TRAGEDY. MARK CLOSES

 MARK 12 CLOSES WITH A WARNING AGAINST THE SCRIBES AND THEIR HYPOCRISY, AND THE ACCOUNT OF THE WIDOW'S MITE, 12:38-40, AND 41-44. MARK 13 CONTAINS TWO STRANDS. ONE SPEAKS OF THE COMING DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM BY THE ROMANS IN 7O A.D. THE OTHER OUTLINES WHAT THE DISCIPLES AND THE CHURCH WOULD EXPERIENCE IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN BETWEEN THE ASCENSION AND THE SECOND COMING. IT IS ROUNDED OFF WITH AN EXHORTATION TO BE READY AT ALL TIMES. THE PASSION HISTORY IS OUTLINED IN CHS 14 AND 15. MARK 14:1-11 OUT LINES WHAT TRANSPIRED ON THE WEDNESDAY OF THAT FINAL, CLIMATIC WEEK; LEAVING US TO LOOK AT THE EVENTS OF GOOD FRIDAY. WHY DO I DEVOTE SO MUCH SPACE TO THE EVENTS OF ONE DAY? JESUS LIFE CULMINATED VERY DIFFERENTLY FROM TRADITIONAL EXPECTATIONS, IT WAS NECESSARY TO DEMONSTRATE THAT WHAT HAPPEN TO BE ALL TRAGEDY WAS REALLY ALL TRIUMPH.  ON WEDNESDAY MORNING OF HOLY WEEK, THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES DISCUSSED  HOW TO GET RID OF JESUS, 14: 1,2.  THAT SAME MORNING A WOMEN ANOINTED HIS HEAD WITH OINTMENT. THE VALUE OF THE OINTMENT WAS APPROXIMATELY A YEARS WAGES, FOR A DENARIUS WAS THE USUAL AMOUNT PAID FOR A DAYS WAGES.
JESUS ACCEPTED  THE GESTURE AS A LOVING PREPARATION FOR HIS COMING BURIAL, 14:8.EVENTS FOLLOWED QUICK SUCCESSION. JUDAS MADE ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE CHIEF PRIESTS TO BETRAY JESUS TO THEM. MARK DOES NOT MENTION JUDAS ASKING FOR MONEY, THOUGH THEY PROMISED TO GIVE HIM SOME, 14:10:11. PREPARATIONS WERE THEN MADE FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER. JESUS TOLD HIS DISCIPLES THEY WOULD HAVE NO TROUBLE FINDING A ROOM FOR OBSERVING THE PASSOVER, FOR A MAN CARRYING A JAR OF WATER WOULD LEAD THEM TO IT, 14:13. USUALLY ONLY WOMEN CARRIED WATER JARS; MEN CARRIED WATER CONTAINERS MADE OF SKINS. DURING THE PASSOVER CELEBRATION, JESUS TOLD THE DISCIPLES THAT ONE OF THEM WOULD BETRAY HIM, BUT MENTION NO NAME., SEE MATTHEW 26:14-16; LUKE 22:3-6; MATTHEW 26: 20:25; LUKE 22: 14,21-23; JOHN 13:21-30. THE PASSOVER OBSERVANCE MADE USE OF RITUALS AND SPECIFIED FOODS TO REMIND JEWS OF THEIR MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT. IT ALSO POINTED FORWARD TO THE TIME WHEN THE MESSIAH WOULD ACCOMPLISH A SECOND MIGHTY DELIVERANCE FOR HIS PEOPLE. THAT NIGHT IN THE UPPER ROOM THE DISCIPLES SHARED TABLE WITH THE EXPECTED DELIVER. HOWEVER, HE HAD COME TO DELIVER THEM, NOT FROM THE ROMANS, BUT FROM SATAN, SIN, DEATH, JUDGEMENT, DAMNATION, AND THEMSELVES. WITH JESUS COMING, THE PASSOVER OBSERVANCE HAD COMPLETED ITS TIME OF USEFUL SERVICE. JESUS REPLACED IT WITH ANOTHER OBSERVANCE, ONE IN WHICH HE GAVE TO HIS NEW COMMUNITY HIS OWN BODY AND BLOOD TOGETHER WITH THE BREAD AND WINE THAT HE PASSED AROUND. THIS OBSERVANCE WAS TO BE AN ASSURANCE THAT WHAT JESUS HAD COME TO ACCOMPLISH WAS FOR THEM. IT WAS ALSO TO ASSURE THEM THAT THEIR LORD WOULD REMAIN AMONG THEM THROUGHOUT LIFE. FURTHEMORE ( AS PAUL REMINDED THEM, 1 COR. 11:26) TO ENCOURAGE THEM
