Guard Your Heart!
Mark 14:26-31
In his commentary on Mark, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson noted “Jesus, …the One who is about to enter the
darkness of Gethsemane and the deep darkness of Calvary, is the only one who is
really in control of himself and the situation…” (234). The disciples think
they can handle whatever comes, but they have no idea (even though Jesus has
warned them repeatedly). The religious leaders think they have things well under
control, and finally they will be rid of this “troublemaker.” Judas thought,
perhaps, “some easy silver…” He had no idea. Only One is truly in
control, even when things seem out of control.
The BIG Idea: We should think rightly of
ourselves, recognizing our weakness and our propensity to sin, and live in the
light of the Gospel of Grace.
Context: After
His prediction of betrayal, and His transformation of the Passover meal to
symbolize the sacrifice He was about to offer, they sing a hymn and head out to
the Mount of Olives, which was also the setting for Chapter 13 and his
discourse about the coming judgement and His return in glory. Though they could
hardly understand beforehand, the Gospel, God’s Plan, was at the center of His
words and actions. Remember, it is Passover… The Lamb of God would soon be
slain… for us… The Gospel should lead us to praise God for His grace.
Here, …they sang a hymn… (26). Mark
reports: “And when they had sung a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
Nowhere are we told which hymn they sang that night. Even so, we do
know that traditionally the Jews sang the Hallel
psalms (Psalm 113-118) in connection with the Passover. Since it was the end of
the evening, after the meal, it is reasonable to think that it may have been Psalm
118 which begins (and ends) with a call to praise God for His steadfast love
(vv.1-4; 29)…
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is
good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures
forever." 3 Let the
house of Aaron say, "His steadfast love endures forever." 4 Let those who fear the LORD say,
"His steadfast love endures forever."
We’ve looked at that word “steadfast
love,” (hesed) before. It speaks to God’s
faithfulness to His covenant, His “loyal love.”
This psalm was also quoted by the crowds at the triumphal entry (118:22)
and also refers to the Rejected Cornerstone (26) and the festal sacrifice
(27). The prophecies of His death, His
“anointing” for burial at Bethany, His predictions of betrayal and desertion,
His transformation of the Passover to represent His body given, and His blood shed,
and even His allusion to resurrection, seems to have been largely missed, at
least for now, by His disciples. Seemingly, they are still largely focused on
themselves, thinking more highly of themselves than they ought. We’ll be
reminded here that *we should think
rightly of ourselves, recognizing our weakness and propensity to sin, and live
in the light of the Gospel of Grace.
I. A Heartbreaking Prediction: “You will all stumble” (27)!
27 And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away,
for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be
scattered.'
Jesus uses strong language in predicting what would soon happen, indeed
that very night. The betrayer had evidently already left the group. But he was
not the only one who would fail the Lord that night. Jesus said “You all will fall away…” Jesus
anticipated what would happen, and even quotes Scripture to explain it. “Fall away” reflects the Greek word, skandalizo [from which we get the
English word “scandalize”] which is variously translated, “fall away, stumble, be offended.” The word was used earlier in Mark’s
gospel, perhaps the most instructive is the explanation of the seed that fell
on the rocky ground…
16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones
who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in
themselves, but endure for a while. Then, when tribulation or persecution
arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away… (Mark
4:16-17).
They fall away when persecution
arises. Remember our context. In this same location, on the Mount of Olives,
Jesus had just spoken of coming tribulation, great tribulation, in the
discourse in Mark 13. When He spoke the “Parable of the Soils” in Mark 4,
mentioning different classes of individuals who would manifest the appearance
of life, and then fall away, were some of their own number in His mind? Was
this parable the explanation of what had happened with Judas? Was he perhaps
one who Satan came and took away the word that had been sown in him (Mark
4:15). But wait, didn’t Jesus say to Peter on one occasion “Get behind me Satan!” (Mark 8:33)? But
Jesus was not speaking of one, or even two of His followers. He said, “You shall all fall away…” Every last
one. And He quotes Scripture to make His point, “…for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be
scattered.’” The
citation is from the Old Testament prophet Zechariah. We read in 13:7,
"Awake,
O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,"
declares the LORD of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be
scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.
