The Gospel of Mark
By Charles R Erdman
Chapter 5
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SECTION V. The Events of Passion Week. Chs. 11:1 to 15:47 A. SUNDAY The Royal Entry. Ch. 11:1-11
For the first time, in the story of Mark, Jesus approaches Jerusalem; and he comes as a king. Some details of the scene, as painted by the other evangelists, are omitted by Mark; but at his hand the picture loses nothing of its royal color. Until now Jesus has forbidden his followers to proclaim him as the Messiah; he has been unwilling to precipitate the crisis; but at last, the hour has come; Jesus openly declares himself to be the promised King of Israel. He does so by an act as picturesque as dramatic. Accompanied by his disciples, surrounded by multitudes, seated on a colt, acclaimed by the crowds as the royal Son of David, he sweeps into the holy city, and enters the Temple courts. There is much that is lowly in his appearance, but everything is in keeping with the popular conception of the appearing of Messiah, of the coming of the great King. The incident opens as Jesus assumes his royal role, and sends his disciples to bring the colt, on which he is to make his triumphant progress. Mark gives here a slight original touch, as he records the promise of Jesus shortly TO restore the colt to its owner; the command is imperial but it is courteous. Jesus foretells every detail of the experiences awaiting his messengers; and they find them exactly as he has said. Even in these simple instructions he shows superhuman knowledge. When the colt has been brought, and Jesus starts across the Mount of Olives toward Jerusalem, the crowds show their homage to the king by spreading their garments in the way, and also "branches, which they had cut from the fields." Mark does not mention the fact that some, as they hail the Messiah, are bearing "the palms" from which the Church has named this historic Sunday; but he does give very fully the words of royal greeting which the multitudes are shouting. "Hosanna" is a prayer, meaning "Save now"; "blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord," is a statement that Jesus was the true representative of God; "the kingdom of our father David" means that it had been promised to David and by him, and is to reproduce the supreme splendor of his reign; "hosanna in the highest," is a prayer that the salvation prepared in highest heaven may descend on the King and his Kingdom. It is evident that Jesus encouraged and emplo^^ed the enthusiastic cries of the multitude to arouse increased excitement and to aid in the most public possible presentation of himself to the city and nation as the predicted Messiah. How soon those hosannas were silenced, and replaced by the cry, "Crucify him!" The familiar fact reminds us that emotion may be an aid to faith, but feeling must not be mistaken for faith. Definitely, impressively, finally, Jesus thus offered himself as King; but he was rejected and nailed to a cross. The royal entry only emphasized the fatal blindness of a race. The glory of the offered Kingdom is still delayed, and will be perfected only when again the cry shall be heard, as the King again appears, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Even now this same Jesus offers himself to us as Master and Lord; shall we give him glad, free access to our hearts? B. MONDAY 1. The Barren Fig Tree. Ch. 11:12-14
The miracle which stands last in this gospel of miracles is more important than it may seem. It is the more significant because the last; for it is a parable as well as a miracle, and it has a definite reference to the guilty nation which was about to reject and to kill its King. If it were not that the purpose of Jesus was to teach a solemn and important lesson, his act would have been unreasonable, petulant, wanton. His divine power was usually employed only to bless and to heal; but here the withering of a tree is employed to prophesy the coming judgment upon an unrepentant and profitless people. The tree evidently had been planted in an advantageous position, sheltered from the wind, favored by moisture and sunlight; and as Jesus sees its great wealth of leaves he looks for fruit, even though the season for figs has not come; but when he finds nothing but leaves, he declares that henceforth the tree never shall bear fruit. What a mysterious union of the human and divine, in the person of Jesus, is here revealed; hungry on his morning journey, disappointed in his expectation of food, yet able by a single word to render a tree forever fruitless, and predicting, with divine foreknowledge, the doom of a nation! What a picture, also, the pretentious foliage presents of the pride and hypocrisy and faithlessness of Israel! God had placed his chosen people advantageously among the nations of the world, he had bestowed upon them peculiar spiritual opportunities and religious advantages; and when the Son of God visited his people he found them making great professions of holiness, boasting their superior goodness, and maintaining a form of godliness; but beneath all the hypocrisy and pretense he could find no fruit of righteousness. The ministry of Jesus was just concluding; he was about to be rejected by the people who had been especially prepared for his coming, and he caused the fig tree to wither as a prophecy of the approaching judgment of God upon the fruitless, unfaithful nation. The parable was fulfilled in the experience of Israel; but is there here no message for the followers of Christ? Do their deeds always correspond to their words and their professions; are they continually producing fruits of righteousness proportionate to their superior spiritual privileges and advantages? Those who claim to have eternal life are expected to manifest its power. 2. Cleansing the Temple. Ch. 11:15-19
The abuse, which Jesus here rebukes, had arisen from what was at first a public convenience, namely, the sale to pilgrims, in the neighborhood of the Temple, of sacrifices which they could not bring from their distant homes. Gradually the traffic had pressed nearer, until the merchants had entered the Temple area and were desecrating the sacred courts by their distracting noise, their greed, their extortion and fraud. Once before, as we learn from John, Jesus had expelled these traders. Each instance supplies, in the majestic figure of our Lord, as alone he drives before him a crowd of offenders, an example of the power of conscious right and justice when opposing conscious fault and guilt; but by the necessity of this second cleansing of the Temple we are reminded how little permanence there is to a reformation caused by fear and not by sorrow for sin and a desire for holiness. In both instances Jesus is really calling a nation to repentance. His solemn rebuke intimates that the people are forgetful of the divine presence, they are indifferent to the divine will. To profane the Temple is to symbolize their national apostasy. It is ever true that our attitude toward the house of God and the worship of God is an index to our spiritual state; it is also true that the supreme need of everyone is to have the heart made right. Thus Jesus is rebuking not merely commercialism in religion, or improprieties in worship, but all formalism and profanity and religious indifference. Jesus, furthermore, by his deed of authority, is making a claim. He is presenting himself as the Messiah. On the previous day he had