Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / The Judge of the Earth on Trial | Mark 14:53-65 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

Transcript

The Judge of the Earth on Trial | Mark 14:53-65 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  Indeed, we have come to hear from the Word of the living God,
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  and we will hear from Him in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of
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  Mark, beginning in verse 53. Please meet me there.
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  As we consider a glorious passage of Scripture this Lord's
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  Day, there are about a dozen verses that we will look at.
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  Let's read it in its entirety so that we can capture the scene in
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  our minds before we unpack it verse by verse.
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  Mark 14, beginning in verse 53. And they led Jesus to the high
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  priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the
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  scribes came together, and Peter had followed him at a distance
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  right into the courtyard of the high priest, and he was sitting
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  with the guards and warming himself at the fire.
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  Now the chief priest and the whole council were seeking
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  testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found
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  none. For many bore false witness
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  against them, but their testimony did not agree.
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  And some stood up and bore false witness against them, saying, We
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  heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with
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  hands, and in three days I will build another not made with
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  hands. Yet even about this their
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  testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in
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  the midst and asked, Jesus, have you no answer to make?
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  What is it that these men testify against you?
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  But he remains silent, and made no answer.
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  Again the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of
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  the blessed? And Jesus said, I am, and you
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  will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and
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  coming with the clouds of heaven.
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  And the high priest tore his garments and said, What further
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  witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy,
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  what is your decision? And they all condemned him as
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  deserving death, and some began to spit on him and to cover his
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  face and to strike him, saying to him, prophecy.
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  And the guards received him with blows.
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  Lord, we need your help to understand this passage by your
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  Spirit. Guide us step by step where we
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  might be weak. Lord, you promised power.
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  Give us that power in our minds, in our hearts, even in the
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  delivery of this message. May your wisdom, Your love, Your
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  glory be the thing that captivates us today.
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  We trust that you will do that, and we give you thanks for it in
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  Jesus name, Amen. What an unsettling scene this
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  is, and you too might be overcome by an unpleasant
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  feeling when contemplating it. Because what we have before us
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  is not only the trial of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
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  We have the hearing of the eternal sinless Son of God.
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  This is not just a court case against a local miracle working
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  rabbi. You have here a lawsuit against
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  the righteous King of the universe, the one appointed by
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  God to judge both the living and the dead.
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  How is it possible then? How is it possible that the
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  ruler of all things is subjected to investigation and cross
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  examination? How is it that you have the very
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  one who held Sodom and Gomorrah, Pharaoh in Egypt, Assyria and
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  Babylon to account, now standing here before corrupt men and is
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  interrogated? It's, it's so strange when you
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  actually think about it, but at the same time so sublime because
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  what we are beholding here together is the Lord Jesus
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  Christ now fulfilling His mandate as the Lamb of God who
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  takes away the sins of the world.
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  Even the language that Mark uses here is meant to allude to the
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  ancient prophecies that predicted the dawning of
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  redemption as we see it here. Let me give you an example.
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  Look again here at verse 53. And they led Jesus to the high
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  priest. Let me remind you something that
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  there are hundreds of references to the Old Testament in the New
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  Testament, and there are thousands of allusions to the
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  Old Testament. There are phrases and sentences
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  and collection of words that are meant to bring you to certain
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  places in the Old Testament that are not directly quoted.
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  And so the more you familiarize yourself with the Old Testament,
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  the more you're going to see the connection and the harmony of
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  the Bible as you read throughout the New.
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  And I see something even here. They led Jesus to the high
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  priest. Doesn't that echo what Isaiah
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  prophesied concerning the Messiah?
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  And Isaiah 53, seven, we're told there about the Christ, that he
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  was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth like a
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  land that is led to the slaughter.
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  Indeed, it is a connection. Here's Christ being led to the
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  high priest. And this is just one thread
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  among many that weaves into a profound tapestry.
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  And there are many other threads that I want to consider with you
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  today. So what are we going to do?
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  Let's meditate on a few things. Join me in thinking about in
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  this passage, the sinking faith of Peter.
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  And after that, let's consider the suffering of slander.
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  Beyond that, let's look into the silence of the Lamb of God.
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  And fascinatingly, let us conclude with this glorious
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  thought, the shift of a priesthood.
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  So now we come to verse 53 and 54.
