Mark's Gospel Part 24 - Christ, Our Passover Lamb

Dave Riisnaes carries on with this series on Mark's Gospel.

This sermon is from Sunday 13th July 2025.

The bible reference is Mark 14v1-26

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

Well, we're going to be looking at Mark chapter 14 today from verse 1 to 26, and later I'm going to read that for us. It is in the order of service today. If you do have a Bible, you're going to have that ready if you'd like to follow there. But first, let me ask you this question. Have you ever been out for a meal that turned out to be just full of surprises? I wonder. Now, I've heard that there's a style of eating in Japan where the food you are served is actually the surprise. Curious. I'm told it's not uncommon in certain restaurants over there. I'm going to try and say this, but it's called omakase. Hopefully I got that right. Umakase. And it apparently means I'll leave it up to you. I'll leave it up to you. And it's simply, for that meal, you're going to put yourself in the hands of the chef of this restaurant. And they will serve you whatever seasonal dishes or specialities that they might choose. And you can look forward to whatever they might surprise you with. I don't know if that sounds like a good idea with Japanese food for you or not. But there you go. Not something I've tried before, but interesting. And do you know I would imagine that this is the kind of attitude you would need to have if you ever sat down to eat dinner with Jesus. And there are certainly a few surprises that are served up for us in the two meals that we find in our passage today in Mark chapter 14. And this is especially true because Jesus has chosen this moment in his ministry to finally reveal something to his disciples. It's the answer to the question that's been just below the surface in Mark's gospel for a few chapters now. You may have noticed how often Jesus has spoken about his death recently. But each time that comes up, the unanswered question that we've had is why? Why does he have to die? Now I think so far we've had just one small hint of that in Mark chapter 10. But no real explanation. Not until now. Why does he have to die? And Jesus chooses these two meals in this chapter to explain his death and the implications for his followers. So do look out for that as I read for us. And I'll read just after I say a word of prayer. Let's pray first, shall we? Our Father God, we ask, as we look into your word this morning, would you open our eyes to see, our ears to hear? Would you do a good work in our hearts? We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Well, I'll read for us. Do follow along in your service sheets. Mark chapter 14 and 1 to 26. It was now two days before the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him. For they said, Not during the feasts, lest there be an uproar from the people. And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment, a pure knot, very costly. And she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they scolded her. But Jesus said, Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have need. She has done what she could, she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her. Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money, and he sought an opportunity to betray him. And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover? And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, The teacher says, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. There prepare for us. And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them. And they prepared the Passover. And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me. They began to be sorrowful and say to him, one after another, Is it I? He said to them, It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born. And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, Take, this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Praise God for his wonderful word. So, there we have two meals, two meals in which Jesus explains why he has to die and what it meant for his disciples. Let's start with the first one, shall we? The meal at Bethany. Mark sets the scene here with an interesting backdrop to that meal. It's two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It's the key time in the Jewish calendar. In Jesus' day, all over Jerusalem, lambs were being selected, cared for, looked after, so that families would have a healthy, spotless lamb to sacrifice and eat at Passover. It's when the people would remember how God had rescued them from Egypt so wonderfully. Did you see that? There they were, seeking a way to quietly arrest Jesus and kill him. They were plotting, didn't they? Not during the feast, they said, lest there be an uproar from the people. And well, Jesus was staying at Bethany at this time, just a short distance from Jerusalem, and he's having dinner at the home of Simon. Simon the leper. But it's the actions of a woman at this meal, isn't it, that Mark really wants to tell us about. This woman, she takes a flask of ointment and she pours it over Jesus' head. Now, notice what Mark draws our attention to here. It was an alabaster flask, he says, used only for the most precious appointments. It was a pure