Today we cover about a 24 to 30-hour period. This is two days prior to the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. Jesus knew the time and place of his death. He was well aware of the prophesies concerning what he was about to go through for us and he still decided to do it. Today, see if you can find some lessons in leadership in today s teaching. See if you can pick them out; they re sort of hidden; just try. If you can, see if there s something that will help you take a stand. QUICK REVIEW The religious leaders are looking for a way to catch and to kill Jesus before the Passover the coming Wednesday. They re all out of ideas until one troubled man gives them the necessary information, the Intel, on exactly how to make it happen. What a year this has been for these guys. They ve been on quite a mission. Now we re going to see with Jesus will he peak or will he perish? Of course, we already know the answer to that. REMEMBER THE ALAMO A long time ago, in a faraway land, a group of rebels were held up in a small fort. They vowed victory or death. All 180 of them vowed this same thing. This was in the year of 1836 and the place was the Alamo. It was surrounded by an army commanded by Mexican General, Santa Anna. All 180 men including the 26-year-old Commander, William Travis, and with him a guy named, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett were all willing to die and lay down their lives for a vision that was bigger than them. A quote from the newspaper says, Knowing the odds were against them, Travis wrote that he responded to surrender demands with a single cannon shot of his own and the promise that I shall never surrender or retreat. It s something about martyrs and last stands, Michael Parrish of Baylor University History professor said of the letters. He snuck out of the fort to try to get Americans and Texans to rally to his call. They didn t make it in time. He said there is just something very, very romantic, epic, and heroic, and all the grandiose terms you want to apply regarding a martyr somebody who is willing to lay down their life for something. I was thinking about how the Alamo fell on March 6, 1836 but Texas stood to fight another day. So let s get into this now. DINNER AT SIMON THE LEPER S HOME IN BETHANY (SUNDAY EVENING, 12 TH OF NISAN) Mark 14:1-3 1 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. 2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. 3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat [they re eating], there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. Now I don t think she broke it on his head. I don t think we should read it that way. Page 1 of 11
Jesus, the apostles, and a few disciples were in Bethany again; this is about 2 miles east of Jerusalem; the suburbs. This time they were not at Lazarus home but were at Simon s house for dinner. Jesus knows he will be betrayed, arrested, horribly tortured, killed, and he totally believes that he is going to rise from the dead 3 days and 3 nights after he s put down. How would you feel knowing it was your last few days on earth, and that they wouldn t be pleasant days? Would you make the most of your time with friends and family? Most people would. It is funny how they still called him Simon the leper. Either the name stuck, and they were just used to calling him that, or it s in the Word to distinguish him from Simon Peter. Simon the leper had been previously healed of leprosy, possibly by Jesus, but the Word doesn t say. Remember, they didn t sit at tables at this time, but sat or reclined on the floor. A common dish of food would be placed in the center of the group. They would tear off a piece of flat bread and scoop up some delicious food from a shared bowl. This was fellowship time in the East. There was no radio or TV, no records or CD s, no cell phones or internet. This fellowship around the meal was entertainment for the day. This was the time of day everyone looked forward to. It s when you heard all the things that happened that day. That was their culture. Emotional fatigue and physical fatigue would have been off the charts with the disciples! They had been on the move for a year and they had been on the give for a year. Every moment would be enhanced, sort of in slow motion, because they knew this was coming to the end. Every word would be listened to, every gesture of kindness would be noticed and important. It is also important to note that this is a second anointing or pouring of oil on Jesus in the past few days. This one was on his head; the previous one was on his feet. The last one was three days prior at the house of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead just a few weeks before that, on Thursday evening (John 12:1-8). That was right after they got back from Jericho. It was the evening before Jesus first ride into Jerusalem on the donkey and they spread branches and shouted Hosanna, blessed is the king of Israel (Palm Friday). This was not that day; this is Sunday night. It is interesting to know that alabaster is a soft calcified rock similar to marble. It can be scratched with a knife or a rock that s harder than it. It can be sanded smooth; even with sand you could do it. You ve seen steps made out of marble and how they have the dips in them; they may be at courthouses; that s alabaster. It was used to carve bottles and vases. People would spend hours, days, years maybe, carving these things. The Egyptians used it to carve out ornate perfume vases and jars to store the organs of mummified kings. One Egyptian sarcophagus that is on display right now in London was carved out of a single block of alabaster. If you cut it thin, it s translucent; you can see light coming through it. It s pretty special stuff. An alabaster vase or flask would have been very beautiful, incredibly costly, and extremely precious. This unnamed lady broke the sealed spout off her hand-carved bottle. Whatever she Page 2 of 11