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  They led Jesus of the high priests and all the chief
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  priests and the elders and the scribes came together and Peter
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  had followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the
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  high priest. Mark is being very detailed and
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  mentioning how Peter followed Jesus.
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  So remember, we learned that they all scattered from Christ
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  upon his arrest. But seems like Peter was able to
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  muster up a little bit of courage to be able to follow
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  Jesus. But we're told specifically that
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  he followed the Lord at a distance.
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  The Holy Spirit doesn't waste any words.
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  In fact, this seems to be an emphasis that he wants to make
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  because we find the same detail in Matthew and in Luke that
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  Peter followed the Lord at a distance.
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  Why? Well, remember how we learned
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  about the young man, the anonymous young man who followed
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  the Lord in verse 51? Look at it with me again.
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  And a young man followed him with nothing but a linen cloth
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  about his body, and they seized him.
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  So this young man who pursued the Lord after his arrest
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  evidently was close enough for these guards to turn around and
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  grab him and snatch his clothing off him for a runaway naked.
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  And we talked about the significance of that, if you
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  remember. So we know that if you follow
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  too close to the Lord at this point, it was dangerous for you.
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  And Peter understood that. So in order to be safe, you
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  follow at a distance. It was safer for Peter.
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  Can I tell you today that there are people who are following
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  Jesus like Peter did here as I speak?
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  They're convinced that they're following the Lord, but they're
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  following him in a way in which onlookers might wonder about
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  their association with them. They're following the Lord in a
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  way that is less risky, less inviting of trouble.
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  They're following the Lord in a way that incurs no cost and that
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  really satisfies the flesh. It's possible to follow the
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  Lord, but at a distance. You know, the psalmist in Psalm
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  7328 says something profound, he said.
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  But for me, it is good to be near God.
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  It's good to be near God. Peter could not make that
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  statement. He could not Amen that psalmist.
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  At this point in his life, he was not near God.
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  He was following at a distance. But that wasn't always the case
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  for Peter. For many years Peter was by
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  Christ's side, not just in times of roaring success, but even in
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  moments of great danger. And yet at this point, we see
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  him distancing himself from Christ, showing you and I that
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  it's even possible for the most devout to succumb to this kind
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  of level of devotion that is not praiseworthy or the will of God.
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  And I want to remind you today that following Jesus at a
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  distance is not something that happens overnight.
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  It happens gradually. So you went from reading your
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  Bible every day to reading it only some days.
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  You went from bringing your petitions, your problems, your
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  thanksgivings to God regularly in prayer, to only in
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  emergencies. You went from the House of God
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  being a priority for you in your week to your attendance to the
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  House of God being spontaneous. And you don't even realize that
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  you're following Jesus at a distance.
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  Yes, he's before you. You can still see him out there
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  in the horizon, but you're not near him where you should be.
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  Why was Peter following Jesus at a distance a problem?
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  It was a problem because he promised Jesus I will be devoted
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  to you, even if it means my death.
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  And he's not fulfilling that promise.
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  But as I mentioned earlier, the devotion of the believer
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  crystallizing in this way, becoming colder and colder, is
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  not something that just visits you suddenly.
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  You don't just wake up one day thinking to yourself, I think
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  I'm going to pull back a little bit.
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  It is a progression, one that we often do not even recognize as
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  it is happening. But there isn't.
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  There is a clue in this passage that shows us at least one way
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  you know that you're following Jesus at a distance.
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  Look again at verse 54. And Peter followed him at a
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  distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest,
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  and he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at
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  the fire. Why was he sitting with the
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  guards? Because he wanted to know what
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  would happen to Christ. We're told in another gospel
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  that he didn't want to see the end of the matter, but he also
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  didn't want to be identified with Christ.
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  And so he sought to blend in. That's exactly what he's doing.
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  He's trying to camouflage himself.
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  And if you want to know one evidence, piece of evidence that
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  you are following the Lord at a distance, it is this.
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  You find yourself comfortably fellowshipping with those who
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  oppose Christ. I'm sure you've seen it.
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  I've seen it. Those who have once held their
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  Bible so tightly and had great delight being in the House of
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  God with the people of God gradually disappearing.
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  And then you go on social media and you find them holding what?
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  Sitting with who? Unashamedly posting that they're
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  there. And there are many reasons why
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  this heartbreaking change happens, but it usually occurs
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  at the same pace, little by little.
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  Do you want to see how amazingly accurate the Bible is?
