Grace Community Church of Ramona Podcast

With Judas' help, the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of Israel, accomplished its goal in Gethsemane, arresting Jesus for the purpose of killing Him (14:1-2, 43-50). Jesus was lead to the home of Joseph Caiaphas, high priest and head of the Sanhedrin.

One of the most important moments of a wedding ceremony takes place when I ask the father of the bride, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" In that moment, he publicly relinquishes authority over his daughter and entrusts her to the authority of her husband. If a father cherishes his daughter he will not do this lightly. He will have verified long before the wedding day that the young man is worthy and capable. He must; the well-being of his daughter is at stake.

Similarly, Jesus is concerned that those who are in authority over His Bride, the Church, be worthy and capable. That is why He has given clear qualifications for those who would serve as Elders of the Church.

How a man talks reveals the condition of his soul. A wise person, according to Jewish thought, is one who skillfully applies God's truth to everyday life. We need church leaders who can help us apply God's Word to our everyday circumstances. The term understanding refers to a person who has expert knowledge in a particular subject. We need church leaders who have expert knowledge in Christian living.

The wise leader is pure. He is peaceable. He is gentle; noncombative. He is open to reason. He is full of mercy and good fruits. He is sensitive to the needs of others and quick to meet those needs when he is able. He is impartial. He is genuine.

Have you ever wondered how you would hold up under persecution for being a Christian? We will never know for sure until we go through it; but I suspect that all of us would like to think we would stay faithful to Jesus. But the fact is that not all of us will. Even Jesus' disciples failed under persecution.

One of the reasons we know the Bible is reliable history is because of its honesty. Unlike myth or legend, the people in the Bible do not always win or even do the right thing. In fact, I believe that in Mark 14, John Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark, purposefully highlighted the failure of Jesus’ disciples in the hours just prior to His arrest.

Before we read verses 22-52, quickly scan verses 1-21 and notice the emphasis upon the conspiracy of the Jewish leaders (vv. 1-2); Judas' agreement to betray Jesus (vv. 10-11) and Jesus' announcement that He would be betrayed (v.18).

As we continue reading chapter 14:22-52 notice the amount of space Mark gives to the announcement that all the disciples will abandon Jesus (vv. 26-31); the failure of the disciples to watch and pray (vv. 32-42) and finally, the betrayal and abandonment of Jesus by His disciples (vv. 43-52).

You are shaping the lives of human beings made in the image of God. They, in turn, are or will affect the lives of dozens, maybe hundreds, maybe thousands of people. You have the awesome opportunity and responsibility to help your children to know the love of God in Jesus Christ and to live for Jesus.

We have several examples of the influence of godly mothers. Last week we read from the Apostle Paul's letter to Timothy where Paul made mention of Timothy's mother and grandmother. After greeting Timothy, Paul wrote:

"I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." - 2 Timothy 1:3–7 (ESV)

Jesus knew full well what awaited Him in Jerusalem. On three separate occasions Jesus foretold His rejection, murder and resurrection (8:31, 9:30-32,10:32-34). What's more, His death and resurrection were essential elements of God's redemption plan. Even as Jesus' enemies schemed to arrest and kill Him, Jesus was aware and took steps to protect His disciples.

This year, Passover will be celebrated April 22-30 with another reenactment of the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. What I wanted us to see is that there is a committed movement to rebuild the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and reestablish the worship prescribed in the Law of Moses. As we study the end-time prophecies revealed by our Lord, we should realize that we are a generation privileged to see that some of these prophecies have already been fulfilled (e.g. worldwide conflict) and that current events are shaping up for the fulfillment of prophecies yet future. The bottom line is that as we study these prophecies we should realize this is not theory or make believe, but the very course of human history. We are living in the time of the birth pains. Are we living for things eternal or temporal; are we living ready for Jesus' return at any moment?

In response to a disciple's admiring comment about the Temple, Jesus revealed its destruction such that one stone would not be left on another (13:1-2). History confirms this prophecy was fulfilled by the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70AD.

Returning to Bethany for the evening, Jesus paused on the summit of the Mount of Olives overlooking the Temple complex. Peter, James, John and Andrew approached with questions about His prophecy. Their questions were not about the timing and sign of this thing, but of these things (vv.3-4). This indicates their assumption that the destruction of the Temple would correspond to the end of this age and the inauguration of the Messianic Age.

The destruction of the Temple however, is not the sign of the end of this age.

The Temple was a source of national pride for the Jews. It was one of the wonders of the Roman Empire.

As we will see in this passage, the disciples were proud of the Temple, but Jesus revealed that the beauty of the Temple would be short lived.

Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem celebrating Passover 33AD. They were staying in the village of Bethany east of Jerusalem on the far side of the Mount of Olives. After a day of teaching in the Temple, Jesus and His disciples left the Temple to make their way to Bethany for the evening.

Scribes factor large in our study today so let's get some background on them. The origin of the scribes as a professional class began during the time of Exile following the Babylonian Conquest of 586BC. The Temple had been destroyed and the Jews scattered throughout the Babylonian empire. The scribes, who were responsible for copying and preserving the Scriptures, became, by virtue of their contact with the Scriptures, experts in the Law of Moses. They provided leadership and guidance during the Exile when there were many questions about how to obey the Law in the foreign countries where the Jews settled. The scribal profession continued after the Return and, in the days of Jesus, scribes were highly respected as experts and teachers of the Law. They were also referred to as "lawyers" because they were trained in applying the Law in judicial matters (Matt. 22:35). Unfortunately, the scribes opposed Jesus and collaborated with the chief priests and elders to have Him killed.

But among the scribes there was an exception.