Some have said the two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success. We fall short even when we are motivated by the purest of intentions.

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1 Introduction In chapter 14 we move quickly from the plots (vv.1-2; 10-11); the preparations (vv.3-9); the passover meal (vv.12-26); and now the predictions (vv.27-31). Jesus predicts He will be deserted by all (vv.27-28); and denied by one (vv.29-31). How does Jesus deal with our failures? Our failure to be loyal? Our failure to be strong? We would much rather talk about faithfulness than failure. Failure has been called the line of least persistence. Some have said the two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success. Stephen Pile wrote The Incomplete Book of Failures; he tells the story of the strike by British Firemen in January of 1978; and the British Army had to assume the fire-fighting duties. Thus when the cat of an elderly lady in South London became trapped up a tree, she summoned the Army unit. So grateful was the lady when they discharged their duty that she invited them all over for tea. Driving off later, they ran over the cat and killed it. We fall short even when we are motivated by the purest of intentions. If we remove the failures of the people in the Bible there is not much left. Adam and Eve failed. The Apostle Paul failed. Peter failed. David, Israel s greatest king, a man after God s own heart failed. Moses, giant among the Israelites, give of the Law, deliverer of the people, failed. Jacob, father of Israel, failed; Isaac, son of promise, failed. Abraham, progenitor of Israel, father of the faithful, prototype of those who are righteous through faith, failed. Who hasn t failed? We are weak. We fall short. And He is strong. In order for us to please God we require forgiveness of sin and a new nature given by the Holy Spirit. We must receive a God given resurrected power. The Servant s Tenderness In The Face Of Failure (v.27) Mark 14:27 (NKJV) 27Then Jesus said to them, All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered. The Lord predicts all the disciples will be afraid and ashamed that very night. Where is the prediction found? Zechariah 13:7; the Shepherd would be smitten; the sheep will panic. Jesus points out that God was behind His death. God had a purpose for Jesus dying. An eternal purpose. In Acts 2:23-24 after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus into heaven Peter preached; Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by 1

2 lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; (24) whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. It is interesting that in every instance that Jesus quotes the Old Testament prophecy He insists that they are prophecies related to Him. Augustine famously said, The New Testament is in the Old concealed; the Old Testament is in the new revealed. Jesus insists the Old Testament anticipates, reveals, promises, or foreshadows the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus predicted the disciples failure. That prediction reveals his knowledge of our weakness. This would do what it was intended to do--remind the disciples of the tenderness of Jesus and the compassion of Jesus and the care of Jesus. Part of the point was to remind them and give them a safe way to come back to Him. Even though the prophecy has the initial effect of stirring distress in the hearts of the disciples; they will come to understand how the prophecies of the Old Testament anticipate the ministry of Jesus. The Greek verb translated made to stumble or offended (KJV) is skandalistheesesthe; from the verb skandalizo--and closely related to the noun skandalon. It is a stumbling block; an impediment. One of the shades of meaning in verb skandalizo--is the trap stick or what we might call the trigger of the trap; the mechanism of entrapment; or the bait of the hook. Jesus is warning His disciples. There are snares up ahead. Traps, pitfalls, obstructions; they would need to proceed with caution. The night would bring, confusion, possible entrapment, and certain disappointment. The night would be a night of terror and trial; they would need to watch and pray. When are we most likely to fail? When we disregard what Jesus has to say. When are we most likely to fail? When Jesus says proceed with caution! We are weak, fallen imperfect. We are weak in the way we think, in the way we act, in the way we perform. We have a tendency to trust ourselves rather than the Lord. Jesus is weaning the disciples away from the weakness of the flesh; teaching valuable lessons of trust in Him. Trust in yourself, and you are doomed to disappointment. The man that trusts God is the man that can be trusted. This is what the Bible means in Psalm 37:5; Commit your way unto the Lord; Trust also in Him, and he shall bring it to pass. The fear of man brings a snare; whoever puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe (Prov.29:25). I read the story of a pilot who was experiencing difficulty in landing his plane because of a dense, thick, impenetrable, fog; and the airport decided to bring him in by radar. As he began to receive directions from the ground he suddenly remembered a tall pole in the flight path, and appealed in panic to the control tower about it. The reply came bluntly, You obey instructions; we ll take care of obstructions. How many a Christian hesitates 2

