Turn with me in your scriptures to the gospel according to Mark. We are in Mark chapter 14 at verse 53. We have before us this morning, verses 53 through 65. If you are able, I invite you to stand in honor of God's word, and I'll read this portion in your hearing. Mark 14 at verse 53. This is God's very word, let us hear with reverence and heed. Mark 14 at verse 53, and they led Jesus away to the high priest, and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. But Peter followed him at a distance. right into the courtyard of the high priest, and 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 to say to him, prophesy. And the officers struck him with the palms of their hands. Thus ends the reading of God's holy word. Let us ask his blessing on the preaching of it. Most holy father, we pray that this record of our savior's affliction should be worked into our hearts that we may have an increased understanding and love and devotion to our savior. And as you increase our understanding, increase our obedience, in love for him. We ask that the light that you shine should cast out all darkness in us. Bless the word preached to that end. We ask it in the name of our savior. Amen. You may be seated. Mark has brought us in this chapter from the agony of Gethsemane, where Christ's suffering was already beginning as the loathsomeness of judgment for sin was set before him. There, Christ was strengthened and resolved in the firm grasp of the Father's will. You remember, if you recall his agony in Gethsemane, that he was not fearful of his mission. He was dreading and sorrowful at the prospect of sin, of guilt, of cursedness. He, who was the altogether blessed one, perfect and righteous, full of that richness that was his in the experience of bliss as God the Son made flesh. This in his human nature would be shattered. He would know an agony in cursedness for sin for those who trust in him that was beyond measure and comprehension. This dreadful agony caused him such dread that he pleaded with the Father that if there could be any other way that he should make it so. And we were reminded in examining that that our Savior not only wrought a salvation taking upon Himself our suffering and agony, which we deserve by reason of sinfulness, all our sorrows, all our suffering. These things would not be upon us were it not for sin. So our Savior took a full cup of sorrow and suffering in every measure that He might remove that cursedness from us. He not only did that as a saving work to remove the curse from us, but He also did that as a Savior to transform our suffering and sorrow so that it is no longer a cursedness to us. It's transformed unto His glory that we may follow Him as He sets a perfect example for us as well. He sets the course of obedience for us in that time of agony in Gethsemane. We, like our Savior did, must go to the Father in prayer in times of sorrow and agony. And as our Savior, we must be strengthened in finding the Father's will. Being in the grip of that will, may we then have what our Savior had, strength and courage. Christ also pressed his disciples at that time to watch and pray. You remember he had drawn the three closest with him, and urged them to that service, to pray while he was praying, to be diligent in that time when he was sorrowing. We know how they failed. They should have been praying. And our Savior used that time to instruct them. This was a time when they should be watching and praying, not only present with their beloved Messiah, but also recognizing as he had warned them over and again that they needed strength. They should be watching and praying now so that they not enter into sin in the coming trials. Then Mark took us from the agony of Gethsemane where Christ was finally strengthened in the will of the Father unto the description of his arrest. and that by the hand of a breathtaking treachery by Judas. What a stark contrast was set before us there between the calm faithfulness of Jesus and that wicked duplicity, that hypocrisy and treachery of Judas. But we also saw the complete failure of the disciples continuing. They reacted in completely inappropriate ways. Oh, that they had watched and prayed. When the heat of the moment was upon them, the traitor was there, and that with an abundance of armed men. The disciples reacted with physical violence on the part of one, cutting off the ear of the high priest's servant. And as the moments raced by, they all fled, even as Jesus had predicted. They all abandoned him. These who had assured him of their courage, strength, and diligence to stand with him, that very night, all abandoned him. Now, in this portion, Mark brings us from that arrest where they bind Jesus and they take him to the high priest's palace. And we have set before us Jesus judged by the Jewish authorities. We'll consider three key points from this passage, a failed disciple, a false trial, and a fierce judgment. First, a failed disciple. verses 53 and 54, and they led Jesus away to the high priest. And with him were assembled all 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. Mark sets the scene for us here. Remember that group of three describes the makeup of the Sanhedrin, that high council. It was made up of the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. And so this is a gathering of the Sanhedrin, the high council. And yet they're not gathering at their normal place of judgment at the temple complex. No, they're at the high priest's palace. This is the middle of the night. Understand what this means. They had prepared for this. Remember, they were really concerned about Jesus. He was far too influential and obviously undermining their authority and the people liked it. So they were earnest and urgent to get rid of him. But because the people liked it, and because this was the time of the Passover, and