Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning we are picking back up in our study of the Gospel of Mark.

If you’re new to MCF, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.

What that means is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking a book of the Bible, and then studying it from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand what it means in our lives today.

With that said, we are currently walking through the Gospel of Mark.

A gospel that was written primarily to teach us who Jesus is, what he came to do, and what it means for you and I to follow him.

So, if you haven’t been with us, I would encourage you to go online where you can listen to all of the messages leading up to today.

As we come back to Mark’s Gospel today, you could say we are headed into the final stretch as we move into chapter 14.

Because now that Jesus’s public ministry has ended, now that Jesus has warned us concerning the future, Mark now transitions to the final days of Jesus’s life.

So, just to give you a little bit of a preview of where we are going, here’s how these final thre chapters are going to play out.

As we begin chapter 14 we’re going to witness the betrayal of Jesus and all the events that led up to that betrayal.

As we move into chapter 15 we’re going to witness the trial and brutality of the crucifixion leading up to his last breath.

And as we cross the finish line in chapter 16, we’re going to witness the miracle of his resurrection and the implications it has for those who have put their faith in Jesus.

So, in order to get us started on this final stretch, and help us set the framework for where we are going, I want to begin this morning by asking you a a couple of questions about Jesus.

Question 1 - Have you ever noticed, when it comes to the topic of Jesus, people tend to have varying responses?

So, in order to get us started on this final stretch, and help us set the framework for where we are going, I want to begin this morning by asking you to consider a a few questions.

For some it causes an awkwardness or uneasiness.

For others, it incites excitement and passion.

And then for some, it even creates feelings of disgust and hatred.

That’s true, right?

I mean just like Jim Gaffigan insinuated in the opening video, the topic of Jesus tends to create some tension in the room.

Question 2 - How about this, have you ever been in a situation where the opportunity

In fact, I would go as far to say, that the topic of Jesus is one of the most controversial subject matters in the past 2000 years.

The truth is, the name of Jesus incites all kinds of emotions, opinions, and positions.

Question 2 - When it comes to Jesus, what has been or what is your response to him?

In other words, when you hear the name of Jesus, what kind of emotions does it stir in you?

The reason I ask you to consider these questions, is because as we begin Jesus’s journey to the cross, we are going to encounter a variety of responses to Jesus.

We are going to witness varying emotions.

Varying opinions.

And ultimately we’re going to watch as people take a position on Jesus.

And what we’re going to discover as we move into chapter 14 is that there’s really only 1 of 3 types of responses we can have when it comes to Jesus.

And with each response come certain emotions, opinions, and ultimately a position on Jesus.

Because from this point on, everybody is going to have to pick a side when it comes to Jesus.

So, as we come to chapter 14 and our journey towards the cross begins, here’s what I want to do this morning.

First, I want to read through our passage.

Second I want to give some context for the passage.

Third I want to highlight three types of responses people tend to have when it comes to Jesus.

Our goal is twofold.

First, to identify these responses.

Second, to determine what our response will be.

So, let’s get started as we come back to the Gospel today.

Beginning in , Mark writes:

“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, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”

Because when it comes to Jesus, you either love Jesus or you hate Jesus.

When it comes to Jesus, you either believe He’s the Son of God, or you don’t believe He’s the Son of God.

When it comes to Jesus, you either stand for Him, or you don’t stand for Him.

When it comes to Jesus, you’re either a Jesus fan or you’re not a Jesus fan.

The truth is, when it comes to Jesus, you’re either in or you’re out.

You want to know what’s interesting though, there are people who try to live in between.

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, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”

3 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 of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.

4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.”

And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone.

Why do you trouble her?

She has done a beautiful thing to me.

7 For you

always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them.

But you will not always have me.

8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.

9 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.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.

11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money.

And he sought an opportunity to betray him.

(ESV)

Before we get to far into the passage, what I want you to notice first, is that Mark begins this chapter by giving us a timeframe for the events that are about to unfold.

He says, “It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.”

(ESV)

First, I want you to notice that Mark begins by giving us a specific time frame for the events that are about to unfold.

He says, “It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.”

(ESV)

Would you bow your heads and pray with meCouple things I want you to point out before we get to far into this passage.

First, I want you to notice the time frame that Mark gives us.

Mark says, “It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.”

(ESV)

So, a good first question would be, “Why does Mark tell us this?”

He mentions this because everything that is about to happen is based on the significance of this timeframe and specifically a celebration feast called “The Passover”.

Because the Passover wasn’t just any holiday or feast.

The Passover was one of the most important Jewish holidays on the Jewish calendar.

In many ways it represented the birth of the nation of Isreal as it commemorated the Israelites exodus from Egypt.

If you’re not familiar with the story of Israel, according to the Bible, prior to Israel becoming a nation, the book of Exodus tells us the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt for 400 years.

But in that all changed as God raised up a man named Moses to deliver the Israelites from bondage.

God did this because back in , He promised a man named Abraham, the father of Israel, that one day his seed would become a great nation.

A nation through which the promised deliverer of mankind would one day come.

So, to make good on his promise, in , God sends Moses to deliver his people and establish them as a nation.

And if we took the time to read the entire account this morning, what we would discover is in order to deliver Israel, God brought 10 plagues upon Egypt.

Ten plagues meant to demonstrate God’s power and force Pharoah to let the people of Israel go.

And so from , we can read about each plague, the devistation they caused, and how Pharoah responded to each wave of destruction.

the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery as God made good on a promise He had made to a man named Abraham.

But after 400 years, God was ready to deliver the Israelites and make good on a promise He had made to a man named Abraham.

Because in , God promised Abraham, the father of Israel, that one day his seed would become a great nation.

A nation through which the promised deliverer of mankind would one day come.

And while each plague was devastating to Egypt, it was the final plague that ultimately broke Pharaoh’s spirit forcing him to release the people of Israel from bondage.

So, to make good on his promise, in , God sent a man named Moses to deliver his people.

And if we took the time to read the entire account this morning, what we would discover is in order to deliver Israel, God sent 10 plagues upon Egypt.

Ten plagues meant to demonstrate God’s power and force Pharoah to let the people of Israel go.

And while each plague was devastating to Egypt, it was the final plague that broke Pharaoh’s spirit forcing him to release the people of Israel from bondage.

Listen to how this final plague played out, “ At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.

30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians.