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MARK: WORKING MESSIAH SIXTH DIVISION: HOW WILL THE MESSIAH ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM? 14:1-16:8 THIRD SECTION: THE FOUR WITNESSES 14:43-72
(The corresponding PowerPoint® presentation is Mark 6th Division 3rd Section Four Witnesses or click here on Mark Sixth Division Four Witnesses PP or on the same title in the Mark studies home page.)
The Outline:
I. The Silent Witnesses 14:43-49
II. The Absent Witnesses 14:50-52
III. The False Witnesses 14:53-65
IV. The Denying, or Negative Witness 14:66-72
Review Questions To Aid In The Study Of Mark 14:43-72
You Will Be My Witnesses
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8 AV/KJV).
Jesus told his followers they would be his witnesses in the power of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:8.
One of the main themes of this section of Mark is that of witnesses. Jesus would be arrested by the Jewish authority. He would be put on trial. The trial would take place illegally. It took place at night; it took place in a private house; and the prisoner had neither lawyer nor witnesses. Jesus had to be his own witness. The Bible, in fact, tells us that Jesus Christ is the faithful witness (Revelation 1:5). In the four scenes that we have before us we will consider four groups of witnesses. Unfortunately they are bad witnesses, and we will see that Jesus was the perfect witness in the midst of these four bad witnesses. The four witnesses are: 1) the silent witness, 2) the absent witness, 3) the false witnesses, and finally, 4) the denying witness.
This is how these four scenes fit into the scheme of the sixth division. In the grid that represents the sixth division our four stories about witnesses fall in the middle column. Here Jesus is in the hands of the religious authorities of his nation.
I. The Silent Witnesses 14:43-49
'Ring Of Truth' In the early 1990’s I was visiting North Africa. I was giving Bible studies to various groups of people. In my free time I went to local tea houses to have tea and finish preparing my studies. I ordered my tea and sat down. It never took long before someone, always a man because the women did not frequent tea houses, invariably came and sat with me. Then he would begin to ask me questions.
He would ask, “What is your name? Where are you from?” I world in turn ask him the same questions. After a few minutes if he did not ask about the book I was studying I would ask him if he knew what book it was. As I do not speak Arabic I would use English. The other person’s English may have left much to be desired but it was always better than my Arabic!
I would invite the person who talked with me to read short portions of the Bible, such as John 3:16, although I often left this verse till later. Sometimes the person would ask me questions or mention a particular topic and I would look for verses to do with that topic, always with the goal of sharing the Gospel with him. On one occasion my 'visitor' mentioned the subject of peace and I took him through the Bible showing him verses on peace. I showed him what Jesus said in John 14:27, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (NIV). Another verse I showed him was Romans 5:1, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… (NIV).
Even though Muslims will tell you that Christian priests have changed the Bible I keep showing them portions of the Bible knowing that the Bible is the Word given to us by the Spirit of God and he will do his work in their hearts. It is amazing to see the look of respect that grows in their eyes as they read the Bible and begin to understand it. I could see before my very eyes the impact of the Word of God in them! Instead of arguing with them about the veracity of the Bible I allowed the Word of God to speak to their hearts as they read it.
Silent Witnesses In this portion of Mark, 14:43-49, we find the 'silent witnesses'. They are among the useless witnesses because they don't speak up about what they have seen and heard. They were those among the crowd who came to arrest Jesus and who had listened to him every day in the temple. Jesus challenged them with this fact. They had heard him every day in the most public of all places, the temple. Why were they coming to arrest him in this way during the night, with sticks and swords, as if he were a thief?
Sword or Bible? Among his own disciples was a bad witness who took out his sword. But one of those who were there, taking out his sword, wounded the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.(14:47 NASB-u). This disciple was taking the same action as those who had come to arrest Jesus. This is not the way to gain either the victory, or the people, with swords of steel.