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  How specific it is? Do you want to be encouraged
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  further of why we need to read our Bible slowly and
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  comparatively? Go to John 1818 and here's
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  John's account of Peter at the exact same time of what we are
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  studying in Mark. How often do Christians find
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  themselves in places they shouldn't be, relating to people
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  they shouldn't collaborate with and engage in things unbefitting
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  of followers of Jesus? But it doesn't happen right
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  away. John 1818 tells us now the
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  servants and officers had made a charcoal fire.
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  Can I remind you what kind of fire did Jesus create in John 21
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  when He restored Peter? When you go to it in your own
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  reading, you realize that he he made a charcoal fire and the
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  only other connection to a charcoal fire in John is this
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  one. So you know what that means.
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  When Jesus restored Peter, ultimately he brought him to a
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  charcoal fire because He wanted Peter to address this and not
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  sweep it underneath the rug. Let's talk about where things
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  went wrong. And he did so, so gently and so
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  compassionately. But besides the point, the
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  servants and officers had made a charcoal fire because it was
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  cold, and they were standing and warming themselves.
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  Peter also with them, standing and warming himself.
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  John tells us that when Peter was with the guards, trying to
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  blend in, being with a crowd that he was not supposed to be
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  with, he was doing what? Standing, Standing.
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  The people were standing and warming themselves.
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  So Peter joined them and was standing and warming himself.
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  Go back to Mark 1454. What do we read Peter doing?
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  And Peter had followed him at a distance right into the
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  courtyard of the high priest, and he was doing, what was he
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  standing? He was sitting.
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  Contradiction. No, no, no, no, no progression.
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  He went from following Jesus at a distance to standing with the
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  people that he should not stand with, getting comfortable enough
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  then to sit with them. Is sitting more stationary than
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  standing? Yeah.
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  If you're on your feet, you can pick yourself up and walk off.
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  But when you're sitting, you got cozy.
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  You got cozy. And that's exactly what happened
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  to Peter. And that's what happens to some
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  Christians. They follow Jesus at a distance,
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  and they curiously explore other things, and so they're still
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  standing. But it doesn't take much time
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  for that conviction, that sensitive conscience, to be
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  tranquilized. And they go from standing to
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  sitting. Do you know what happens after
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  you sit? What happened to Peter?
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  He went from standing to sitting with the wrong crowd to behaving
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  like them. This is the exact location where
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  Peter would deny the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  And that's what happens to Christians who follow Jesus at a
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  distance. They not only join themselves to
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  people that they shouldn't join themselves with, but over time
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  they imitate them and even whether verbally or behaviorally
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  deny their Lord. Do you remember what Psalm 11
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  says? Blessed is the man who walks not
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  in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of
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  sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.
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  There's a progression to backsliding.
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  Are you following Jesus at a distance this day?
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  Close enough for you to feel good in your in your conscience,
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  but far enough so that if anybody looks at you, they can't
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  really make out if you're following the Lord or not. close
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  enough where you can say I'm religious.
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  Far enough that it doesn't cost you anything because you don't
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  really stand for anything being associated with Christ.
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  Don't fool yourself. You're not really following the
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  Lord. And give it a little bit more
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  time. You'll be standing with the
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  wrong people, then sitting with them, and then you're going to
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  start imitating them. And that's where things get
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  really messy. I beckon you with the authority
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  of this book, turn to the Lord, run to him.
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  The will of God is for you to be near him.
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  So I encourage you with all my heart, run a little faster and
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  grab the hem of his garment. And like this the song says,
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  bind my wandering heart to thee, and he'll do it.
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  He'll keep you, He won't just keep you till you get to heaven.
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  He'll keep you in fellowship with Him if you desire it.
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  But don't be settled or satisfied with following the
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  Lord at a distance. This is the sinking faith of
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  Peter. But now we come to the suffering
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  of slander in verse 55. Now the chief priest and the
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  whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put
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  Him to death, but they found none.
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  When we consider the sufferings of Christ, rarely are the
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  malicious lashes of the tongue against his sinless reputation
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  is brought up. Which is strange because some of
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  us in here can testify of the pain of being lied about or
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  deliberately misrepresented. This is indeed a part of his
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  suffering. Now, if you've ever been lied
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  about, if anybody's ever slanted your name, the pain is real,
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  even though you are aware that you're fully capable of doing
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  wrong and making mistakes, right?
