Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome to Corona Corogals. We're still in chapter 14, and we're at this event of what what is entitled the last supper, but it is in fact the Passover feast. And I'm reading from verse 12 of Mark chapter 14. On the first day of the festival of unleavened bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the passover lamb, Jesus disciples asked him where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the passover. So he sent 2 of his disciples telling them going to the city and a man carrying a water jar will meet you, follow him.

Say to the owner of the house he enters, the teacher asks where is my guest room? Where I may eat the passover with my disciples. He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready, make preparations for us there. The disciples left went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them, so they prepared the passover. When evening came, Jesus arrived with the 12, While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, truly I tell you, 1 of you will betray me 1 who is eating with me.

They were saddened and 1 by 1, they said to him, Shorly, you don't mean me. It is 1 of the 12 he replied, 1 who dips bread into the bowl with me. The son of man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to the man who betrays the son of man. It would be better for him if he had not been born. Well, we're approaching the passover, and that was 1 of if not the most significant event in the Jewish calendar.

And it was all about their redemption from Egypt. And when you read through the Gospels, you see that Jesus himself is very much connected to the Passover because he is going to be the filaments of the Passover, he will be that lamb and God will accomplish a new redemption through through him. And it's interesting though that as we come to this significant passover meal, the preparation for the meal, has almost as much coverage as the meal itself. Yeah. Yeah.

So so the preparations for this are are really important in in March gospel. And I mean, it start it it it it is a bit like a sort of spy sort of movie thing. Yeah. You know, I'll send you here. You sit on this chair, the bloke wearing the carnation.

You are coming or something, you follow him. Yeah. So it's it's a very strange affair sort of going on here. And then it sort of emphasizes it that the disciples found things just as Jesus told them. Yeah.

You know, following this man to this house, there's this room and so forth. And that is just a little window into the sovereignty of Jesus -- Yeah. -- in all of this. Because although you know, the enemies are out looking for an opportunity to seize and kill him. Yeah.

We're not to think that he's out control. No. He he he has not surrendered control for a moment. He knows down to the detail, you know exactly what is gonna happen Yeah. And I I guess it had to be fairly secretive because as you say, the the enemies are after him.

Yeah. And he's gonna be arrested at the appointed time, isn't he? So Jesus is working to a a prepared plan. So I guess as you say, all of this is teaching because he's always teaching the disciples, isn't he? Even in, you know, coming up to his death, teaching them he's in control, he's in plan, that the whole preparation of the passover, you're gonna this is gonna fit with you understanding what everything is about and I am in control.

Yeah. And and the the meal, you can see how important it was to Jesus that everything was done properly for this passover. This wasn't something that he just wanted to hurry through or get out of the way. Yeah. This was gonna be a significant intimate meal and an opportunity really to explain in a very visual tangible way exactly what part of the lab to achieve.

Yeah. So you've got this sort of meal that I guess would have been quite exciting, a bit like Christmas Day meal and all this stuff, all the trimmings are coming out. The lamb has been I mean, delicious. Yeah. And and but but it it it turns -- Yeah.

-- sort of bitter, doesn't it? Because verse 19 it says and they were sorry. In verse 18, he says 1 of you is gonna be training. 1 of you. Now we've already seen we know who that is.

We know that's Judas. He's arranged you know, an event to to get Jesus arrested. And I guess that's another reason because Jud is I guess is not 1 of the disciples that went to make preparation. Mhmm. So Jesus has to hide this where he's eating from Judah.

So Judith has to go out in the night. That's sort of stuff. Because it because Jesus time hadn't yet come. But what you've got is we know this, but they don't know, do they? No.

No. Yeah. I mean, there there is both that element of sadness and confusion. They were saddened to hear that. But they 1 by 1 said, well, you don't surely you don't meet me.

In other words, they didn't all know that he was talking out Judith. So Judith had obviously been such a significant member of the group and they they just didn't seem to think that any suspicion was resting over Judith. So they're going around. And it it it it does seem that there were more than the 12 at this this meeting, I don't think it is like, you know, Leonardo DeVinci's -- Mhmm. -- whatever it is painting because he says no, it's 1 of the 12.

Why would he say that? Anyway, it doesn't really matter about that. But 1 of the 12 he replies, 1 who dips bread into the bowl with me. Yeah. And so my goodness, this is like sharing and what this very event stands for.

Here is someone who's intimate with Jesus, intimately at sort of at the point of what Jesus is all about. Is gonna betray him. Mhmm. And we'll see what that bread means. Won't we?

Yeah. A little bit later on. So this is someone as you say who is who just completely involved with and tied up in the mission of Christ and yet there is something very different. And in verse 21, you get the kind of just such a incredible verse, isn't it? The son of man will go just as it is written about him.

But woe to that man who betrays the son man. It would be better for him if he had not been born. And there you get the kind of marriage between God's sovereignty and the responsibility of this 1. Who will betray him. The son of man is gonna go as it's written about him.

So the scriptures have foretold, not just his death. But the manner of his death, it's been written and detailed and yet a judgment is pronounced upon the 1 who actually hands over this son. So Judus is accountable. He is not off the hook. He is thoughtfully and craftily chosen.

How to betray and he will face God's judgment for that. And yet God has not surrendered control, you know, which is just That's such a profound thing, isn't it? Yeah. You know, the marriage of those 2 things. I guess, I mean 1 of the things you could apply this in all kinds of ways.

I mean, obviously, you know Jesus is in control of all of these events and so forth. And therefore he's deliberately going in the plan of the son of man took to the cross. But I guess, you know, the the teaching for those of us that are in the Christian faith that read the Scriptures that follow the, you know, the feasts if you like of of Christ. You know, we're in with with with with the church of Christ. I guess if if someone said 1 of you is gonna betray, I guess our our answer shouldn't be, well, surely not me.

Yes. It should be it probably is me. Yes. Yeah. And lord don't let it be me.

Yeah. It is a sort of probably a better response, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Because I don't know whether Judah said surely not me.

Yeah. But in 1 sense, I think our response if we really understand our hearts is I could be that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

But don't let it be Yeah. And we'll come on to Peter, you know, a little bit later, and he said similar things, didn't he? You know, even if all of these, you know, these are meant to be his main diner. Even if all of these betray, I never will. Yeah.

But you're right. They're kind of the posture of someone who knows the the wickedness of their own heart is, yes, you know, yes, that could be me. Please help my unbelief, isn't it? And then you have sort of you know children and and so forth. There might be 1 of you at listening in that you've you've been brought up with this this stuff.

But, you know, are you gonna go on? Are you gonna give up Jesus for some money? Mhmm. Or are you going to follow the plan of God which is to follow the lord Jesus? I think that a sharp end of this, isn't it?

Because we often think that God's enemies are miles away from the place where God is, but they might be sat next to him. They might be listening to him. In the place where he speaks the church through his word. And yet actually, when all is said and done, there will seem to be enemies and and lord save us from that. So that's something to ask the Lord that you wouldn't betray him today in any way.

We'll come back next time.