Mark 14: The Suffering King

Sermon first preached at Twynholm.
audio available here

Mark 14 sermon
“A global problem requires a global solution.”
So said the president of the European commission, Jose Manuel Barroso when talking about the need for the world to work together to combat climate change.
Similar ideas have been echoed in recent weeks in regard to the global economic crisis.
So, on Wednesday this week the White House announced a meeting of financial leaders from the world’s 20 largest nations. An official at the white house said, "It will be the first summit to bring the leaders of the G20 together to discuss the present financial issues".
“A global problem requires a global solution.”
What about in the realm of religion?
The bible outlines for us a far greater problem than a world economic crisis, or a global ecological catastrophe.
Is that the purpose of the church? Is the worldwide Christian church the solution to the problem of human separation from God. Is it by us working together to call people to submit to God’s rule that a solution will be found? Those who are, by copying Jesus example of servanthood to reverse the trend of rebellion against God.
After all, we have seen over the past 13 chapters of Mark’s gospel Jesus spending an inordinate amount of his time with just 12 followers. Would these twelve be the seed of a worldwide movement that would produce the solution to the world spiritual crisis?
There are of course religions that see themselves as exactly that: a worldwide movement for the transformation of people by the people in submission to God.
That is what the word “Islam” means. It is a call for people to bring themselves into submission to Allah’s will.
But that is not the nature of Christianity.
As Jesus’ life approaches its climax, the crowds that had welcomed him less than a week earlier were nowhere to be seen. Other crowds would cry out for his execution.
And his 12 closest followers? Were they the beginnings of a global solution? No.
One would be his betrayer.
Another would publically disown him three times.
All the others would flee in terror.
If Jesus’ intention had been to found a worldwide movement, then he had utterly failed.
This was no global co-operative solution. He was utterly alone.
And yet Jesus claims that this moment of utter rejection was not the failure of his mission. It was its centre. Throughout Mark’s gospel, Jesus has said several times that he must die alone. Here we find him making his final preparations.
Please turn with me to Mark 14.
There is so much in this chapter that we could easily have spent all 16 weeks that we’ve been looking at mark’s gospel just in this chapter; so we are just going to look at 4 aspects of what is happening here.
The Lamb is prepared (1-21)
The cups are exchanged (22-25, 32-42)
The shepherd is struck (43-49, 53-65)
The sheep are scattered (26-31, 50-52, 66-72)
The Lamb is prepared (1-21)
1(A) It was now two days before(B) the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes(C) were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2for they said, "Not during the feast,(D) lest there be an uproar from the people."
3(E) And while he was at(F) Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,[a] 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. 4There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii[b] and(G) given to the poor." And they(H) scolded her. 6But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7For(I) you always have the poor with you, and whenever(J) you want, you can do good for them. But(K) you will not always have me. 8(L) She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand(M) for burial. 9And truly, I say to you, wherever(N) the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told(O) in memory of her."
10(P) Then(Q) Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to(R) betray him.