It is interesting that Jesus puts the
prophecy in the first person, “I will
strike the Shepherd…” God is the subject, the Father, it seems,
striking the Son. Is this a similar perspective to what we see in Isaiah 53:4,5,
and also v.10?
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and
afflicted. 5 But he was
wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was
the chastisement that brought us peace… 10 Yet it was the will of
the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes
an offering for sin…
This is the grace that is guiding this story to its climax. God spared not the Son, but delivered Him up
for us all! God’s justice had to be satisfied, sin required a just
punishment. God could not be holy and righteous and just overlook our sin. And
so, Christ, the sinless Son, the spotless Lamb of God, came and bore our sins in His body on the tree.
Amazing love… Recall the scene near that same spot, when Abraham raised the
knife on Mount Moriah to offer his beloved son Isaac in obedience to God. God
intervened, He provided a ram caught in a thicket which was offered in Isaac’s
stead. 2000 years later the executioner’s hand would not be stayed. God himself
provided the Lamb—the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Jesus quotes from the prophet Zechariah as He tells the disciples what
would soon happen. Do you notice how often Jesus quotes Scripture in the
Gospels? We’ll see more quotations and allusions on the way to the Cross. Why
does He do that? He has all authority on heaven and in earth. HE IS THE WORD OF
GOD, incarnate and living! It seems that He wants His disciples, and us, to
know the value of the Scriptures. He is showing them that the Word can be a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path. He
wants us to know that
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, 17 that the
man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work… (2 Tim
3:16,17).
God has given His Word to correct,
teach, guide, and equip us. Do we receive it for what it is? Do we submit to its authority in our lives? Or
do we arrogantly think we know better? We should think rightly of ourselves,
recognizing our weakness and propensity to sin, and live in the light of the
Gospel of Grace. So, I. A warning… is followed by…
II. A Hope stirring promise: Jesus will overcome our failure (28; cf. 16:8).
28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee."
The contrast here is emphatic, and what a beautiful expression of grace!
You will all fall away, “But
after I am raised up I will go before you…” The Lord had spoken of
His death and resurrection repeatedly to the disciples, but here He does so in
the light of their “falling away.”
Apparent defeat and failure will be turned into victory, He will be “raised up.” And though they will have
left Him, He will not abandon them. He is still interested in them, leading
them, preparing the way for them, going before them to Galilee. At
this moment it probably doesn’t make much sense to the disciples. After the
Cross, and in the light of their failures, their confusion and sadness will
darken their understanding for a moment. But the resurrection will bring hope!
Near the end of the gospel, we will read in Mark 16:5-7,
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side,
dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
6 And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek
Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the
place where they laid him. 7
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.
There you will see him, just as he told you."
Now, in advance, Jesus is telling the
disciples about His future resurrection, and assuring them that He is not
finished with them, and that they will see more clearly in a few days, they
will weep, but their sorrow will be turned to joy!
From Jesus’ perspective the words of John Chrysostom ring true: “The danger is not that you should fall, but
that you should fail to get up.” Jesus came to save sinners. The Big Idea
is that *we should think rightly of
ourselves, recognizing our weakness and propensity to sin, and live in the
light of the Gospel of Grace. Instead of focusing on the promise, Peter
tries to pridefully reassure Jesus, NOT ME Lord!
III. A Heart-revealing Proclamation: Peter (and the other disciples are
clearly thinking of themselves
too highly, “Pride goes before a fall”
(29-31).
29 Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not." 30 And Jesus said to him,
"Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you
will deny me three times." 31
But he said emphatically, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you."
And they all said the same.