there were so many pilgrims in the area, they couldn't just take him by force and kill him, though they wanted to. They needed a way to do it discreetly. And in God's ordering of events, the traitor, Judas, gave them what they needed. He would let them know where he would be in the middle of the night. They frequented the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas knew this gave them all that they needed. They put together their plan. They gathered the Sanhedrin for a preliminary trial, for a hearing by which they could find a way to trump up charges and put Jesus to death. And they could do it in the dead of night when nobody would be around to see it. that could raise a ruckus. So they had been preparing for this, and they're doing so with a sense of urgency. They want that cover of darkness to hide their actions, certainly because their actions are wicked, but also because, as we mentioned, the crowds had taken some delight in Jesus. They didn't want to stir them up. Now, there was also the urgency of the fact that the Sabbath was coming. So they had a deadline, because they couldn't do any of this on a Sabbath day. So again, Mark, as he has been throughout this chapter, is highlighting a contrast. We'll continue to see Christ patiently walking with calm resolve in obedience to the Father's will. Christ is not shaking. He is not trembling with fear. They're outraged. They're overwhelming in numbers. They are clearly out to get him. And yet in love for his people, Jesus walks in devotion to his mission of redemption. And with that confidence displayed in Christ, we see a contrast in the high priest and the Sanhedrin as they make a mockery of truth, justice, and God's word throughout these proceedings. Jesus walking faithfully, they diligently pursuing unfaithfulness. That peacefulness in Christ is contrasted with their urgency of action. Now, there are times when urgent action is warranted. when we ought not to delay, when we ought to act quickly. But when the cause is sinful, urgency simply becomes an accelerant to ever-increasing sin, and we see that happen in the portion of Scripture before us here. And it's in this setting, as they take Jesus to the high priest's palace, that we find Peter. He's been following at a distance, right into the courtyard, warming himself at the fire of the enemy. Consider what must have happened here. He fled with all the other disciples, but then doubled back at a distance. At first, this seems like a moment of bravery on his part, but J.C. Ryle points out, Peter is just setting himself up for further failure. See, when he fled with the others, it was fulfilling exactly what Jesus had prophesied, that they would all abandon him. This should have grabbed Peter's heart and he should have repented. That's not what we see here. What we see here is Peter continuing in some measure of pride and self-confidence. Yes, he has a tinge of conscience. He's beginning to feel the cowardly abandonment and it smarts, but you don't see here a full heart repentance. You see him following at a distance, sneaking into the courtyard, sitting at the enemy's fire to warm himself. He's not operating out of a reproved and repentant spirit. He's continuing in that grip of his pride and self-reliance, and we'll see that fully in the passages in coming weeks. He reminds us in this failed response of the kind of response of the Israelites after they refused to enter the promised land. You remember what they did? It's a lot like what Peter did here. Back in Numbers 14, the Israelites have made their way all the way to the edge of the promised land. They don't like the report, and so they refuse to enter, even though God had promised and commanded. And so judgment comes. And once they realize what has happened, that they have judgment, then they decide, oh, no, we'll do it now. God said, no, it's too late. There's a judgment now. Now you must walk in this way. They said, no, no, no, we'll do it. We'll do the thing we were supposed to do. And so they try to enter and they're defeated. That's exactly what happens to Peter here. Peter feels the reproof as he witnesses himself behaving exactly as Christ had said, but is he repentant? Does he say, okay, now I realize I should have watched him prayed. I need to repent. That's not what we see him doing. We see him acting like the Israelites did in Numbers 14. I'm gonna try again. Jesus has already said where things are. And we'll see his failure increase. But we should be reminded and warned. We should ask ourselves, are we this kind of disciple? Are we following Christ at a distance to avoid being too closely associated with him? You see, what seemed like bravery is still cowardliness in Peter. Is our pride holding us back so that we appear to be more aligned with the enemies of Christ than with our Lord? Such it was for Peter. Our calling is to follow our Savior and bear shame in His name. The writer of Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 13, speaks of that. Is that how we walk or are we more like Peter? No, I am his disciple. I want to be sort of associated with him, but not so much that I end up getting in trouble for it. That's where Peter is right now. That's not bravery. That's continued failure. And then we consider the second point, a false trial. We've seen a failed disciple. We have lessons to learn from Peter's failure there. Consider the false trial set before us. Look at verses 55 and 56. 