entered the city in royal triumph, offering himself to the nation as their Saviour and King; now he returns to the Temple, and in the central place of the capital city, by a symbolic act and by a significant rebuke, he declares himself to be the Lord of the Temple and one with the God for whose worship he is so divinely jealous. Quite as definitely Jesus is giving a supreme challenge to the priests and the rulers of the nation; they are the ones who are responsible for the desecration of the Temple; they are the ones who are profiting most by the profane traffic; they are the ones who have made the court of the Gentiles "a. den of robbers" when God had designed the whole Temple to be "a house of prayer for all the nations." The "chief priests and the scribes" at once understand all that is implied by the act and rebuke of Jesus; and, now aroused to murderous hate, they ''sought how they might destroy him." They watch for an opportunity for some secret attack; they see his immense popularity; "they feared him, for all the multitude was astonished at his teaching." However, Jesus does not expose himself needlessly. Every night during this memorable week, both for greater safety and for rest, he retires to the home he so enjoyed in Bethany. C. TUESDAY 1. The Power of Faith. Ch. 11:20-26
In the morning, as Jesus and his disciples are returning from Bethany to Jerusalem, they pass the fig tree which, by its show of leaves and lack of fruit, had furnished to our Lord a parable of the spiritual state of the Jewish nation. Peter expresses his surprise at seeing the miraculous change which has been wrought by the word of Jesus; for the vigorous, flourishing tree of yesterday is now shriveled and withered to the very roots, a picture of the coming doom of Israel. Jesus uses the occasion, however, to teach his followers a lesson of supreme personal importance. "Have faith in God"; these words, spoken by the Master, are in direct answer to Peter's astonishment. They declare that the marvel is explained by the power of faith, and the disciples are encouraged to a similar trust in God. The word of Jesus had wrought the miracle because of his conscious oneness with the Father, and his dependence upon him. It is intimated that like results will issue for his followers, if they really trust in God. Faith can remove even mountains; not that Jesus or his disciples encourage us to attempt this literal act, but we are to realize that by faith we can do things otherwise impossible. The natural expression of faith is prayer; Jesus therefore adds, by way of climax, that not only can a tree be withered, not only a mountain moved, but "all things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Of course there are conditions, elsewhere suggested, for such power in prayer. Here, in addition to faith, Jesus teaches that prayer must be offered in the spirit of forgiving charity: "And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, . . , that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you." The negative statement of verse twenty-six is omitted by the best manuscripts; but the paragraph is already complete in stating the power of prayer, offered in faith and love. 2. The Question of Authority. Ch. 11:27-33
As Jesus reaches the city he is at once attacked by all the Jewish rulers and leaders. They challenge him to state by what authority he is acting in receiving honors as the Messiah or in driving the traders from the Temple as on the day past. Their question is framed with subtle skill: "By what authority doest thou these things? or who gave thee this authority to do these things?" They place Jesus in a dilemma; if he claims that authority had been delegated to him, then he may be accused of disloyalty, of schism, in supplanting the recognized "authorities" of the Jewish state; if he claims inherent, divine authority, as one with God, he may be condemned for blasphemy. Jesus silences his enemies with a question which involves them in a counter dilemma: "The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? answer me." They cannot say "from heaven," for they had rejected John; they do not dare to say, "from men," for they fear the people by whom John was regarded as a prophet. They try to escape by the cowardly reply, "We know not." Agnosticism is usually cowardly and deserving of little respect. Jesus does more than silence them; he answers them. His question is no irrelevant riddle by which he meets a difficulty and delays the necessity of a reply. He definitely implies that the authority of John was divine, and that his own authority is the same; but as they were afraid to deny the divine authority of John they are powerless to deny that of Jesus; and, further, if they had accepted the message of John, they would be prepared to accept Jesus. It is true that if we are afraid to accept the logical conclusions of our doubts and denials, we never can hope to discover truth. Jesus, further, rebukes his enemies. When they say, "We know not," Jesus knows, they know, the crowd knows, that they are not honest; the Lord has laid bare their hypocrisy; he has made it perfectly evident that the real question at issue is not authority but obedience. The enemies of Jesus pretend that they want to know more of Jesus' credentials; they really want to discredit and to entrap him. The modern enemies of our Lord declare that they want more proofs, more evidence; what they really lack is love for him and submission to his will. Those who do not repent when John preaches, will not believe when Jesus offers to save. The world needs to-day not more proof of divine authority but more obedience to the revealed will of God. Jesus absolutely discredited his enemies in the sight of the people. They were the constituted authorities in all matters civil and religious, and yet they were made to confess publicly that they were not competent to judge a clear, familiar, important case relating to religious authority. They really abdicated their position. They, therefore, were disqualified to pass an opinion on the exactly parallel case of the authority of Jesus. Jesus had defeated them with their own weapon. No wonder that subsequently, when on trial before such judges, he refused to answer them a word. He had shown their incompetence, their insincerity, their unbelief. Honest doubters are deserving of sympathy; but professed seekers after truth, who are unwilling to accept the consequences of belief, should expect to receive no further light. An increasing knowledge of divine truth is conditioned upon humble submission, of the heart and the will, to what already has been revealed. 3. The Parable of the Husbandmen. Ch. 12:1-12
