Mark 14:32-42 LESSON # 41
BATTLES BEFORE THE STORM OR HANDLING STRESS
I. Greetings:
II. Introduction: The early church read the Scriptures and proclaimed that Jesus was fully a human being and fully God. How Jesus could be fully God (infinite) and fully human (finite) is impossible to understand, but this is a mystery we proclaim. However, the fact that our Lord is fully divine and fully human has huge benefits for us as believers on a practical level. We may not fathom the depth of the theological and philosophical implications of Jesus’ nature, but we profit tremendously from pondering what it can do to bless us. Because Jesus is completely God we see in Him the nature of God as clearly as can be expressed for us human beings. If we wonder what God is really like, and what He really thinks, we need to look at Jesus. Since Jesus was completely human, we can see in Him how we are to act as human beings. If we wonder how to handle certain situations, then we can look at Jesus. Today we will again watch Him handle stress, something we humans have to deal with often.
Note: Outline of Mark 14.
The chapter contains three key instances where Jesus was alone with His disciples: His being anointed by the woman (14:3-9) and the discussion that ensued; His communion with the disciples (14:22-26); and the Garden of Gethsemane (14:32-42). (You can skip this outline, as far as presenting it in the study. If you do it might help to prepare it beforehand on a board, with a handout or an overhead.)
PLOTS, PREDICTIONS, BETRAYALS
I. Plots to kill Him 1-11
A. Scribes plot to kill Him (1-2)
B. Interlude of Kindness by the Woman (3-9)
C. Judas plots to betray Him (10-11)
II. Predictions of Betrayal 12-31
A. Setting for Communion (12-16)
B. Prediction of Judas Betrayal (17-21)
C. Communion (22-26)
D. Prediction of Disciple’s (Peter’s) Betrayal (27-31)
III. Betrayal and Trial Begins 32-66
A. Garden Scene (32-42)
B. Judas Betrayal/Arrest of Jesus (43-52)
C. Sanhedrin Trial (53-65)
D. Peter’s Betrayal (66-72)
Q Did the plots of the religious leaders and Judas succeed?
An = Yes, they did.
Q Was Jesus caught off guard by the conspiracy against Him?
An = No! He anticipated their plot in 14:3-9 by pronouncing the woman’s act of kindness as an anointing for His death. He also predicted both Judas’ and Peter’s betrayal.
Jesus was not caught off guard. They seemed to be succeeding against Him, and all the while He knew God was succeeding through Him. They wanted to get their evil way, while He wanted to redeem the world. There are times when God does not seem to be winning.
Q Given Jesus’ awareness of such things, how depressed would you expect Him to be, given the fact He knew they were going to kill, humiliate, and betray Him?
An = It is natural to be deeply disturbed by what is taking place. When people hurt, plot against, and betray us, it will affect us emotionally, in a profound way. Christ understood what that would do to His followers who would suffer in a similar manner.
Q Did Jesus have a nervous breakdown? Would it not be understandable if He did?
An = Yes, it is understandable that as a human He would but as a human He did not. He was to be betrayed, would be murdered, and He knew it; but He remained steadfast.
Q What did He do?
An = Jesus was creatively appreciative of the woman’s impulsive anointing. He saw her act through different lenses. Strong people can face their own pain and see the needs of others (He protected her from verbal abuse by the disciples who strongly reacted in a negative way towards her action). He saw the kindness of others. We need to look beyond our own pain and verbalize our observations of other people’s good deeds as He did in the midst of His turmoil.
Note: If you are going through stress this week, decide to verbalize someone’s good actions as often as it can be legitimately done.
Q How did Jesus see His death in the communion service?
An = He saw it as death for others. >> Have someone read Mark 14:24.
III. Dealing With Stress Through Prayer and Being With the Disciples: Mark 14:32-34.
A. With Disciples:
>>>> Have someone read Mark 14:32-34.
Note: He did not let His feelings surface until, he was alone with the three of His closest disciples. It was important to let a few into our deepest struggles.
Note: His pain was intense. Notice though He did not break down in general, He only let His feelings surface when He chose to. He maintained control but also did not bottle things up.
Q Did Jesus ask for help from His friends?
An = Yes, He did. He asked them to keep watch. Jesus asked for help. He was willing and open enough to ask for help from His closest friends. Psychologists tell us this is healthy; but Jesus was modeling this for us a long time before modern psychology.
Q Who were they to pray for, themselves or Jesus?
An = Mark did not tell us. It is unclear. Perhaps, what is important is that people pray.