12(S) And on(T) the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they(U) sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" 13And he sent(V) 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, 14and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,(W) 'The Teacher says, Where is(X) my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 15And he will show you(Y) a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us." 16And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
17(Z) And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18And as they were reclining at table and eating,(AA) Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me,(AB) one who is eating with me." 19They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, "Is it I?" 20He said to them, "It is(AC) one of the twelve,(AD) one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21For the Son of Man goes(AE) as it is written of him, but(AF) woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!(AG) It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."
The Passover had been THE great act of salvation in the Old Testament.
For 400 years the Israelites had been Egypt, and now they were oppressed slaves. With 10 extraordinary miracles the Lord had brought them out of Egypt, the most remarkable of which was the Passover.
Every firstborn son in Egypt was to die. There would be a death in every household. But the Israelites were told that either the firstborn Son could die, or a lamb could be sacrificed, and its blood poured out upon the wooden beams of the doorposts. Then the angel of death would pass over that house and the Son would be spared. The Lamb had died instead.
Terrified, the Egyptians let the Israelites leave slavery that very night – they even gave them vast gifts of gold to try to get rid of them.
The slaves were freed because the Lamb had died.
Every year they were to reenact the scene.
The preparations were to be very detailed: each element in the meal that they were to eat was to remind them of the great rescue.
They were only to eat unleavened bread – bread without yeast to remind them that the Lord accomplished the salvation so quickly that there was not even time to let the dough rise. They were to dip the bread in bitter herbs to remind them of the bitterness of the slavery from which the Lord had released them. They were to drink wine….
But central to the whole meal was of course the lamb. The lamb that reminded the people of God’s mercy and his salvation.
Our passage begins 2 days before the Passover. Jerusalem was teeming with people and so many lambs were to be slaughtered – estimates vary from tens of thousands to over a million lambs.
Every priest in Israel should have been busy with the preparation to sacrifice the Passover lambs.
But the chief priests have rather different Passover preparations that they are making.
V1. And the chief priests and the scribes(C) were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him.
Meanwhile Jesus is in Bethany, about three miles outside Jerusalem.
In an act of great extravagance, an unnamed woman (possibly Mary) pours a whole bottle of perfume that would make Coco Mademoiselle look cheap. The whole bottle is smashed – they’ll be no scraping the excess of the floor to save it for a later date. It was worth more than a year’s wages… Gone in a moment, poured over Jesus head.
Is that ridiculously extravagant?
In a world of poverty, is there not a better use, say the disciples. After all, this is Passover: couldn’t the money be used to give some of the poor a proper Passover meal, rather than blowing it all in one seemingly pointless gesture?
Jesus’ comments are incredible.
She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7For(I) you always have the poor with you, and whenever(J) you want, you can do good for them. But(K) you will not always have me.
Her act was beautiful for 2 reasons. One reason was to do with Jesus’ identity. “You will not always have me”.
If we have come to realise who Jesus is, then there is NO extravagance that is too great for us in our devotion to Jesus.
Too often we think that if it is the Lord’s resources that we are spending, we should be frugal lest we waste something that belongs to him.
That sounds much more like the fearful servant in the parable of the talents than this extravagant love that this woman pours out upon her Lord. If we have resources that the Lord has given us, let’s not delay in planning how we might wisely invest them in his kingdom for his glory.
True devotion will have an element of extravagance.
Married women, imagine its your 25th wedding anniversary and your husband has been keeping the plans of the evening out a closely guarded secret: the night arrives but you end up at the local fish and chip shop. Would that lack of extravagance speak of true devotion?
Do people say to you: “Well, I can understand you being a Christian. But aren’t you taking this all a little too far?” be encouraged – our extravagant devotion should make no sense to those who don’t realise who Jesus is!
Perhaps you are shocked that Jesus seems to have such disregard for the poor.
Were you involved in the campaign, “Make poverty history.” Though I had a great deal of sympathy with the cause, Jesus seems not to agree with its title. “You will always have the poor.” This is not a callous statement we are not to care for the poor. We are. But we are to be even more concerned about the glory and honour of the Lord Jesus Christ than we are of the welfare of the poor.
That is why the preaching of the gospel must remain the primary work of this and every other local church.
The church is not the solution to the world’s problems. The good news of Jesus is. We must point people to him and particularly his death.
This is the second reason that Jesus commends the woman.
She has anointed my body beforehand(M) for burial
This is the heart of his mission, we will see more of it in a moment.
But there are further preparations.
10(P) Then(Q) Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to(R) betray him.

