THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapters 13-16)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Ben Bailey.
“And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last” (Mk. 15:37). Welcome to our study of the gospel of Mark, which is all about the majesty and power of Christ. Here we see the majesty of Jesus in His willingness to be betrayed by one of His own, to go to the cross, and to be crucified and die for all humanity. The gospel of Mark presents this to us in a very vivid fashion. Mark is all about the actions, deeds, and immediacy of Christ and His suffering. In chapters 13 through 16 we see these things coming to a climax in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We begin in Mark 13 as Jesus and His disciples are near the temple. One of them says to Jesus, “Look at the size of these stones.” Jesus said, “Do you see these stones? Not one of them will be left standing on top of another.” He then began to discuss first the future destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Age, and then second the end of the world and the Second Coming. The end of the Jewish Age is discussed first in Mark 13 (and in Matthew 24). There is a divide in the text that we need to understand. Matthew’s account helps us with this. In Matthew 24:34 Jesus said, “All these signs will take place in this generation.” As He discussed the coming of the Son of Man, some of that had to do with the temple being destroyed through the use of highly apocalyptic language. In verse 34, Jesus in essence drew a line in the sand and said, “Everything I’ve just discussed in going to happen in this generation.” So, much of what Jesus said in Matthew 24 and in Mark 13 happened in the time frame of the first century—thereby preparing for the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and the ultimate fall of the Jewish system. Although it was ended at the cross, there were no more records left after A.D. 70. Jesus discusses first and foremost the end of the Jewish Age, but He also discusses the Second Coming and the end of the world. There are a lot of questions today about the Second Coming, the end of the world, and how those things will tie in together. Many people are looking for signs. Remember, though, that the signs Jesus gave occurred during that generation (Mt. 24:34). Of the Second Coming of Christ and the final destruction of the world, the Bible says that there will be no signs. Notice Mark 13:32—“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Just like Matthew 24:36, Jesus said, “Concerning my Second Coming and the end of the world, no one knows the day nor the hour. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows.” When you hear people talking about theories, signs, and things that are going to happen so that we can know the end of the world is getting close, you can know that such talk is not correct. In our culture, 2012 is getting close, and the Mayan calendar says that everything will come to an end in that year. But we do not know that. Jesus said that no one knows the day or hour when the Son of Man will return. No one knows. Jesus left that in the Father’s will, and did not give instruction to men concerning it. We know it will happen. And we can know that it is something that will happen in the future. But we cannot know the day or the hour. Someone might ask, “Why didn’t God tell us?” Likely God did not tell us because there are a lot of people who would wait around until the very last minute, and think that then it was time to get ready. God wants us to stay ready. He wants us to be sure that we are ready at all times so that we will live faithfully before the Lord and have a meaningful and purposeful live in His service. Jesus did say that no one knows the day or hour when the Son of Man will return. But here’s something of which you can be sure: the Word of God is going to endure forever.
Back up one verse to Mark 13:31, and notice what Jesus said about God’s Word: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” We cannot put our faith in the ideas, hypotheses, or best guesses of men. But we can put our faith in the Word of God, which will endure forever and stand the test of time. According to 1 Peter 1:25, we are born again by the Word of God, which lives and “abides forever.” The Word of God is going to be there on the Judgment Day (Rev. 20:12-15). When we stand before God, Jesus said, “He who rejects Me and does not receive My word, has that which judges him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (Jn. 12:48). There are three things that will endure beyond Earth life. God will exist forever. Psalm 90:1-2 tells us, “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” The Godhead will be there. The souls of men will live beyond this life. We were endowed by God with an immortal spirit. God said, “Let us make man in Our image. And the Lord God breathed into man the breath of life, and man became a living being.” We are going to live beyond this life. The Word of God also will last forever. Depending on how we live our lives in accordance with the Word of God will determine where we spend eternity—either in Heaven or in Hell. In view of the fact that God’s Word will stand forever, and in view of the fact that we cannot know the time of the Lord’s Second Coming, Jesus said in Mark 13:37, “What I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” We might not know the time, but we do know that God’s Word is sure. We can know that we must always be ready and vigilant—ever watching for the coming of the Lord. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8 that must be sober and vigilant, because “our adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The command to Christians is that we not get caught up in the time of Christ’s return. Rather, what Christians need to do is focus on being ready. The only way to be ready is to get ready and stay ready. Have you gotten ready? Are you sure you’re right with God? Are you a child of God? Have you obeyed the Gospel? You cannot be ready until you obey the Gospel. Acts 18:8 tells us that “many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.” Have you been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins? Are you in the class that is “ready”? Are you staying faithful? Are you staying ready? The only way to stay ready is to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4), be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10), and take up our crosses daily and follow Jesus (Lk. 9:23).
