THE LORD JESUS IS FORSAKEN BY ALL HIS FOLLOWERS.
Mark 14: 50 – 52
A Passion sermon by:
Rev. L. Roth
PUBLISHED BY THE
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
OF THE
FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA.
(March 2007)
LITURGY:
Votum
Psalter 240: 1, 2, 3
Law of God
Psalter 217: 1, 2, 3
Scripture Reading: Mark 14: 42 – 53a
Text: Mark 14: 50 – 52
Congregational Prayer
Offerings
Psalter 440: 1, 2, 5
Sermon
Psalter 184: 1, 3, 6, 4
Thanksgiving Prayer
Psalter 422: 6, 8
Doxology: Psalter 204: 4
Mark 14:50-52 The Lord Jesus is Deserted by all His Followers
Beloved Congregation.
Humanity is a social being. At the center of his existence mankind desires companionship and seeks relationships with his fellow man. Created after the image of God, man was the crown of God’s creation. Of all the creation, no living thing knew the Lord his Creator as man did. Of all living things nothing is able to communicate with the one true living God and with each other as mankind is able to do so. But alas, we have broken our relationship to God and our fellow man through our sin. And as a result we have lost the way to God. But God in heaven has reached down to this earth by sending His only begotten Son. Through His substitutionary atoning work the broken relationship between a holy God and a sinful people has been restored. Only in this way could a people be restored to communion with their Creator and God once more.
Well now, let us seek to understand the words of our text this morning under the following theme, THE LORD JESUS IS FORSAKEN BY ALL HIS FOLLOWERS. In the first place let us consider By the Disciples. In the second place let us regard By a Young Man. In the third place let us examine, By God Himself.
In the first place let us consider Christ’s Desertion by His Disciples. The words of our text this morning, congregation, are unique in that they have been written almost exclusively by the Gospel writer Mark. In Matthew 26:31 we read how that the Lord Jesus foretold how that the disciples would be scattered when the Shepherd would be smitten and in the parallel verse to our text, verse 56 Matthew writes, Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. But interestingly enough, Mark’s brief Gospel account has more to say at this point. Following Matthew’s lead, he mentions how that all of the disciples forsook the Lord and fled and then adds a little detail about a young man who also followed the Lord and stayed with him a little longer than His chosen disciples but who also fled when it became very dangerous for him. And so we see how that the various writers of the Scriptures were led by the Spirit
of God to write their accounts of Christ’s ministry and work in accordance to the insight which they had been given.
Well now, the first thing we are called to focus on is the lack of dependability of the disciples. As we read earlier on, the Lord Jesus had led His disciples in singing the Hallel, those specific Psalms which were sung before and after the Passover Feast. He had not only inspired the Psalmist to write those specific Psalms but prophetically He was actually the fulfillment of them. And then the Lord went out unto the Mount of Olives in the darkness of the night. There, in Gethsemane the disciples were not even able to watch with Him for one hour. And when the hour of the Father had come for His life to be committed into the hands of sinners He said, Rise up, let us go, for he that betrayeth Me is at hand.
Yes, congregation, the disciples had all promised that they were willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. He could depend on them; they would defend Him to the end, even to the point of laying down their life for Him. Yes, that’s the way in which they had entered into the Garden of Gethsemane. But as Christ sweat great drops of blood in deep agony of soul, they slept. And so, when it came to the point that Christ was arrested by the henchmen of the Jewish Council, none of the disciples were ready to defend their Master and Lord unto death. Oh yes, initially Peter swung widely cutting off Malcus’ ear, but when it really came to the point, all the disciples forsook the Lord and fled.
There was not even one of His chosen disciples who remained. Not Peter who expressed that he was ready to lay down his life for his Master. Also not John, who had affectionately laid his head on Christ’s breast at the Table of the Lord Supper. Not James either, who had asked for a place of honor when Christ would enter His Kingdom. And then there was Thomas, who had said, Let us go with Him that we may die with Him. There was not even one who remained with the blessed Savior, not one. And so the prophecy was being fulfilled, Smite the Shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. And so all the disciples ran for their life every which way. Yes, dear friends, those who lose sight of Christ also lose sight of each other. The fact of the matter is, every one seeks to save his own skin. When it comes right down to it, it’s every man for himself. Isn’t that true, congregation? Do you also recognize this fact in your own life? Man is such a lover of himself.
Oh yes, the disciples had indeed given their pledge to the Lord. They were convinced that He was the Messiah of God Who was to come. When many followers of Christ no longer followed Lord
after He had said that except they eat His flesh and drink His blood they could have no part in Him, then He asked the Twelve, Will you also go away? And then Peter answered in behalf of them all, To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. As Christ’s ministry progressed more and more they were convinced that their Master was the long promised Messiah of God. And when the people lauded Him as their King with their hosannas, they were there at the forefront. They believed that He was the great Son of David.
But now things have become very different. Christ was just betrayed by Judas with a kiss and their Master is being bound to be led away. And therefore we read in the words of our text, And they all forsook Him and fled. And so the question that faces us, congregation, is, How can this be? Didn’t the disciples really have a true bond with the Lord Jesus after all? Were they not attached to the Lord as the Savior? How can it be possible that at one moment someone says that they will lay down their lives for the Lord and a few hours later they are running away for their lives? Talk is cheap as the saying goes. Yes, that is what it may seem like on the surface; but, is that really true in the case before us?
