ. We can spur one another on toward love and good deeds by reminding each other that our high priest hears our prayers and receives the praise we offer up in His name.
Hope Amidst Suffering: Jesus' trial and crucifixion remind us that suffering and injustice have a place in God's redemptive plan. We can find hope in the midst of our trials, knowing that Jesus has overcome the world. Don’t give up hope Christian.
Automated Transcript
You may be seated. Over the next couple weeks, we're
going to be singing a lot of Psalm 22. Psalm 22, I am convinced,
well one, Jesus quotes Psalm 22 when He's on the cross, but
I'm convinced as we sing through and think about Psalm 22 over
the next few weeks, you're going to see more and more the experience
and heart of Jesus Christ as He has that Psalm on His mind.
Well, this morning we're going to turn in our Bibles to Mark
chapter 14. Mark chapter 14, and we'll begin
on verse 53, and we'll work our way through verse 56. Or 65,
that should be. Mark chapter 14, beginning at
verse 53. You should be able to find that
on page 900 of the New King James Pew Bibles provided for you. Brothers and sisters, hear now
God's perfect Word. And they led Jesus away to the
high priest, and with Him were assembled the chief priests,
the elders, and the scribes. But Peter followed Him at a distance
right into the courtyard of the high priest, and he sat with
the servants and warmed himself at the fire. Now the chief priests
and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,
but found none. For many bore false witness against
Him, but their testimonies did not agree. Then some rose up
and bore false witness against Him, saying, We heard Him say,
I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three
days I will build another made without hands. But not even then
did their testimony agree. And the high priest stood up
in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, Do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify
against you? But he kept silent and answered
nothing. Again, the high priest asked
him, saying to him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? Jesus said, I am. And you will
see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and
coming with the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his
clothes and said, what further need do we have of witnesses?
You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think? And they all
condemned him to be deserving of death. Then some began to
spit on him and to blindfold him and to beat him and say to
him, prophesy! And the officer struck him with
the palms of their hands. Well, in the reading of God's
Word there, brothers and sisters, the grass withers and the flower
fades, but the Word of our God endures forever. Let's pray. Father, we have read a historical
account, verified by multiple witnesses, attested to by your
Spirit, preserved in time. Lord, we pray now that your spirit
would work in our hearts, that we might not just hear a familiar
story, but Lord, that you would do a heart work in us, that we
might see who you are, and that it would change how we think,
how we feel, and how we live. We need your spirit to do this,
Lord, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Who is Jesus? Who is Jesus today? Who do people
say that Jesus is today? If you go out and even go into
different seminaries, or if you go into the streets and you ask
people that question, you would get a huge array of different
answers for that. Who is Jesus? Some people will
say that Jesus, they believe, is a liberation Jesus. He lifts
up the poor. He came as Messiah to care for
the afflicted and to break the chains of anybody in oppression.
Other people, modernists, will say that, well, Jesus was just
a good moral teacher. We don't need to necessarily
believe his miracles, you know, because that's pre-modern type
stuff, but he taught us good morals we can follow. Other people
will come to you and they'll give you almost this Plato Jesus,
right? Make him into whatever form you
want. A lot of counselors will do this. They take different
things of Jesus they like and they'll make Jesus into this
way, but they'll just ignore different parts that they don't
like. Whatever it could do to make you feel better. Other people
will try to convince you that today Jesus is all about social
justice and he's a social warrior Jesus. Other people will... just want to sing their little
folk songs to their boyfriend Jesus and follow the Jesus people
movement. There are people who will try
to tell you that Jesus was almost like a proto-socialist. Right? And that Jesus came and taught
us to sell all of our goods and to live in a commune together. There's many cults out there
who will try to teach you that that's what Jesus is. Some people will
just go along with, if they're non-believing at all, they'll
just agree with Karl Marx. People just like Jesus because
it helps. It's an opiate for the masses.