As Jesus begins to face the next few days before the end of His life, we see that period beginning in Mark 14. The chief priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees are looking for an opportune time to put Jesus to death. They do not want to do it during the Passover feast because that would not be pleasing to the people. So they begin to look for a time to kill Him. Jesus also is being prepared at this time for His impending burial. In Mark 14:3-9 we see Jesus entering the house of Mary, where He is anointed by her for His burial. She takes a costly alabaster flask of oil and anoints the head of Jesus with it. Some who were present were offended by that. They said, “This could have been sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” The text says that they sharply criticized Mary. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She is preparing Me for My burial. You will have the poor with you always. You can tend to them any time you want. But you will not always have Me with you. This woman has done a good deed, and wherever the Gospel is preached, it will be remembered to her as a tribute and memorial for what she has done for Me.” Jesus is prepared for His burial by this woman, as was the custom of the day.
Jesus then leaves this area and goes to celebrate the Passover with His disciples. It is interesting scenario. The disciples ask Jesus, “Are you ready for us to go prepare the Passover?” Jesus says,
“Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us” (Mk. 14:13-15).
Amazingly, the disciples follow Jesus’ commands. They find the man who is already prepared. There, Jesus has the Passover with His disciples. But something interesting happens. Jesus tells the disciples that one of them will betray Him. The text says that they were all sorrowful, and began to ask, “Is it I, Lord? Is it I?” Jesus said, “It is the one who dips his hand with me who will betray Me.” Matthew 26:25 tells us that Judas asked, “Rabbi, is it I?” And Jesus said, “It is as you say.” Judas is identified as the great betrayer of Jesus. Jesus knows that Judas will sell Him out. The text of Mark 14 tells us that Judas left and went to betray Jesus. He found the scribes and the Pharisees, who were even willing to pay Judas to do such.
As Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper at the Passover time, He is preparing for what we do today on the first day of the week in partaking of the Lord’s Supper as Acts 20:7 commands. Jesus took the bread, and reminded them that it would represent His body. He took the fruit of the vine, which represented His blood that was shed for many for the remission of sins. These are things that we are still to do today.
Then, as things go forward toward Jesus’ death, He tells the disciples that all of them will betray Him later that evening. He said (quoting Zechariah 13:7), “I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” Peter then said, “Even if all are scattered, I will never deny You!” Jesus then said, “Peter, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times” (vs. 30). Peter vehemently denied that such would happen. He said, “I will never deny You! I will even die with You!” Peter no doubt would remember those words a little while later when he is in the courtyard of the high priest warming himself by the fire, and one of the servant girls asked him, “Weren’t you one of His followers?” Peter said, “No, not me!” Another asked, “Are you sure you’re not with Him, because your speech betrays you?” “No, not me,” said Peter. Matthew and Luke tell us that Peter even cursed as he denied that he knew the Lord. Then the rooster crowed. Peter remembered the words of His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and “went out and wept bitterly” We learn a powerful lesson from Peter’s denial. Peter thought he could do anything. But he failed to factor in that he needed God’s help. He thought that he could die with Jesus. He thought he was something he was not. He was shown by Jesus that he needed to grow in those areas. Peter denied the Lord. And, in reality, haven’t we all, at one time or another, played the part of Peter? All of us have sinned, and so in some way we, by our sin, have denied the Lord. Have we done that publicly? Have we done it privately? Only we can answer. But all of us have stood in Peter’s shoes at one time or another.