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  Then how much more, how much more ugly is it for defamation
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  to be brought against the one who is perfect?
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  That is what we have before us. And yet we read here verse 56.
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  Many, many, many bore false witness against them, but their
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  testimony did not agree. I love that they're fumbling and
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  they're stumbling, trying to come up with some good evidence
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  that crisis in error and some point and they couldn't.
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  And after stumbling in each other's attempts, finally,
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  finally a group came up with something and it's recorded for
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  us. Out of all the false accusations
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  and allegations, this one is recorded for us because it's
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  probably the most convincing. It was probably the best lie
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  that they can conjure up. And what was it?
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  Look here again in verse 58, we heard him say I will destroy
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  this temple that is made with hands and in three days I will
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  build another not made with hands.
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  Jesus said something about destroying a temple.
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  Mark doesn't record that incident.
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  John does. And when you look at where John
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  records Jesus saying this, it's early in his ministry.
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  So this is a statement that they are referring to from three
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  years ago. Talk about desperate reach.
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  Three years ago. But then when you look at John
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  chapter 2 and actually see what Jesus said, you're going to
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  realize even more just how twisted these people are and
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  trying to condemn the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  Compare this with what Christ actually said in John 2 verse
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  19. Jesus answered them, destroy
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  this temple and in three days I will raise it up.
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  The Jews then said it has taken 46 years to build this temple
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  and will you raise it up in three days?
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  But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
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  What did these false accusers say?
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  They added a lot, didn't they? Not saying about how he's going
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  to destroy this temple that is built or made with hands and
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  he's going to raise up another one not made with hands.
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  So they're adding to him. And the problem is, though, the
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  worst kind of lies are the ones that contain a degree of truth.
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  Again, Jesus did speak about destroying a temple, but he was
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  speaking about the temple of his body.
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  And instead they they sought to take his words and make it about
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  the physical temple, the temple of Herod.
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  And that was an unthinkable act that would have been like an act
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  of terrorism. And they're accusing the Lord of
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  entertaining and planning such a thing.
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  And it's possible that they chose this allegation because
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  the Lord already on two occasions went into the temple.
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  And what did he do? He cleaned up the place, flipped
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  a few tables. So maybe this lie was more
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  convincing because of those events.
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  But here's the thing that we have to understand.
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  The tongue is a powerful weapon, and it has not only been used
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  against the Savior, but His servants throughout history.
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  So if you're going to serve the Lord and you want to glorify
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  Him, don't be surprised if you become the targets of scorn and
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  slander while serving Him. You know, earlier this week I,
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  I've been reading the book of Jeremiah and I stumbled upon
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  something just in my reading. And this is the beauty of never
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  substituting your personal reading with sermon prep.
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  I know some people who do that. And I mean, if that's their
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  conviction, that's fine. But to me, reading the Bible
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  yourself, besides preparing for a sermon, not only blesses your
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  soul, feeds your soul, but it supplements your sermons in
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  surprising ways. I found Jeremiah saying
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  something in lament and brokenness as I'm studying for
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  this separately, and I want to read it to you from John 1818.
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  Excuse me, Jeremiah 1818. Jeremiah says, come about the
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  people who are persecuting. Then they said, Come, let us
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  make plots against Jeremiah. For the law shall not perish
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  from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from
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  the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the
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  tongue. Let us strike him with the
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  tongue. Not with a sword, not with a
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  club, not with an arrow. The tongue, Yeah, that thing
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  tucked between your lips. There's some people who've never
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  committed murder, but in reality they have.
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  They have slandered people and destroyed reputations throughout
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  their lives. One preacher said this.
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  Nobody has tried to take my life, but they're doing
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  everything they can to on the Internet to take away my
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  reputation, to silence me, because they're convinced that I
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  am, like so many others, just another spiritual fraud.
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  It's one of Satan's favorite weapons to possess the tongues
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  of people and to target those who serve him.
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  And Jeremiah is saying it happened to Jeremiah.
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  If it happened to Jesus, my friend, do you know what you
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  signed up for? Be prepared.
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  Serve the Lord faithfully, long enough, effectively.
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  It's coming your way. So crucify your need and your
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  urge to defend your reputation. Give it to the Lord.
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  Let him defend you. Let him defend you.
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  But that's not the only thing that moved me about Jeremiah.
