The
last section of Mark 14 is about a study in contrasts. On the one hand we have Jesus, who through
his incarnation has become the temple where we experience God. With Jesus incarnation, we are given a
temple not made with human hands. He
alludes to as much in his discussion with some of the Jewish leaders in the
gospel of John:
“The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and
Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In
the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the
money-changers sitting there. And
making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and
oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their
tables.
And he told those who sold
the pigeons, “Take
these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” His
disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal
for your house will consume me.” So the
Jews said to him, “What sign do
you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them,
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The
Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three
days?”
But he was speaking about the
temple of his body. When therefore he
was raised from the dead, his
disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the
Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” – John 2:13-22
It
was a theme that developed in the minds of Christians, with Paul explaining how
as followers of Christ, we literally become part of that temple where the world
can experience God:
“So then you are no longer strangers and
aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the
household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ
Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure, being joined
together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God
by the Spirit.” – Ephesians 2:19-22
In addition to being the temple where we
experience God, Jesus is also our Passover lamb, the one which is led to the
slaughter. His role as such was foretold
by the prophet Isaiah when he described the coming Suffering Servant of God:
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like
a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” –
Isaiah 53:7
John the Baptist, having read his Bible,
recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy when he saw Jesus and
exclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John
1:29) We even see Jesus praised as such
in the vision of John passed on to us in the book of Revelation, when the
living creatures and elders surrounding the throne of God proclaim: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive
power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
(Revelation 5:12)
On the other hand we have Peter, a
disciple who at his best follows at a distance and who at his worst blatantly
denies his Lord. We can go all the way
back to the first part of Mark’s gospel and be reminded that Peter, or Simon as
was called back then, has been with Jesus all along:
“Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for
they were fishermen. And Jesus said to
them, “Follow me, I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed
him.” – Mark 1:16-18
Peter isn’t shy about reminding Jesus of
this fact, even mentioning what they have all left behind in order to be Jesus
disciples: “Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and
followed you.” (Mark 10:28) And yet,
where is Peter now? The gospel tells us
that, “Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the
high priest. And he was sitting with the
guards and warming himself at the fire.” (Mark 14:54) At this point in time, Peter is one who doesn’t
know Jesus, even though he has spent months or maybe longer, following him
around every day. I wonder if any of us
are in the same boat, going to church every week, hearing the proclamation of
the gospel, but still failing to recognize who Jesus really is. Peter denies knowing Jesus three times. There is tragic irony in the fact that he
still doesn’t understand that Jesus must suffer to fulfill his mission as the
Messiah. The state of Peter’s soul is
reflected in the fact that he is an emotional wreck. When the rooster crowed a second time, when
the hour had passed in which he denied Jesus three times, Peter breaks down and
weeps. If you’ve ever had one of those
moments in time when the monumental nature of your mistakes hits home, then you
know exactly how Peter feels in this moment, and you probably sympathize. Peter has really messed up, but his transgressions
are not unforgiveable. At this point in
the story, it’s helpful to glance forward a little bit to the light at the end
of the tunnel, lest we be overwhelmed with the darkness of the moment. In Mark 16, part of the announcement of Jesus’
resurrection is this simple, but very important statement:
“And
he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You
seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
He is risen; he is not here. See
the place where they laid him. But go,
tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
– Mark 16:6-7
What is the significance of this
statement? Why are we skipping ahead to
notice it now? The significance lies in
the fact that God’s faithfulness is not dependent upon our perfection. Jesus remains faithful to his mission to
redeem us, even as Peter denies Him in the courtyard below. Peter would have let out a resounded amen to
the words penned by his fellow apostle Paul to Timothy:
“The saying is trustworthy, for: ‘If we
have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also
reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he
remains faithful- for he cannot deny himself.”
– II Timothy 2:11-13
God remains faithful, even when we do
not. Why? Because it was our unfaithfulness, our
inability to achieve perfection, that brought Jesus this earth to begin
with. When the news came that Jesus had
risen from the dead, his disciples are summoned to meet with him in
Galilee. After the courtyard fiasco, my
guess is Peter no longer considered himself part of that group. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to follow
Jesus, but that he felt unworthy, he felt weighed down by the weight of his
past mistakes. How liberating must it
have been for Peter to hear the words, “go tell his disciples and Peter.” It is Jesus’ way of extending to Peter not
only forgiveness, but an invitation to try again.
What an encouraging word, to hear the
gospel as it speaks to us, revealing to us the fact that our God is a God of
second chances. Most of you know George
Washington as our first President, the “father of his country”. Out of his tenacity and skill as a military
leader, our freedom as a country was born.
What you probably didn’t know was that Washington’s military record
before the American Revolution was pretty dismal. During the French and Indian War, he was
responsible for building a fort, which he named Fort Necessity. Unfortunately for him, he built the fort in
the worst possible location, making it easy for the enemy to surround it and
force its surrender. Washington lost
every man under his command, was underwent the humiliation of having to
surrender himself. What if he had
allowed that initial failure, as bad as it was, prevent him from trying
again? What if Peter had rejected Jesus
offer of forgiveness and restoration?
When you’re voice becomes silence by the
past, when Satan whispers in your ear, reminding you of all the times you’ve
failed, clear your throat and remember; the Peter who denies Christ the night
of his trial, is the same one who boldly proclaims him on Pentecost.
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