If you look at John 21, the Lord does restore Peter by telling him, “Feed My sheep. Do you love Me?” Peter said, “Yes.” So Jesus said, “Feed My sheep.” “Do you really love Me, Peter?” “Yes, I do.” “Feed My sheep.” He says this three times. Peter denied the Lord, but then is restored by the Lord, and goes on to do great things in the kingdom.
Between Peter’s denial and Jesus’ prediction, we see the prayer in Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus had gone with His disciples. Peter, James, and John stayed with Him a little while. He then went on ahead of them. He tells them, “Stay here. Watch and pray.” Jesus goes farther ahead, bows down, and says, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. But not My will, but thine be done.” Jesus’ words in the garden are really the motto that every Christian ought to have in this life. In Mark 14:32-38, as Jesus prayed, the banner for His prayer is: “Not My will, but thine be done.” Is that our attitude when we pray? Is that our attitude in trying to live for Christ? Do we have the mindset that says, “Lord, if this is Your will, I want it to be done. But if it’s not, I don’t want You to do it”? Sometimes we have the attitude, “My will, not thine, be done.” We want our will, not God’s, to be done. Instead, we need to have the attitude that God’s will might be accomplished in all things.
As Jesus was praying, He returned to the disciples three times. And every time He found them sleeping. He asked, “Could you not stay a little while with Me? You need to be ready. Do not be tempted, because the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” No doubt He was talking about how they would depart from Him, even though they all had said they would never deny Him.
In Mark 15 Jesus is taken before the Sanhedrin, where He is questioned. They brought false witnesses to give testimony. But their testimonies did not agree. There were no credible witnesses to put Jesus on trial. So they got some people to give false testimony, which did not even agree. Finally, then, the ruler of the Sanhedrin asked Jesus, “What do you say about these things? Are you truly the King of the Jews? Are you the Son of God?” Jesus said, “Yes, I have that power.” So, because they claimed that Jesus spoke blasphemy, they took Him, mocked Him, blindfolded Him, slapped Him with the palms of their hands, and spit on Him. Now we are entering the time when Jesus is going to suffer and die for each and every one of us. In Mark 15 Jesus is taken before Pilate. The Bible tells us that the chief priests, the elders, and the leaders bound Jesus and led Him away to Pilate. It is interesting that Jesus allowed Himself to be bound by evil men (Mk. 15:1). We have to stop and think for just a moment: Is it not the case that we, too, can bind the hands of Jesus if we aren’t careful? “Binding the hands of Jesus” means that we are limiting the power that He has by not living and acting like we ought to. Can we bind the hands of Jesus by not saying something when we ought to? Doesn’t the Bible tell us to preach the Word (Mk. 16:15)? Doesn’t the Bible say in Ezekiel 33 that we have the responsibility of warning and of being the watchmen? Are we binding the power of Jesus when we do not spread the Gospel like we ought to? Are we binding the hands of Jesus when we do not set a Christian example as we ought to? Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men” (Mt. 5:16). The Bible says that we are to be an example to believers as well (1 Tim. 4:12). When we do not love as we ought to, are we binding the hands of Jesus? When we don’t give to the cause of Christ on the first day of the week like we ought to, are we binding the power of Jesus? The contribution that is taken up (according to 1 Corinthians 16:1-2) was for the work of God—part of which is spreading the Gospel. Thus, when we do not give as we ought to, we are binding the hands of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Just like in Mark 15:1, when evil men bounds the hands of Jesus, so today, if we are not careful, we can do the same thing by not living the way we ought to.
