God is in the Details • Mark 14-15 (Good Friday)
40:16 Teaching begins. Audio will be missing until time to teach.
Notes
God is a God of power. He is a God of compassion. He is a God of details.
We are taking a break in our study in 1 Peter for Easter, and to prepare for Easter, we’re looking at Good Friday, when Jesus died for our sins.
There we see suffering, weakness, injustice, oppression, hatred, wicked men scheming and carrying out their schemes.
And we see God, being compassionate, accomplishing perfect, eternal salvation. With His power He fulfils details of His prophetic word.
Because God is powerful, compassionate, and detail- oriented, He also cares about working out His salvation in our lives.
I’ll be reading the relevant verses as we look at Mark 14 and 15.
1. The priests are not in control, God is in control, vv. 1-2
A. These are the men who have power and authority. They have decided they are going to kill Jesus. Notice that as they plan they specifically say, “Not during the feast, lest there be a riot.”
B. But God sovereignly overrules these men. It is His determination that they must kill Jesus, and Jesus’ death has to take place during Passover, because He is the fulfillment of Passover.
C. Jesus’ death shows us clearly that God controls events and men with sovereign power and authority.
2. Jesus institutes Communion because He is the fulfillment of Passover, vv. 22-25.
A. The Passover was the last plague on Egypt. This feast that God instituted commemorates Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The final plague of killing all the firstborn sons at midnight caused Pharoah to propel Israel to leave Egypt. This plague freed the people from slavery to sin. Jesus is that Passover lamb that was sacrificed as a substitute for the firstborn son in each family.
B. A lamb was to be chosen by each household. Kept in the house for 10 days. Examined carefully to make sure there is no spot or blemish, has to be perfect. Then on the night of Passover the lamb is slain, its blood painted on the doorposts and lintel. The lamb is roasted whole and eaten. Not a bone is to be broken.
C. This accomplished the redemption of the firstborn in Israel, and it brought Israel out of slavery to Egypt. They made Israel go!
D. One detail of the meal is that there are three pieces of unleavened bread. The second piece of unleavened bread is broken and the pieces hidden until the end of the meal. Jesus takes this second piece of unleavened bread and says, “This is My body, which is broken for you.”
E. Then He takes the cup of wine He says, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” All of Passover refers to the greater redemption from slavery from sin and death that Jesus is going to accomplish on this night.
3. Jesus knows that all His disciples will fail Him, vv. 26-31
A. This is God’s sovereignty, written in Zechariah 13:7.
B. It is in the plan of God. On Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, there can be no one to help the high priest. That is written in Leviticus 16:17. No one can help Jesus, He has to do this alone.
C. He does not reject them. He says I’ll meet you in Galilee after I am raised from the dead. He is going to redeem them from all their sins and failures, which He already knows in advance. The death of Jesus says, “It’s going to be okay.” If Jesus forgives you, then you are forgiven indeed.
4. Jesus prays for three hours in Gethsemane, vv. 32-42.
A. The sacrifice that Jesus will offer has to be offered by the high priest.
B. A high priest is God’s choice, God’s calling, set apart as holy by God. He is there to accomplish God’s will, not his own.
C. In Leviticus 16, on the day of atonement, the high priest was to enter the holy of holies, into the presence of God where normally nobody could go. In order to enter, the high priest was to take much incense and burn it on a censer before the ark of the covenant, to cover the throne of God with prayer. Only then could the high priest safely enter to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice before the throne of God and make atonement for the people.
D. So here is our high priest covering the throne of God with incense, praying for three hours, “Not My will, but Yours be done.” Jesus is fulfilling the requirements of the high priest as it is written.
5. Jesus is sinned against by betrayal of Judas, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled, vv. 43-49
A. It is written in Psalm 41:9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. Jesus quoted this in John 13:18.
B. Jesus warned him against betraying Him, saying it would have been better if that man had never been born. It would be better to never have existed than experience eternal punishment.
C. Mary understood that Jesus was going to die. Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. She gave her finest, costliest gift to prepare Him for burial. She loved because she was loved greatly. She understood His death when the disciples did not.