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. Now Mark is setting before us what a scam this trial is. There's not even a shadow of truth, justice, or good order in these proceedings. The verdict is already determined. And now they're just looking for witnesses to help them get there. Notice how much diligent preparation has gone into this scam trial. The Sanhedrin had to have been gathered at this late hour to do this wicked work. And they had to have willing false witnesses lined up. They're all waiting in the wings. These first witnesses are simply making things up and their testimony is inconsistent. These members of the council, this anhedron, are trying to keep up appearances. They think they have a righteous cause, and in their self-righteousness, they're looking for ways to achieve what they're up to. But all the ways that they're doing it are ungodly. And so they need witnesses who can corroborate this false testimony. And because they're making things up, they can't get corroboration. So those won't do. Next, they try some others who take Christ's words and twist them. Verses 57 through 59, 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. What they were doing was mixing up and misrepresenting Christ's words. He had not actually said the things that they testified. They had bits and parts of what he had said, but they were misrepresenting him. They were twisting his words. And again, that testimony was inconsistent and it failed to meet the standard they needed to be able to condemn Jesus. getting impatient, the high priest now stands up in the middle of the assembly and he begins to interrogate Jesus. So we have heaped one thing after another, the malfeasance, the overthrow of justice here amongst the Sanhedrin. The high priest suddenly involves himself in the interrogation rather than sitting to judge the witnesses. verses 60 through the first part of verse 61. 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. First, the high priest asked Jesus to answer the conflicting testimony. You've heard these men. What do you have to say for yourself? He challenges Jesus. Certainly there is wisdom in Christ's silence here. The high priest is really asking Jesus to provide them more material for twisting his words and making false accusations. Anything that he might say at this point was fodder for them to find another way to condemn it. So there's a practical wisdom in not answering at that time, but there's more than this. Jesus is walking the path appointed for him in Isaiah 53 verse seven. 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 shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. Such was the prophesied calling of our Savior, and he walked that path faithfully. And consider this mistreatment, this injustice, this is how Jesus and his followers are treated even today. False accusations and twisted words. There are many examples abundant in the world around us Indeed, this has always been the case in the early church. The people of God were accused of cannibalism because they spoke of what the Lord's Supper means, representing the body and blood of Jesus. And so they were accused of cannibalism, twisting the words, misrepresenting. They were accused of incest because they referred to one another as, most importantly, brothers and sisters, and yet they married. So the pagans round about them said, ah, you're foul. You do things that are inappropriate. You're marrying a brother and a sister. Twisting the words, misrepresenting them. They were accused of being anti-social, enemies of humanity because they would not participate in the pagan rituals, the festivals of their day. In our day, we're accused of promoting death because we oppose the murder of unborn children. You hate women. You hate healthcare. All sorts of twisted and horrible misrepresentations. We're accused of child abuse for teaching Bible truth to our children and opposing indoctrination and sexual perversion. We're accused of hatred because we oppose public immorality. We're accused of being enemies of mankind because we refuse to participate in the latest degradation of humanity in the rejection of God's law. The Lord was silent in fulfillment of prophecy in keeping with his calling and in keeping with good wisdom at this point, but he does not forbid us to answer in every case. Certainly we should seek wisdom in how we respond as we desire the honor of our Savior, Peter, in 1 Peter 3, verse 15, urges us to have an answer when we are challenged with regard to the hope that is within us. But we also have that guidance from Proverbs 26, verses four and five, not to answer a fool according to his folly. There was some of that here in the wisdom of Jesus, not answering their folly. But we're also charged in that pair of Proverbs, to answer a fool according to his folly so that he doesn't seem wise in his own eyes. There is a time to answer. We should seek wisdom from our Savior that we can face the twisting of the Scriptures with the right kind of response in our day, that we will be strong and courageous walking in the steps of our Savior when we receive unjust treatment. Are there not many in our day who have received such unjust treatment? And we've seen many give a good testimony. So may it be for us. When Christ didn't answer, the high priest finally demands a testimony that brings forth a response. Jesus finally speaks. The last part of verse 61, again, the high priest asked him, saying to him, are you the Christ, the Son, of the blessed. The question puts the sharpest focus on the clearest truth of our Savior's mission and authority. It's remarkable that that question states so sharply exactly who Jesus is. Remember how diligently that truth was controlled throughout Christ's earthly ministry. Mark is known for what's called the messianic secret. When demons were cast out and they called Him the Son of the Most High, He silenced them. When the disciples witnessed His power and they marveled and described Him in messianic terms, when those were healed and declared this high title of Christ in any way, Christ was always careful to control that message. He told him, now don't speak that to anyone. But now, that secret is unveiled. The time has come for the