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  You read on about how he responds to the onslaughts of
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  the tongue. Look at what he says in verse 19
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  down. It's lengthy, but it's worth it.
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  He says, Hear me O Lord, and listen to the voice of my
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  adversaries, should good be repaid with evil, yet they have
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  dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before you
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  to speak. Good for them to turn away your
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  wrath from them. So far this is wonderful saying,
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  Lord, remember I did good for these very people that are
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  hurting me with their words. Remember what I did for them.
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  Remember what I did on their behalf.
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  But it doesn't end there. Look at this very important
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  word. Therefore, how do you think
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  Jeremiah is going to continue in his prayer?
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  Put a seat belt on. Therefore deliver up their
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  children to famine. Give them over to the power of
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  the sword. Let their wives become childless
• 25:05
  and widowed. May their men meet death by
• 25:08
  pestilence. Their youths be struck down by
• 25:10
  the sword in battle. May a cry be heard from their
• 25:12
  houses when you bring the plunderers suddenly upon them,
• 25:16
  For they have dug a pit to take me and laid snares for my feet.
• 25:20
  Talk about a reading for your devotion time in the morning.
• 25:26
  It's not where it ends though. Verse 23 Yet you, O Lord, know
• 25:31
  all they're plotting to kill me. Forgive not their iniquity, nor
• 25:36
  blot out their sin from your sight.
• 25:39
  Let them be overthrown before you deal with them in time and
• 25:43
  the time of your anger. It hurts.
• 25:50
  It hurts when people malign and damage your name.
• 25:55
  It hurts, especially when you serve people.
• 26:01
  But here's the thought that I had there.
• 26:02
  I am looking at these words and knowing what I'm studying for
• 26:08
  this Sunday sermon, and I could not help but compare Jeremiah's
• 26:12
  response to the slander to the Lord Jesus, who in the apex of
• 26:18
  his suffering, as he hung there on the cross, he did not say
• 26:22
  forgive. Not their iniquity, but what?
• 26:24
  Forgive them. Forgive them.
• 26:33
  We have an amazing savior. Amazing.
• 26:39
  Can I tell you something? You you might be a serial killer
• 26:46
  in terms of slander. You, you might.
• 26:49
  I know some who have even damage and destroy the reputation of
• 26:55
  ministers and even churches altogether.
• 26:59
  You might have that kind of a resume, but can I tell you
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  something? As mind blowing as it is, Jesus
• 27:07
  is willing to forgive you. You might be the notorious
• 27:12
  gossiper of the town of the nation.
• 27:17
  Slander, a false witness, even. I want to tell you something.
• 27:24
  The grace of God is so immense, so strong, that he's willing to
• 27:29
  even forgive you, restore you, receive you.
• 27:35
  And more than that, He'll take that troublesome tongue of yours
• 27:40
  and replace it with a tongue of grace and love.
• 27:45
  And the power that you use that tongue for to destroy cannot be
• 27:47
  used to heal, to forgive and to reflect the character of Jesus
• 27:54
  Christ. What a savior we have.
• 27:58
  He endured even this kind of suffering.
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  And though Christ would eventually respond to the pain
• 28:07
  by those that he came to save with inconceivable grace.
• 28:11
  His immediate reaction was something quite different when
• 28:15
  the high priest look here, verse 60, the high priest stood up in
• 28:18
  the midst and asked, Jesus, have you no answer to make?
• 28:21
  What is it that these men testify against you?
• 28:24
  So he's now pressing the Lord. He's not taking advantage of
• 28:27
  this accusation being brought up and is now confronting the Lord
• 28:31
  with a direct question and notice how he reacts verse 61,
• 28:37
  but he remains silent and made no answer.
• 28:44
  This is this is majestic. The stillness, it's so elegant.
• 28:53
  The calmness is convicting. Can you imagine standing there
• 28:58
  surrounded by people who at their word, if they are
• 29:01
  believed, you're dead? OK, how many of us would squirm?
• 29:06
  How many of us would speak up? Defending our cause, defending
• 29:10
  our reputation, defending our character?
• 29:14
  And yet the Lord stays quiet. He doesn't offer a peep.
• 29:20
  Do you know why? Because He's fulfilling
• 29:22
  prophecy. And I alluded to in the
• 29:25
  beginning of this message, but let me read it to you in its
• 29:27
  entirety from Isaiah 53 verse seven.