Having an idea of Jesus just helps poor people get along with
life. And you poor fools have just fallen into it. There's
many examples of who people will say Jesus is. Some will just
try to make Him into all about their politics and all about
their power, ignoring a number of other things that Jesus speaks
specifically about morality. And then there are ultra-super-spiritualist
people who will just take Jesus and however it makes us feel
whole and calm our guilt that that's who Jesus is. But we notice that the question
the high priest asks is getting at the heart of this. Again, the high priest asked
him saying, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? Who are
you? is what he's asking. And we live
in a day and age where people want to make Jesus to be the
king of this present world and this present age, but we'll see
as we work through these groups that time and time again they
mold Jesus into the image of their liking and not the image
that Jesus says that He is. Jesus says He is the anointed
Son of God. who sits at the right hand of
the power and is coming with the clouds of heaven. So my proposition
to you this morning is that you would believe, that you would
believe that Jesus is the Messiah. That Jesus is divine. That Jesus
is the judge of the world. That Jesus is our High Priest
and Jesus is our Messiah. That's who Jesus is. But before
we get there, we need to understand the unjust scene that's going
on here. There's an unjust scene that's
going on. Remember, Jesus has just been taken like a criminal.
It's past midnight, the torches were lit, the people were searching
for Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. They drug Him out like a common
thief, all His disciples scattered away. And he's brought almost
to this kangaroo court. We don't have it in ours, but
in the book of John we have. First he's taken to Annas. He
doesn't answer anything to Annas. Then he's taken to Caiaphas.
And so now we have the actual reigning high priest of the time.
And Caiaphas is a politically savvy dude. He's been in power
for 19 years. Or he will have been in power
for 19 years by the time he's dethroned. Normally high priests
only serve for 4 years. This guy knows how to stay in
the central of things, knows how to hold on to his power.
And he assembles together all the leaders. Did you notice?
It's almost like all the brass walked into the room in verse
53. And with Him were assembled all the chief priests of Him
and His whole family, the elders, and the scribes." Right? These
are all the important leaders of Israel are joined together.
This, as we'll read later, is almost like a joining together
of the Sanhedrin, all the council of those who can authoritatively
declare somebody's fate. It was cold that night. Somehow Peter goes, and we're
going to pick up on Peter next week, but Peter finds himself
by the light, that's how the literal translation is, but he's
by the fire, with the fire lighting his face, warming himself there. But notice the leaders have already
come with a verdict in mind. The leaders didn't come because
they wanted justice, the leaders came because they wanted blood.
Look at verse 55. Now, the chief priests and the
council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death. This
was pre-judged. They could have done this in
the Garden of Gethsemane, but they didn't. Instead, they
try to cobble together a whole bunch of people who could possibly
throw things. It's like throwing spaghetti
at the wall and seeing what's going to stick. Right? Some people
are saying he did this. Some people are saying he said
that. What's going to eventually stick to Jesus? Right? And the
issue is you've got to have a testimony of two or three witnesses. That's
what the law required. Deuteronomy 17 verse 6. Whoever
is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony
of two or three witnesses. He shall not be put to death
on the testimony of one witness. And people are coming to him,
one at a time, throwing accusations against Jesus. Nothing is sticking.
He's not answering any of their accusations. It's almost like
Jesus is pleading the fifth. He's just not going to self-incriminate.
They're getting mad. And the closest thing that seems
to stick is what Jesus said about the temple. And they ripped Jesus'
words out of context. John chapter 2 verse 19, Jesus
said, "...destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise
it up." But it's clear from context, Jesus isn't talking about the
temple that's in front of them, He's talking about His own body. And people must have associated
that with Mark chapter 13. We just went over that in a series
of, I don't know, like five different sermons, right? Where Jesus predicts
or Jesus prophesies the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. But
Jesus never said in Mark chapter 13 that He was going to rebuild
that temple with His hands in three days. And so these testimonies
aren't lining up. And what should have happened
is a mistrial should have been declared right away. Right away,
when the testimonies aren't sticking and there's contrary witnesses,
right away it should have been, okay, hold on, stop. We're done. But they don't. And worse than
this, in Israel, if you were to go to a capital trial, a trial
where somebody was to be put to death, and you bore false
testimony, Immediately, you were supposed to be the one now on
trial. Because if you bore false testimony in a capital trial,
that same thing was supposed to happen to you. That's what
Deuteronomy chapter 19 says, Deuteronomy 19, 16-21, If a false
witness arises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,
then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord,
before the priest and the judges who serve in those days, and
the judges shall make careful inquiry. And indeed, if the witness
is a false witness, he who testified falsely against his brother,
then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother,
so you shall put away the evil from among you." A just scenario would have been
here that they come and they want to hear the actual case.