answer to be stated plainly and publicly without hesitation. And it comes with a forceful declaration from Jesus. Verse 62, Jesus said, I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with clouds of heaven, with the clouds of heaven. Here, Christ in his answer gives, our third point, a fierce judgment. First, Christ simply says in response to the high priest's question, are you the Messiah? Are you the son of the blessed one? I am, Jesus says. The high priest uses a way of referring to God without naming him, calling him the blessed. But in Jesus' answer, we immediately recognize the I am that is the name of God. The high priest won't speak the name of God out of a pretended respect, even as he's blaspheming God by working injustice. We hear Jesus respond, I am. And we know that the blessed one is Jesus himself, Jehovah God in the flesh. That came forth like the name of God in Exodus 3, verse 14, as Moses stood before the burning bush. Who should I say that you are? And God says, I am that I am. But then Christ declares the majesty, power, and judgment that will be revealed in him and that they will experience after his ascension and exaltation. Here Christ combines the truths of Psalm 110, verse one, being at the right hand of the Almighty, and Daniel 7, verses 13 and 14, where the Son of Man is before the Ancient of Days and exalted And as he described in the Olivet Discourse, coming on clouds of glory in judgment. First, Psalm 110, verse one, Christ mentioned that when he was confronting the scribes and teaching in the temple in chapter 12, verses 35 through 37. There, he pressed that the Messiah is not just the son of David, That would make him a descendant and lesser than David. No, this son of David is also David's Lord, which pointed to Christ's divinity. And of course, Christ spoke of Daniel 7 in that Olivet Discourse in chapter 13, verse 26, when he described the judgment he would bring against the temple in Jerusalem. Here, he presses that truth of judgment upon these false judges. They will see that judgment. Now, what has changed here? We think of all the times that he quieted the truth of the messianic revelation. See that you tell no one, he often said earlier in Mark's gospel. Well, before, he controlled the message because the revelation was not at the right time or in the right context. You see, they were expecting in Judea, amongst the Jews, a Messiah who having power would use that power to overthrow Rome, to cast off their hated pagan overlords, to ascend to a throne by which he would rule with power and might and spread that physical, political dominion throughout all the world. And so as Christ revealed that he is indeed this altogether powerful one, he was not going to feed into that misperception of what his messianic mission would be like. Now though, as he is suffering the injustice of false judgment at the hands of wicked accusers, he's ready to reveal the truth of his messianic fullness. How opposite this seems to what one would expect. Well, it's because here he's ready to reveal the fullness of the powerful Messiah. It's not revealed now at this stage as a political overlord. No, no, it's now ready to be revealed. This altogether powerful one is revealed as the Messiah of Isaiah 53, the suffering servant, now surrounded by enemies who are supposed to be looking for him, ready for him, identifying him. This is the Messiah, the long-awaited one. These are the very ones condemning him, crushing him, as it were, because he's not approved by them, not what they expect, no Messiah at all. When the high priest asks and Jesus answers, the declaration outrages the high priest and all the Sanhedrin, and they begin their own fierce judgment. Verses 63 through 65, 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 to say to him, prophesy. And the officers struck him with the palms of their hands. Now they believe they have grounds to judge Jesus guilty of blasphemy, a capital offense, something by which they can put him to death. And there are multiple ways that they would have found him guilty at this point. He was assuming to himself divine prerogatives, to be full of glory before the Almighty at the right hand of the Most High, exercising judgment. Well, this is a prerogative of only God. Of course, Jesus is God in the flesh, but they deny that and so consider him worthy of death for blasphemy. And he's declaring condemnation and judgment on the high priest and on the Sanhedrin. This also would have been considered blasphemy in that time. Remember, the third commandment is not just using the holy name of God in an inappropriate way, It's any abuse of those things which are appointed by God. And so they would have extended the understanding of blasphemy to condemning that which God has blessed, has anointed. The high priest would stand as a representative of God for the people. And Jesus had just said that he would see judgment coming from God upon him. So they would have considered this blasphemous as well. They all agreed together that Jesus deserves death. That penalty for blasphemy would be, ordinarily, death by stoning. But under the Roman rule, this anhedron no longer had the authority to put somebody to death. They could not exercise the death penalty. Thus, they were seeking a way to feel justified in bringing Jesus to the Roman authorities and demanding that they put him to death. And to their condemnation of Jesus, they now add abuse and mockery. The ironies in this passage are abundant. The righteous judge is being judged by wicked men. The Messiah Revealed is the Messiah the Jewish rulers reject. Remember, they wanted a great liberator, and as they looked at this one now bound before them, and he claims to be Messiah? What a fool, they thought. And yet, yes, this is Messiah. They wanted a liberator. And the one standing before them