nase. Now, I'm no expert at all, but apparently that means it's not the kind that I can get online with the next day delivery for a last-minute anniversary gift. It was very costly. Precious ointment. And well, what did this woman do? She broke the flask. This is a flask which once opened, you're not going to be able to close again. And she didn't want to anyway. She was ready just to pour it all out for the Lord Jesus. And well, we get a bit of a reaction from the room, don't we? Somewhere indignant, Mark tells us. They even scold her. Why was it wasted like that? One of them here has done a quick valuation. It was worth a year's wages or more. What was she thinking? It could have been given to the poor. Well, Jesus sets them straight, doesn't he? Leave her alone. He knows exactly what's going on here in this room, doesn't he? Isn't it interesting? As they gathered there for that meal, as they sat down with him, Jesus knew all their hearts, didn't he? Their actions and their words. They wouldn't have been a surprise for Jesus. But on this occasion, as these events unfolded, the state of their hearts was put out on display, wasn't it? It was revealed for all to see. And for this woman, well, her actions, what did they reveal? The heart that she had for the Lord Jesus. This woman, she seems to have known that Jesus' arrest was quite likely to come at any moment. And we've seen in recent chapters, haven't we? Jesus' followers, they all could see this. They've been so worried about him coming to Jerusalem. They can see something's going to happen. Well, for this woman, she knew this may be the last opportunity she had to express her love and devotion for Jesus. And that's what she did. Certainly it would have been her most valuable possession. And for her, there was no better use than to pour it out for the Lord Jesus. She's done a beautiful thing to me, Jesus said. He said she had anointed his body for burial. What an example this woman is for a follower of the Lord Jesus. And no wonder Jesus tells us here, he says, doesn't he, that we would still be telling her story even today. Now Mark doesn't even record her name here, but John in his gospel tells us this was Mary. And well, here's an example for the heart of a disciple. A heart that's full of love for the Lord Jesus. A heart that counts him of greater worth than anything else. A heart that's ready to pour out whatever it has for him. Well, there's a great contrast in these verses, isn't there? What a contrast we have in Judas. Here is a disciple, one of the twelve. And sadly, this dinner also reveals his heart, doesn't it? John's gospel tells us that he was the one who had objected and spoken to this woman. And clearly for him, Jesus was not worth the value of this perfume. He had plenty of other better uses for it. But he was clever, wasn't he? Do you see how he spoke? He tried to hide what was in his heart. What did he say? The awakening could have been sold. We could have given it to the poor. Was he really so burdened for the poor? I don't think so. Actually, John tells us no, not at all. He wanted it for himself. But despite Judas's heart, Jesus answers this argument anyway. Should it have been given to the poor? Actually, Jesus says no. Look at verse 7. He says, Therefore, you always have the poor with you. And whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. Now clearly, Jesus was not saying that they didn't need to care for the poor. No. Hasn't Jesus been such a great example of how he treats the poor throughout the gospel? He's saying that it is a good thing to give to the poor, but whilst he was with them, as his death was approaching, it was even better that Mary did this for him. Now, just as an aside, we should clarify something for us today, shouldn't we? Today is within this time Jesus spoke of when he said that he will not, there will be a time when he's not with us. I mean, he's not with us here today in body, is he? And so we do still have the poor. Remember Jesus' teaching elsewhere. What does he say? When we help the poor, and particularly the poor of his people, what are we doing? Actually, we're helping the Lord Jesus. They are one and the same. Absolutely, we should be caring for the poor. So back to Judas. Let's go back to Mark here. Mark tells us how he now seeks out the chief priests in order to betray Jesus. This was his calculated valuation, and Jesus was not only worth what could be gained, not for the Lord. Jesus was only worth what Judas could get for himself. Now, sadly, it's still the case today, isn't it? There are some who seem to be followers of Jesus. But like Judas, they're in it to serve themselves. This should be a warning for us. What if our hearts were revealed today? What if our hearts were laid bare behind all the things that we hide them with? What would they show? What would they show? Well, let's take a look at the second meal in this chapter, shall we? We're now two days later, Mark tells us there, on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb. And Jesus and the disciples, they prepare to celebrate this key occasion, as so many of the Jews were doing. Now, possibly some plans have been made in advance, but we again see here Jesus' full control over the situation, don't we? He sends