Mark 14: The Courage of the King

Have you ever wondered what true courage looks like? Not the absence of fear, but the willingness to walk straight into the fire when every instinct screams to run the other way.

Mark chapter 14 provides us with the most profound example of courage imaginable as we witness Jesus knowingly approaching his betrayal, torture, and death. Unlike any of us who would avoid tragedy at all costs, Jesus demonstrates a level of resolve that can only be described as divine. The chapter opens with religious leaders actively plotting his death, yet instead of hiding, Jesus continues his ministry openly.

We experience a beautiful moment when a woman breaks an alabaster jar of expensive perfume over Jesus' head, an act Jesus defends as preparation for his burial. This scene reveals his complete awareness of what awaits him. Shortly after, we witness Judas arranging his betrayal while Jesus calmly prepares for and shares the Passover meal with his disciples, including the very man who will betray him.

The garden of Gethsemane provides a glimpse into Jesus' humanity as he falls to the ground in anguished prayer, asking if there might be another way. Yet even in this moment of vulnerability, his courage shines through as he concludes, "Not my will, but yours be done." When confronted by the high priest about his identity, Jesus makes the boldest claim possible—"I am"—invoking God's covenant name and sealing his fate.

The chapter ends with Peter's denial, providing a stark contrast to Jesus' unwavering courage. Yet even this failure points to redemption, as we know Jesus specifically sought Peter after his resurrection.

What challenges are you facing that require courage today? Remember that whatever you're going through, the King who faced the ultimate sacrifice with unwavering resolve walks with you. Subscribe to Bible Breakdown for more insights into how Scripture speaks to our daily struggles and triumphs.

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Chapters

• 0:48 Welcome to Bible Breakdown
• 3:40 The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
• 5:10 The Last Supper Preparations
• 7:35 Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
• 9:22 Prayer in Gethsemane
• 12:27 Jesus is Arrested
• 14:39 Peter's Denial
• 17:48 Reflection on the King's Courage

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. Mark, chapter 14, today's title is the Courage of the King. I'm telling you, the Courage of the King. I can never get over the idea that Jesus knew what was coming and he never kept moving forward and then, just with the crowds around Him that we're going to read about today. It's just awesome. I just love our King and I hope you do too, and we're going to get into really just watching the king just do what he does. I mean it's going to be awesome. So, if you're getting ready, while you're getting your Bible out, while you're getting all that ready, we're going to jump into Mark 14. But make sure you take just a moment to like review on the podcast it really does help. And make sure you go into the Bible Breakdown discussion on Facebook. They are doing a great job over there. The more we dig, the more we find, and you can find all of that at our central hub, thebiblebreakdowncom.

Speaker 1: 1:20

Well, if you've been with us for the past little while, we have been talking about how the Gospel of Mark was written down as a collection of sermons from Peter because Mark was his interpreter in the city of Rome and he is just sharing the gospel. And one of the reasons why we think that he just he did it the way he did is he was rushing to get to the big part, you know, the climax of the story. I was thinking about this the other day and I was thinking about how that, when the people at Marvel wanted to make this big story, it took them something like 22 different movies to finally get to the end game and that final scene, right? Well, instead of it taking 22 different movies, we've got 16 chapters in the book of Mark and he is just hurtling toward the king taking his seat on his throne. And today, what we're going to look at we're going to jump right into this because there's a lot here we're going to get to watch how he is. Just the king is just so courageous, what he's doing.

Speaker 1: 2:17

And just imagine, imagine you knew. Okay, think about this just for a moment. We're going to jump in. I just want to really just put ourselves there for a moment.

Speaker 1: 2:30

Imagine that you knew when you were going home at the end of your workday. Okay, imagine it's the beginning of the day, the end of your workday, you were going to be in a tragic car accident. You were going to suffer and you were going to die. Praise the Lord. You know what I mean. What a great thought, right? Do you know what I'd do? I would ask my boss have you got any extra errands? You need me to run? Is there anything else possible I could do? Is there any way? I could not go home, because I know when I go home something bad is going to happen. I'm going to do everything I can. I'm going to camp out at that office. You're going to have to pry me off of my desk for me to have to go home. Jesus knows it's coming and he walks on out anyway. That's just the most powerful thing in the world. That is the swagger of a king, right. That's what I should have called this chapter. The swagger of a king, right. But here we go. We're going to jump right into this and just watch the king do his thing, all right.

Speaker 1: 3:16

Chapter 14, verse 1 says this it was now two days before Passover and the festival of unleavened bread. The leading priest and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him, but not during the Passover celebration. They agreed or the people may riot. Meanwhile, jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy, and while he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head. Some of those at the table were indignant. Why waste such expensive perfume, they asked. It could have been sold for a year's wages and the money given to the poor. So they scolded her harshly. But Jesus replied leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you and you can help them whenever you want to, but you will not always have me. She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. And I tell you the truth wherever the good news is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be remembered and discussed.

