28: The Passion: Betrayal & Condemnation & Denial (Mark 14:43 – 72)

The Messiah was to be rejected by His own people. Such a rejection portrays the nature of our sinfulness and the certainty of God’s forgiveness.

👉 Read Mark 14:43 - 72

1. The scene of Jesus’ arrest is full of awkwardness. He was betrayed by his own (              ). The sign for betrayal was (            ). They came out with swords and clubs as if they were arresting an (               ), but they came in stealth from the public. All disciples ran away desperately, even naked. Jesus interpreted this situation as ‘this has happened so that the (                 ) would be fulfilled.’

Disciple, kiss, outlaw, scriptures.

Betrayal by a kiss is the nature of our sins. We say love the Lord in our lips but seek self-interest in our hearts, even exploiting His grace to get what we want. 

They did come to arrest Jesus that night, even though they had had chances in the daytime. It shows they were not doing right.

All these are according to God’s plan. The light has come to the world. But they tried to remove the light lest their evil would be disclosed.

Therefore, rejection of the Righteous Man proves their unrighteousness. This was God’s design to reveal their sinfulness through the death of His Son. Jesus was the litmus paper. 

Through our innocent suffering, their sinfulness could be revealed, and thus, they might repent.

2. All religious leaders gathered to accuse Jesus. But they could not find anything (53 – 59). Then, how could Jesus be condemned to death? (61 – 62)

Through Jesus' own announcement, He was convicted. Jesus announced that He was equal to God.

The high priest asked Jesus, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of Blessed One?’ He dared not to use the word ‘God.’ Instead, he used the word, ‘the Blessed One.’ 

‘Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power.’ Jesus was not only the Messiah but the One equal with God, who is greater than the Messiah of God.

Why did they condemn Jesus for blasphemy when the Only One of God revealed His identity? They could not believe that God had come in a human to save them. God’s love is too big for them to believe. 

They responded to God’s great love of becoming a human with the curse of blasphemy. Incarnation, the way of our salvation, became the reason for His crucifixion. 

3. While Jesus acknowledged He was the Messiah before the (                  ), Peter denied Jesus (          ) times before the (                ) and the bystander. (              ) reminded him of Jesus' words, and he broke down and (       ).

Chief priests, three, slave girls, a rooster, wept.

We see our weakness from Peter’s failure. He really loved Jesus and wanted to follow Him, but he was scared of death, even by the sayings of the slave girl whose witnesses the court would not accept. 

Jesus knew his denial, but He bore the cross for him. 

Jesus was supposed to be accused and rejected by his kinsmen and fellow Israelites. Jesus was God’s litmus paper to reveal what was hidden in their hearts. For this, He laid down His life.

Are you willing to be a litmus paper being sacrificed to reveal the gospel to your neighbors? YOu will experience the overwhelming love of the Father when you devote your life to becoming Jesus' ambassador.