condemned was the only one who could liberate them from what they actually had binding them. And they rejected him. Their pretense of righteous judgment is a horrible overthrow of justice at every step. Accusing Jesus of blasphemy, they are actually blaspheming the most high God in the flesh. the living Son of God. Even their final abuse is ironic. They blindfold Him, spitting on Him, hitting Him. They demand that He prophesy, who hit you? Jesus prophesied that this very thing would happen to Him. In chapter 10, verses 33 and following, they were fulfilling the great prophet's prophecy. Well, we have much that we should take away from this and work into our soul by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Remember the presence of Peter at the beginning of this passage and how that reminds us that we are ready to fail in the very same way. as Christ's disciples. Let's not distance ourselves from Peter and shake our heads at him. We're guilty of these same things. We're in need of watching and praying that we enter not into temptation. We need to empty ourselves of pride, empty ourselves of self-reliance. Repenting, let us plead for Christ's power for service to him. Do we not easily remain at a distance from Jesus, as it were, as his disciples? Let us repent of that distancing ourselves. Let us banish that sin and gladly own Christ, pleading with him for power to serve him, even when that brings us shame. We ought gladly to bear the reproach of his name if he appoints that, yet are we not like Peter, hanging back so that we won't get that sting of all those false accusations, the twisted and perverted misrepresentations. We don't want that, it's painful, but Christ leads us. Even as we see the example of Peter failing, it should move us to plead for grace, not to fail in that way. And secondly, consider the motives and behavior of the high priest in the Sanhedrin. Let us be aware of how tempting those sins are. Remember their hypocrisy. Because they thought their cause was just, They committed every sort of injustice. That's an easy temptation to fall into. We are so ready to excuse ourselves of sins that we can overlook because our cause is just. Would we follow the pattern of the Sanhedrin and the high priest? We do if that's how we think. We must never think that the end is so holy that it will justify sinful means. That's to behave as these wicked men behaved. Let us banish such sins. When Messiah was most clearly revealed to them, they rejected and condemned him because he wasn't acceptable in their sight according to their standards. So we have to ask ourselves, do we receive the Messiah as he's revealed in scripture, or are we guilty of this sin as well? It's very tempting to adjust the revelation of Jesus to fit our ideas, our expectations. It happens constantly in our day. Well, what would Jesus do? And the answer is, whatever's popular in our day. This is to behave with the same spirit of the Sanhedrin. We know what Messiah should be like. He's like what we think he should be like. No, he's like what Isaiah said he would be like under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 53, the one now bound before them, suffering for us. Not what they expected. Do we yield our expectations to what scripture reveals? Or are we like this anhedron, oh, Let us repent and own Christ as he truly reveals himself in scripture. Only that Messiah brings genuine liberty and true salvation. Finally, Christ sets out for us in his saving suffering, a calling for us to follow him. Just as we mentioned by way of the introduction. Christ is working salvation, but he's also saying, now, I've sanctified my steps for you to follow in them. As I redeem you, now follow me. Suffer where I call you to suffer, faithfully according to the will of the Father. Peter speaks of this beautifully in his inspired testimony in 1 Peter 2, verses 20 and following. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God, for to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps. who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously, who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. You see, there are those who teach a lie about salvation. They say that Jesus in taking our suffering means that we never suffer now anymore. In being poor, we get to be rich with the material of this world. and wealth. No, Peter right here says, as you see Jesus suffering, he sanctifies now suffering no longer as a curse for you. He took that curse. He sanctifies it that your soul may be beautified with the loveliness of Christ's character in you. Not the Messiah we'd expect, but definitely the Messiah we so desperately need. Peter's guidance puts again in sharp focus the true Messiah, our Savior. Will we follow him? Will we walk the path he sets before us in affliction, in suffering, in sorrow, He has set the path before us, even as He saves us for His glory. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, this is a hard calling. And while we easily look at Peter and think, how could he? Oh, if we examine our own hearts, We see that we need the grace that he was not praying for, that he was not watchful to pursue. Grant us grace upon grace, that we'll humble ourselves to the calling of following our Savior, even as Peter described. And oh, what a glorious Savior. Not what the world would expect, not what the Sanhedrin expected, but the one that was prophesied. The one that would indeed accomplish that which we so desperately need, a true redemption, a true liberation from sin, an empowerment for service, the provision of a true communion with the triune God, and how easily we hang back and distance ourselves from the one that should be our all. So challenge us, we pray. Give us eyes to see these things and transform us by these truths. We ask it in the name of our glorious Savior. Amen.