What is my testimony, a sword or the Bible? They used the sword in the Crusades during the Middle Ages to try to regain the Holy Land. Muslims used the sword to conquer the lands that fell under their power. Some of the so-called Christians of the Middle Ages responded in the same way as that disciple of Jesus who took out his sword that night. This was not the way to establish Jesus' kingdom.
Three Characteristics The good witnesses, whom Jesus seeks, have at least 3 characteristics:
Third, they used the Scriptures, the sword of the Spirit, Ephesians 6:17, Take also the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (AV/KJV). In verse 49 the text of Mark 14 says, I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled (AV/KJV). Jesus used the Scriptures. He truly was the Faithful Witness.
Learning Two Languages To be a witness we must speak. We can't be silent. When someone starts his or her ministry in a foreign culture he is silenced as a witness because he doesn't know the language. During my ministry in Spain I had to learn Spanish. If you want to have a ministry in another country or amongst another people you must learn their language. Up to a point this is true even when you continue amongst your own people. Do you know the language of the people around you or is your language too religious, or of another era?
The Scriptures The Son of God came to this earth and became a man, speaking our language. The last words of this scene are those of Jesus, …but the Scriptures must be fulfilled (14:49 AV/KJV). Jesus' main concern, even in the face of enormous pressure, was that God's word be fulfilled. Jesus lived and spoke the Scriptures. If you are unsure about what to say about Jesus learn what the Scriptures say about him and share what you learn with others.
II. The Absent Witnesses 14:50-52
Runaways First, they abandoned the Lord Jesus. These men were his disciples. (14:50). This passage is parallel with one of the scenes at the cross when Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me (15:33-41 AV/KJV)? Even God turned his back on him. He was deserted by his friends and followers. They ran.
I ran out of the Laundromat. It was the summer of 1964. I was working in the dining room of what was called “The Inn", of the Word of Life ministry, in upper New York State. The following autumn I went to the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago to study. During the first semester the new students were not allowed to work because they had to take it all slowly and calmly, and during that time at the beginning of their life in the institute, adjust to the environment. The faculty wanted us to begin by concentrating on our studies. So I spent a summer making the money for my first semester at Moody.
The Author? And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him… Mark 14:51 AV/KJV Just like the young man who followed Jesus that night, I was fleeing from the scene. In his case he left behind the sheet with which he was covered, his only clothing. I was better prepared. I had my clothes on, and my bag of washed clothes. At least I was not left naked physically, but spiritually I felt naked. Sometimes like the young man, we flee from opportunities to be faithful to the Lord and to be faithful to him as a witness. We begin well and we finish badly. It is good to know, that later, that young man of our reading in Mark, became someone who witnessed to millions through the centuries as the author of this gospel. Many commentaries agree that this gospel, we are studying, was written by that young man and that he was John Mark.
Quitting The Jesus Team But as we have mentioned already it was not the last time that John Mark fled from a situation as a witness. The reader of this book will remember that John Mark went with Paul and Barnabas on the first ministry trip undertaken from Antioch of Syria. When they sailed from the Island of Cyprus and arrived at Pamphyllia, John Mark left the team and returned to Jerusalem. Further ahead when they were about to leave on the second trip Barnabas wanted to take John Mark, but Paul was against it because he had turned back on the first trip.
In this very short passage of Mark 14:50-52, we find the signature of a man that in his youth suffered the shame of quitting “the Jesus team”, twice. The saving factor is that, later, even the great apostle Paul recognized that Mark had matured. He remarked, “... because he is useful to me for the ministry." Even when it takes time, God is able to help us be better witnesses. If you have problems now with being a witness, be patient. If you have a true desire to be faithful and to learn, the Lord will teach you, and use you. Don't be discouraged or defeated!
The good witnesses Jesus seeks have the following characteristic:
They follow him. Jesus did not escape. He faced both the trial and the cross that awaited him, for us. Later in the book of the Acts we see Peter, John and the other disciples following and representing Jesus even in the face of threats and beatings.