D. But Judas was offended and went out to betray Jesus. He was doing his own thing, and just the arrogance of I’m in control of my life, led directly to Jesus’ betrayal and death.
E. There are only two responses to Jesus: either you love Him and receive Him, or you despise and reject Him. There is no third response.
6. Jesus is examined by the chief priests and Sanhedrin, found blameless, vv. 53-65.
A. Notice all the attempts to find something by which they could lawfully condemn Jesus to die. They can’t find anything. Jesus is truly blameless.
B. This is written in the law concerning the Passover sacrifices. The lamb offered had to be examined by the high priest and found perfect, spotless and blameless. Unless it is perfect it is not acceptable as a sacrifice.
C. This is what the chief priests are doing without realizing it: they certifying that the Lamb of God is without sin, pure and blameless.
D. Jesus’ silence fulfils what is written in Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.
E. Jesus does say, when the hight priest point blank asks are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? I am. They will see Him sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. This is all from Daniel 7, a man equal to God, glorified in the same way as God, who will rule over all. His kingdom is the one which will never pass away, the eternal kingdom.
F. And the priests and Sanhedrin condemn Jesus to death for the truth.
1. Isaiah 53:8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
2. Isaiah 53:9 because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
7. Peter denies Jesus three times in fear, vv. 66- 72.
A. Peter is trying his best, but when the decisive moment comes he gives way to self-preservation in his fear.
B. Remember this is who Jesus died for. He died for weak, fearful failures to redeem them.
8. Pilate declares Jesus innocent and yet condemns Him, 15:1-15
A. The first question Pilate asks is, “Are You the King of the Jews?” The chief priests have put it this way to Pilate that he may condemn Jesus on political grounds, that He is a king to rival Caesar.
B. Knowing this will condemn Himself Jesus says is yes, He is the King of the Jews, the Messiah.
C. The priests are accusing Jesus of many serious crimes, Jesus fulfils prophecy by answering not one word. He is silent before His accusers.
D. Pilate’s authority has to give way to the sovereignty of God. He tries to get Jesus released because he knows He is not guilty. But he has to condemn Jesus unjustly. Justice is denied Jesus. His judgment is taken away because if He lives, then we all die.
9. The soldiers mock Jesus, vv. 16-20.
This is like Mary with her perfume and Judas betraying Jesus. There is no middle ground with Jesus. You either exalt Him as Lord and Saviour, or you despise Him, show Him utter contempt.
10. Jesus is crucified, Scripture is fulfilled, vv. 22- 32.
A. Jesus’ death is shown graphically in Psalm 22 before crucifixion was invented as a punishment. Psalm 22:14-18
1. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; No strength, and bones are literally disjointed and dislocated.
2. my heart is like wax; it is melted within me. Your circulatory system is under great stress because of shock. The heart is overloaded.
3. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You lay me in the dust of death. Crucifixion makes you dehydrated.
4. For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; This describes the scene all around Jesus.
5. they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. Graphic and fulfilled exactly. Crucifixion especially pierces the hand and feet.
6. They look, they stare at me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. The soldiers are not aware of the sovereignty of God as they realize, hey, this is a nice outer garment. Let’s not turn it into four pieces of cloth. Let’s keep it as it is. Want to roll some dice for it? Give us something to do to keep ourselves occupied? But God saw it 1000 years before and had David see it and write it down and make a song out of it.
7. Crucified with criminals is written in Isaiah 53:9 His grave was assigned with wicked men. Isaiah 53:12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
B. When Jesus cries out, some guys think He is calling for Elijah. One of them runs and gets Him a drink of sour wine. This is the sovereignty of God.
1. In Psalm 69:20-21 Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. They also gave me gall for my food and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
2. The point is that the first half of the prophecy is fulfilled in the beginning of the crucifixion, in verse 23, the other half is fulfilled six hours later at the end of the crucifixion. God in His sovereignty is watching over His word to perform it.
11. Darkness over the land for three hours; Jesus’ death affects all creation, vv. 33-38.
A. God makes it become dark for three hours. Can you imagine the light in the heavens goes out? God decides to withhold light by His power. He doesn’t destroy the sun, but somehow makes a darkness that lasts longer than any natural phenomenon would explain. This event affects all creation because of what God is doing.
