Blasphemy

Mark 14:63-65 - And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows. Mark 2:7 - “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Isaiah 50:6 - I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. Isaiah 11:2 - And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Application: · The sin of blasphemy not only involved reviling the name of God but also included any affront to His majesty or authority. · In Jewish theology even the Messiah could not forgive sins, and Jesus’ forgiveness of sin was a claim to deity—which they considered to be blasphemous. · Beatings were for criminals or fools. Mocking and spitting was to show hatred or to insult or disgrace. · The Spirit endowed Jesus with the wisdom to undertake wise purposes and with the power to carry them out. All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Son Of The Blessed One

Mark 14:61-62 - But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Isaiah 53:7 - He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. Mark 11:30 - Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” Mark 8:31 - And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. Daniel 7:13 - “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. Psalm 110:1 - The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” Application: · The Blessed One was a way of referring to God without pronouncing His name. · Heaven was a common Jewish term for God, often substituted for the divine name to avoid a possible misuse of it. · The Son of Man is pictured as a heavenly figure who in the end times is entrusted by God with authority, glory and sovereign power. · The Son of Man will be enthroned as ruler over the whole earth, and His kingdom will never be destroyed, whether on earth or in heaven. · Right hand is the place of honor beside a king; thus Jesus’ exaltation to this position makes Him second in authority to God Himself. All Scripture verses taken from ESV

They Took Jesus

Mark 14:50-60,64 - And they all left him and fled. And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”… You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. Application: · The sin of blasphemy included any affront to God’s majesty or authority. Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah and to have majesty and authority belonging only to God was therefore regarded as blasphemy, for which the law prescribed death by stoning. All Scripture verses taken from ESV

My Blood Of The Covenant

Mark 14:23-24 - And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 1 Corinthians 10:16 - The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Jeremiah 31:31-34 - “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Luke 22:20 - And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. Exodus 24:8 - And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Application: · The Lord’s Supper is to remind us of Him. · As the old covenant was celebrated by the blood of sacrificial animals, so the new would be celebrated by the blood of Christ. · The new covenant does not abolish the old but supersedes it in the sense that through the new covenant the old is fulfilled and its purpose achieved. · I will forgive…their sins is the glorious basis of the new covenant. · New covenant was promised through the prophet Jeremiah—the fuller administration of God’s saving grace, founded on and sealed by the death of Jesus. · Only after I agree to obey the Lord can I participate in His covenant. All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Reclining At The Table Eating

Mark 14:13-22 - And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Exodus 12:11 - In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. Mark 8:31 - And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. Luke 22:19-20 - And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 - For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Application: · The Lord would pass over and not destroy the occupants of houses that were under the sign of the blood. · The Son of Man is pictured as a heavenly figure who in the end times is entrusted by God with authority, glory and sovereign power. · The bread represented Jesus’ body, given for them. · The keeping of Christ’s command is a remembrance and proclamation of my deliverance from the bondage of sin through Christ’s atoning work on the cross. · The new covenant is the administration of God’s saving grace, founded on and sealed by the death of Jesus. · The broken bread is a symbol of Christ’s body given for me. · The cup is a symbol of the new covenant in Jesus’ blood. All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Gospel

Mark 14:8-12 - She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” Mark 1:1 - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 8:31 - And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. Exodus 12:5-7,11 - Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it…In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. 1 Corinthians 5:7 - Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Application: · The good news is that God has provided salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. · The Son of Man is pictured as a heavenly figure who in the end times is entrusted by God with authority, glory and sovereign power. · Jesus was like a lamb without blemish or defect. · Blood symbolizes a sacrifice offered as a substitute, one life laid down for another. · The Lord would pass over and not destroy the occupants of houses that were under the sign of the blood. · In His death on the cross, Christ fulfilled the true meaning of the Jewish sacrifice of the Passover lamb. All Scripture verses taken from ESV

The Poor You Will Always Have With You

Mark 14:5-7 - For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. Deuteronomy 15:11 - For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’ Luke 4:18-19 - “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” Application: · The needs of the poor lay close to Jesus’ heart. · Do I extend generosity and kindness to the poor? · The Lord was anointed with the Holy Spirit to preach good news to the poor. All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Firm To The End

Mark 13:6-13 - Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. John 15:21 - But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. Hebrews 3:14 - For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. Hebrews 6:11-12 - And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Application: · Standing firm to the end is a sure indication of salvation. Am I standing firm? · Because Christians do not belong to the world, persecution from the world is inevitable. · Do I belong to Him? Am I participating in His blessings? · Am I persevering in faith? · Am I imitating those who will inherit what has been promised? All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Thrown Down

Mark 13:2-5 - And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. Luke 19:43-44 - For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation. Mark 1:17 - And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Application: · God came to the Jews in the person of Jesus the Messiah, but they failed to recognize Him and rejected Him. · Am I totally committed to my call to discipleship? · Am I alert to the danger of deception? All Scripture verses taken from ESV

There Is No Other Besides Him

Mark 12:32-33 - And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Deuteronomy 4:35 – To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. Isaiah 45:14 – Thus says the Lord: “The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him.’” 1 Samuel 15:22 – And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. Hosea 6:6 – For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Micah 6:6,8 – “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?...He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Application: · Is my belief in one God total and uncompromising? · One day the nations will acknowledge Israel’s God. · Do I bring my sacrifices to the Lord with an attitude of obedience and devotion to Him? · Do I show my obedience by showing right conduct toward my fellow man and showing loyalty to the Lord? · It does me no good to be sacrificial for the Lord without obedience. · Do I show my obedience by acting justly and loving mercy? All Scripture verses taken from ESV