March 4, 2015 - 3rd Wednesday Lent service
Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Mark 14:12-21

   Thirty pieces of silver.  That is the amount for which Judas had
agreed to betray Jesus.  That brings to mind another betrayal that
involved silver.  It is recorded in the 16th chapter of the Old Testament
book of Judges.  Do you remember about the strong guy named
Samson and about his girl friend Delilah?  Samson was too strong for
his enemies.  They could not overpower him.  So they talked to
Delilah, his girl friend.  They offered to give her silver to find out the
secret of Samson’s strength and to betray him by giving them that
information.  To get the money, the silver, she agreed.  Then she
betrayed him.  And then Samson’s enemies did overcome him, bind
him, blind him, and put him into captivity.
    That wasn’t the end of the story.  But it does make a person think of
how silver, money, was also enough to make a man named Judas,
someone who had spent three years as a disciple with Jesus, betray
Jesus who in our text in advance said to His disciples, including Judas:
“I TELL YOU THE TRUTH,
ONE OF YOU WILL BETRAY ME.”
I    THE BETRAYED  (12-16)
    1. The Passover was being observed.  (12a)
On the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was
customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, ---.
        a) Think back to when God brought the nation of Israel out of its
            long stay in Egypt.  For that He had chosen Moses to be the
            leader, and sent 10 plagues to convince Egypt to let Israel
            leave.  The last plague was the convincing one.  God had
            directed the Israelites to put the blood of a lamb on the door
            posts of their houses.  If that was not done, the firstborn son in
            every family would die - and that happened to the Egyptians. 
            But the angel of death passed over the Israelite houses.  They
            escaped death.  They left Egypt.
        b) This event, which pointed ahead to when the real Lamb of
            God would shed His blood to save us from eternal death, was
            then regularly observed by the Israelites, as Jesus and His
            disciples were doing on the Thursday evening in our text.
    2. The disciples asked where to observe it.  (12)
On the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was
customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked
him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you
to eat the Passover?”
        a) This wasn’t a small group that could easily find a booth in a
            restaurant.  Nor was this a simple meal where you could just
            order some burgers and coffee or soda.
        b) Nor could they use smart phones to make a reservation.
    3. Jesus gave specific instructions.  (13-15)
So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and
a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.  Follow him.  Say to
the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my
guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 
He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready.  Make
preparations for us there.”
        a) Could Jesus have made this arrangement with somebody in
            advance?  Sure.  Or, more likely, could He, as the Son of God,
            just arrange this on the spot?  Sure.
        b) However He did it, He gave specific enough details so that
            the disciples could easily find the location.  No GPS needed.
    4. What did this prove about the one betrayed?  (16)
The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus
had told them.  So they prepared the Passover.
        a) We could ask, “Jesus, how did you know all these details?”
        b) But we don’t have to ask.  This is just another example of who
            Jesus is.  He is God with the Father and the Spirit. While He
            had set aside the full use of His knowledge and power to come
            to this earth to be our Savior, He did let glimpses of His power
            become evident here and in His many miracles.
        c) Yes, the one betrayed is God’s eternal Son.  But now let us
            move on from the one BETRAYED to the BETRAYER.  
II    THE BETRAYER  (17-20)   
    1. The betrayer had already made his arrangements.
        a) The verses before our text tell us about this: “Judas Iscariot,
one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.
They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money.
So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.”
        b) Judas did this secretly, thinking he could get away with it.
    2. Now Jesus again showed His omniscience.  (17-18)
When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.  While they
were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one
of you will betray me - one who is eating with me.”
        a) Do we sometimes think, like Judas, that God doesn’t know?
        b) Here Jesus chose to use His omniscience as God’s Son.  And
            please remember that He knows our hearts and actions too.    
    3. The other disciples could not imagine this.  (19)
They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not
I?”
        a) One of their number, 1 of 12, would consider betraying Jesus?
        b) Wouldn’t you and I join in saying “Surely not I?”?    
     4. Let’s apply this to ourselves. (20)
“It is one of the Twelve,” he replied., “one who dips bread into the
bowl with me.”
        a) Instead of the 12, let us think of the over 1200 children and
            adults in our congregation, all of us who confess to be
            followers of Jesus.  1 of 12 is a little over 8%.  8% of 1200 is
            about 100.  How terrible if 100 in our congregation, like Judas,
            actually rejected Jesus.
        b) But let’s think not only of Judas, of 1 of 12.  What about the
             other 11?  Shortly after this evening meal Peter denied 3 times
            that he even knew Jesus.  That makes it 2 of 12.  And what
            about the other 10?  Matthew’s Gospel records these words:
“Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.” 
        c) Do you see where we fit in?  Pray God it’s not with Judas who
            rejected Jesus.  But we are with the 11, aren’t we!  We are
            weak.  We fall into sin.  We can let things like 30 pieces of
            silver or money, the wrong pleasures of the world, the
            temptations that come on our TVs or computers or phones, the
            lusts of wrong sexual pleasure be chosen ahead of Jesus.  Or
            we don’t worship and serve as faithfully as we should.  And
            our lives don’t always show how important our Savior is to us. 
            And what is Jesus’ RESPONSE?
III THE RESPONSE  (21)
    1. Jesus would fulfill Old Testament promises.  (21a)
“The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.” 
        a) Would Jesus, God’s Son, say, “Tough on you!  If that’s what
            you’re going to do, then I’m done.  I’m wasting my time.”
        b) Never would God’s Son, our Savior, say that.  For us He had
            become the Son of Man so that He could die in our place and
            pay the wages of our sins.  No matter what, He would go to the
            cross as our Passover Lamb, so that the angel of eternal death
            would pass over us and heaven could be our home.
    2. Consequences of rejection would remain.  (21b)
“But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!  It would be
better for him if he had not been born.”
        a) Reject Jesus, like Judas?  Then you have thrown away, lost,
            what Jesus won for us, and chosen hell as your eternal home.
        b) I don’t even want to think about what that would mean.  I hope
            that all 1200+ in our congregation would say the same, that not
            even 1% are among those who reject Jesus.
    3. So take Jesus’ warning to heart.  (21b)
“But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!  It would be
better for him if he had not been born.”
        a) This is a deadly and eternally serious warning.
        b) Take it seriously!
    4. And rejoice in Jesus’ fulfillment.  (21a)
“The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.” 
        a) Jesus in His love for us did go to the cross as our substitute.
        b) He then came out of the tomb alive and guaranteed His victory
            for us.
        c) Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!














Prayer

    1 of the 12?  Heavenly Father, with Your Son and the Holy Spirit,
You know that we are weak, that sin comes into our lives, that we are
sinners all, that we are 12 of 12.  But may Jesus not have to say of any
one of us here, “You will betray Me, reject Me in unbelief.”
    Instead help us to thank You for Your blood-bought forgiveness,
and to show that thankfulness by our lives, by our worship, our church
attendance, our offerings to do Your work here in St. Jacobi and
elsewhere through mission work and helping others, by our daily lives
at home and at work.  Help us to make it evident that we never want to
betray or desert our Savior, but that we want to be what You have
made us to be, people who can daily rejoice to hear Jesus saying to us,
“I tell you the truth.  You are my forgiven people.  I paid for your sins.
You are my own, and will be mine forever.”
    Thank You, Lord God almighty.  And hear us also now as we come
before You with the prayer our Lord Jesus taught us.