3 to obey God s Word because of problems and difficulties! If we only obey, He is capable of dealing with the problems and difficulties. The Servant s Encouragement To Return To Him (v.28) 28 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. Jesus anticipates their fear and their failure and reminds them that their fear and failure will not cause Him to disown them! After the resurrection; Jesus will be waiting for them in the Galilee! Jesus is in effect saying; after I come back to life; meet me in the Galilee! The resurrected Jesus is the source of power and strength. Jesus reminds them to return to the resurrected Jesus. Jesus has been blunt; you will fail. You will stumble. Now Jesus is just as blunt, just as clear. Jesus would go before them into the Galilee. Their failure--even at this pivotal point; even in this dark moment; will not cause Jesus to reject them! Once again Jesus predicts He will return to life! That resurrection will make both repentance and reunion possible! It will also allow for a walk in newness of life! Pause for just a moment and allow that glorious truth to sink deep into your soul. No matter how deep the failure, no matter how wicked the disappointment, no matter how grave the offense, no matter how dark the departure, Jesus will take you back! You can repent. You can return to Jesus. You can rest assured the resurrected Jesus will embrace you in a glorious return. Repent therefore of this thy, wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee (Acts 8:22). If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy (Pr.28:13). The death of Jesus speaks of the love of God; the resurrection of Jesus speaks of the power of God. What does it mean that Jesus is resurrected? God is satisfied and glorified. Our sins are gone (Eph. 1:7). We are accepted in Christ (Eph.1:6). We are united in Christ (Col.2:12). Every foe is vanquished (Col.2:15). We will live forever with Him (John 14:19). The Holy Spirit is given to the believer (John 7:39). The Servant s Willingness To Confront Failure (vv.29-30) 29Peter said to Him, Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be. Peter cannot imagine himself capable of denying the Lord. It leaves him indignant. 3

4 Others might fail Jesus but not Peter! Peter s boast is compounded by pride. Even if all are made to stumble --Peter cannot resist comparing his love and loyalty to others! The very comment suggests that he looks with disdain on his fellow apostles. That little spark of boasting is about to unleash a forest fire! Peter s presumption is motivated by pride. In Luke s Gospel (22:31-33); And the Lord said, Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift as wheat. (32) But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren. (33) But he said to Him, Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death. 30Jesus said to him, Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times. Jesus will correct Peter s assessment from never to soon. (1) Peter will deny the Lord outside by the Palace of the High Priest (John 18:15-17) (2) Peter will deny the Lord as he sat by the fire (Luke 22:56). (3) Peter will deny the Lord about the space of one hour after (Luke 22:59) as Jesus was being lead away; and the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, Before the cock crow, you shall deny me thrice; and Peter went out and wept bitterly (Luke 22:61-62). That look from the Lord, and those bitter tears, marked the beginning of a new life and new vision for Peter. The same is true for you and me. We can have a similar experience. We can have bright future--in spite of a dark past--if we are willing to repent and return to Jesus. Peter is still clinging to the hope that he can love, serve, obey Christ, based on will power. Peter at this point still trusts his flesh. When are we most likely to fail? When we refuse to believe God s Word and we trust ourselves and our resources rather than trust God. This was a huge problem. Peter is still trusting his own flesh; his own strength. Peter was destined to fail because he was determined to be as strong as he could for as long as he could. The Bible teaches that we are weak, fallen, failing. We are imperfect, incomplete, corrupted, dying. Peter must learn the lesson of trusting Jesus rather than himself. Human beings must receive a God-given resurrected power; a new nature and new Spirit; if we are to live a God-honoring and fulfilled life that pleases God. 4