The rulers have attempted to entrap and to discredit Jesus by a subtle question concerning his authority; by a skillful counter question and a refusal to submit to them his claims, he silences them, he exposes their treachery and hypocrisy, and he virtually compels them to renounce their boasted authority as religious leaders. He does more: by a simple parable he fully answers their question, he claims divine authority, and he boldly charges the rulers with unfaithfulness to God, and with plotting the murder of the Son of God; yet his statements are in such a form that the rulers are disarmed and utterly unable to arrest him, to attack him, or even to accuse him of fault. He only tells them a little story; who can object to an anecdote? He speaks of a man who owned a vineyard and rented it on shares to certain cultivators. The latter, instead of giving the owner his due, beat and outraged and killed his messengers and finally murdered his only son; but the lord of the vineyard was to return and to give the vineyard to others. Such is the simple parable; and its meaning, as the enemies of our Lord perceive, is thinly veiled. A vineyard was the Old Testament symbol for Israel; the husbandmen were the rulers to whom God had intrusted the spiritual care of his people; the messengers were the prophets, even including John the Baptist, whom the rulers of Israel had rejected and wounded or killed; the son and heir was Jesus, whom the chief priests and elders and scribes were now conspiring to slay; but judgment was sure to come; these faithless keepers of the vineyard were to be destroyed. Thus solemnly does Jesus arraign his enemies; thus clearly does he predict his death at their hands; but he closes his parable with a prophecy of his certain triumph; death will not mean defeat; he is yet to be Victor and King; as the Old Testament declared, he is to be like a stone which the builders rejected but which is to be made the headstone of the corner, holding the place of chief dignity and power. Thus marvelously does Jesus reveal his divine foreknowledge, thus definitely does he claim to be superior to all prophets as the very Son of God; thus, too, does he declare the solemn responsibility of religious leadership; thus does he warn men of the dread danger of rejecting his claims. 4. The Question of Paying Tribute. Ch. 12:13-17
Early in this memorable day of public teaching, Jesus has been attacked by the elders and chief priests and scribes; but he has defeated them, exposed them to ridicule, and indicted them as apostates and murderers. In their furious hate they would have him killed at once; but they fear the multitudes with whom Jesus is so popular. To compass his death, therefore, they must first discredit him with the people; they must entangle him in his teaching. Thus to entrap him, they now return with a series of three crafty questions; but Jesus evades each snare, he answers each question fairly and completely, and then asks a question by which his enemies are finally silenced. x The first question relates to the payment of tribute to the Roman Government. The more conservative Jews held that God was the Ruler of Israel and that it was possibly wrong to pay taxes to support a heathen state. The more liberal party sided with the Herods, who owed their power to Rome. Therefore the enemies of Jesus send to him representatives of both parties, Pharisees and Herodians, so that if he avoids offending one party he will displease the other. They approach Jesus with the flattering assurance that he is so truthful and courageous that he will not hesitate to express his true convictions; and then they propose their artful question, 'Ts it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?" Shall Jesus say, "Yes"? Then he will cease to be a popular idol, for the people loath the hateful oppression of Rome. Shall Jesus say, "No"? Then his enemies will hurry him away to the Roman governor and the cross, as a traitor and a rebel. The dilemma seems complete; yet Jesus not only escapes the snare, but, in his reply, he enunciates a law for all time: "Render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's." To make plain his meaning, Jesus first calls for a Roman coin, and asks whose image and superscription it bears. They, of course, reply, "Cæsar's." Jesus therefore insists that if they accept the coins of Cæsar they must pay taxes to Cæsar. That is, if one accepts the protection of a government, and the privileges provided by a government, then one is under obligation to support that government. Christianity never should be identified with any political party or social theory, but Christians ever should take their stand for loyalty, for order, and for law. It is not the whole of life, however, to "render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's"; one must also "render unto God the things that are God's." The latter higher allegiance includes the former. The enemies of Jesus suggested a conflict of duties; he showed that there was perfect harmony. He intimated, however, that there was danger of forgetting God, and our obligations to him of trust, service, worship, love. The true basis for citizenship is devotion to God, and no political theory or party allegiance can be taken as a substitute for loyalty to him. The enemies of Jesus were answered, and rebuked, and his followers were given guidance for all the coming years. 5. The Question of Resurrection. Ch. 12: 18-27
Jesus defeated the Pharisees and the Herodians. He is now attacked by the Sadducees, who were the priestly, and most powerful, party among the Jews. They questioned the immortality of the soul, and believed neither in angels nor in spirits; they represented the modern materialists. It is to be noted, however, that the question with which they approach Jesus is not in reference to immortality but to the resurrection of the body. They propose the case of a woman, married successively to seven brothers from each of whom she was separated by death, and they ask, In the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of them?" They hope that Jesus will either den}^ the orthodox belief as to the resurrection or make some statement which will contradict the law of Moses which made the successive marriages lawful. The reply of Jesus is one which is applicable to many modern skeptics: "Ye know not the scriptures, nor the power of God." This twofold ignorance caused them to imagine a contradiction which really did not exist. First, as to "the power of God": he is able to provide a life in which there is no death, or birth, or marriage, but where relations are even higher than the most blessed relationship of earth. Such an existence, with its higher laws, is consistent with the facts and laws of our present life. Secondly, as to "the scriptures": what do they declare that God has promised to do? Jesus answers this question by quoting from the very system of law to which the Sadducees have referred, 'T am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," and then he adds, "he is not the God of the dead, but of the living." He means to establish the fact of the continued existence of the dead; yet not merely this, but to prove the resurrection of the dead. The latter is the question at issue. Life, as used by our Lord, indicated normal life, not that of a disembodied soul, but of an immortal soul clothed with a deathless body. "The living" are therefore the risen. The confident expectation of such a future state is based on our relation to God. If he is truly our God, and we are his people, the triumph of death is not real and permanent, but will be ended by the glory of a resurrection from the dead. Many beliefs which men scout because they seem to contradict known laws of science will some day be explained by the discovery of higher laws. It is for us to ask what has been written, and then to believe in the power of God to perform. 6. The Question as to the Great Commandment. Ch. 12:28-34