And then when there's contrary witnesses, a mistrial is proclaimed
right away. And then those who are bringing
false testimony should have been put on trial themselves. But
none of this happens because none of this is just, because
they're not even following their own rules. The Sanhedrin had their
own rules. Every time that the council met
together, they were to go to the chamber of Hewnstone in the
temple, and there the 70 elders with a high priest sitting as
judge, and two clerks on the floor, the person who's accused
in the middle, clerk to the right, clerk to his left, semicircle
around him. That's where they were to make
this judgment. And they're not there. They're
in the courtyard of the high priest. At his own house. They're
not supposed to make judgments at night. It's supposed to happen
during the day. And yet here we are, in the middle
of the night, in a secret trial. And they're not to make any type
of decisions regarding death during the Passover. These are
their own rules, by their own rabbis, and they're not following
even their own procedures. And then something dramatically
changes. As Jesus keeps his mouth shut,
as Jesus doesn't answer, the high priest gets ticked off. He goes from just being judge
to being a prosecutor. He moves from being the one who's
supposed to hear the case to the one who's going to get the
evidence himself. He is going to get Jesus to talk
so he can incriminate him. And the high priest stood up,
verse 60, in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, Do you answer
nothing? What is it these men testify
against you? But he kept silent and answered
nothing. Again the high priest asked him, saying to him, Are
you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? Jesus said, I am. And you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with the
clouds of heaven. Jesus wouldn't answer his accusers
beforehand because he was going to be like a lamb led to the
slaughter without opening his mouth. But when Caiaphas asks
him directly, are you the Christ? Are you the Son of the Beloved?
By the way, he's calling the Beloved, this is what theologians
call circumlocation, right? So they want to say the word
God, but they don't want to blaspheme His name, so they'll say the
Blessed instead. Are you the Son of God? Are you the Son of
the Blessed? And their jaws must have dropped. For the first time in the trial,
Jesus opens His mouth. I am. The entire book of Mark, Jesus
has been telling people, don't tell anyone about this. Don't
tell people I'm the Christ. When even the unclean spirits
rise up and they say, you know, what are you going to do with
us, Son of the Most High? Jesus rebukes them and tells them to
be quiet. The entire book of Mark there has been this messianic
secret, this kind of keeping things quiet for 14 chapters,
almost 15 chapters, and now the secret is out. The entire book has been pointing
to this moment that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. And so we'll pick up on Jesus'
words here for the remainder of this sermon, now that we have
this unjust context, but this moment that Jesus is filling
with all the meaning of who He is. At first, Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah. The high
priest asks him, are you the Christ? This idea Christus, Christ, is
from the Old Testament with anointing. Like when Samuel went to the
house of Jesse, and he went to go find the new king to replace
Saul, he found David eventually, and he poured oil on his head
to anoint him as king. God had promised David in 2 Samuel
7, that your house and your kingdom shall be established forever
before you, and your throne shall be established. And the people
of God had been waiting for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of
years, waiting for the day that somebody who would eventually
be anointed would come and be their king forever, sitting on
the throne of David. But you need to understand that
that is an existential threat to the Jewish leaders. Right?