• 29:29
  He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not his
• 29:33
  mouth like a land that has led to the slaughter and like a
• 29:37
  sheep that is before its sheer is silent.
• 29:39
  So He opened not his mouth. So the prophet is again
• 29:43
  portraying this Messiah who would come and die, and before
• 29:47
  his death we see him gloriously quiet, tranquil still.
• 29:58
  Do you know why it's important to see Jesus Christ still and
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  silent in this way? Do you know why that's such an
• 30:04
  important feature of who the Messiah is as the sin bearer of
• 30:07
  the world? I'll tell you why.
• 30:09
  His stillness speaks volumes and it communicates that he was not
• 30:15
  resisting the fate that he was going to experience even with
• 30:21
  his words. He did not protest.
• 30:24
  He did not seek to delay. He didn't seek to.
• 30:27
  He didn't seek to do anything even with his words, out of the
• 30:29
  abundance of his heart. What He is showing here as he
• 30:32
  stands there majestically mute, it's the showcase of the world
• 30:37
  that He did not shrink from wanting to go to the cross so
• 30:41
  that he can purchase your soul from hell and from sin.
• 30:48
  So this snippet of the Savior is supposed to move you, my friend.
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  It's supposed to stir your heart that He willingly accepted
• 30:56
  without defending a moment himself from it.
• 31:01
  He accepted it. He received it and it's seen
• 31:05
  throughout the trial. Come down at verse 65 just to
• 31:08
  get an idea. And some began to spit on him
• 31:11
  and to cover his face and strike him, saying to him, prophecy.
• 31:16
  And the guards received them with blows.
• 31:18
  I don't know how much of this was intentional in terms of it
• 31:21
  being mocking of prophecy, because there's a prophecy in
• 31:25
  Isaiah 11, verse three that the Messiah would not judge with his
• 31:29
  eyes, that he would not need to look for evidence.
• 31:33
  He would not need to see anything.
• 31:35
  But in this perfect omniscience, he'd be able to dictate
• 31:38
  innocence and guilt. So again, I'm not sure how much
• 31:43
  of this is connected to that, but imagine if it was.
• 31:47
  Imagine if these religious leaders knew that much of
• 31:49
  prophecy where they had Jesus eyes blindfolded and one by one
• 31:54
  they would strike him on the face and say which one did it?
• 31:56
  You're the Messiah judge without your eyes.
• 32:01
  This is this is horrific. And it's meant to be horrific
• 32:06
  because he stood in our place. We marvel at this and you should
• 32:13
  marvel at this, But there was somebody who was not impressed
• 32:15
  by it and it was the high priest.
• 32:18
  So there stands the the silent Lamb of God.
• 32:23
  And we read here in verse 61 again, the high priest asked
• 32:26
  them, are you the Christ, the Son of the blessed?
• 32:28
  And surprisingly, at this specific juncture, Jesus speaks
• 32:32
  up. Why?
• 32:34
  At this point you could say because he's pressing him and
• 32:39
  he's pressured. Matthew adds a detail that helps
• 32:46
  us make sense of why Jesus chose to speak at this point.
• 32:49
  You don't have to turn there, but listen.
• 32:51
  There's an added phrase in Matthew 2663.
• 32:54
  But Jesus remains silent. And the high priest said to him,
• 32:57
  I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ,
• 33:05
  the Son of God. So do you know what the high
• 33:07
  priest is doing? He's placing Jesus underoath.
• 33:12
  He's placing Jesus underoath. And there is a law in the Old
• 33:17
  Testament that shows us how Jesus, though fulfilling his
• 33:21
  role as the silent lamb led to the slaughter, also perfectly
• 33:27
  obeyed the law. This is why you can't skip books
• 33:30
  like Leviticus. You can't listen to what the law
• 33:35
  says in Leviticus 51. If anyone sins in that he hears
• 33:44
  a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness,
• 33:50
  whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not
• 33:53
  speak, he shall bear his iniquity.
• 33:57
  You see what the law says, if you are a witness to something,
• 34:00
  an event or truth on occasion, and you refuse to speak up to
• 34:04
  either confirm or deny it, you're guilty of sin.
• 34:09
  That says a lot about us, even in terms of principle, that if
• 34:12
  we know something and refuse to share for whatever selfish
• 34:15
  reason, that's wrong in the eyes of God.
• 34:17
  You understand. But here's a legal code.