TO LOOK TWO WAYS, BACKWARDS AND FORWARD TO THAT DEATH WHICH HAD DELIVERED THEM MIGHTLY. THEY WERE TO LOOK FORWARD TO THE TIME WHEN HE WOULD COME AGAIN TO LEAD THEM ACROSS THAT FINAL JORDAN" OF DEATH INTO THE HEAVENLY CANAAN. FINALLY, IN SHARING THE LORD'S CUP THEY WERE DECLARING THEIR WILLINGNESS  TO SHARE THEIR LORDS LOT IN LIFE AND TO USE THEIR LIVES AS HE USED HIS-- IN THE SERVICE OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER AND OTHERS. THE CONTINUING OBSERVANCE OF THEIR LORD'S SUPPER WAS TO CELEBRATE  THAT THEY WERE ETERNAL SERVANT SUBJECTS OF THEIR ETERNAL SERVANT KING. SEE MARK 14:22-25. DURING THE PASSOVER MEAL, JESUS TOLD HIS DISCIPLES THAT THEY WOULD ALL DESERT HIM. YES, EVEN PETER WOULD DO THAT.
HOWEVER, AFTER HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION THEY WOULD MEET HIM. AGAIN IN GALILEE. AFTER THE PASSOVER OBSERVANCE JESUS WENT WITH HIS DISCIPLES TO THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE. THERE, THE REALIZATION OF WHAT WAS BUT A FEW HOURS AWAY CRUSHED HIM. THE DISCIPLES FOUND IT HARD TO KEEP HIM COMPANY IN HIS PRAYER VIGIL, AND FELL ASLEEP. EVENTUALLY, JUDAS ARRIVED WITH AN ARMED GROUP INTENT ON TAKING JESUS INTO CUSTODY. PERHAPS JUDAS INITIAL OFFER TO AUTHORITIES WAS TO LEAD THEM TO JESUS AT A TIME AND PLACE WHERE THERE WOULD BE NO OPPORTUNITY  FOR THE CROWDS TO PROTEST.
JUDAS USE OF A KISS WAS NOT UNUSUAL; A KISS WAS THE CUSTOMARY GREETING
THAT A DISCIPLE OFFERED TO HIS TEACHER. JESUS CAPTURE FRIGHTENED THE DISCIPLES. THEY FLED.  PETER FOLLOWED AT A DISTANCE, BUT WHEN PUT UNDER PRESSURE, DENIED JESUS, 14:66-72. WHEN JESUS BEGAN HIS MINISTRY, THE TRUE ISRAEL NUMBERED ONE PERSON, HIMSELF. AS HE CARRIED OUT HIS MINISTRY, THE NUMBER GREW. AS THE THRUST OF JESUS MESSAGE BECAME CLEAR, THE GROUP DIMINISHED IN SIZE. THE JERUSALEM AUTHORITIES , WHO HAD BEEN HOSTILE TOWARDS HIM THROUGHOUT, STIRRED UP THE CROWDS AGAINST HIM. JUDAS BETRAYED HIM. THE DISCIPLES FELL ASLEEP IN GETHSEMANE, AND FLED WHEN THE CAPTORS ARRIVED. PETER DENIED HIM. THE CROWDS BENEATH THE CROSS MOCKED HIM. THE THIEVES WHO WERE HIS COMPANIONS IN DEATH, REVILED HIM 15:32. FURTHERMORE MARK REPORTS ONLY ONE " WORD FROM THE CROSS," " MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?", 15:34 IT SEEMED EVEN THE FATHER HAD FORSAKEN HIM! THEN CAME DEATH. HE WAS SO, SO ALONE. WAS HE?
 A ROMAN SOLDIER STOOD BENEATH THE CROSS AND CONFESSED THE TRUTH EXPRESSED IN THE OPENING VERSE OF THE GOSPEL (" THE SON OF GOD," 1:1), " TRULY THIS MAN WAS THE SON OF GOD!" 15:39. HE CONFESSED THE VERY TRUTH THE SANHEDRIN HAD DENIED. JOSEPH OF ARIMETHEA, A MEMBER OF THE SANHEDRIN, ASSUMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR JESUS BURIAL, 15:42-47.