Mark 14:53
You Said It
Still Passion Week, still (I think) Thursday, the Passover Day.
Remember that Jewish days start at sunset, meaning the Last Supper
was actually eaten on Passover as well, but now we are much later
into that night, actually early into the morning hours. Jesus has
prayed, Judas has betrayed, and the disciples have fled.
Mark 14:53 And they led Jesus away to the high
priest: and with him were assembled all the chief
priests and the elders and the scribes.
This continues the longest and darkness nights in human history. It
is the night Jesus was declared to be as guilty as sin by the Jews,
but in reality, He was as pure as heaven.
It was a long night although everything from Jesus arrest to him
being hanged on the cross will occur in far less than 12 hours. In
that time, some count as many as 7 trials that took place: 3
ecclesiastical (religious), the civil (legal), and one public.
None of them could be held up as an example of justice. Someone has
counted 18 violations of Jewish law in the 3 religious trials of
Jesus. We do not need to We don’t need to be that thorough, but I
will list a few just to get you to thinking.
1. The Jewish trials were not held at night. (No one’s should
be!)
2. The trials were held on the Passover or the Unleavened Bread.
3. The witnesses did not agree.
I call it the darkness night. I can see other nights being dark in
human history. The day mankind sinned would be a dark day. The day
the first human being was cast into hell would be another. If you are
lost, the day that you are cast into hell may be your darkest day,
but no other day can be as dark as the day when man judged God. Man,
cruel, sinful, corrupt man, judging God, loving, merciful, just God.
What a dark day!
But because of that day, mortal man’s tongue will be shut completely
on the day when God judges man. For on that day, no matter what the
results each soul must bear, two things will be true that were not
true when man judged God.
1. The Judge will be just.
2. Man will only be tried for the things he actually did.
Let’s notice just two things tonight.
I. The Failings of Man
A. \\#14:53\\ A Conniving Council
1. I did not call this a "convening" council but a conniving
council.
2. Why do I call them that?
Mark 14:55 And the chief priests and all the
council sought for witness against Jesus to put
him to death; and found none.
56 For many bare false witness against him, but
their witness agreed not together.
57 And there arose certain, and bare false
witness against him, saying,
58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple
that is made with hands, and within three days I
will build another made without hands.
59 But neither so did their witness agree
together.
a. \\#55\\ Because they had the verdict before they had
the trial.
(1) They were looking for witnesses to produce the
verdict they had already reached!
(2) The Holy Spirit continues to bring to light the
secret plans of the council.
(a) The first time He whispered their plans into
Mark’s ear was in \\#Mark 3:6\\.
(b) As early as that, this council had already
made up their minds about Jesus—not to
doubt Him, not to reject Him, but to
DESTROY Him.
(c) Since that time, they had planned, plotted,
perjured, and paid to get Jesus.
(d) Jesus exposing Judas in the Upper Room might
have rushed their plans, but it did not
stop them.
b. \\#59\\ Because they paid inept men to fabricate lies
against Jesus.
(1) I don't know if the men they bought were too
sleep or too stupid to get their stories
straight, but they couldn't.
(2) They had paid for a traitor.
(3) Maybe there just wasn't enough money left in the
the cash box to purchase good liars.
c. \\#60-65\\ And when their witnesses failed, the judges
became the accusers.
Mark 14:60 And the high priest stood up in the
midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou
nothing? what is it which these witness against
thee?
(1) Mark never mentioned the high priest by name,
never.
(a) The high priest’s name was Caiaphas.
i. The other gospel writers will pen his
name.
ii. Mark will not.
iii. I don’t want to put words into Mark’s
mouth, but I wonder if he did not
consider the man’s name worthy to be
penned into his gospel.
(b) But Mark does mention him by his office, the
high priest, seven times in this chapter
alone.
(2) We are not historians or Jews so most of us
probably will not understand the wrong that was
recorded in this Scripture.
(a) The council that Jesus was brought before
was the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court
in their land and the only court that could
impose the death penalty, although those
powers were curtailed by the Romans.
(b) The Sanhedrin was made up of 71 Jewish
elders, 70 of whom were selected from the
nation because of their knowledge, wisdom,
and heritage.