B. Metaphorical meanings of darkness are: oppression, confusion, sorrow, grieving, sadness, pain, loss of hope, death.
C. The sin of the world, of all time, all people, is being judged on the Son of God. The light of the world became sin on our behalf. All the wrath of God against sin is being poured out on this one Man.
D. Jesus cries out the first verse of Psalm 22: My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
1. Why have You abandoned Me to danger and dying? Why do You leave Me by Myself?
2. To be abandoned by God is to lose His love and lose His favour, and lose His grace. It is to be dead even while you are still existing.
3. To exist without the love of God is hell. People talk about hell on earth. This is real, but it is temporary. On earth there are still some good things of God. What is worse than hell on earth is hell in hell because that is forever. In hell there is nothing good from God, only the absence of good and the presence of pain, sorrow, and everlasting contempt.
4. Here all this is falling upon Jesus and He is in our place. All of that shame and contempt and anger for sin is being endured by Jesus. He is forsaken of God for us so that we would never know what it is to be abandoned by God.
E. Jesus’ last cry is that It is finished. Paid in full. God’s wrath has been exhausted on Jesus. There is an end to sin. This is a triumphant success. This is a perfect sacrifice, effective for all time.
12. People witness Jesus’ death, vv. 39-47.
A. The centurion, vv. 39.
1. Jesus was convicted as an evildoer, sentenced to death.
2. The centurion has to supervise this execution.
a. He can see the criminals curse everyone around them. Nothing unusual there.
b. He can see Jesus forgive everyone, even the centurion, over and over again. He can see Jesus cry out, My God, My God. He can see Jesus cry, It is finished and bow His head and give up His spirit to God. He has never seen anything like it in his life.
3. This centurion testifies that this man was the Son of God. It can be translated a son of God, but it still means the same thing: this man was more than man. He is divine. He is God.
B. Jesus’ female disciples are witnesses that He was dead. They knew Him. They travelled with Him. They even supported Him. They loved Him greatly. They see Him dead and they are devastated. They are witnesses that Jesus was dead.
C. Joseph is a witness that Jesus was dead. That’s when he summoned his courage to ask for the body. Up until this point he was a secret disciple for fear of the Jews. How did he suddenly have the courage to throw his reputation away after Jesus was dead? Isaiah 53:9 yet He was with a rich man in His death. Joseph was that rich man. So God in His sovereignty gives Joseph courage without Joseph thinking, woah, what’s happening to me? I’m not in control of my body! Help! He doesn’t feel a thing except, I have to do this. Come on, Joseph! You have to ask Pilate! Do it!
D. Pilate is a witness that Jesus was dead. He confirmed this with the centurion who certified that Jesus was dead. That is the only way the corpse could be released to Joseph of Arimathea. Corpse is the word used here.
E. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus are also witnesses of the burial of Jesus.
13. So what? God fulfils the details of Jesus’ death.
A. God has all power to make this happen. He can shut off the light in the universe.
B. He has the sovereignty. He can make a guy jump up and give Jesus a drink of sour wine. A little detail like that, but God know, and God cares about the details. That way you know it’s God doing this, not a coincidence.
C. That means that Jesus is the only way to salvation. We are to trust in what He has done to satisfy the wrath of God for our sin.
D. This also means God cares about us. When salvation requires the death of the Son of God, God gives His only begotten Son. So Good Friday means God loves us supremely.
E. No detail is too small for God. That means that He is also interested in the details of each of our lives.
1. Psalm 139:16-18 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. God is interested in the details of our lives because He wrote them.
2. Philippians 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
3. Philippians 2:12-13 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
F. Jesus died for sinners, like His disciples. People who know they are wrong, sinful, weak, afraid, failing.
G. God is satisfied with His perfect work. That’s where we put our trust. If God is satisfied, then we should be satisfied.
H. But we can be dissatisfied when we look at our lives and say, God, how can You work in me? I’m so contrary to You. I see the sin and weakness in me.
I. In the same way that God worked through the weakness of Jesus, and in His disciples, and in the priests, in Pilate, in Joseph of Arimathea. He will also work in us, with that same sovereign power.
Let’s pray.