That will keep them up at night with anxiety and worry. Because
if Messiah comes, what happens to their power? If the Christ
appears, what happens to their role? What happens to their places
of position and privilege? Evaporating. Gone. But Jesus
is this Messiah. It may threaten them, but it
is who Jesus is. He is the Christ. But notice
the second question that the high priest asks him. Are you
the son of the blessed? And Jesus says, I am. Jesus says, I am, but then he
goes on further and he says, and you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of power. Jesus is referring us
back to Daniel chapter 7. Daniel chapter 7 verse 13. Jesus
is showing us once again that He is the Divine One. He says,
I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son
of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the ancient
of days, and they brought Him near before Him. It was Jesus
that Daniel saw in Daniel chapter 7. And if you go to the book
of Revelation, you'll see this same Jesus who comes in white,
and comes to judge the world, because He is the Divine One.
And in Psalm 110, what Elder Smith read this morning, Jesus
is getting at this when He says, "...and at the right hand of
power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." Psalm 110 verse 1,
the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make
your enemies your footstool. Jesus was this long-awaited one. Jesus was the one whom David
himself would call Lord. The Lord said to my Lord, sit
at my right hand." How can David call Him Lord if He's already
King? Because Jesus, the Messiah, the
Divine One, would be far greater and grander than anything David
had ever imagined. Because see, when Jesus merges
these together, He says, coming with the clouds of heaven, Who
in the Bible comes again and again in the clouds of heaven?
Did prophets come in the clouds of heaven? No. Did a king ever
come with the clouds of heaven? No. Did any of the priests ever come
with the clouds of heaven? No, actually the closest a priest
ever came to being near the clouds was when God filled the tabernacle.
God himself fills a tabernacle with a cloud and the priests
aren't even able to get in there because he's so filled with his
presence. When the clouds descend upon
Mount Sinai, the prophet Moses trembles and the people are in
fear. This is the glory that Jesus
says, I'm going to come with the clouds of heaven. You remember
Sinai? You remember the tabernacle?
You remember the temple? I'm coming like that. Because Jesus is the Ancient
of Days. He said in John 17, verse 5,
And now, O Father, glorify Me with Yourself, with the glory
which I had before the world was. And then when Jesus is speaking
to the people, He says, Most assuredly, I say to you, before
Abraham was, I am. Jesus answers the high priests,
Ego e mi. I am. And he says to the people,
before Abraham was, ero emi, I am. He is the one who is eternal. Jesus is, make no doubt about
it, claiming for himself divine personhood. You can imagine how that's going
to go over with a high priest. But notice Jesus is also the
judge. Jesus is the judge. We believe that Jesus is the
judge. We may miss what Jesus is claiming here, but He as Messiah
has power and authority and will come to judge the living and
the dead. This is exactly what we get a little bit squirmish
about, right? When John was reading Psalm 110, we think, oh, he's
going to execute kings, he's going to... This kind of makes
us nervous, right? Because I think there's a little
bit of pacifist in all of us. We don't want a Jesus whose robe
is dipped in blood. But that's the Jesus who is proclaimed. Revelation 1-7, Behold, He is
coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and even those
who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth
will mourn because of him, even so, amen. Jesus, the Ancient
of Days, is the one that John saw in Revelation chapter 1,
and knew that he was going to come and judge even those who
had pierced him. Jesus' words to the leaders are
a solemn warning. And I gotta tell you, there are a
lot of people who don't like this Jesus. There are a lot of evangelicals
who don't like this Jesus. There are a lot of people who
call them Christians who don't like this type of Jesus. Most people
in our day and age want an unlimited Jesus, an unlimited atonement
of Jesus, right? Jesus just loves every single
person everywhere. And they want a Jesus who never
condemns anyone. But that's not the Jesus we find
in Scripture. People today want a Jesus who
never says hard things. But as we've gone through Mark,
sometimes you've been confronted with things that you're not comfortable
with what Jesus said, but it doesn't change who Jesus is. People today wanted Jesus who
forgives universally. People today wanted Jesus who
loves everyone, everywhere, and at all times. But brothers and sisters, I gotta
warn you. That's making Jesus into an idol. You want a Jesus
who's like this, but if He's not like that, then you're not
actually loving or worshipping Jesus who He is. You're worshipping
somebody you've created in your own image. I think we all have
a tendency to do this. But we have to ask ourselves
honest questions when we come to the Bible and we interact
with the historical Jesus that we find here. Is that the Jesus
we love and worship and follow? Because if it is, then we got
some good news. Because that Jesus is also our High Priest.