The third question addressed to our Lord, embodies a familiar problem which the scribes liked to discuss, namely, as to which among the Commandments is the most important. Their code of morality was most complex, and consisted in an infinite number of minute requirements and regulations. The reply of Jesus is startling in its insight and its simplicity; he declares that the whole duty of man, the full sum of moral obligation, the essence of all divine law, is embodied and expressed in one word, love. This love must be exercised in two directions, first toward God, and secondly toward men. All the Ten Commandments and all other divine requirements are but expressions of this one supreme principle. "The first commandment" therefore is love to God; this Is the fulfillment of the "first table of the law"; but "the second" is inseparable from it; it comprehends the rest of the commandments, as it requires love for men. What must have startled the hearers was the fact that both "these two commandments" are quoted from the Old Testament, and the first was so familiar that it was repeated twice daily by all Jews. So simple and so unquestioned is the principle of love, into which all moral problems can be resolved, by which all moral obligations can be comprehended. 7. The Question of Christ. Ch. 12:35-37
Three questions have been asked to entangle Jesus and to discredit him with the people; his answers not only foil his enemies but declare universal principles for the guidance of his followers. The first relates to political and civic duties, the second concerns natural and physical laws, the third is in the realm of morals and ethics. Now Jesus proposes a counter question; it embodies the supreme problem in the sphere of philosophy and religion. The question concerns the person of Christ; is he to be regarded as man or God, or as at once God and man? Where is Christ to be placed in the scale of being? Or, as Jesus voiced the problem, how could David speak of the coming Messiah as both his son and his Lord? There was but one answer; there can be but one: Christ is both human and divine, he is the son of David and also the Son of God. The incarnation is the only solution of our most serious difficulties in the sphere of religious belief. Jesus has absolutely defeated and silenced his enemies; and he concludes the long controversy by this expression of his supreme claim to be the Christ of whom David had prophesied. 8. Warning Against the Scribes. Ch. 12:38-40
As the long, last day of public teaching draws to its close, it is not strange that Jesus turns to warn the people against his enemies who have been seeking to ensnare him and are determined to kill him. These murderous scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders and teachers of the day; and yet upon them Jesus is compelled to pronounce the most stern condemnation. His words are given at length by Matthew. In the account by Mark we find only a few brief sentences which sketch three principal features of these foes of our Lord. The first is their ambition for display and position and flattery, the second is their cruel avarice, and the third their shameful hypocrisy. It has always been remarked that the most bitter denunciations of Jesus are addressed to the men whose outward lives were respectable and whose religious professions were the loudest. This does not mean that open vice and flagrant sin are better than selfish and proud morality; but it does remind us that greater religious and spiritual light involves larger responsibility, and that hypocrisy and pretense are especially condemned by the teachings of our Lord. 9. The Widow's Mites. Ch. 12:41-44
What a contrast this charming sketch supplies to the picture of the Pharisees, which Jesus has just drawn! In the eyes of the world the service of the poor widow was meager and worthless, and the gifts of the hypocrites were costly and great; but in the eyes of the Lord these offerings were comparatively worthless and she had given more than they all. As a matter of fact she had given but two small coins, worth less than half a cent; but they were all she had and she gave them both. With this scene in mind we should be careful not to call our offerings "mites," unless they are all that we possess; we should be encouraged, however, to know that our Lord looks upon the heart and estimates the gift by the motive and the love and the sacrifice involved; above all, we should be reminded that we can best measure our offeri ngs not by what we give but by how much we keep. The influence of this woman is still moving multitudes toward the treasury of the Lord. 10. The Coming of Christ. Ch. 13
When Jesus delivers his memorable discourse concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and his glorious return, he is seated with his disciples on the Mount of Olives. He has just left the Temple for the last time, and as they are passing through its courts, the disciples draw his attention to the superb beauty and splendor of its buildings; and Jesus surprises them by his reply, "There shall not be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down." A little later, as they pause to rest on the western slope of the mountains, on their way to Bethany, four of the disciples come to Jesus with the request, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are all about to be accomplished?" Jesus takes occasion to predict not only the destruction of Jerusalem but also his personal, future return, of which the former event is to be a "sign" and a symbol. Many of the difficulties in this discourse disappear when we remember that our Lord is here describing not one event but two. He is prophesying the literal overthrow of the holy city by the armies of Rome, but he is using the colors of this tragic scene to paint the picture of his own coming in glory. So interwoven are these two series of predictions that great care must be exercised in determining which details should be assigned to each one, and generous allowance must be made for honest differences of opinion in interpreting passages involving analogy, and clothed in language which is frequently figurative. It seems quite evident that while the destruction of Jerusalem was the starting point of the address, both events are in mind during the first twenty-three verses, and that the closing section deals more particularly with the return of our Lord. In the successive paragraphs the order of thought seems to be: (1) The present age and the preaching of the gospel; (2) The great tribulation; (3) The "signs" and the personal appearing of Christ; (4) The warning to watchfulness. (1) As Jesus passes in prophetic review the entire age between his crucifixion and his return, he warns his disciples against false Christs who may appear, vs. 5, 6, and against the common temptation to regard any particular war or calamity as a special sign of his return; for wars and earthquakes and famines will be the natural order of events in this present age; even though they grow increasingly severe they are "the beginning of travail," the prophecies of a better age to come, the birth pangs of a new dispensation, the necessary precursors of "the regeneration," of "the restitution of all things," of the perfected Kingdom of God upon earth. Vs. 7, 8. The followers of Christ are to expect persecution and hardship; they will be not only opposed by civil rulers, but hunted and hated and killed by their nearest relatives. Their continual and supreme duty, however, is to preach the gospel "unto all the nations." In this public testimony the Holy Spirit will give them wisdom and strength. Their unfailing