Village Church Annandale (Sydney) sermons

As the commentator William L Lane notes, Jesus says ‘I am myself this (bread)’ or ‘My person is this bread,’ providing a pledge of his personal presence with them to be remembered whenever they broke bread together. 

As certainly as the disciples eat the bread which Jesus hands to them, so certainly will he be present with them when they gather for table-fellowship.

Jesus’ first gift to the disciples was the pledge of his abiding presence with them in spite of his betrayal and death. 

Mark12:22 As they were eating, he took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

The mood is festive at the intimate gathering between Jesus and his key 12 disciples, when suddenly Jesus announces in direct fulfilment of Psalm 41, that one of them will betray him.

Then follows an announcement of catastrophic consequences for the betrayer. An announcement which comes in stunning contrast to Jesus' earlier promise of permanent recognition for the faithful woman who anointed him.

Mark 14:17 When evening came, he arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

19 They began to be distressed and to say to him one by one, “Surely not I?”

20 He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping bread in the bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”

Jesus says to the man, 'You are not far from the kingdom.' In a sense that's high praise given the interactions he's been having with the various leaders of the Jewish Temple.

But a miss is as good as a mile? How can we not just be 'not far from the kingdom', but actually be assured of 'eternity as citizens of the king'?

The comment from Jesus comes in the context of an exchange about the most important commandment, to love God from all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Join us live from Village Church today as Dominic Steele opens up this important passage.

The effect of this story and the earlier one in chapter 11 is to show Jesus knowledge and complete governance of events as his hour of death approaches.

Jesus is not a tragic hero caught in the wash of events beyond his control.

There is no hint of desperation, fear anger or futility on his part. As the commentator Edwards notes, Jesus does not cower or retreat as pilots are hatched against him.

He displays, as he has through the gospel, a sovereign freedom and authority to follow a course he has freely chosen in accordance with god’s plan.  

Judas and others may act against him, but they do not act upon him.

Mark 14:12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb, his disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare the Passover so that you may eat it?”

13 So he sent two of his disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” 16 So the disciples went out, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

As I have been reading the commentaries on Mark’s Gospel in preparation for Daily Bible Time and teaching on Sunday I found a helpful little excursus in Edward’s commentary on the women in the gospel of Mark. We are going to follow his notes today. 

My reflections after reading Edward’s excursus on women. 

It is completely impossible for Jesus to be painted as anti women.

It is only appropriate that Jesus be seen as a massive advocate of woman.

And by application, Jesus disciple’s should follow the example of our Lord.

Judas is fully responsible for his actions in betraying Jesus. He is not a victim of circumstances. He is a sovereign moral agent. who freely chooses evil in going to them. He went to them. They didn't seek him out, apart from putting up a notice around the town. We see here divine grace using even human evil for it's saving purpose.

Mark 14:10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him money. So he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.

In a fulfilment of Psalm 41, in an act of spectacular kindness to the poor man 'par excellence', Jesus, a woman anoints the body of Jesus before his death.

Mark 14:3 While he was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head. 4 But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 For this perfume might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii[b] and given to the poor.” And they began to scold her.

6 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for me. 7 You always have the poor with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body in advance for burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

It's not the first time that Mark has mentioned the plot to kill Jesus. He previously referred to it in Mark 3:6, 11:18 and 12:12. But from here the tension increases and the momentum speeds up.

14:1 It was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a cunning way to arrest Jesus and kill him. 2 “Not during the festival,” they said, “so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”