Taken and Tried

Lesson 11

Taken and Tried

(Mark 14)

Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: How do you react to stress? I’ve almost never been under the stress of a situation in which my life was at stake. My stress has been connected with the courtroom and public speaking. A little stress is good for presentations. An enormous amount of stress can be paralyzing. In our study this week, Jesus’ disciples go from a pleasant dinner to the stress of thinking they might be killed. Jesus knows that He will be killed, yet He handles the stress confidently. Let’s jump into our study of Mark and learn more!

1. Enemies and a Friend
   
   1. Read Mark 14:1-2. Why do the Jewish leaders want to “arrest [Jesus] by stealth and kill Him?” (Read John 11:47-48. Their motive to kill is that they believe Jesus will overshadow them. He is a threat to the political system. Their motive for stealth is because they are acting against the will of the public. Using the “judicial” system against an enemy outside the view of the public is typical of tyrants.)
   2. Read Mark 14:3. What is this individual women doing in contrast to the Jewish leaders? (She is honoring Jesus by pouring expensive perfume over his head.)
      1. Is this a good thing?
   3. Read Mark 14:4-6. Jesus says it is a “beautiful thing” that she has done. On what basis are others scolding this woman? (The money could have been given to the poor.)
      1. Do you know of “scolds” today who make the same kind of charges about how other people use their money?
   4. Read Mark 14:7-9. What does Jesus say to the “scolds” and what does He say to the woman? (He tells the scolds that they can contribute their money to the poor any time they want. To the woman He says she has anointed Him for burial and her act will be famous.)
2. Last Supper
   
   1. Skip ahead and read Mark 14:12-13, Mark 14:16-17, and Mark 14:22-24. What is Jesus explaining about Passover? (He is the Passover lamb. What they are eating symbolizes His body and His blood.)
      1. Why is Jesus making this explanation now? (He wants His disciples to understand why He is about to die. He wants them to understand how He fulfills the symbolism of Passover. They have resisted believing He would die.)
   2. Read Mark 14:25. Why is this? (Among other things, it is a promise of Heaven. Implicit is the understanding that they will be there to drink with Jesus in heaven.)
3. Betrayal
   
   1. Read Mark 14:10-11 and Mark 14:43-46. We are going to see that many of the disciples are disloyal to Jesus. Does Judas’ act make any logical sense to you? If Judas believed, as the other disciples did (see Acts 1:6), that Jesus would set up a kingdom, why would he sell this rich future for a small amount of money? (I believe Judas betrayed Jesus for money, but not the money given to him by the chief priests. He had seen Jesus’ power, and He thought he was forcing Jesus to take power now. Jesus would thank him later.)
   2. Read Mark 14:18-21. Why does Jesus point out His betrayer? (He is giving Judas one last chance. I think Jesus is telling Judas that he is not helping Jesus’ kingdom, he is betraying Jesus.)
   3. Read Mark 14:26-28. Will the rest of Jesus’ disciples also be disloyal to Him?
      1. How would you feel if you were Jesus?
      2. Is the betrayal of the other disciples different than that of Judas?
   4. Read Mark 14:29. Why does Peter think that he alone will not betray Jesus? What does this say about him?
   5. Read Mark 14:30-31. Notice that the rest of the disciples are listening. Does this embarrass Peter?
   6. Read Mark 14:32-37. How can a man who is willing to die for Jesus not able to stay awake and pray for Him? (Read Mark 14:38. Jesus’ answer is that Peter is human. Jesus is generous to Peter.)
      1. Have you been let down by “weak flesh?”
      2. What is the cure for “weak flesh?” (Jesus tells Peter “watch and pray.” We must rely on God and we must pay attention to what is important.)
   7. Read Mark 14:39-42. Put yourself in Jesus’ place. Three times His closest disciples have let Him down on a very simple matter - praying for Him. How would you feel entering into the most difficult time of your life? (The lesson is that we can only trust God. Others will let us down and it might be unintentionally.)
   8. Let’s skip ahead and read Mark 14:46-47 and read John 18:10-11. When Jesus is first taken, Peter draws his sword and tries to strike the head of the servant of the High Priest. Was Peter serious when he said he would die for Jesus? (He was deadly serious. Drawing his sword could have gotten him killed.)
   1. Let’s continue with Peter. Read Mark 14:53-54 and Mark 14:66-72. How do you explain Peter’s journey from drawing his sword to swearing he does not know Jesus? (Peter meant what he said. He drew his sword, He disregarded his life to defend Jesus. But Jesus did not join in the fight. Peter was shocked that Jesus, who could control the elements, did not fight back and take His kingdom. Peter was willing to die for a winning cause. He was not willing to die for a cause that had him doubting the future.)
      1. Why do you think Peter wept? (He had let Jesus down. He could not trust himself and he could not trust his future. His life was adrift.)
   10. Let’s look at another deserter. Read Mark 14:51-52. Is this a disciple? (No. Otherwise he would be named.)
       1. Why is he wearing only a linen cloth? (This suggests he was sleeping, heard that Jesus was about to be arrested, and ran to the scene without properly dressing.)
       2. Is he a supporter of Jesus? (The people coming to arrest Jesus think so.)
       3. Why is this included in Mark? (Many think Mark is writing about himself. It may be his confession that he, too, abandoned Jesus. If this were not Mark, it would make no sense to include it. The idea is that Jesus was let down by all of His followers.)

4. Jesus Our Rock
   
   1. Read Mark 14:43-46 and Mark 14:48-49. What is the answer to Jesus’ question about why they did not arrest Him in daylight in the temple? (We know the answer from Mark 14:2. They were afraid of the people.)
   2. Read Mark 14:53 and Mark 14:55-59. How is the trial going for the religious leaders? (Terribly. The false witnesses cannot agree on their story.)
   3. Read Mark 14:60-61. How desperate is the High Priest when he asks Jesus to condemn himself? (Read Deuteronomy 17:6 and Deuteronomy 19:15. They had an evidentiary rule that a person could not be convicted on his own testimony. Jesus had the right to remain silent.)
   4. Read Deuteronomy 19:18-20. What should the High Priest have been doing? (He should have been closely examining the false witnesses. Guess who had procured the false witnesses?)
   5. Read Mark 14:61-64. Has the entire council decided to ignore the evidentiary rules? Has Jesus been denied due process? (No. We now have many witnesses. The latest charge is blasphemy based on Jesus saying that He is the Son of God. They all heard it.)
      1. Do you think Jesus had a moral obligation to give the answer that He did?
   6. Read Mark 14:65. Does this seem to you to be the way a normal trial would go? (They truly hated Jesus!)
   7. Friend, not many reading this study have experienced people who truly hated them because of the gospel. That is changing in the Western world. Hate is on the rise. What will you do when faced with those who would take your freedom or your life? Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a humble confidence to remain true to Jesus.
5. Next week: Tried and Crucified.