Peter’s self-confidence is pretty impressive here, is it not? “Even though they all fall away…” Maybe
you are right to be concerned about these guys, Jesus, I’ve had some doubts
about them myself! They may fall away, all of them, but get this straight: I
will never deny you! Really? Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
We need to see ourselves rightly, and know that God is present, that He is good
and that He does good, and we desperately need Him. I think that’s part of what it means when it
says “the just shall live by faith.”
Trust God, take Him at His word! The prophet Jeremiah reflected that attitude
when He wrote…
23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let
not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,
24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and
knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and
righteousness in the earth… (Jer 9:23-24).
Even after the very specific
prediction of Jesus, “…before the cock
crows twice, you will deny me three times…”, Peter was not convinced. “Even
if I must die with you, I will not deny you…” And not only Peter,
but “…they all said the same thing.” Honestly,
if we were there would we not have chimed in with the rest of them? Paul would
later call the prideful Corinthians to proper humility when He said in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he
stands take heed lest he fall.” Paul’s point there is not that we can’t
stand firm, but that we should not be presumptuous, we need to stay on guard.
We all need to guard our hearts, because we are all vulnerable.
Read the story of King David, a man after God’s own heart. Did he imagine
earlier in His life that He would be vulnerable to the temptations that later
overtook him? We need to watch ourselves, and watch out for each other, because
given the wrong circumstances any one of us could fall into temptation. Please,
if you are tempted to say, “Never, not me! Though they all fall away, I never
will…” That sounds familiar… It is what Peter says here. And that very night He
denied Jesus not once, not twice, but three times! Guard your heart, for from
is are the well springs of life (Prov 4:23).
What is God saying to me in this passage? Let’s think rightly of ourselves,
recognizing our weakness and propensity to sin, and live in the light of the
Gospel of Grace.
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Hopefully, we will see the
conflicts that are raging resolve, and peace restored… it does remind us that we
live in a fallen world. This is why Jesus came. It is good to know that God has
a plan, and He is in control, always! Let’s look at 4 things Dr. Sinclair
Ferguson finds here (Mark, 236-237)…
1. Submit the whole of your life to
Scripture. God has spoken, He has given us His word. “It is the rock on which all spiritual stability will be built.” Let’s
take seriously the privilege we have to have the Word of God written, in its
entirety, available to us. Will you avail yourself of this blessing and receive
the Scriptures for what they are, the very Word of God? Let’s read it, every
day, asking God to open our understanding.
2. Focus on what God
is doing in your circumstances. Ferguson says, “You may not at first recognize God’s footprints… but believe that they
are there, and be assured that he is working out His perfect purpose in the
midst of the chaos around you.” Ferguson is reflecting there on Psalm 77:19
which says, “Your way was through the
sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.” Remember the poem “footprints in the sand”? It
is good be reminded that God is present, active, helping in ways that we may
not see or understand to accomplish His purpose in us and through us. It helps
to realize in the midst of the chaos of life that God is in control, that He is
good, that we can trust Him to work out everything for our good and for His
glory… even when we don’t recognize His footprints in the sand.
3. Trust your fellow
Christians. But didn’t the disciples fail? I think his point is, knowing
that yes, they are imperfect (as are we), that they will sometimes
disappoint us, that our ultimate trust is in God, give others the benefit of
the doubt. Know that God is at work in them as He is in you. Look for the
reflection of our Father in our brothers and sisters, knowing that like us they
will fall short of His glory. As C.S. Lewis, said we’re fellow pilgrims, living
for now the Shadowlands. That points us to our ultimate hope…
4. Remember that all the
enigmas of life will never be resolved until the final resurrection. Dr.
Ferguson says, “When the darkness of your
present experience seems to make God’s hand utterly invisible, look beyond the
darkness to the dawning of that morning when the shadows will flee away and God
will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Rev 7:17).” God is faithful, and
His mercies are new every morning! Maranatha,
Come Lord Jesus! AMEN.
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