In Mark 15 we see that there was a custom among the Jews to have a common criminal released by Pilate at this time of the year. Pilate questions Jesus, and finds nothing wrong with Him. Jesus does not answer anything before Him. So, Pilate turns to the people and says, “It’s your custom for me to release someone.” They cried out for him to do the same thing this time. Pilate asked, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Instead they cried out, “Barabbas!” Who was Barabbas? He was a rebel. He led a group of men. He committed murder. The Bible calls him in Matthew and Luke “a malefactor,” which is a common criminal and an evil, ungodly man. Here we see Jesus—the Son of God and Savior of the world—and what did He do? He healed the sick. He preached the Word of God. He fed thousands who would have fainted had it not been for Him. He went about doing good. He “did all things well” (Mk. 7:37). Then there is Barabbas—a rebel, a criminal, a leader of ungodly men, and a malefactor. Yet when Pilate asked, “Who do you want me to release to you?,” the people cried out, “Barabbas!” Do you see the hatred? The Bible says that Pilate knew it was because of envy. They hated Jesus that much.
Then Pilate sent Him away to be scourged. Think for a few moments about what Jesus suffered for each and every one of us. Scourging was a horrible, horrible event. Something like a cat-of-nine-tails (with rock, metal, bone, or glass imbedded in it) was taken. Jesus’ back was stretched tightly. Then they took the cat-of-nine-tails and brought it over the back of Jesus again and again. I imagine you could see the bones and even some of the internal organs. His back would have been a bloody mess. They also spit in Jesus’ face. Have you ever had anyone spit in your face? What more degrading thing could someone do to you than that? They slapped Jesus with the palms of their hands. They took a crown of thorns and placed it on the head of Jesus. We’re not talking about little rose-bush thorns. We’re talking about long thorns that were imbedded into Jesus’ scalp. They took a reed and hit Him on the head with it in order to press the crown of thorns in farther. They then took a purple robe and placed it on Him. Later, they pulled it off. And all the pain, bleeding, and suffering started all over again.
Jesus then was taken to Golgotha, where He was laid on a cross. His hands and His feet were nailed, and Jesus hung there in agony, struggling and pushing against the nails in His feet in order to breathe in (and release pressure on His hands), and then putting pressure back on His hands in order to breathe out. Eventually, Jesus died in great agony, pain, and suffering because He loved you and me so much. Think about what Jesus did so that we could have the hope of Heaven. Mark 15:37 says, “And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.” That is a bittersweet passage. The sweetness is seen in the fact that in Jesus’ death, the victory over sin was one. Hebrews 2:14 tells us that through death, Jesus destroyed “him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” In that moment, as Jesus died on the cross and later was raised from the grave, He defeated death and Satan. Yes, it was a sad moment—sad that man’s sin had come to the point that Christ’s suffering had to be that severe. Yet it was beautiful and sweet—in the sense that God was willing to send His Son to die on the cross in agony and pain for each one of us.
Then the body of Jesus was given to Joseph. The text man says that he was a man “waiting for the kingdom of God.” He took courage, and asked Pilate that he might have the body of Jesus. Matthew and Luke tell us that Joseph had a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. He took Jesus, prepared Him for His burial, and placed Him in that new tomb. He was there three days, the Bible tells us.
Then, in Mark 16, Mary and Martha go to the grave of Jesus in order to tend to His body. They arrive and think to themselves, “With such a great stone, who will roll it away for us?” As they look, the stone has already been rolled away, and Jesus has been resurrected. Yes, I am thankful to God for the death of Jesus. Yes, I am thankful for His burial. But the greatest thing in this is the hope we have because Jesus did not remain in the grave, but arose from the grave. Thus, the hope of Christianity is that we die to sin and are buried with Him in baptism—to be raised to walk in newness of life. If we live faithfully, we will be raised to eternal life (Rom. 6:1-4; Jn. 5:8-9).
In this context, the women return to tell the followers of Jesus about His resurrection. Jesus then appears to two others. They tell the disciples, but they still are not fully convinced. Jesus appears to the twelve and rebukes them for their unbelief. Now they are all convinced.
Jesus then gives His final instructions to His disciples. In Mark 16:15-16 we read, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus’ final request was that His disciples go into all the world and preach the good news to every creature. What was that good news? It was the news that Jesus had lived a perfect life (Heb. 4:15). He taught us and gave us the will of God (Jn. 1:17). He died for our sins (Heb. 10:12) as an eternal sacrifice. He was buried in the grave. But the good news is as well that the grave could not contain Him. He arose from the grave as “a victor” (as the old song says). And because of that, we, too, have the hope of victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, we go and preach the Gospel. Acts 4:12 tells us, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” The good news is that salvation is available in Jesus. But salvation is available only on God’s terms. What were those terms, as given by Jesus?