two disciples ahead and he tells them exactly how they will find things. God's sovereignty, it's amazing, isn't it? Even in the last days of his life, things aren't spiraling out of control. No, things are happening exactly as he planned. And we continue to see this as the Passover meal begins. Have a look at verse 18. Jesus said there, Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me. Well, talk about surprises at the dinner table. I wonder what that did for the conversation that day. They turn to him, don't they? They begin to ask, Lord, is it I? It's one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. One of the twelve. Can you imagine what a painful betrayal this would be for Jesus? One of those he had chosen. One who had spent all this time with him. Of course, we know this was Judas Iscariot. Well, woe to that man. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born. Well, part way through this meal, Jesus, he has another surprise. He's now ready to explain to his disciples his death. And he does this with two items that were on the menu that day, two things. And each of them take us back to the book of Exodus in the Old Testament, and we'll see what those are. Have a look at verse 22. And Jesus does something here that wasn't a usual part of the Passover meal. What was he doing? He took bread, broke it, and shared it with them. He took wine, he gave thanks, and he shared it with them. Bread and wine. Now that's a little strange because this is a Passover meal. We're expecting the focus to be on something else. Now, isn't there something else on the menu that Mark has not mentioned here? Children, I wonder if you can tell me. What was the most important item on the menu at Passover? And someone shouted out, what was it? Passover lamb. Thank you. The Lamb. Excellent. Yes, it was the Lamb. That was the centerpiece ever since the very first Passover. Way back in the book of Exodus. I wonder if you remember when God's people were slaves in Egypt. How God had sent his plagues to rescue them. And in his judgment on Egypt, God himself was going to come, and what would happen? The firstborn in every home would die. But God provided a means of being saved from that judgment, didn't he? We find this in Exodus chapter 12. And what was it? It was a lamb. For any who would trust God's promise, the firstborn of that family, would be saved by the blood of the lamb. Its blood was to be put up on the doorposts of that house, and they were to cook that lamb and eat it as a family. God then gave his promise. When he came down in judgment, the firstborn of each family would die. Exodus 12, verse 13, it says, When I see the blood, I will pass over you. But if the lamb dies, the firstborn was saved. And that night God rescued them from Egypt. That's why they'd been instructed down through time to celebrate this meal together and remember God's wonderful rescue. Well, come back to Mark. Please take a look again at Mark 14. Look at verse 18 there. And children, especially you, I hope you've got the passage in front of you. Here's a little puzzle for you. Look at verse 18 onwards. Can anybody tell me? Where is the Passover Lamb? In which verse do we find it? I'll give you a clue here. This might be a trick question. Anybody want to shout out, in which verse do we find the Passover Lamb? Anyone want to have a go? I've not found it yet either. It's not there, is it? No mention of the lamb. Curious. It's strange. Now, certainly there would have been a lamb at that meal. But curiously, Jesus is focusing his attention on something else, isn't he? And he does something amazing here. Jesus makes the meal not about the lamb, he makes it about himself. And for the disciples, this must have been astonishing. He breaks the bread, he hands it out, and he says, Take, this is my body. Wow. Jesus was saying, the Passover, the Lamb, they point to Him. The body of the Lord Jesus. This is the real, the final, the perfect Lamb. And all those sacrificed before, but only really pointing forward to the real thing. The sacrifice to fulfill them all was the body of the Son of God. What does he do next? He takes the cup. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. The blood of the covenant. Well, again, here, what is Jesus doing? He's taking us back to the book of Exodus. Now that the rescue from slavery was done, that was amazing, but it wasn't the end, no. That was just the beginning. God's plan was more than that. Yes, it was to rescue them, but it was to bring his people to himself, to make them his own. It was to bring them to be his own covenant people. We find this in Exodus chapter 24. And as he brought them out to Sinai, he gave them his words, he gave them his promise that he would be their God and they would be his people. This covenant promise, it was one made in blood, as Moses sacrificed their oxen, and he sprinkled the blood on the people gathered there that day. Exodus 24, verse 8. It says this Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you. Can you see what Jesus is doing here? For over 1,000 years they've had the blessing of this covenant. This covenant with their God, but now something greater. Something that old covenant was only a shadow of, something it was only pointing to. These things now coming to their fulfillment. Do you remember Mark chapter 13 last week? If you were here, I wonder if you remember that. What did Jesus say about the temple? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. For a thousand years they come to God this way, bringing their sacrifices. But the old, it was now passing. God had always intended that those shadows will be fulfilled in something perfect. And now, this is the central moment of God's plan. The time was fulfilled. God's Christ, he was here, his perfect, his righteous, his precious lifeblood was there, running through his veins. The only possible, perfect, and acceptable sacrifice. Now he was ready to pour out his blood and bring his people to himself. It couldn't have been done without his blood being shed. This is why he had to die. That's because of our sin and the wrong in our hearts, our sinful people. We cannot come to a perfect God. We know then, don't we, why blood must be shed. Children, I'm going to ask you what's more to help me here. Complete the verse for me. Hebrews 9, verse 22. What does it say? Without the shedding of blood. Brilliant, thank you. There's no forgiveness of sins. Without the shedding of blood, no forgiveness of sins. A new covenant. It's not one in the blood of an animal this time. No, it's in the blood of God's own firstborn Son. Why did He have to die? Here's our answer. His body was broken. He died as the perfect Passover lamb, bearing the judgment for our sin. But not only that, his blood is poured out. He died to bring his people to himself so we can enjoy the blessing forever of being his covenant people. Well, there we have two meals, two meals at which hearts are laid bare. But I think this presents a question to us. How does my heart respond to this? How does my heart respond to Jesus' death? And I think it's helpful here for us to look at these two meals together. We've seen the heart of the Lord Jesus that he had for his people, so full of love that he was willing to give up his life, pour out his blood. Doesn't this make more sense of the actions of Mary in the first meal? I think it does. The more we think on and grasp this sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, the more our hearts will be filled with gratitude, like Mary, the more it makes complete sense to pour out what we have for him. Now we can ask, what does this look like for us today? To have a life poured out for the Lord Jesus. Well, God has all kinds of plans for us as a people, doesn't he? And I wonder when we think of that, do we think of a particular single moment? Something like Mary, perhaps, or something else. A moment in time when a great sacrifice is required of us. We ask ourselves, will we be ready to do that out of love for the Lord? It's possible. Some things in life might come along like that, it's possible. But it seems more often in the Christian life. Things don't work out that way. It doesn't come down to one single moment, does it? Instead, it works out in the many little moments in life. The small things that often seem insignificant. How do I respond to those small frustrations? When I'm wronged, do I respond in anger? Or do I show grace? When catching up with a friend, am I ready to speak of the Lord Jesus? When I come across a need, perhaps even a fellow brother or sister? Do I walk on by? Or am I ready to be there for them? To give my time, my money? Life is full of moments in which these things work out, isn't it? Now, if you're anything like me, your thought process here may go a little bit like this. I reflect on what I find in my heart. And then I look at Mary here in this story, and I look at Judas. Considering that, I then cry out to God, Lord, why does my heart so often feel so much closer? Not to reflecting Mary, but Judas. Why does it feel like my heart is so often like that? Why is it so often my heart one moment beats in gratitude for the Lord Jesus, and in the next it's gone cold, ready to ignore the needs of my brother and sister? Well, as I reflect on that with Mark 14 in my hands, what do I see there? We again have these words. Take, this is my body, this is my blood of the covenant poured out for me. And so, yes, my heart beats cold so often. And yes, I walk in stumbling steps with God, but he has paid for my sin. I'm redeemed, I'm forgiven. His blood, it was shed for me. I'm no longer my own, I belong to him. Praise God. Yes, he knows every one of my failing steps with him. He knows my heart better than I do. And do you know? He even knew that when he died for me. Those things he's dealt with. Jesus has died for if I belong to him. And so if we are his, it leaves us with this. How do we then respond? He poured out his blood for us. Will we then pour out our lives for him? Are we finished there? Let me pray for us. Let's pray. Our Father God, we praise you for the precious gift of your Son for us. Would you today fill my heart again with love for the Lord Jesus? Would you fill my heart with a love for his people that I'm ready to serve them? Would you fill my heart with a love for the lost? And I would share him with them. Father, teach me to walk again as your child. That my steps would falter less the longer I walk with you. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.