That Jesus is our High Priest. You see, it wasn't just kings
who were anointed. And David was anointed, his sons
were anointed, all the kings were anointed by a priest somewhere,
or by a prophet, but it was also the priests who were anointed.
If you work through the book of Exodus, you've worked through
this book where God in painstaking detail describes every piece
of clothing and every article in the tabernacle, everything
that was going to happen. And it's like there's an entire
owner's manual, but nobody's actually started the car until
you get to the book of Leviticus. And then when you get to the
book of Leviticus, something amazing happens in Leviticus
chapter 8. And the Lord spoke to Moses,
saying, Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, the
anointing oil, a bull as the sin offering, two rams and a
basket of unleavened bread, and gather all the congregation together
at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So Moses did as the
Lord commanded him. And the congregation was gathered
together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. And Moses said to
the congregation, this is what the Lord commanded to be done.
Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with
water. And he put the tunic on them,
girded them with the sash, clothed them with the robe, and put the
ephod on him. And he girded him with an intricately
woven band of the ephod, and with it he tied the ephod on
him. Then he put the breastplate on him, and he put the urim and
the thymine in the breastplate. And he put the turban on his
head, also on the turban, on its front, and he put the golden
plate, the holy crown, as the Lord had commanded Moses. And
Moses took the anointing oil. By the way, If I was to read
this a little bit more Hebraic, also Moses took the oil for Messiah-ing
and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it and consecrated
them. He sprinkled some of it on the
altar seven times, anointed the altar and all of its utensils
and the laver and its base to consecrate them. And he poured
some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and Messiah-ed him. to separate him as holy, or to
consecrate him. We sing of this in Psalm 133.
It's like the precious oil poured out upon the head, which flowing
down upon his head, down his beard, and on his garment spread. Caiaphas wore that turban that
on its headplate said, Holiness of the Lord. Caiaphas knew what
it was like to have the breastplate with the 12 stones on it, and
each stone inscribed with a name, and connected at his shoulders
with an onyx stone on each shoulder with the names of the tribes
of Israel on it. He knew what it meant to be anointed
by God, to be the representative for his people, because in a
sense, he was in a moment. meant to represent God and be
a mediator between God and his people. One of the most important
memories of Caiaphas's life was when he was anointed as high
priest. And now he's asking Jesus, are
you the anointed one? See, Caiaphas's days were numbered.
His priesthood was about to be eclipsed. His ministry was going
to end. He was mediating to a covenant
that was growing old by the day. His anointing was about to fade
away. And the true anointed one was about to rise to an everlasting
priesthood to minister in a tabernacle or a temple not made by human
hands, but which is in heaven. In this scene, we see a transfer
of power. From the power-hungry high priests
who distort justice and will do anything for their own, to
seeing a Jesus Christ who will lay down His life and will even
through this injustice bring it for good, whose sacrifice
would be better than any sacrifice Caiaphas had ever offered on
the altar of God. Because we see Jesus is our sacrifice. Jesus is our high priest, but
Jesus is also our sacrifice. I alluded to Isaiah 53, 7 before,
but these words were fulfilled in front of Caiaphas. He was
oppressed and he was afflicted. Yet he opened not his mouth.
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shears
of silence, so he opened not his mouth. Jesus did that for
us, because you see, Caiaphas may have gone into that temple
regularly and created sacrifices and offered blood, but they all
pointed to Jesus. They all pointed to the Messiah
in front of him. Hebrews chapter 10 tells us,
and every priest stands ministering daily, offering repeatedly the
same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. And then verse
12, But this man, being Jesus, after he had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. From that time, waiting till
his enemies are made his footstool, for by one offering he was perfected
forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses
to us, For after he had said before, this is my covenant that
I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put
my law into their hearts and in their mind I will write them.