(c) But one was the high priest. The high
priest was always the 71st man.
(3) When the purchased witnesses failed, the high
priest left the bench of the judge and became
both prosecutor and witness.
(a) If there were no reliable witnesses, no case
should have ever been called in the first
place and no prosecution should have
proceeded.
(b) That was the judge’s job!
(c) The high priest should have been objecting
to any case being brought at all, not
attempting to create a case when none was
presented.
(d) But we cannot hold the high priest
accountable alone for there could have been
as many as 70 other men all charged with
the same task!
3. Can you see a conniving council? Then you might see
something of man’s failings that night, but there is
more.
B. \\#14:54, 66-72\\ Some Cowering Disciples
1. We have already met them, but they have more cowering to
do.
a. Let me say by using the term cowering, I am not
throwing stones but looking in the mirror.
(1) This isn’t the condition of the eleven.
(2) It’s the condition of the church.
b. We need to be less worried about what people think,
and stand up for Jesus.
2. We find Peter had doubled back after his flight off the
Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:54 And Peter followed him afar off, even
into the palace of the high priest: and he sat
with the servants, and warmed himself at the
fire.
a. At this point, Peter still thinks well of himself.
(1) Mark, our summarizing gospel writer, did not tell
us the disciple’s name who drew the sword and
cut off the servant of the high priest \\#47\\.
(2) Indeed, Mark did not even tell us that Jesus
healed the man, but He did.
(3) And John tells us that it was Peter who did the
cutting.
(4) And I suspect that the only reason Peter stopped
was that Jesus stopped him; otherwise, he would
have followed through with his intention to free
Jesus or to die trying.
b. Now, with much cleverness and courage, Peter had
worked his way into the camp of the enemy.
(1) That’s not intended to be a joke.
(2) It’s true. It took both to do that.
c. He was in the courtyard of the high priest’s mansion,
just below the rooms where Jesus was being
"interrogated."
Mark 14:66 And as Peter was beneath in the
palace…
d. But it was a little bit cold, and Peter didn’t want
to be noticed, so he moved over by the fire.
Mark 14:67 And when she saw Peter warming
himself…
(1) He had probably lost his sword by now, perhaps
dropping it on the ground at Gethsemane; but
he was there. None of the others were, but he
was.
(2) He had no plan, but no one was going to call him
a coward. He was not going to fail Jesus. He
had made a promise, and he was going to keep it.
(3) Have you ever noticed that is often how you feel
just before you trip and fall?
3. Peter’s fall came when a young servant girl saw his face
and recognized him in the flickering fire light.
Mark 14:66 …there cometh one of the maids of
the high priest:
67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she
looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast
with Jesus of Nazareth.
68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither
understand I what thou sayest. And he went out
into the porch; and the cock crew.
a. I doubt that she meant anything by it.
b. She was a single girl, perhaps young, maybe a bit
cranky at being woke in the middle of the night to
take care of guests, maybe not even realizing what
her words could do to Peter; but Peter realized.
(1) Suddenly, the courage and cleverness was gone.
(2) Peter stood back and words come out of his mouth,
without really thinking about them.
(3) \\#68\\ "I don’t know!" Peter said, meaning, "I
don’t know what you are talking about!"
c. And two other things happened:
(1) Peter moved off the porch, away from the fire,
and out of that area, as a rooster crowed.
(2) All the crowing of the roaster are not counted
by all of the gospel writers, but Mark but this
one into the record.
(3) You see the first crowing were God’s warnings to
Peter, but Peter probably did not pay them any
mind.
(4) He probably did not even hear it.
(5) His focus and attention had changed.
(6) Instead of wondering what was happening to Jesus
up the stairs, Peter began to wonder what would
happen to him down them.
d. But then the girl saw Peter again and repeated her
claim, this time with more force.
Mark 14:69 And a maid saw him again, and began
to say to them that stood by, This is one of
them.
(1) The crowd must have followed Peter.
(a) …perhaps the talk had continued after
Peter left the porch.
(b) …perhaps she had intentionally followed
after Peter to get a better look.