B. With God:
>>>> Have someone read mark 14:35-36.
Note: Jesus’ posture was to fall on the ground. Normally they stood when they prayed in those days.
Q In Mark 14:35, what was emphasized?
An = Jesus’ desired not to suffer. Jesus did not want to suffer; neither should we. Scholars believe the “cup” is the same as the “hour.” Jesus did not want to go through this suffering (cup) or this event (hour). It is the same thing. Jesus knew what it was like to experience dread like we do.
>> Read Mark 14:41 and 10:38.
Q What were the three parts to this prayer?
An = The three parts were: Title of address, a request, and an act of submission.
THE TITLE: In the title of “Abba” Jesus called or addressed God, so we can see His attitude towards God. Jesus saw God as “Father” or “Daddy”; even though it was His Father’s will that He suffered. Jesus knew sorrow and pain (though they may come from the Father’s hand) was not a sign that God did not love Him. “The Father’s hand will never cause His child a needless tear.” (Barclay, p. 362) Jesus proved His faith and His trust in His Father by the very title He used.
THE REQUEST:
Q What did Jesus request of God when He referred to the “cup”?
An = Jesus was a healthy person. He did not want to die or drink such judgment. No healthy person would.
Note: Jesus spoke the truth about what He really desired. We too can tell God what we really want; Jesus did. We may not get what we want, but we are certainly allowed to tell Him the truth.
>>>> Have someone read Isaiah 51:17. It is the judgment of God. Jesus was to bear the wrath of God towards sin. He who knew no sin was to bear sin’s curse.
THE ACT OF SUBMISSION:
Q Was Jesus willing to let God’s will be done even though He did not like it?
An = Yes, He was. This is important. When we let God have His way we are no longer god, but God is God. If we refuse to let God have His way, we prove that we do not really trust God, but must stay in control of our lives, because we do not believe God is competent to run it for us.
Q Was Jesus forced to submit or did He choose to submit? Why is that so important?
An = We must choose. Like Him, we must choose to obey God, even though we fear or dread the consequences of obeying the Lord. It must be our choice. Emotions must not lead, clear knowledge of God’s will must be what we choose, whether we feel like it or not.
C. With Disciples:
>>>> Have someone read Mark 14:37-38.
Q Do we need to fight the body at times to obey God?
An = Yes, we must fight the body’s desires at times, if we want to be loyal to God and others (see 14:37).
Q Did He confront the disciples?
An = Yes, and we too need to be open when others fail us, and it is not wrong to verbalize such beliefs.
Q Who was Jesus concerned with in Mark 14:38?
An = He was concerned with them. We can tell others we are disappointed with them, but we can never stop caring about them. Tell those who have let you down how you see their action but never stop loving them. Despite experiencing pain and disappointment Jesus was still other centered.
Note: He forgave the disciples who had disappointed Him, before they even asked for such forgiveness. This is so important! With the “spirit is willing, but the body is weak” statement, He verbally recognized that the disciples merely gave into their bodies’ need for sleep. Jesus tried to see things from their perspective not just His own. It is difficult, but possible to be other centered enough to forgive, even when we are stressed.
D. Repeatedly Going To God:
>>>> Have someone read Mark 14:39-42.
Q How many times did Jesus have to pray?
An = Three times. It is helpful to know that He battled more than once when He was deeply stressed. Jesus was the perfect human being, and He had to struggle three times. We need not get discouraged if we repeatedly struggle to win in a tension filled predicament.
Note: Jesus did not run from difficulty. He saw it (41) and arose to meet it (42). This is the only way to face such things.
IV. Summary of His Response to Stress:
As fully human
He modeled for us several things as a human being.
He was other-centered.
He openly asked for help from His friends.
He confronted their failure but then forgave.
He went to God in Prayer:
With trust (to His Father),
With honesty (asking to get out of it),
With submission (knowing our will must be sublimated to God’s).
He modeled true humanity for us.
As fully God
Jesus is God, and His actions make it appropriate to fall on our knees in adoration. Jesus was willing to identify with our struggles, our weaknesses, and our pains. God was so humble, so unselfish, and so willing to see our pain that He came to earth and submitted to the horrors we so often face. If this is God’s attitude, then this is good news! These texts can open our eyes to God as He really is. He is other-centered, open to confront us in our faults and yet willing to forgive. God can be addressed as Father, openly and honestly spoken to and then submitted to. His actions help us to know how to deal with our own sorrows and we see in human terms a true picture of God.[:]