Let us examine our own heart concerning these things, beloved! Are there perhaps some in our midst who at one time or another have said in their hearts, Lord, to whom shall we go? You were convinced that Christ has the words of eternal life. And now, when you look at your life you ask yourself the question, Where is the love and the bounty which I once thought to have received from the Lord’s hand? How come I feel so cold and indifferent? Moreover, when the opportunity arises to speak up for the Lord and His cause you cannot find the words. For what ever reason you have withdrawn into your shell and cannot find the joy in believing which you once experienced. And are you now alarmed because the disciples turned their back to the Lord and fled? You ask yourself, How can that be? Almost three years of tutoring from the Lord and then to run away at the hour of His greatest need? And yet, that is a picture of you and me, beloved!
Are there any in our midst who see their own portrait in the actions of the disciples? Are their some who must confess, That’s what I have done. I have done that in Adam and I am still inclined to do
that again and again even, yes even, after having tasted that the Lord is gracious. Yes, alas, I find myself turning aside to fulfill my own will, shirking my duties and responsibilities over against the Lord, and then even without the threat of danger. During such times your hopes can be brought so low that you ask yourself the question whether the Lord really had any dealings with you? Why do I feel so indifferent? Why does my heart tend to gravitate toward things which are not spiritually beneficial? How can these things be?
But let us realize, congregation, what is really so amazing about this whole scenario before us. Not first of all that the disciples ran away. They really did not understand what His mission was. They were still thinking in terms of an earthly Kingdom. And so when danger threatened, they fled for their lives! But the most amazing thing is that Christ Jesus did not flee. No, calmly, in full control He asked, Whom Seek ye? And when the answer was given, Jesus of Nazareth, He replied, I am He. If ye seek Me. Let these, meaning His disciples, go their way. And then the blessed Savior stretched out His arms, no, not to defend Himself, but to be bound so that He might be led away as a sheep to the slaughter. Yes, the Lord Jesus, dear friends, enters the way of deep humiliation and suffering which will lead to the death accursed by God. And He goes that way, beloved, for deniers and deserters, for a people who so often forsake Him although in their heart of hearts they cannot live without Him. Just amazing!
Yes, congregation, the Lord knows what we are made of; He knows that we have no strength in and of ourselves and that we are but dust. And though He was like unto us in all things, desiring companionship and support, He went the way of suffering even unto death, alone. And so the Lord Jesus experienced what we read in Psalm 69:8, I am become a stranger to My brethren, and an alien unto My mother’s children. Friends and companions forsook the Lord as He was called to enter the greatest depths of suffering which any human being was ever called to go. And, He was called to go that way alone, all alone. Soon He would even be forsaken of God His Father. But before this occurs He is also Deserted by a Young Man our second thought.
In verse 51 of our text we are confronted with a detail peculiar to the writer Mark. In seeking to understand this little detail we must remember that all Scripture is given for a purpose, for reproof,
correction or instruction in righteousness. In these words Mark speaks of a young man dressed in some kind of a linen garment who it seems watched the proceedings of Christ’s arrest from a distance. But at a certain point, some of the helpers of those who arrested Christ took hold of the young man at which time he made his escape by fleeing from them without his garment. Who is this young man? And, what is the purpose that the Holy Spirit desired to have this little incident before us recorded in the Scriptures?
While we do not know with certainty but let us assume in accordance to tradition that this unnamed young man was Mark himself. Some say that the Passover Feast was actually celebrated by Christ and His disciples in an upper roomed owned by his parents. That would mean that John Mark would indeed have had some knowledge of what was transpiring during this fateful night. In fact, his parents belonged among the circle of the Lord Jesus’ intimate friends as we learn from Acts 12:12. From these facts it would not be so surprising that a bond of love developed in the heart of Mark for the Savior.
But whatever the case may have been, in one way or another Mark was awakened during the night and apparently threw on an outer linen garment which reveals that he was from a well to do family. And then he made his way in pursuit of Christ and His followers. But why did he do so? There is only one explanation for this dear friends, namely, out of love for the Lord Jesus. From the various times that he saw the Lord and heard his parents speak of Him his heart is filled with respect for the Savior. What a beautiful thought, dear friends, that young people may also receive respect and love in their hearts for the Lord and His ways. How beautiful when the honored guest of a Christian home is the blessed Savior, as the head of God’s people. But alas there are families who go to church and read the Bible in the home but their Christian walk is nothing more than formalism, dead orthodoxy at best which does not involve the heart. As a result there is no real, vital attachment to the Savior. When that is true of us then we should not be surprised when the name that is above all names really does not mean anything to our children later on, beloved.
But that is apparently not how it was in the life of the parents of Mark. The Lord Jesus had received an honorable place in that family. And….Mark’s heart too had been knit to the Savior and His blessed work. And so when he heard the commotion made by the disciples of the Lord Jesus as they were leaving the Upper Room, apparently he followed them from a distance. Why? Because he was concerned for the Savior; his heart was knit to the Lord. He wanted to see what was going to happen to Him. Yes, he even went out of bed during the night to see what was about to occur. And while the disciples have apparently fled for their lives, he now lingers to see the proceedings. Perhaps that is why he is noticed.
How mysterious. How remarkable, congregation. Here is a young man who apparently was not personally called by the Savior to follow Him as the others were, who nevertheless wants to be there, where the Lord Jesus is because his heart is so attached to Him. I hope and pray that there may be many such young people and children among us. For that, my dear friends is true life. Except we have a vital, living attachment to the Savior as our kinsmen Redeemer, we have no real life in us; we still lie dead in trespasses and sins. When that is true of any of us, beloved, then we need to flee from the wrath to come. How important it is that you call upon the name of the Lord while it is still the day of grace, the acceptable time, while mercy may be received.