Did Jesus say, “Go and say the sinner’s prayer, and you will saved”? No, that is not what He said. Did Jesus say, “He who believes will be saved”? No, that’s not all that He said. Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus taught in this context that there were two conditions for salvation. Belief and baptism are both things that occur prior to salvation, according to the words of Jesus. How can anyone get around the words of Jesus? Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus has both belief and baptism occurring prior to salvation. Most of the religious world has baptism occurring after salvation. But that is not what Jesus taught. If you believe in Jesus, and you thought that you were saved before you were baptized, then you are not saved. According to Jesus, you are still lost. You must believe and be baptized. Then you will be saved. That is what the rest of the Scriptures teach as well. In Acts 2:38 Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” What is baptism for? What separates a man from God? It is sin (Is. 59:1-2). If baptism is for the forgiveness of sin, and if it is sin that separates us from God, then we cannot be forgiven and get right with God until we are baptized.
Someone might say, “Well, that’s just a couple of verses.” What about Acts 22:16? Saul was told, “Arise, be baptized, washing away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” At what point in God’s plan of salvation are sins washed away? If we can know the point at which sins are washed away, then we can know when we are restored to God. According to Acts 22:16, it is at the point of baptism. That is how a person “calls on the name of the Lord” biblically speaking. So many people want to quote Acts 2:21—“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” That is true! But how does a person “call on the name of the Lord”? Acts 22:16 is a divine commentary on Acts 2:21. A person gets up and obeys God—and a part of that is being baptized for the remission of sins. Peter said it again in 1 Peter 3:21—“Baptism does also now save us.” A person cannot be saved without being baptized for the remission of sins. Let me ask you today if you have accepted Jesus by obeying the Gospel? A lot of people talk about “accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior.” Here’s how a person does that. You submit to Jesus’ will and do what He says in order to be right. Are you a Christian? Have you put the Gospel—the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus—to work in your life by obeying the Gospel? If not, I plead with you today to obey God’s plan of salvation before it is too late. Look at what Jesus did for you. Submit your will to Him and be saved. If you have done that, then you need to be faithful all the days of your life. Let’s all be mindful of all that Jesus did for us through the wonderful Gospel that He brought us.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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1. According to the material in this lesson, what is the main topic of the gospel of Mark?
2. In the first part of Mark 13, what topic is under discussion by Christ?
3. In the second part of Mark 13, what topic is under discussion by Christ?
4. In Matthew 24:34 there is an important clue concerning the items under discussion by Christ in the first part of Mark 13. What is that clue?
5. According to Christ’s statement in Mark 13:32, when will His Second Coming occur?
6. What important point is contained in Mark 13:31?
7. What important point is contained in John 12:48?
8. What important point is contained in 1 Peter 1:25?
9. According to 1 Peter 5:8, who is our fiercest adversary?
10. What urgent admonition did Christ give in Mark 13:37?
11. What, according to Christ’s statement in Luke 9:23, should Christians do every day of their lives?
12. According to Revelation 2:10, how should Christians live their lives?
13. What significant event in Christ’s life occurred in Mark 14:3-9?
14. In Mark 14:13ff., what Jewish feast was Christ celebrating with the twelve apostles?
15. In the context of Mark 14, what tragic event did Jesus foretell that concerned one of the twelve apostles?
16. According to Matthew 26:25, which apostle was going to be involved in the tragic event predicted by Jesus in Mark 14?
17. In Mark 14:30, Christ predicted a second tragic event. What was it?
18. In Mark 14:22-23, what important event for Christians was instituted?
19. In Mark 14:36, Jesus prayed to God to ask Him to do something. What was it?
20. At the end of Mark 14:36, Jesus also said something else to God. What was it?
21. What terrible event in the life of Christ is depicted in Mark 15?
22. What command did Jesus give His disciples in Mark 16:15?
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