fidelity will be recompensed in an eternal salvation. Vs. 9-13. (2) The great tribulation which is to precede the coming of Christ develops out of the continual oppositions and persecutions of the present age, and is their climax and consummation. This event is painted so vividly, in colors borrowed from the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, that it is dangerous to insist just how far the analogy between the two events is to be pressed. "The abomination of desolation," here described as a person, and supposed by many to refer to the Roman emperor, represented by his army or his royal standards, is to have as an antitype a "man of sin," under whom there is to be a period of suffering such as the world has never seen, and were it not for the divine intervention, which has been determined, it would appear that none could survive this reign of savagery and horror. As men yearn for escape and deliverance they will be misled easily by the many false Christs and false prophets who will appear. For all this, how^ever, true Christians will be prepared by these prophecies which have been given to them by their Lord. Vs. 14-23. (3) The "signs," which, in the invariable order of prophecy, immediately follow the "Great Tribulation" and directly precede the personal return of Christ, are described in figures as mysterious as they are impressive: "The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken." Then occurs the event toward which all the ages are moving, for which the poor world is waiting, by which the work of the Church will be crowned and her hopes fulfilled, namely, the personal glorious appearing of the crucified, risen, ascended Lord. "Then shall they see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory." Then will he gather and reward his persecuted, suffering, faithful servants "from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven." Vs. 24-27. (4) With this event in view, our Lord urges upon his disciples a spirit of watchfulness. Of course there will be "signs" immediately before his return, just as the budding of a tree indicates the approach of summer; the destruction of Jerusalem, the great type of the ending age, will occur, he declares, while the present generation is living. His words, however, "shall not pass away"; all these predictions will be fulfilled. The exact time of his return is unknown. Of that he, who became man, and humbled and "emptied himself," is voluntarily ignorant. Watchfulness, therefore, does not consist in idle speculations as to the time of the advent, not in presumptuous setting of dates which God has never revealed, not in neglect of duty. It is expressed, rather, in absolute fidelity to our daily tasks. We are to be like servants, whose Master has gone to another country, but has given to each one his work. We are to be so wakeful, so diligent in our several places, so concerned that the gospel shall be preached unto all nations, that we shall have no ground for fear or for regret when we learn that our returning Lord is near. D. WEDNESDAY Conspiracy, Devotion, Treachery. Ch. 14:1-11
The anointing of Jesus by Mary may have occurred earlier in the week than the story of Mark suggests. Probably with deliberate purpose it is placed here, both to contrast this act of devoted love with the murderous conspiracy of the rulers and the foul treachery of Judas, and also because, by the act and the subsequent rebuke, Judas was finally determined to offer the chief priests the shameful help which this narrative shows they needed. There is thus a logical relationship in these three brief paragraphs, and together they form an artistic transition from the stirring events of the last day of his public teaching to the return of Jesus to die at Jerusalem. The day between, on which the rulers met to conspire against him, seems to have been spent in retirement at Bethany. The human ignorance of his enemies appears as a foil to the divine foreknowledge of our Lord; they plotted his death, but definitely planned that it should not be at the passover season, for they feared an uprising of the people; he foresaw that this feast was precisely the time when he would be crucified, and declared that his anointing at Bethany was a fit preparation for his approaching burial. The woman who expresses her love by the gift of costly perfume is Mary of Bethany. She is not to be mistaken for the sinful woman who bathed the feet of Jesus with her tears, nor is either to be confused with Mary Magdalene. At the home of Mary and Martha, Jesus has been spending each night of this last memorable week, together with their brother, Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. When a great feast is being held in honor of our Lord, in the house of Simon of Bethany, Mary enters and pours upon the head and feet of Jesus a flask of precious ointment. When the disciples disapprove of so great a waste of money, which might have been given to the poor, Jesus defends and praises what seems to be a prodigal expenditure, and teaches that (1) no gift to him can be too great if it is made in devoted love; "she hath wrought a good work on me"; an act may have moral beauty even when it lacks practical utility. (2) Care of the poor, and other duties which are of perpetual obligation may give way before an opportunity for service which can come but once; even charity may not always be the highest expression of Christian devotion: "Ye have the poor always with you . . . . but me ye have not always." (3) Jesus sees more in our service for him and places higher values upon it than we can understand. "She hath done what she could" does not mean that she has done the little which was possible, but has done the great thing which the occasion offered. "She hath anointed my body afore-hand for the burial." (4) The influence, if not the memory, of an act of Christian sacrifice can never end. Upon no other deed does Jesus ever bestow such praise. "Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." Against the background of this beautiful picture, how black is the figure of Judas who goes to the chief priests voluntarily and unsought, and offers to betray Jesus into their hands at a time and place when the multitudes will not be present. There is no possibility of making light of this crime, nor is there any question that the base motive was avarice; however, the sad truth is that Judas was no exceptional monster; he is but an example of what a man will finally do, who, while in daily fellowship with Jesus, does not renounce and master his besetting sin. E. THURSDAY 1. The Last Supper. Ch. 14:12-26