had could have been handed down; it could have been a dowry. The calcium will begin to grow together, too. You see calcium on your shower heads, right? It s the same kind of thing. So she couldn t get the top off or wasn t supposed to, so she cracks off the top of it. She broke that thing, it was sealed, and it was probably a hand-carved bottle. It was a crazy expensive essential oil, spikenard, and poured it on Jesus head. Spikenard grew only in the Himalayas, in India, and in China. Now it probably grows a lot of places, but then it was imported, very costly oil. It was a luxury item, like somebody wearing this huge gargantuan diamond ring. This lady poured this wonderful smelling luxurious oil, out of a small opulent vase, onto the head and long hair of Jesus Christ. Imagine being one of the last few to ever touch him. I ll bet she rubbed it on his head and worked it into his hair so it wouldn t just run right down onto his robes. Imagine how nice that might have felt to Jesus having a female touch. Once again, the room that Jesus was in at the dinner party was filled with a fragrance reminding them of how important these next few hours and days with Jesus will be. It was a smell of purpose. This should have been an honored time. They should have been honored to be present at that moment at that time even with the symbolic gesture. Now we re going to get to something that a leader shouldn t do. Mark 14:4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? Indignation means to be greatly afflicted. It blew their minds. They were incredibly irritated within themselves. Did you notice that this time is says some had indignation and three days ago it was only Judas. So Judas words were beginning to permeate into the disciples minds, which shows that he was a leader of leaders. It didn t totally permeate. In three days time, their opinion had changed. He had gotten so pissed when Mary anointed his feet with super expensive essential oil. They thought within themselves, that this anointing of Jesus was a waste. Amazing inner thoughts from his closest followers! Now we re going to see here that usually your inner thoughts, if they are deeply rooted, are going to pop out of your mouth. Mark 14:5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. Again, three hundred pence is equivalent to one year s earnings for a common working man. It cost all the money a common man would earn in a year. Imagine your full year s wage poured on somebody s head. It would be like a diamond ring that costs $80,000 just thrown away. This is a big deal! At minimum wage, it would be over $18,000. You could buy a pretty good ring for $18,000 I think! You could get a pretty good used car for that. Page 3 of 11
To murmur against is to snort with anger; it is to confront directly. The disciples couldn t keep it in. They let it rip and tore her a new one at the Last Supper. Look at the controversy right at the beginning of this thing. They allowed the pent-up pressure and emotions to surface without any filter. This is what not to do as a leader. Watch what Jesus does to stop this insanity and to heal a heart. Mark 14:6-9 6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me. 7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. 8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. 9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. Who has that in the Bible? Jesus said wheresoever the gospel is preached this lady is going to be talked about! Do you think it was the right thing for her to do? A year s wage? It s something! Look what Jesus just said about and to this unnamed woman. If you were texting--omg! Look how he protected her heart. He reset the minds of those leaders who wanted to be reset. He hit the reset button, but not all of them had a reset button. This tipped Judas scale totally. It was all he could stand and he could stand no more. Remember, he also had been with Jesus for a year. Now he was done. This is it, I m done, no more. He still hung around for another day. You ll see there was a reason for that. He was done. He was really no longer a disciple, no longer functioning. Mark 14:10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve [chosen], went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. Judas looks up the chief priests on his cell, GPS s their location, and cracks a deal on how and where they can catch Jesus. How could anyone betray Jesus Christ? It blows my mind. This is how Sunday night ended. Sleep on that. MONDAY: All I could find, and maybe there s more, was the day that Jesus sent Peter and John to find a place for them to eat and sleep over the next few days. He told them where to look. They got this upper room that was a large room where they could eat and sleep. It was furnished whatever furnished meant in those days. THE LAST SUPPER On Monday evening, which begins the 13 th of Nisan, Jesus and the twelve are together in a rented room. This will become what is known as the Last Supper. Two opposing forces had been at play, God and the Devil, good and bad, positive and negative. They say that everyone has a breaking point. For a year they had kept it together, but now the Page 4 of 11
pressure was so thick, so heavy, that something had to give, and it was going to expose the greedy egotistical weak spot in the apostle named Judas. I think make strong your weaknesses. If you know you have a weak point, that s where you re going to keep getting attacked make it strong. Before we get into that, let s see some of the incredible lessons in leadership Jesus taught the twelve, including Judas. Now it s going into Monday evening. The sun has gone down. WASHING HIS DISCIPLES FEET: A LESSON IN LEADERSHIP The table is set, the food is waiting to be eaten, but Jesus wants to show, not just teach, an unforgettable lesson in true leadership. Listen up, you leaders! For fun, let s read it from The Message Bible. John 13:1-17 (MSG) 1-2 Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end. It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal. 3-6 Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, Master, you wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered, You don t understand now what I m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later. 8 Peter persisted, You re not going to wash my feet ever! Jesus said, If I don t wash you, you can t be part of what I m doing. 9 Master! said Peter. Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head! 10-12 Jesus said, If you ve had a bath in the morning, you only need your feet washed now and you re clean from head to toe. My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene. So now you re clean. But not every one of you. (He knew who was betraying him. That s why he said, Not every one of you. ) After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table. 12-17 Then he said, Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as Teacher and Master, and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other s feet. I ve laid down a pattern for you. What I ve done, you do. I m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I m telling you, act like it and live a blessed life. It is not about you, it s about them! This is a lesson that Jesus taught, and taught, and taught. Page 5 of 11