Running From The People Groups? But there is another question to which we must respond. Are we running from Jesus' command to be witnesses to the nations? There are people groups around the world where to this day there are no witnesses. The witnesses are absent. There are no witnesses or at least very few amongst many of these groups. Who will go and be witnesses to them? We could name just a few of them: the Aimaq of northern Afghanistan, the Baluch of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, the inhabitants of the Maldive Islands, the Lur of southern Iran, the Mazandaranis of northern Iran, the Beja of the eastern coast of the Sudan, the Wolof of Senegal, many tribes that live in the Amazon of Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador, and others who live in the mountains of Mexico, Guatemala and across Central America.
III. The False Witnesses 14:53-65
In the third scene we find the “false witness”. This witness claims to have seen what he has not seen nor heard. They speak lies. They were people whom the priests sought to give false testimony against Jesus (14:55-57).
What The Law Says But, what does the law say about false witnesses?
Another problem with false witnesses is that their testimonies do not agree. (14:56) In the end, in the form of a question, the high priest said that there was no more need of witnesses. He was right. He was being embarrassed by these witnesses, whose testimony did not agree. This type of witness, the false witness, is of no value, not even to the one who tries to use him (14:63)!
But, what are good witnesses like?
The first thing that we should do is share what we do know. If someone asks us a difficult question for which we don't have the answer, we need to admit it. Two of the things that speak to people are sincerity and truth. Let's tell the truth about the things that we know and about the things that we do not know.
At the same time we enjoy the great privilege of having in our possession the Bible, the Word of God. In it we have the testimony written by the very people that walked with Jesus, and who came to know him very well. A minister in Mexico, Richard Griffin, taught me a phrase they use there. The English version might be something like this, “In order to know John Doe, you must live with him, many months in a row!” The disciples of Jesus lived, walked, learned and ministered with him for three years. They were well able to testify about Jesus, as the elders of Israel realized when they threatened Peter and John for their public preaching. In the Book of the Acts 4:13, we are told, Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus (AV/KJV).
They Agree In Their Witness Secondly, the true witnesses agree on the essential things. We agree in our testimony as believers, speaking the same thing, unanimous, loving. In the first chapter of the first letter to the Corinthians Paul rebuked that church for its divisions. If we are always disputing, arguing and disagreeing we are defeated. The witnesses the priests brought to Jesus' trial could not agree. Their testimony was a shamble.
The Faithful Witness
When Jesus spoke so boldly to the high priest about his own return to earth from heaven what was Jesus implying? One day Jesus would sit where Caiaphas sat, as the judge. Caiaphas would be the prisoner who would have to answer to Jesus. The tables would turn on the high priest. Jesus' words were a warning of things to come. Are we ready to appear before the final Judge?
IV. The Denying, or Negative Witness 14:66-72
In the last scene, in 14:66-72, we meet the witness who denies he is a witness. Peter denied Jesus just as Jesus had prophesied that he would. As Peter warmed himself by the fire, several people asked him if he wasn't a follower of Jesus. He denied that he was. Peter had followed Jesus for three years and on one occasion he had even declared that Jesus was the Messiah. Now on this occasion he denied him.
Peter What do these negative witnesses do?
First, they claim that they do not know Jesus. Have you ever met someone once and then met them again much later, on which occasion you wrinkle your brow trying to remember who they are? You think you know them but not very well at all and you even wonder if you are mistaken, and that they are not someone who looks like the person you met. That night Peter might have been able to say he did not know Jesus if the case above described his relationship to Jesus and we might even excuse him for saying he didn’t know Jesus, but was that his case? No, no, a hundred times no! Peter had followed Jesus closely for three years. Peter had been a disciple of John the Baptist according to John chapter one and Jesus had given him a name, Cephas, which meant Peter, a stone. He had watched Jesus turn water to good wine, heal many people, feed thousands by multiplying a few loaves and fishes, heard Jesus teach the people and his disciples hour after hour, had seen him raise the dead, been encouraged by Jesus, been rebuked by Jesus, and traveled with Jesus from town to town and city to city. When many of Jesus’ disciples turned back from following him Peter said he would not turn back because there was no one else to go to because Jesus had the words of eternal life, and that the twelve knew and believed that Jesus was the Holy One of God (John 6:66-71). Peter said to Jesus in Mark 14:29, that even if all the other disciples abandoned Jesus he would not. There was absolutely no way Peter could say he did not know Jesus! In any court he would have been condemned of perjury, lying to the court!