Speaker 1: 4:27

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the leading priest to arrange to betray Jesus to them, and they were delighted when they heard why he had come and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus On the first day of the festival of unleavened bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. Jesus' disciples asked him where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you? So Jesus went, sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions. As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him At the house he enters, say to the owner the teacher asks where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples? He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal. So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

Speaker 1: 5:24

In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve. As they were at the table eating, jesus said I tell you the truth. One of you eating with me here will betray me. Greatly distressed, each one of them said in turn, am I the one? And he replied it is the one of the twelve who is eating from the bowl, this bowl with me. For the Son of man must die, as the scriptures had declared long ago. How terrible it would be for the one who betray with me. For the son of man must die, as the scriptures had declared long ago. How terrible it would be for the one who betrays me. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born.

Speaker 1: 5:56

And as they were eating, jesus took some of the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying take it, for this is my body. Then he took the cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it and he gave it to them and they all drank from it. For this is my body. All of you will desert me. For the scriptures say God will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered, but after I am raised from the dead I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there. Then Peter said to him Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never. Jesus replied I tell you the truth, peter. This very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even knew me. No, peter declared emphatically.

Speaker 1: 7:11

They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane and Jesus said Sit here while I go and pray. And he took Peter, james and John with him and he began to be deeply troubled and distressed. He told them my soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. He went on a little farther and he fell to the ground and he prayed that, if it were possible, this awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. Abba, father, he cried out. Everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine. Then he returned and found the disciples asleep and he said to Peter Simon, are you asleep? Couldn't you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation, for the spirit is willing, the body is weak. Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayers before. When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn't keep their eyes open and they didn't know what to say. When he returned to them the third time, he said Go ahead and sleep and have your rest. But no, the time has come. The Son of man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let's be going. Look, my betrayer is here, and immediately.

Speaker 1: 8:23

Even as Jesus said this, judas, one of the 12 disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs and they had been sent by the leading priest and teachers of religious law and the elders. The traitor, judas, had given them a prearranged signal. You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard. And as soon as they arrived, judas walked up to Jesus Rabbi. He exclaimed and gave him a kiss. Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him, but one of the men with Jesus pulled out a sword and struck the high priest's slave, slashing his ear. And Jesus asked him Am I a dangerous revolutionary that you come to me with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn't you arrest me in the temple? I was there among you, teaching every day, but these things happened to fulfill the scripture. Say about me. Then all the disciples deserted him and ran away. One young man followed behind, was clothed only with a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.

Speaker 1: 9:23

Pause, all right, we got to take a moment to talk about the young man who's naked. Okay, real quick Now. First of all, you want to know what's interesting Is in another one of the Gospels. It tells the story about John, or it's not John, but about Jesus being arrested and someone cutting off the ear, and it says that Jesus put the ear back on and it was a servant named Malchus that this happened to, but Peter doesn't include that in the story. He's either number one, trying to not lessen his guilt in any way, or number two he may not have known. That. Isn't that amazing to think that he may not have ever known that God healed what he had done? It's kind of an interesting thought to think. But let's talk about Mr Naked, okay.

Speaker 1: 10:05

So according to tradition, what happened was is this actually might have been John Mark, the guy who's writing it, which is why he knew the last little bit. And he included that there is to say, yeah, I was getting ready for bed. And and he included that there is to say, yeah, I was getting ready for bed. And you know, I was getting ready for bed and I saw Jesus and the 12 disciples leaving, and so I just went out in my nightgown and while I was out, I was just seeing what was up and that joker tried to grab me and the only thing I could do was let him have my nightgown, and so most likely, what that was is a long linen shirt, was like a night garment for people because it's you know, it's the Middle East, it's really hot, and so that was kind of a way for them to go to sleep and it would have, you know, most of the time, nothing under it. And so what happened is they grabbed this linen garment and he slipped under it, out from under it and ran home in the naked. Okay, so anyway, just throwing that out there. All right back to it. Verse, verse 53,.

Speaker 1: 10:55

They took Jesus to the high priest's home where the leading priest, the elders and the teachers of religious law had gathered. Meanwhile, peter followed him at a distance and went right into the high priest's courtyard. There he sat with the guards warming himself by the fire Inside. The leading priest and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus so they could put him to death, but they couldn't find any. Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other. Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony. We heard him say I will destroy this temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another and it will be made without human hands. But even then they didn't get their story straight.