Remember the Alamo! Those 180 men, including Travis, Davy Crocket, and Jim Bowie, willingly laid down their lives for something they thought was bigger than themselves. Their stand eventually pulled Texas from Mexican rule as well as New Mexico, Arizona, and California. If you live in one of those Border States, you have those men to thank. If you are a Christian, you have Jesus and the apostles to thank for their last stand. THE MEMORIAL OF COMMUNION: ANOTHER LESSON IN LEADERSHIP This is now when Jesus passes around the flat bread and wine to his disciples. He tells them that the bread represents his body which is given for them for healing. He then passes around a cup of wine. He said that this represents the blood he will shed so they can have forgiveness. This is still done in Christian churches and fellowships today only its way too religious. The first century believers did it during their fellowship-style meals which they called love feasts. When they ate and drank they would remind each other of Jesus Christ s broken body and his shed blood. They would remind each other that they are healed and forgiven. Notice that Jesus tied this memory-peg of health to meals, something we do every day? Every time you eat and every time you drink, it s something that should be so engrained in our hearts I m healed, I m forgiven; I have mental health; I have physical health; you say it over and over and over and over and over. That was the 1 st Century church. If you remind yourself what Jesus Christ accomplished each and every meal, every snack, every drink, you will live longer and have better health both mentally and physically. It s a promise! (Do a study on 1 Corinthians 11:17-31, it will heal your mind and life.) THE BETRAYAL Jesus tells his men, one of the twelve, one of the people at that meal, had turned against him and will betray him. This person is sitting there. They still don t get it. They still don t know. They know each other intimately after having been with each other for a year. John 13:21-30 (KJV) 21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. [Judas had to be a great poker player for them not to detect it; even when he left, which we ll get to, they still didn t get it.] 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. 25 He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? 26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. [They were comfortable around each other and Jesus. It shows us the kind of leaders we should be totally approachable. When you re approachable, you re always vulnerable, too.] Page 6 of 11
27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. 28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. 29 For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. [Again, shows an attitude of a leader give of your abundance.] 30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. Only Jesus and Judas knew what just happened. The rest were blissfully ignorant. These were smart guys with the spirit of God! THE GREATEST LEADER IS ALWAYS THE GREATEST SERVANT: ANOTHER PRINCIPLE IN LEADERSHIP Look what happens now. They are oblivious to the fact that Judas is gone to set a trap for Jesus, so they just keep talking like they love to do. They have spent almost a year together and participated in some of the most amazing miracles and healings ever. Watch what they talk about after what just happened the day before and that day knowing what they re going to go into. Luke 22:23-24 23 And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. 24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. They re still asking. Judas had left the building, had left the house, had walked downstairs and went out! They re still talking amongst themselves who do you think it is that s going to do this? How many times have we talked about this? Now they re at the Last Supper and still who s going to be the greatest? After what they had just been taught about service, about being the greater servant, and washing each other s feet. It s not about me, it s about you kind of thing. They re arguing about who is going to be the greatest. It must have been ingrained into the competitive nature of a worldly leader. I m the best; I m going to win; I m going to be at the top; nothing is going to stop me. It is not the way of spiritual leadership. The word strife in the Greek is philoneikia (filon-ikeea) which means the love of dispute. It doesn t mean they weren t liking each other kind of strife. Basically it is the love of a good argument. If you were in a communicative culture, in a culture where people talk, where families got together (you re Irish and go to the public houses or pubs at night), it s all about talk. So everybody is going to one-up each other. You might have had a family like that where you can t get a word in edgewise. You have to fight for that that s what this is. This was probably every night at the campfire. Even if you go home with your old friends, you re going to pick up where you left off! These guys had been doing this for a long time because we ve hit this subject so many times. They loved to argue about this. Was it jokingly? Was it serious? It can t just be there was schism among them. It could have been they were busting each other s chops. Even on this night, after the expensive perfume was poured on Jesus, after he washed their feet, after the first communion, after he told them that one of them would betray him, they go back into Page 7 of 11
that yearlong campfire argument about who is the greatest. I ll bet they did this every night. These guys were close and they liked to banter. Jesus addresses it one last time. Luke 22:25-30 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations [You ve been with me since the beginning]. 29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Think they got their answer finally? They were all the greatest! Jesus told them that they are all going to rule someday, but that the greatest spiritual leader will always be the one who serves the most. BE PREPARED SATAN WANTS YOU TOO: ANOTHER LESSON IN LEADERSHIP Luke 22:31-32 31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith [believing] fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. He s telling them to do exactly what he s been teaching all night. There is always someone else recruiting you. The word desired means demanded. It means to obtain by asking. Satan demands you, over and over and again! He demands you from God! Isn t that crazy? He petitions against you day and night, 24/7. Imagine God having to hear this stuff all these years! He never stops, he never lets down, it s a continual stroke, he s always against anybody trying to walk with the spirit. Remember Job? Look that up sometime. To sift someone like wheat means to separate the usable part from the unusable, to separate the chaff from the wheat. God wants your good, the Devil wants your bad. You choose who recruits you. Choose your team wisely, folks. You can t play both teams (Galatians 5). Keep your goodness by helping others. Give rather than take. THE WALK AND TALK - IT IS STILL MONDAY NIGHT. Now they all leave the rented upper room and begin a two mile walk toward Jerusalem. The road they are on turns northward through a slight valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. This road is right in this valley. Page 8 of 11
They go into this place called the Garden of Gethsemane, which is an orchard overlooking the road. It is on the Mount of Olives and is only 300 yards east of the wall of the temple and of Jerusalem where Solomon s porch is. It is nighttime and they are two days shy of a full moon. This is where Jesus and the eleven will take their final stand, so to speak. Quick explanation of events: Jesus tells them that they will all mess up because of following him. He prophesies that even Peter will deny him six (6), yes I said six times. (Look at Bullinger s Appendix 160.) I m sure Peter didn t want to hear that. You know what the others thought, He may but I won t! Jesus assures them that they all will deny him (Mark 14:31). He tells them that he goes to prepare a place for them. (Always the carpenter.) Thomas, of doubting Thomas fame, asked him where he was going and how to get there? Jesus tells him, Thomas, I am the way, the truth, and the life and that nobody can come to the Father unless they go through him. Philip asks him to show them the Father. Jesus answers Philip with those great verses that Christians love to quote: John 14:12-13: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. I would imagine anyone not arguing with each other would have heard this. It is only mentioned in the gospel of John. Jesus gives an amazing teaching before they get to the garden. It takes up all of chapters 15 and 16 in John. The entire chapter 17 of John is a prayer Jesus broke into. It is so full of information I couldn t begin to do it justice today. Jesus warns his disciples to be prepared once again (Luke 22:35-38). THEY ENTER THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE (AN ORCHARD) As Jesus finishes the prayer, they cross over the brook called Cedron (Kidron) which is in that valley and head up hill to the orchard, one of their favorite spots, on a hill overlooking Jerusalem. Kidron would probably have been flowing this time of year so they may have gotten wet. It doesn t say, because it would have been a normal occurrence to get wet and to keep moving. Judas knew they would be here and he had told the high priests. This large group (of up to 600 men) begins to sneak up the backside of this hill. Jesus asks the apostles to sit up, wait up, and stay awake. He takes Peter, James, and John a little further away from the group and asks them to watch and pray. Jesus then goes off a stones throw and prays alone. He goes off to pray three times and three times returns to find finds them sleeping. Mark 14:32-34 32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. Page 9 of 11
33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. Imagine the pressure Jesus is under! Mark 14:35-40 35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. 40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. Watch how Luke adds info not found in any other gospel. Luke 22:40-43 40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. Remember that angel who ministered to him after his 40-day temptation in the wilderness? Now it s a year later and he needs special help again. God is immediately answering his prayers. God will do anything to help us help Him. Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. He was in agony but he went harder to prayer. He set his mind harder; he locked it down; he strapped it down; he bolted it down nothing is going to change my focus. His sweat was just dripping from him. Prayer must be vital to commitment, spiritual leadership, and the ability to complete a godly mission. Luke 22:45-46 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, Page 10 of 11
46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The sleep they were in was not just a falling asleep while sitting, not just nodding their heads. They literally lay down like they would if it was night-night time and mom was singing a lullaby. They composed themselves for sleep. Incredible pressure! They were turning off. They were drained and exhausted. Mark 14:41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. The words it is enough is a technical term that means to give a receipt. To us it may mean, Now is when you collect your pay! This is what you get paid for! It s pay day! It s go time! Right after he finishes his comments to the crowd, Judas walks up. It s amazing what happens here. This is it. Torture, trials, crucifixion, and death are hours away. What great lessons in leadership as well as God s care we got today. Keep serving, keep giving, keep serving, stay focused, keep serving, keep giving, stay on course, keep serving, keep giving. Like the Alamo, this was Jesus last stand and he is still standing for us today. God bless! Page 11 of 11