Second, when they deny they are witnesses of what they have seen and heard, their words contradict them. The people gathered around that fire that night, who asked Peter if he was not a disciple of Jesus, said so because he was a Galilean. Jesus had disciples from Galilee and he had spent much time there. Jesus grew up in Galilee so he probably had a Galilean accent, himself. At Passover there were probably many people from Galilee in Jerusalem but he Galilean accent was one of the clues people in Jerusalem had that Peter might be a disciple of Jesus. How many common folk from Galilee would have been up at those hours of the night and morning following the trial of Jesus? There probably were not any except for an odd one or two amongst the soldiers and officials of the high priests and then these would have been known by the servants and officials standing around warming themselves by the fire. This was done with a certain amount of secrecy at night. If we open our mouths our speech identifies us. (The men of Ephraim were not able to say Shiboleth, but Siboleth, so when they said that they were not from Ephraim, the soldiers of Jephthah knew immediately that they lied [Judges 12:1-6]).
What are the good witnesses like? They are the ones who say, “I know him.”
My Father They are the ones who have a personal testimony of a spiritual encounter with Jesus. At six years of age I came to know the Lord through my father. My father taught me about salvation in Jesus and I believed in Him. Are we reading Bible stories to our children and praying with them? We need to start early, communicating the gospel to our children and setting an example for them.
Paul What was it like for the apostle Paul? His testimony was rejected in Jerusalem according to Acts 22:17-21. The Lord had told Paul that they would not receive his testimony about him. On the other hand the Lord said that Paul's testimony in Corinth would be received (Acts 18:5-10). In verse 5 we see that Paul is ... testifying .... In verses 9 and 10 the Lord says, …for I have much people in this city (AV/KJV). This is the reason why we witness, because in some, maybe in many, places, the Lord has a great number of people. Let's be faithful witnesses! To be a faithful witness honors the Lord, and gives opportunity for others to know the gospel and be saved! Wouldn’t it be a shame to “miss out” on reaching people God had prepared for our witness, because we know him!
Review Let's review the four kinds of witnesses we find here. 1. The silent witness - When asked or given an opportunity they don't speak up! 2. The absent witness - These are those who do not appear at the witness stand. They run from their opportunity of witness. 3. The false witness - They do not tell the truth about what they have seen and heard, or simply resort to making up a story. 4. The denying witness - This witness denies seeing or hearing. He says he is not a witness when in reality he may be the person who has seen and heard the most!
Let's learn from all these witnesses to do the opposite! Let's speak up, show up, be true, and be positive witnesses. Remember what Jesus said, "You shall be my witnesses!"
Questions To Aid In The Study Of Mark 14:43-72 1. Make a list of the four witnesses and think about how you can overcome the negative kind of witnessing you find here in your own life. 2. What is one of the “weapons” the Lord used in his witness that we can use? Mark 14:49 How does this weapon contrast with the weapon used by one of those there to cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest? 3. It seems Jesus was more interested in truth than in the outcome of his trial. How can this help us in our witnessing? 4. In these stories we find two people who temporarily failed the Lord, the young man covered with a sheet and Peter. How did they fail in their witness and how are these stories a comfort to us? 5. Can you name one of the reasons why the trial of Jesus was probably not legal? 6. How did Jesus demonstrate throughout these events surrounding his arrest and trial that he was the true and faithful witness?
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