Then he adds, their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember
no more. Now where there is remission
of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. If you had to strand me on a
deserted island and only give me one book of the Bible, I'd
take Hebrews with me every day. Because Jesus is our high priest.
He's our sacrifice. Everything that Caiaphas thought
was most real about religion with the temple was all just
a shadow pointing to Jesus, who He was as the Anointed One, who
He was as the Divine Person with the power and authority of God,
who He was as the One who would judge the living and the dead,
who He would be as our Priest and as our King and Judge and
our Sacrifice. This is the Jesus that we find
here in Mark chapter 14. We don't believe in a liberation
Jesus who is used as nothing more than a pawn for political
goals. No. No, we have a far greater
anointed one than that. We don't believe in the moral
teacher Jesus of the modernists. We believe that He was truly
and is truly divine and lives forever. We don't go along with
modern counselors' Plato Jesus. No, we receive and believe Jesus'
moral judgments. It's not Jesus who needs to change,
it's not Jesus' words that need to change, but it's my heart
that needs to be conformed to the likeness of the image of
Christ. We don't twist Jesus' words to make us feel better,
but we seek to have our lives conformed to His will. We don't
believe the social warrior Jesus. But we believe wholeheartedly
in the Jesus whose throne is established in justice and righteousness. We hold to a Jesus far greater
than the Jesus people, the hippies of Jesus' movement. We believe
in a Jesus who does separate the sheep from the goats. But
we understand, we understand with our mouths
open and our hearts in awe, that we don't deserve to be numbered
among the sheep. But He's called us to be His
sheep. He's transformed our hearts. He's given us His Holy Spirit.
Jesus didn't come to set up a type of Christian commune, nor is
He some type of opiate for the masses. We believe Jesus is the
eternal Son of God. This is not mythology. We believe
in a Jesus who truly did humble himself into the likeness of
man suffered under the hands of Pontius Pilate. was crucified,
died, buried, rose again from the dead, but the grave had no
power over Him. He rose from that grave. He ascended
up into heaven. He sits down at the right hand
of God the Father Almighty. And we believe that He is coming
to judge the living and the dead. We believe that Jesus because
it's the Jesus that He says He is here. And we believe it because it even
cost Him His life. If we didn't believe it, then
why did he die? If he didn't believe it, then why did he die?
But we believe in the Jesus of the Scriptures, who is our Messiah,
who is our King of Justice, who is our Judge, who is our High
Priest, and who has laid down his life to be our sacrifice.
So brothers and sisters, don't let the world dupe you into their
twisting of who they want Jesus to be. Behold to the Jesus that
He says He is and that the Scriptures reveal Him to be. Because there
we have peace, there we have hope, there we have a sacrifice,
there we have life everlasting if we are in Him. Let's pray. Father, we pray that You would
not lead us into temptation. There are many people who speak
very well and eloquently. Who are able to take biblical
concepts and ideas. And will take hobby horses of
theirs and will try to force Jesus into being just about that.
Or will try to take Jesus out of context. And make Him into
something that you have shown us our Savior is not. But we
thank you. that you have given us a high
priest who bears our sins, who has our names written upon his
breastplate of righteousness, who gives us a shield of faith
and a helmet of salvation. Lord, we pray that as we go out
in this world, that our hands would be on the sword of your
spirit, the word, and that we would know when the lies are
coming at us and trying to twist who you are. Father, we pray
that you would give us hope That as we see who you are in your
word, that it would warm our hearts and direct our lives. Because we know that our King
lives. That he sits at your right hand with all power and authority
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. Thank
you for giving us our Messiah. In his name we pray. Amen. let's
stand together and we'll sing of our messiah in psalm 110 selection
a please stand