The last supper of which Jesus partakes with his disciples is one in Christian thought with the Lord's Supper at which we commune with him. Possibly the former may be reviewed most helpfully by asking what it teaches as to the observance of the latter. (1) There should be preparation of heart and mind to preclude thoughts which might interrupt our fellowship and make us forget the presence of Christ. Thus, when Jesus sends Peter and John into the city to make ready the passover feast, he does not tell them the house to which they shall go or the host who is to receive them; he does not wish Judas to hear and to disclose the place to the chief priests and rulers. It is another example of superhuman knowledge; Jesus foresees that the disciples will meet "a man bearing a pitcher of water" who will lead them to the place prepared; and Jesus also knows that Judas, who is again with the disciples, has bargained to betray him. Thus Jesus keeps secret the location of the upper room; he prevents all interruption, he postpones his arrest until he has had opportunity to complete the supper, to give his disciples messages of comfort, and for a time to be alone in the Garden with God. If, at his table, our Lord is to speak to us, we must prepare our hearts to be, for the hour, places of secret, sacred tryst. Vs. 12-16. (2) We must be on our guard against all disloyalty to Christ. Jesus has provided that no enemies shall interrupt; but Judas is in the company. His presence and the knowledge of his secret crime grieve the Master, whose distress is shared by the disciples, when he tells them that one of their number shall betray him. His statement that the treachery of Judas had been predicted does not mean that the sin was a matter of necessity; Judas knows that his treachery is an act of his own free choice; and Jesus pronounces upon him the unparalleled words of doom, "Good were it for that man if he had not been born." It seems that then, when the paschal supper has ended, and before the Lord's Supper is instituted, Judas has left the room. Certain it is that if we are to commune with Christ we must exclude those traitorous thoughts, those secret sins, which can be found in even the closest followers of Christ. Vs. 17-21. (3) We must fix our minds upon the sacrificial death of our Lord and make vows of new devotion to him. Jesus gives his disciples bread, which he breaks, as a symbol of his body which, on the morrow, is to be torn with scourges and thorns and to be nailed to the cross; he pours out wine as a token of his blood that is to be "poured out for many." He declares that thus is being ratified a "new covenant," superior to that of Sinai, one of matchless grace and love. According to this covenant, all who, by faith, partake of Christ, receive not only pardon for sin but also power for holy living. To make this possible Christ died for us; with the symbols of such love before us we should pledge to him anew our allegiance and our lives. Vs. 22-24. (4) We should be cheered by a new vision of coming glory. Jesus declares that while he is to be separated from them for a time he will some day drink with them the wine, of another and a better kind, in his perfected Kingdom. The sacred Supper should turn our thoughts toward reunions with loved ones, toward the opening skies, toward the age of universal peace, for as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup we do show forth the Lord's death till he come. V. 25. (5) We should go forth to our trials and our struggles with a song of triumph on our lips. "When they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives." Jesus goes forth to Gethsemane, to agony, to the cross; but he goes out as a victor, to conquer fear and pain and death, to rise and to reign, and to make them "more than conquerors" who put their trust in him. 2, The Agony. Ch. 14:27-42
In strong contrast with the ignorant unbelief and proud confidence of the disciples, appear the divine foreknowledge and heroic courage of the Master. On the way from the upper room to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus declares that they are about to forsake him in cowardlyfear, that he will be killed and they scattered like sheep; that, however, he is to rise and to go before them into Galilee. Peter leads his fellow disciples in protestations of devotion and courage, even when Jesus has replied that Peter shall himself thrice deny Christ on that very night. So blind are the disciples to the coming tragedy which Jesus is so definitely predicting! It is the clear vision of coming anguish that brings Jesus, when they have reached the Garden, into an unequaled agony of mind. The disciples will not be warned of their approaching trial; they feel no distress, and so they fall, in the hour of testing; Jesus believes the bitterness of the coming day, he anticipates its sufferings, and he meets them with calmness and with victorious faith. There can be no doubt that the "cup," from which Jesus wished to escape, was his approaching death upon the cross; but his agony in the Garden adds beyond measure to the meaning and to the mystery of that death. For any sensitive soul to shrink from pain and anguish is but natural and pardonable; but if Jesus suffered such incomparable agony in view of physical torture, he was less heroic than many of his followers have been. If, however, in the hour of death he was to be identified with sin, if he was "to give his life a ransom for many," if his experience was absolutely unique, then we can understand how in that dark hour of anticipation his soul was sorrowful "even unto death." The "cup" which Jesus was asked to drink consisted in death as "the bearer of sin." In his agony Jesus longs for human sympathy; he requests certain of his disciples to watch with him. Their weariness and sleep picture the limitations of such sympathy. Beyond all the comfort of companionship, sorrow and trial are always experiences of loneliness and isolation. Jesus' supreme recourse is found in prayer. He has come to the Garden to pray. When the agony grips his soul most fiercely, still he prays; and he is heard; not that the cup is removed, but grace is given to drain its very dregs, and death loses its sting, and the grave is deprived of its power, and Jesus "became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation." Jesus prays in faith; but the essence of that faith is his willingness to obey: "Not what I will, but what thou wilt." He wins his victory by submission to the will of his Father. When the traitor approaches, when the hour strikes, he is ready, "he was well content." 3. The Arrest. Ch. 14: 43-52
The manner in which Judas concludes his foul crime is in perfect keeping with its essential baseness. He leads a crowd, armed with swords and clubs, into the Garden where his Master was wont to retire for prayer, and there betrays him with a kiss, a sign he appointed that in the uncertain light one of the disciples might not be mistaken for the Master. Thus acts of disloyalty to Christ often seem the more repulsive because of the sacredness of the scenes and the protestations of love. Against the background of the armed band, the form of Jesus stands out in majestic dignity. Upon that figure, in these tragic episodes, Mark ever centers our interest. Jesus resents the implication of their coming to take him by force; he also protests against the secrecy with which they are securing his arrest; he had never been guilty of violence, his teachings had been public. He declares, however, that even such unjust treatment accords with the Scripture which predicted that he would be numbered with malefactors. The fearless composure of the Master is contrasted also with the conduct of his followers. One of them, with the impulse of mere physical courage, draws his sword and impetuously attacks a servant of the high priest; but as Jesus shows no resistance, all the disciples forsake him and flee. Yet they had so recently vowed their allegiance to him. Thus ignorant are we of our own moral cowardice, thus does our courage fail in the hour of trial. One strange episode is here recorded by Mark alone — that of the young man who was so eager to escape arrest, that he "fled naked." It has been suggested that this young man may have been John Mark. Probably the picturesque incident is added to show how completely Jesus was forsaken in the hours of his peril and pain. He surely knew what it was to suffer alone. F. FRIDAY 1. Jesus Before the Jewish Council. Ch. 14:53-65