5 Peter and the disciples need to learn this all important lesson. They trusted their own flesh. They trusted their own strength. They trusted their own will power. The Servant s Provocation To Expose Our Self-Confidence (v.31) 31But he spoke more vehemently, If I have to die with You, I will not deny You! And they all said likewise. The expression more vehemently is one word in the Greek language; ekperissos; found only here in the NT. It means more exceedingly and so emphatically. Peter s blood begins to boil. Anger. We need to pause for just a moment. Think about what is happening in the text. Peter questions and then condemns the words of Jesus. Anger will sometimes do that! It blinds us to the Word of God or the realities of life! It exposes our weakness! Compromise? Failure? Falling? Peter translates the words of Jesus as an insinuation of personal unreliability. Peter s heart is pounding. His head swimming. Peter is as good as anybody. Maybe even better. Peter is no coward. Prison and death are preferable to the charge of disloyalty. Carnal and wicked people are capable of great loyalty. Peter was not alone in his self-confident boast. And they all said likewise. Now all the disciples assure the Lord Jesus that He is sadly mistaken. We must quickly skip to verse 50 for a moment: Then they all forsook Him and fled. It may be all the disciples are shocked by Christ s prediction and offended by Peter s boast. How are we different? Are we informed or uninformed at just how weak, how cowardly we are? When are we most likely to fail? When we refuse to take Jesus at His Word. When we refuse to proceed with caution. When we are more likely to trust our own resources rather than the resources of God. When we embolden our pride and rely on the strength of our flesh. Satan targets our mind. When Satan wanted to lead Adam and Eve into sin Satan started by attacking the woman s mind; 2 Corinthians 11:3; But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. Why does Satan target our mind? Because your mind is in part made in the image of God; it is the place where God reveals His Word and His will. Some Christians underestimate the value of a disciplined and informed mind. The Bible says And do not be conformed to this world, but be 5

6 transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2). Satan s weapons are lies. When Satan came to Eve as the serpent, it was as a deceiver....the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world (Rev.12:9). Remember Satan questioned God s word Indeed has God said?--he did not deny that God had spoken, he simply questioned whether God had said what he really said, and meant what he really meant. Satan s strategy continues to be you owe it to yourself to rethink what God has said! In questioning God s Word, Satan also questions God s goodness. Satan was not content to question God s Word; but then Satan was willing to deny God s Word. You will not surely die! Once you question God s Word, and then deny God s Word, it is a simple step to replace that Word with a lie of your own evil making; You will be like God. In the disciples thinking; If Jesus has to die--they we have to die with him. We must prove our love and loyalty. Even if it means calling Jesus a liar. How perverse. How wicked. How like Satan. Satan s targets; your mind; Satan s weapons; lies. Satan s purpose; to make you ignorant of God s will. Satan attacks God s Word because it reveals God s Will. Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and light, to my path. (Psalm 119:105) I delight to thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart (Psalm 40:8). Apart from the Word of God; we have no sure understanding of the will of God; and the will of God is God s expression of love for us. Think about what Jesus is doing in this passage: Jesus shows tenderness and mercy in the face of weakness and failure; Jesus encourages returning to Him after Failure; Jesus tries to get the disciples to face their failure; and to come to grips with the fact that they could no longer trust their own flesh, rely on their own strength. Conclusion I remember reading the story of Karl Wallenda the great tightrope aerialist. Shortly after Wallenda fell to his death in 1978 (traversing a 75-foot-high wire in downtown San Juan, Puerto Rico), his wife also an aerialist, discussed that fateful San Juan walk, perhaps his 6

7 most dangerous. She recalled: All Karl thought about for three straight months prior to it was falling. It was the first time he d ever thought about that, and it seemed to me that he put all energies into not falling rather than walking the tightrope. Mrs. Wallenda added that her husband went so far as to personally supervise the installation of the tightrope, making certain that the guide wires were secure, something he had never even thought of doing before....it became increasingly clear that when Karl Wallenda poured his energies into not falling rather than walking the tightrope, he was virtually destined to fall (see Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus, Leaders; New York: Harper & Row, ). Are you pouring all your efforts and energies into not failing or not falling? The Bible teaches that our walk is walk of faith. We walk in newness of life (Rom.6:4). The new life shows itself in walking in a new way. We walk in the Spirit (Gal.5:16). We walk in love (Eph.5:2). We walk in wisdom (Col.4:5). We walk in the light. We walk in truth. We walk in Him (Col.2:6). 7