• 34:21
  If you know something and you do not speak up and confirm it,
• 34:26
  this is iniquity. So the high priest places Jesus
• 34:31
  Underoath, he invokes the name of God and he asks them, are
• 34:35
  you? Are you the Christ, the Son of
• 34:38
  the blessed? And Christ understanding his
• 34:41
  duty at this time again fulfilling our righteousness,
• 34:44
  not one law that he overlooked. He chooses to bear witness to
• 34:50
  this and confirm it. And how does he confirm it?
• 34:54
  By quoting both Psalm 110 verse one and Daniel 713.
• 34:59
  I am and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of
• 35:03
  power and coming with the clouds of heaven.
• 35:06
  Wow. So this is about Jesus dying.
• 35:12
  And you know what he's saying? He's saying many things.
• 35:14
  One of the things that he's saying is when I'm God, I'm
• 35:18
  seated at the right hand of God and I share the prerogatives
• 35:21
  that God alone carries. I'm God to to be seated at the
• 35:25
  right hand of God means listen, no matter what you do to me, I'm
• 35:27
  going to be ascended. And not only that, he's letting
• 35:33
  them know these earthly judges that yes, I will sit at the
• 35:37
  right hand, but I'm also coming with the clouds of heaven.
• 35:40
  In other words, you're going to judge me now, but understand
• 35:43
  that there's one day where I'm going to judge you so boldly.
• 35:51
  He references these truths and does not deny his deity.
• 35:55
  He does not deny that he is the anointed 1.
• 35:57
  He does not deny that He is the Christ coming to rule and reign,
• 36:02
  but first save and redeem. How do you think the high priest
• 36:10
  took it? Look at verse 63.
• 36:13
  And the high priest tore his garments and said, what further
• 36:16
  witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy.
• 36:19
  What is your decision? And they all condemned them as
• 36:21
  deserving death. He tore his garments, right as a
• 36:28
  demonstration of grief, of sorrow, of he just recoils.
• 36:33
  He's disgusted by this. And he wants to show the
• 36:35
  Sanhedrin. Did you hear it?
• 36:40
  And again, we look at that and we say, yeah, he seems pretty
• 36:43
  outraged by it. No, no, no, no, no, no.
• 36:47
  Again, this. This is where we miss out on
• 36:49
  things when we don't know the Old Testament, as we should.
• 36:54
  So again, guess where I'm going to ask you to go?
• 36:57
  Leviticus. Go to Leviticus 21 verse 10.
• 37:03
  I was sharing with some people in California who were asking
• 37:06
  how to read their Bibles and I said don't you dare skip the Old
• 37:09
  Testament. You will never know the glories
• 37:11
  of the new if you don't build the foundation on the old.
• 37:15
  Leviticus 2110. Look at another law concerning
• 37:20
  the priest who is chief among his brothers.
• 37:23
  Leviticus 2110 The priest who is chief among his brothers, on
• 37:30
  whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been
• 37:33
  consecrated to wear the garments, Pause.
• 37:35
  He's talking about the high priest here who wore special,
• 37:38
  unique garments. We're told here the one who wear
• 37:41
  the garments shall not let the hair of his head hang loose, nor
• 37:45
  do what? Tear his clothes.
• 37:50
  That was sin, that was illegitimate, that was wrong
• 37:53
  saying. Why?
• 37:54
  Because those garments, every detail of those articles were
• 37:59
  instructed and designed by God himself.
• 38:02
  It was incredibly consecrated, incredibly holy, incredibly
• 38:05
  significant and symbolic. Ultimately, those garments
• 38:09
  points to the priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 38:13
  And what the law says is that an under no circumstance can those
• 38:17
  garments be torn. And if you want further proof of
• 38:21
  that, go to Leviticus 10, verse 6.
• 38:25
  After two priests, native and Abayu, we're slain for giving
• 38:30
  strange fire to God. And we're told here in Leviticus
• 38:33
  10, verse 6. And Moses said to Aaron and to
• 38:37
  Eliezer, And if them are his sons, do not let the hair of
• 38:41
  your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes.
• 38:45
  Do not tear your clothes, lest you die.
• 38:47
  And wrath come upon all the congregation, but let your
• 38:50
  brothers, the whole House of Israel be wailed.
• 38:52
  The burning of the Lord has kindled again.