It is still deep midnight when Jesus, who has been arrested in the Garden, is taken, first to Annas, the former high priest, and then to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. A special meeting is called of the sanhedrin, or national council. Through the darkness the members hasten toward the palace of Caiaphas. The news is spread that Jesus is arrested, so that as he is led to the council chamber "there come together with him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes." Not a friend of Jesus Is present; but Mark tells us that out In the courtyard the light of the fire, which the officers have built to warm themselves, is playing on the face of Peter. Jesus is supposed to be on trial for his life; in reality the council is revealed in its true character, and condemned. Moreover, the fate of a nation is being determined, for no people can escape from the guilt of representatives and rulers. Further still, judgment is being prepared for a world; men to-day must take their stand with Caiaphas or with Christ; there is no middle ground. The enemies of Jesus convict themselves of prejudice, of dishonesty, and of malice. They do not desire to ascertain the truth, that justice may be done; they seek to find some evidence that they may condemn Jesus to death; they are willing to employ perjury to accomplish murder. Even the false witnesses whom they have summoned, fail to agree, and to give even a semblance of excuse for condemning Jesus. The nearest approach to a fair charge is the report that Jesus had said, "I will destroy this temple"; whereas Jesus had really predicted that the Jews were to destroy the temple of his body; as indeed the council is now attempting to do. Even this testimony is seen to be conflicting and worthless. In desperation the high priest asks Jesus to reply to the charges, hoping that he may incriminate himself; but the lofty silence of Jesus emphasizes the fact, which his judges realize, that no evidence has been produced worthy of an answer. Jesus is clearly innocent. Then the high priest asks the direct question: "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" With absolute clearness and distinctness, Jesus says, "I am." He then adds a quotation from Daniel which emphasizes the claim and embodies a prophecy, "And ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." All recognize this as a reference to the Messiah; the council realizes its solemn import: Jesus is now in their power and they are his judges, but he is soon to assume universal dominion and to appear as the divine Judge of all men. No wonder Caiaphas rends his clothes in horror, or that the council declares Jesus worthy of death. Jesus has spoken blasphemy, or else the truth. The council has prejudged the case; they never consider that Jesus might be the Christ. They want to know that he made the claim; if made, they decide in advance that it will be false, and if false, then Jesus is worthy of death. The logic is perfect. Either Jesus is a blasphemer or he is the divine Christ. He claims to be the latter; no one can deny his claims without thereby joining the band of his enemies. Then they "began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him." It seems incredible brutality in rulers who claimed to represent God; but the beast in man is nearer the surface than we suppose. When Christ is rejected, when his teachings are despised, when his Spirit is disobeyed, then it is only a question of time and occasion when envy and prejudice and malice and revenge transform men into demons, and bring upon nations the inhumanity of war. 2. Peter Denies His Lord. Ch. 14:66-72
Peter truly loved Jesus; but, in an hour of trial, courage fails and he denies his Lord. His sin, however, is unlike that of Judas. The latter is the final step in a downward course; the former is an act of cowardice in a career which became of great service to Christ and his Church. The fall of Peter is traced to his self-confidence. When he protested that he would be true to Christ even though all should forsake him, he expressed sincere devotion, but he betrayed his pride. The immediate result was his failure to watch and pray; and consequently he was surprised and stunned by the arrest of Jesus, and like the other disciples he forsook him and fled. He has followed Jesus to the palace of the high priest, but hopes to conceal his discipleship and to be regarded as one of the crowd. Every follower of Christ is in moral danger when ashamed of his Lord, and when he feels, as Peter did, that confessed loyalty cannot help his Master. At such a time, when the cause of Jesus seemed hopeless, when the courage of Peter had gone, when he was wearied by the long night of sleeplessness, when cold and lonely, the unexpected attack was made and Peter suffered his memorable defeat. It was the question which is perfectly familiar to us all: Is one willing to confess that he belongs to Christ when surrounded by the enemies of Christ? The first denial, while not wholly definite, is colored by deceit. Peter declares that he did not understand the question. Then when a second denial has been made, Peter reveals irritation and anger; loss of courage is followed by loss of temper and "he began to curse, and to swear, I know not this man of whom ye speak." It is easy to point the finger of scorn at the great apostle, but there are few followers of Christ who, in times of less severe testing, have not as truly denied their Lord by word and deed, with cowardice and deceit and passion. Then Peter hears the cock crow, then he remembers the warning of his Lord, and also his love, "and when he thought thereon, he wept." They are tears of penitence, and they prepare the way for pardon and peace. To many a fallen follower of the Master there has come some minute providence recalling hours of glad fellowship and true devotion. The memory has brought bitter tears of repentance, but afterwards there has come a bright morning, a meeting with the risen Christ, a new confession of love, and a deeper devotion to his cause. 3. Jesus Before Pilate. Ch. 15:1-15