(c) …perhaps the whole crowd had followed her
to see what she would say for the next
verse states that Peter’s declaration was
as loud and as public as forceful as
the maiden’s for Matthew will tell us:
Mt 26:70 But he denied before them all, saying,
I know not what thou sayest.
(2) But that did not stop the scrutiny.
(a) Now the maid’s words had made some curious.
(b) She may have left but those that heard her
wanted to know if this man was a follower
of Jesus.
i. They studied his clothes.
ii. Some engaged him in conversation and
when they were sure, they all accused
him again.
Mark 14:70 And he denied it again. And a little
after, they that stood by said again to Peter,
Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a
Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying,
I know not this man of whom ye speak.
72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter
called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him,
Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me
thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
C. \\#15:1-15\\ Corrupt Politicians
1. Mark will summarize this account as he did so many
others.
2. Mark does not even mention the fact that Jesus was sent to
King Herod, but He was.
3. Since we spend some time dealing with these thoughts from
the other gospel writers around Easter, I am not going to
read these verses.
4. All I will say is that both Pilate and Herod are examples
of the most corrupt of politicians.
a. Herod only what from Jesus what he could get.
(1) On that day, it was cheap entertainment.
(2) On another, it might have been a bribe.
(3) But Jesus gave Herod nothing, not even a word.
b. Pilate, on the other hand, knew Jesus was innocent and
even tried to free Him—repeatedly.
(1) He knew why the Jews had turned Jesus over to
him, and it seems he had some idea that Jesus
was "a" god, although it was probably beyond his
comprehension to understand Jesus was THE God.
(2) Yet, he turned his back on justice and allowed
the mob to crucify Jesus to keep his standing
with Rome.
5. These two are the epitome of corrupt politicians, but if
you and I think the ones we have or have had are corrupt,
I’ll tell you that the Bible says we haven’t seen
anything yet.
6. Rulers more evil and corrupt that these yet to rise and I
feel certain that some of us will live to see them.
D. All of these do indeed show the darkness, the failing of
mankind; but let’s don’t just look at the darkness.
1. Let’s also look at the Light.
2. Let’s quickly consider a second thought.
II. The Success of the Savior
A. \\#14:36\\ Jesus had prayed, "IF it be possible, let this cup
pass from Me."
1. But it wasn’t possible, and it did not pass.
2. So our Lord picked it up and drag it all down.
B. Now, being beaten and mocked, Jesus was asked the question of
all questions, the one most say that Jesus never answered.
Mark 14:60 And the high priest stood up in the
midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou
nothing? what is it which these witness against
thee?
61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing.
Again the high priest asked him, and said unto
him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
1. Jesus had been denied. When the disciples were asked, they
all denied Him.
2. Now what of Him?
a. Would He deny Himself?
b. Would He make things easier on Himself?
c. The answer was NO.
62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the
Son of man sitting on the right hand of power,
and coming in the clouds of heaven.
3. In the clearest answer of who Jesus was, Jesus declared
"I am the Son of the Blessed!"
a. The Son of the Blessed means the Son of God!
b. Jesus went on to claim that it would be He that the
world would see returning in power and the clouds of
heaven, a prophecy given about God’s coming to the
earth \\#Dan 7:13\\.
c. Granted, the other gospel writers to not record the
words of Jesus as plainly stating this fact as Mark
did, but that does not mean there is a contradiction.
d. That simply means we do not understand how plain the
words are that the other gospel writers wrote.
e. While they may seem ambiguous to us, they were not
at all uncertain to the religious leaders for all
the gospel writers record their reaction:
Mark 14:63 Then the high priest rent his
clothes, and saith, What need we any further
witnesses?
64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?
And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover
his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him,
Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with
the palms of their hands.
4. When asked, "Are you the Son of God?" Jesus neither denied
Himself nor His Father.
a. "I am!" He said.
b. I am that I am, and I am He.
c. By the way, like He did not deny Himself nor the
Father, neither will He deny us!
Jesus will go on to prove that He was not just talking the talk. In
three days, He will arise from the grave, as Lord of Heaven and
Earth? Yes, but also as Lord over death and hell. Here is our Light.
Here is our Hope. Here is our God.
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