Mark 14:31-42 - Jesus At Gethsemane

We come now to the garden with Jesus. Three times in the gospel of Mark we are told of Jesus praying alone. We may safely assume that Jesus prayed more than three times, but three of those occasions were special enough that Mark thought them worthy of recording for us. 

Once it was at the very beginning of his ministry. Jesus left the disciples in the middle of the night and went out into a deserted place to pray. This happened right after the first mention of the crowds. And we conjectured at the time that perhaps Jesus felt the weight of his mission and ministry upon him, for when the disciples found him he said, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

The next time Mark mentions Jesus in prayer is in chapter six, right after the feeding of the five thousand. It was there that the people had come out to take him by force and make him king. Expectations of a political Messiah were running high and perhaps Jesus felt the weight of this upon his shoulders as well. He had a mission to accomplish and he must stay on task. He needed the Father desperately.

Now here we are in chapter 14, in the midst of one of the darkest chapters in all the Bible. One disciple is about to betray him. The others will soon abandon him. The most outspoken will deny him. All of this Jesus has foretold. He is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners, rejected by his people, and handed over to the Gentiles for execution. The weight of the world is upon his shoulders. So he once again seeks a solitary place to pray. And he finds it in Gethsemane.

That was my introduction to this, the 61st sermon in my journey through Mark. I’ve linked the audio recording of the original delivery of this sermon just below. I hope you’ll take the time to listen and be blessed.

Click here: Mark 14:31-42 - Jesus At Gethsemane


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Mark 14:27-31 - The Faithfulness of Jesus

I had originally intended to preach one sermon covering verses 22-31, but there was just too much there. I finally divided it into two, and this is the second. The following excerpt is from the conclusion of this sermon and when you read it you will see why I chose the title that I did.

“All of us fail. That is the reason why Christ has come. Even Jesus’ closest followers abandon and deny him. Yet Jesus stands faithful. He is the stalwart who remains faithful when all around him fail. That is the gospel in a nutshell. Jesus succeeded where we failed.

Salvation is not a tag team effort. It is not Jesus and the apostles who save. It is not Jesus and me working together. It is Jesus alone. It is true that he will work in me and through me and that he will produce works in me and through me, but those works are his, not mine. They are his grace at work. Without his grace I could do nothing. The same is true for all of us.

This night the eleven will have their chance to die for Jesus. They will all fail. But before 24 hours are up he will have died for them. And in this final failure, this final denial, we are reminded of the truth that none of us is worthy, that Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners. That Christ came into the world to save sinners. 

Peter and Mark include this story of the failure of the disciples in order to drive that truth home to us. We need Jesus. Without him we are nothing. And he died for us, not because of our strength, but because of our lack. When we were sinners Christ died for us. When we were weak, and at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. Are you weak? Come find rest in Christ.”

To listen to the whole sermon just click the link below. God bless you. I hope you will.

Click here: Mark 14:27-31 - The Faithfulness of Jesus


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The Faithfulness of God - Mark 14:22-26

This is the fifty-ninth sermon in the series I preached through the Gospel of Mark. It is a description of Mark’s account of the Last Supper. If you have never heard much detail about what is going on here then you’ll want to listen. Not only do I give you a play by play between-the-lines reading of what’s going on, but I also show it’s significance in redemptive history and for our salvation. This is an amazing passage of Scripture!

Here’s an excerpt:

“The first cup symbolized God’s bringing his people out of Egypt. The second cup their deliverance from bondage. The third cup symbolized the “I will redeem you,” part and this is the cup that Jesus has held up and blessed and said, “This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many.” It is the cup of redemption. The fourth cup is the cup of consummation: “I will take you to be my people and I will be your God.” This is the cup that Jesus refuses until the consummation of the kingdom. He will not drink this cup until he drinks it new in the kingdom of God.”

Give this sermon a listen and perhaps you will see in greater detail the ramifications of the Last Supper for our salvation both in the immediate and the eternal. Enjoy!


Click here: Mark 14:22-26 - The Faithfulness of God


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