By their Roman conquerors the Jews had been deprived of the right to inflict capital punishment. When, therefore, in the faint light of the dawn, a more formal meeting of the council has confirmed the action taken during the night, the Jewish rulers lead Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, that he may pronounce and execute the sentence of death. Mark gives only a partial review of the trial before Pilate; but he pictures all the essential features of the scene: the malice of the rulers, the fickleness of the people, the moral cowardice of Pilate, and above all the supreme majesty of Jesus. As to the character of the rulers, no new touch is needed; it has been painted in scene after scene through the whole course of the Gospel; but in this supreme crisis they exhibit their power over the people and so emphasize their guilty abuse of the sacred trust of leadership and influence. As to the people, their change of sentiment is incredible, and their choice is fatal. Throughout the whole story they have been enthusiastic in their support of Jesus; they have thronged about him continually, and recently, as he entered the city, they hailed him joyfully as their Messiah and King. Now all is suddenly changed. When they demand the release of a prisoner, as was the custom at the time of the feast, and when Pilate offers to release Jesus, they prefer a murderer, Barabbas, and demand that Jesus shall be crucified. The explanation given is that they were persuaded by the rulers. It is difficult to determine what arguments were used; but history contains no more pitiful example of the treacherous temper. of a crowd, of the uncertainty of popular favor, of the peril of submitting to conscienceless authority, and of the possibility of choosing a destroyer of life in place of the Saviour. How deceitful the reasoning of the rulers must have been, is evident from their request for the release of one who was guilty of the very disloyalty to Rome of which they have accused Jesus. It is, of course, upon Pilate that the interest of the scene centers. He furnishes the pitiful picture of one who lacked the courage of his convictions; he is a tragic example of the peril of hesitation in obeying the voice of conscience. When absolutely convinced of the innocence of Jesus, he attempts to compromise with justice, and finally becomes enmeshed in a crime which has made his name odious through all the Christian centuries. He recognizes that it is merely envy of the popularity of Jesus which has led the rulers to accuse him of treason against Rome by claiming to be a king. He should have acquitted Jesus at once; but he wishes to please both rulers and people. He therefore offers to release Jesus in place of Barabbas; this will delight the rulers for it will place Jesus in the discreditable light of a released criminal; it will please the people who have called Jesus their king. So Pilate plans; but to his disappointment and disgust the rulers outwit him and lead the people to demand the crucifixion of Jesus. Now, in brutal cowardice, he makes one more futile attempt to release a prisoner whose innocence he has openly declared. He inflicts upon Jesus the barbarous torture of a Roman scourging, thinking that this will satisfy the malice of his enemies. All is in vain; the multitude more loudly demand that the sufferer shall be crucified. Finally, in selfish fear lest he be accused of disloyalty to Rome in shielding one who is accused of treason, Pilate pronounces the sentence of death. He is really declaring his own defeat and shame and doom. He is furnishing a repulsive warning to all who hesitate and vacillate when the path of duty is plain. 4. The Crucifixion. Ch. 15:16-41
Pilate puts upon the cross, above the head of Jesus, a title: "The King of the Jews"; but Mark has given us a superscription to place over the whole tragic scene of the crucifixion: "The Son of man . . . came ... to give his life a ransom for many." The former is related to the mocking inflicted upon Jesus; the latter solves, at least in part, the mystery of his death. The heartless derision is begun by the soldiers to whom Pilate has given the shameful task of executing the sentence of death. They know that Jesus has been condemned for claiming to be a king, therefore in mock homage they clothe him with purple, crown him with a wreath of thorns, and salute him as "King of the Jews"; then they smite him and spit upon him and worship him. It is not merely the brutality of coarse natures which they reveal; it is also the bitter scorn of the Roman for the Jew, and for the Jewish hopes of a Messiah and king. Then, as they lead him forth to die, they add a further insult by crucifying him between two robbers, identifying him with criminals and malefactors. Then as he hangs in nameless agony, the crowds that are passing by rail on him and bid him to save himself and to come down from the cross; and the chief priests and scribes "mocking him" say, "He saved others; himself he cannot save"; even the dying robbers "reproached him." What vast reaches of unconscious truth these taunts did contain! Pilate wrote his superscription and the soldiers mocked him as king; and, in realty, his rule came to surpass infinitely the proud power of Rome. "They that passed by" derided him with the misquoted prediction of a destroyed temple which he would rebuild; and within three days the desecrated temple of his body appeared in resurrection glory. The taunt of the chief priests, "He saved others; himself he cannot save, ' ' stated the divine necessity of his self-sacrifice: he must die that others might live. This, then, is the meaning of his death; the mighty Servant is giving his life "a. ransom for many." Those that stand by misinterpret his words: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" They can be understood only as the cry of a sinless One who was bearing the sins of the world. This is the message of "the veil of the temple," "rent in two" by a divine hand, "from the top to the bottom"; it is a picture of atonement, of access to God which his Son made possible for us by "a new and living way, through the veil, that is to sa}^ his flesh." This explains, also, the demeanor of the divine Sufferer, which so impresses the centurion. This is the death of no human prophet or martyr. The darkened skies, the trembling earth, that shout of triumph, that lordly dismissal of his spirit, all speak of a voluntary death, all conspire to make thoughtful witnesses unite in the exclamation: "Truly this man was the Son of God"! As the crowds approached the place of execution they had seen a stranger from Gyrene compelled to bear the cross beneath which the Saviour seems to have fainted; but that indignity became for Simon the source of immortal fame. Only those who identify themselves with the cross of Christ, or who take up their crosses and follow him, can share his risen life and his eternal joy. As the crowds turned from the cross they might have seen standing at a distance a group of weeping women; they linger to see where the precious body is buried; they are to be the first witnesses of his resurrection. Their devotion pictures the love which makes service for Christ a joy. 5. The Burial. Ch. 15:42-47
Death ends for Jesus not only pain and agony, but also insult and outrage. Loving hands take the body from the cross and wrap it in rich perfume and lay it in a costly tomb. It is Joseph of Arimathaea who pays this tribute of affection and respect, He is a man of wealth and position, a member of the supreme council, a devout Jew who has been looking for the Messiah to come. In the hour of supreme crisis, he did not consent to the course of his fellow councilors who conspired to kill Jesus. Now he risks the scorn of the people and the mad hatred of the rulers; he is willing to become ceremonially unclean by contact with the dead, and thus to lose all part in the great feast, as he boldly goes to Pilate and begs from him the body of his Lord, and places it reverently in his own rock-hewn sepulcher. It is an act of courage and devotion; but Joseph has been "a disciple . . . secretly," and deeply he must have regretted that he did not show his love while his Master was still alive. Of this secret discipleship, however, Mark makes no mention. It is in accord with his purpose to show that the mighty Servant, the Son of God, who died with kingly courage, is buried with stately dignity, in the tomb of a ruler.
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