Speaker 1: 11:39

Then the high priest stood up before the others and he asked Jesus Well, aren't you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself? But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him Well, are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? And listen to this verse 62, I am Pause. That is another way of saying the covenant name of God, all the way back in the book of Exodus. In other words, he's saying I am Yahweh. That's a bold claim that would have made everybody in the room gasp. I am the one. That's what he's saying. I'm him and you will see the Son of man. In other words, he's saying I'm also the fulfillment of all those prophecies and you will see the Son of man. In other words, he's saying I'm also the fulfillment of all those prophecies. You will see the Son of man seated in the place of power at God's right hand, coming in the clouds of heaven. Like there's literally no way I can describe to you the level of I am the one that Jesus just said. That's why verse 63 happens.

Speaker 1: 12:36

Then the high priest tore his clothes to show his horror and said why do we need other witnesses. You've heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict? And they all cried guilty he deserves to die. Then some of them began to spit at him and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists, saying prophesy to us. And the guards slapped him as they took him away. That is one of the only times I want to reach into the bible and slap a fool. Don't you be hitting my king? Okay, verse 66.

Speaker 1: 13:05

Meanwhile, peter was in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by and noticed peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said you were the one of. You were one of the ones with Jesus of Nazareth. And Peter denied it. I do not know what you are talking about, he said. And he went out into the entryway and just then a rooster crowed. Then the servant girl saw him standing there and she began telling the others this man is definitely one of them, but Peter denied it.

Speaker 1: 13:33

A little later, one of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said you must be one of them because you are a Galilean. Then Peter swore A curse on me if I'm lying. I don't know this man you're talking about. And immediately the rooster crowed a second time, suddenly, jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind. Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times. You even know me. And he broke down and died, wept man, it's like slow clap, slow clap for the king. Oh, that didn't hurt your ears. Slow clap for the king. I mean, he is there in a pressure cooker Like I don't know if there's been many times in any of our lives that there has been such a pressure cooker situation where there's all these lies, all these things.

Speaker 1: 14:21

And here's the thing they can't get their story straight. If Jesus keeps his mouth shut, they beat him up, but he lives because they can't accuse him of anything. But then they ask him straight are you the king? And boy, that was the question he'd been waiting on. He said I am the one. I'm the one you heard about, I'm the one your grandparents told you about, I'm the one that they said one day he will come and he will set us all free. Come on now, my Pentecostal is about to come out. I mean, he just tells them straight up and they freak out. But here's the thing, and I don't want to take any attention away from our king, but I want us to just drill down on something real quick. And here's the amazing thing.

Speaker 1: 15:00

Remember who the Holy Spirit inspired to tell this story to the guy who looks the worst in this chapter. It starts off with Peter at the forefront. Peter telling him Jesus, I ain't never gonna leave you. And then Jesus telling him you're gonna deny me three times, peter, and I love you, but you're gonna walk away. Do you know how easy it could have been for Peter to have left that out? He was telling this story. It wouldn't have been dishonest to have not included it. But he is downplaying his part and he's talking about the beauty of his king and he's just telling the story.

Speaker 1: 15:35

And the story focuses on the king, and you know what a great lesson that is for us. It is not disrespectful to tell people what the king did for you, because that's what he's doing. He's telling the story and you imagine, as he is telling this story to these people in Rome, he would have changed it in that moment to have said I am the man. I am the one who said, jesus, I will never leave you. I am the one who said, if I got to die with you, I never will. And then I am the one that when they they like, put him in, you know they were. They were accusing him or whatever. I was just on the outside planning our escape. I wasn't going to leave him there. But then, man, when the pressure came on, while my King was standing up before everybody, I was hiding before a little girl. I was, I was not the one, and it was horrible.

Speaker 1: 16:24

But the amazing thing is is that the King comes and finds him too. We know in the other gospels that the first thing Jesus said when he rose from the dead is he said go tell my disciples and Peter that I'm looking for him, I'm back and I'm going ahead of him. And the amazing thing is is that's the same thing for us? I'm back and I'm going ahead of him. And the amazing thing is is that's the same thing for us? Is, how many times have we not stood up for our king? How many times have we chosen the dark road instead of the light road? How many times we chose the broad way instead of the narrow way, where the king was standing strong? And we didn't. But the amazing thing is that he's still looking for us. That's the beauty of the king man, and I love him, and I hope you do too.

Speaker 1: 17:04

Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you for your courage, jesus, to stand there. Man, the Bible said you felt everything as we did, yet you did not sin. So the moment there was real for you and you stood in that gap for all of us. I'm so thankful that, no matter how many times we fail you, you never fail us and you always call us back to you. God, my prayer is today that if there's somebody who feels like they have failed you, pray. You'll remind them that it doesn't dim your love for us and that you came to save us from all of that. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen. And then what God's word says in Mark 8, verse 34,. It says if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Man, don't we have such a great king to follow. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Mark, chapter 15.