The Book of Mark
The Prophecy of Failure, Pt. 2
Mark 14:27-31
We began last week looking at some of the characteristics of the life of Jesus that we find in His betrayal and arrest and the prophecy that He makes regarding the failure of the disciples. It’s found in
Mark 14:27-31
The message I want us to see is actually found by looking between the lines. Even though the obvious message is how the disciples will fulfill prophecy by scattering when the Shepherd is attacked, there is woven in the details some amazing revelation regarding the person and work of Christ.
In fact, it is their failure that reveals the vital differences between the Lord and them. For instance, last week we saw His Knowledge
I think if safe to say the disciples had no idea what was about to happen. They think they do, and Peter is bold enough to say what he and others will do. But they had knowing way of knowing what was just around the corner.
In contrast to that, Jesus knows every detail and we see that in his statement about them. He knew because He was God and He knew because of prophecy.
Then we saw His Courage
While they were running and hiding, He faced everything without saying a word or responding in a negative way. And His courage in the face of what was coming, with full knowledge of what was about to happen is unbelievable.
There are two more characteristics I want to show you in this text. In verse 28, we see
3. His Power
verse 28
Obviously the Lord is looking beyond the cross to the resurrection, and He mentions it so matter-of-factly, “after I have been raised”.
The information continues to come from His knowledge and omniscience. He knows He will die. He knows they will scatter. But He also knows that He will be raised from the dead. He has said it again and again. He will die and rise again. It’s recorded that He has said that specifically three times already in the gospel of Mark.
So how did He know He would resurrect? I mean, it’s a pretty big deal to lay down your life, willingly be killed and sealed up in a tomb. A part of His assurance is found in the understanding He possessed up His power.
He knew He had power over death. He had displayed that power in raising others from the dead, most recently with Lazarus.
In very stark contrast to that, the disciples feared death. After all, that’s why they ran. They didn’t want to die. So they disappeared into the darkness and into the crowd.
But Jesus had no fear of death. After all, when you created life, you don’t have to fear death. If you’ve got the power to take a pile of dirt, form some nostrils and breathe life into it and see it become a living soul, you don’t have to fear death.
So what caused the agony in the Garden of Gethsamane? If He didn’t fear death, then why the prayer asking God if there was any other way?
I think it facing the wrath of God that He feared. Perhaps the greatest dread of His earthly existence was becoming the sin bearer. When “He Who knew no sin became sin for us”, he experienced something He had never experienced before. He had never been touched by iniquity and that’s why He cried out, “Let this cup pass from Me.”
But it was not fear of death itself that caused the distress because He knew, as Revelation 1 puts it, He held the keys of death and hell, and there fore had power over death.
Scripture puts a strong emphasis on His resurrection power. The beginning of His ministry in John 2 verses 19 to 21, He said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” In John 5 He said that John had given Him the power delegated to Him, all authority and all power for the resurrection and He would raise people, some unto life and some unto damnation.
In John 6 He said, “All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me and I will lose none of them, but raise them up.” He said, “Because I live, you will live also.” He said, “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in Me will never die.” Over and over again He repeatedly expressed His power of resurrection.
The writer of Hebrews says that He shattered the power of Satan who had the power of death temporarily. So Jesus here says, “After I have been raised.” No doubt He knew He would be raised, as I said, He said it repeatedly.
And then He said, “I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” Literally, I will lead you forward, that’s what that means. It doesn’t mean I’ll go there and sometime later you’ll show up and join me. He says, “I will lead you there, personally, I will shepherd you into Galilee.”
He makes a promise then to return after His death and personally re-gather the scattered sheep and that’s exactly what He did. He brought them together.
And it didn’t take long. Matthew 28 tells us Jesus met them, greeted them, brought them all together, and commissioned them.
Matthew 28:16-20
He brought them all together at the end. They were all together when He ascended from an area near Jerusalem. They were all together in the upper room and the Holy Spirit came. He recovered and restored them all.
He promised He would and He did. So we see here His knowledge in contrast to their ignorance, His courage in contrast to their cowardice, His power against their weakness and one final contrast and that is seen in
4. His Humility
It’s seen in contrast to their pride.
verses 29-31
This is the epitome of proud confidence. And it’s not the first time we’ve heard it. Back in the Upper Room, we hear Peter saying, “Lord, I will lay down my life for You.”
It is to that statement that Jesus prophesies of Peter’s denial, which will occur three times before the rooster crows!
It’s just been a few hours since Jesus made that statement sitting at the table in the upper room. Now here we are on the Mount of Olives and Peter is still making the same insistent claim, “’Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.’”
In other words, Peter says, “Lord, You’re wrong about me. What you said earlier will never happen.” I think there is an indication in that second statement that he had been thinking about what the Lord had said.
Don’t you think he had thought about those words? Wouldn’t you have thought about that?
If I had been sitting in the upper room, and Jesus looked into my eyes and said, “I’m telling you, you will deny Me three times before the cock crows”, that would have been indelibly pressed upon my mind.
Now it seems to me since Peter knew the Lord and was so convinced of His claims, he should have said, “So Lord, how can I avoid doing that?” But he is so consumed with himself and so confident in himself, that it never crosses his mind the Lord is telling him the truth. Instead, proud, arrogant Peter says, “I will never do that. Everybody else might, but I won’t.”
So in verse 30, Jesus gives him the same warning, the second time and Peter still didn’t buy it.
verse 31
He just kept arguing with the Lord and as he spoke he became even more insistent as he stubbornly rejects the Lord’s knowledge of his own weakness.
And Luke tells us how it continued.
Luke 22:31-34
That’s the third time he told Him he would deny Him, and in every case, we are led to conclude there were multiple denials of the Lord’s statement. This is the height of pride, and it’s pride in the full knowledge of a pending attack by Satan.
And by the way, did you notice in verse 31, they were all saying the same thing?
They all lived with an illusion about their spiritual strength. They contradicted the Lord who said they would do this and denied it. Peter sinned secondly by claiming to be stronger than the rest and by, thirdly, trusting in his own strength. “I will die before I will deny You.”
And against that ugly pride is this amazing humility of Christ who humbly faces the cross. Forsaken by them, hated by His own nation, rejected, He is magnificent in humility against the contrast of the ugly, boastful pride of the Apostles.
So, I say, in this experience here, while we see the ugly side of it, we see the ignorance and the pride of the Apostles, we also see the majesty of Christ in wonderful and beautiful contrast.
Now, I think it important to note that while they defected, it wasn’t a terminal defection. They left, but they returned and were restored.
They were actually restored after the resurrection on that very night without Thomas. Then the next week, with Thomas there, they were back together. Then we see them together in Galille at the Ascension and finally on the Day of Pentecost.
They were restored. And this time, they followed through on what they said. They were willing to suffer for Christ, unashamed and even be killed,, if need be.
So what made the difference? I’ll tell you what made the difference. What made the difference was the coming of the Holy Spirit.
After the Holy Spirit came upon them in Acts chapter 2 on the Day of Pentecost, they never were ashamed again. They went out and boldly preached Christ. Peter, by tradition, was crucified upside down, all the others were martyred until John, the last of them was exiled to Patmos and died in exile there for the cause of Christ.
And throughout history, this is what believers have done. They have been faithful to the end. The history of martyrdom starts with these men, the Apostles, and continues through human history to this very day.
And not only does the Spirit allow us to share His power, but we also are privileged to share His knowledge, courage and humility. Why would we ever need to be ashamed? May the Lord never have to say of us, “the sheep were scattered because of Me”.
Let’s pray