• 38:55
  You have no right under any circumstance, even if you're a
• 38:59
  broken hearted, even if you're appalled, even if your grief to
• 39:02
  tear those garments. Despite these laws, the high
• 39:10
  priest desire to dramatically demonstrate his displeasure
• 39:14
  before the court and he rent his garments.
• 39:20
  A sign of outrage, sure, but more importantly, he was
• 39:23
  invalidating himself from being High Priest.
• 39:28
  You understand this. And unknowingly, this is so
• 39:33
  glorious. Caiaphas symbolically marked the
• 39:38
  end of the Levitical priesthood as he stood before the one who
• 39:44
  would soon take the role of the great High Priest, The High
• 39:49
  Priest of a better covenant. And Speaking of robes, the
• 39:55
  symbolism of Caiaphas defiled robe becomes even more profound
• 40:00
  when you compare it to another robe, the robe of the Lord Jesus
• 40:04
  Christ, who is being prepared to leave this world at this time so
• 40:08
  that he can assume his function as high priest through the
• 40:12
  offering of his own blood. That's what the whole book of
• 40:14
  Hebrews is about, how Christ is the better priest, the better
• 40:18
  mediator, the better one with the better sacrifice.
• 40:21
  And here's Caiaphas who wrenched his garment.
• 40:24
  And you think that's profound. It gets even more profound when
• 40:27
  you consider John 19 and verse 23.
• 40:33
  When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments
• 40:35
  and divide them into four parts, one part for each soldier.
• 40:38
  Also his tunic, a tunic was was a long garb that went to the
• 40:43
  knees, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece
• 40:47
  from top to bottom. So they said to one another, let
• 40:50
  us not tear it, let us not tear it, but cast slots for it, to
• 40:59
  see who it shall be. This was the fulfilled
• 41:02
  scripture, the scripture which says they divided my garments
• 41:05
  among them, and for my clothing they cast slots.
• 41:07
  So the soldiers did these things.
• 41:10
  If Caiaphas robe signifies the end of the old priesthood, may I
• 41:15
  suggest to you that the unblemished robe of the Lord
• 41:18
  Jesus Christ represents a permanent and accepted
• 41:26
  priesthood that will last forever.
• 41:29
  And that is why Hebrews tells us in Chapter 7, verse 24.
• 41:33
  But he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues
• 41:40
  forever. Indeed he does.
• 41:43
  Let's pray. Thank you, Lord, for the wonders
• 42:04
  of Your word. And we ask, Oh God, as we come
• 42:10
  in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our great High priest,
• 42:15
  that you would stir our hearts again to realize that we are
• 42:18
  indeed in a better covenant and that of Moses.
• 42:26
  That we are under a priesthood far greater than that of Aaron.
• 42:32
  In that we have a priest who lives forever and who does not
• 42:36
  have to offer repeated sacrifice.
• 42:39
  But the priest who bears our names on his heart also presents
• 42:46
  himself as a sacrifice. What a thought.
• 42:48
  What wisdom is this that whenever we do stumble and fall,
• 42:53
  we can petition that sacrifice. We do not have to find a fresh
• 42:56
  lamb or a healthy bowl. We go to what happened on
• 43:00
  Calvary 2000 years ago. And that blood still has power
• 43:05
  to forgive. Lord, we're overwhelmed and
• 43:09
  we're not ashamed of the blood, and we rejoice for that blood.
• 43:14
  And we pray that even now as we sing your praises, that those
• 43:16
  who have not been washed in that blood would seek for that
• 43:21
  cleansing and realize that it is applied by faith and that they
• 43:25
  can know real transformation through it.
• 43:28
  Lord, we give you thanks that because you stood on trial, we
• 43:33
  stand innocent forever, that we do not have to fear judgement,
• 43:37
  we don't have to fear hell. We don't have to fear You
• 43:39
  changing your mind. So great was that sacrifice that
• 43:42
  it pleases You forever. Therefore, we enjoy your
• 43:46
  pleasure forever. And for this, O Lord, despite
• 43:49
  all the things that we are losing in this life, we have the
• 43:52
  greatest treasure in the universe, and we will give you
• 43:55
  appropriate praise because of it.
• 43:58
  In these things and for these things do we say thanks in Jesus
• 44:02
  name, Amen, Amen and Amen. Let's stand and worship the
• 44:07
  great High Priest. He lives and he hears us today.