Judas is making his own preparations. What a contrast, between the extravagant devotion of the woman, and the extraordinary spitefulness of Judas. She had given a costly gift. He betray for money – far less than the price of that jar of perfume.
In those two acts are found all the acts of men and women. Each act is either an act of devotion to Christ, or of betrayal. An act of delight in Jesus as Lord, or an act of rejection his Lordship. And act of giving all for him, or an act of taking all for self.
And then the following day there were yet more preparations: for the Passover meal itself.
We read of the bread, the wine, the furnishing, the bowls for dipping in the bitter herbs.
But the key element to the meal is not mentioned at all.
Where is the lamb for the meal?
Jesus is the lamb.
All those plans: all of them were together working toward the sacrifice of Jesus at Passover.
No longer would there be tens of thousands of Lambs slaughtered; but there would be one perfect lamb.
For there was one even more significant who was making preparations for that day; V21.
21For the Son of Man goes(AE) as it is written of him,
God himself had sent prophets over the centuries to prepare for that day. The day at the centre of all of God’s plans to redeem people from slavery to sin was at hand. His plan will prevail over all other plans.
The chief priests’ plans to kill Jesus, the woman’s plan to anoint him, the celebration of the Passover, Judas’ plans to betray him would all be woven into God’s great plan to bring about salvation through the sacrifice of this lamb.
If the Lord used those evil plans for good, does that mean that Judas and the priests were not responsible? Not at all.
but(AF) woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!(AG) It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."
Do you realise that there are some people for whom it would have been better if they had not been born? God’s sovereignty over evil in the bible is never an excuse for evil. Yet it is a comfort that His plans will prevail despite all evil.
All takes place as God himself decrees.
The lamb is prepared.
Christ the lamb would be slaughtered for us.
The cups are exchanged (22-25, 32-42)
22(AH) And as they were eating, he took bread, and after(AI) blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, "Take;(AJ) this is my body." 23And he took a cup, and when he had(AK) given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24And he said to them, (AL) "This is my(AM) blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for(AN) many. 25Truly, 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."
32(AX) And they went(AY) to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33And he took with him(AZ) Peter and James and John, and began(BA) to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34And he said to them, (BB) "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and(BC) watch."[d] 35And going a little farther, he fell on the ground(BD) and prayed that, if it were possible,(BE) the hour might pass from him. 36And he said, (BF) "Abba, Father,(BG) all things are possible for you. Remove(BH) this cup from me.(BI) Yet not what I will, but what you will." 37And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38(BJ) Watch and(BK) pray that you may not(BL) enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 39And again he went away and prayed,(BM) saying the same words. 40And again he came and found them sleeping, for(BN) their eyes were very heavy, and(BO) they did not know what to answer him. 41And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?(BP) It is enough;(BQ) the hour has come.(BR) The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."
Of the four cups of the Passover meal, some looked back, and others forward.
The Four Cups represent the four expressions of deliverance promised by God Exodus 6:6-7: "I will bring out," "I will deliver," "I will redeem," and "I will take."
It was only the fourth cup that was drunk after the meal.
It was the most significant, called the cup of blessing, for it anticipated the time when God would dwell with his people again. Since the presence of God had left the temple some 600 years earlier, this was the great hope.
Jesus reinterprets that cup around his death.
“This is my(AM) blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for(AN) many”
Through Jesus blood there would be a new covenant, or agreement between God and men.
Through Jesus death, we can be restored into a right relationship with God...
It isn’t the cup we deserve to drink.
For there is another cup that is talked about in the Old Testament. Not a cup of blessing, But the cup of curse. Not the cup of a covenant with God, but of abandonment by him. The cup of God’s wrath, his righteous anger.
As you read the Old Testament, and ask what cup we should receive from God, it becomes clear that we most certainly deserve the cup of God’s wrath.
Isaiah 51 talks of how all Jerusalem had drunk that cup.
Jeremiah 25 had shown that all the nations of the earth should drink this cup.
28:And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts:(BB)You must drink! 29For behold,(BC) I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished,(BD) for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of hosts.
Perhaps it sounds wrong that God would actually be angry with us. He’s doesn’t loose his temper… this is a considered, righteous anger. He is insenced at the evil of our hearts.
We taste something of His anger when we read of the innocent suffering at the viscious whim of those who should have loved them.
Many who read the news this week felt something of that incensement of such evil when we read of the father who murdered his own 16 month old daughter by snapping her back. she was found to have 7 other fractures as well as other injuries, none of which had been treated, some dating back months.
Yet, if we had eyes as pure as the Lord’s that same righteous anger would burn not just against his evil actions. But against our own selfish, hateful, capricious, lustful, proud, self-righteous, apathetic, thoughts and deeds. And we have committed all these against one we should have loved more than we love our daughters: against the perfect, holy God who made us and gave us life.
God: J.I. Packer: “Men are opposed to God in their sin. God is opposed to men in his holiness.”
CJ Mahaney “Considering how our sin must appear in God’s sight, why are we even here and breathing?”
The cup of God’s wrath is what we should drink.
That was what Jesus was preparing to drink in Gethsemane. Jesus is no coward shrinking away from physical suffering. He is facing metal anguish at a level under which we would all cave before we even came close to it.
Is it possible?
In one sense it is possible. We could all be condemned to hell.
But it is not possible that God would leave sin unpunished. To do so he would have to deny his own righteous character. He would have to say that such evil as exists in this world does not matter.
There was no other way for Christ to save us, than to drink that cup to the dregs.
He understands his Father’s holy anger, for He is his Father’s son – just as holy, just as righteous, just as incensed by evil. He knows that for anyone
William lane, “Jesus had gone to the garden to be with his Father. But in his father’s presence what opened up to him was not heaven, but hell.”
Two cups: the cup of blessing has been given to us. Thecup of enjoying being in God’s presence for ever. That should have been Jesus’ cup and his alone!
The cup of God’s wrath is before Jesus: that should have been ours.
The temptation for him to turn away from that cup was so very real.
CJ: “AS we watch Jesus pray in agony in Gethsemane, he has every right to turn his tearful eyes towards you and me and shout, “this is your cup. You’re responsibile for this. It’s your sin! You drink it.” This cup should rightfully be thrust into my hand and yours. Instead, Jesus freely takes it Himself... so that from the cross He can look down at you and me, whispers our names and say, “I drain this cup for you – for you who have lived in defiance of Me, who have hated Me, who have opposed Me. I drink it all... for you.”
What are we to do!?
- Non Christian: both cups are before you. One you, like all of us deserve. The other is offered you by Christ.
- Will you drink the cup of God’s wrath?
- Or, will you trust that Christ has borne that for you, and will you take up the cup of blessing that he offers?
Christian:
Rejoice!

Rejoice! The cup of God’s wrath has been drunk to the bottom!
It no loner sits before us.

- The cup of blessing is OURs.

- It is the most solemn act in the history of the world that Christ drank the cup of wrath; but our response is not to be merely mournful. We must mourn over our sin, yes.
- Making light of sin is to be banished from the Christian church when we read of what our Saviour suffered for it.
- But he did so for our JOY.

He did so that we might drink the CUP of BLESSING. And he will drink it with us one day in untold exuberant happiness. Did you see that in verse 25?

Perhaps we find this hard to grasp today for so many of our happinesses are of the most trivial kind. But the deep joys of this world are solemn joys. The birth of a child after the pain of labour, the blessed memories of a loved one who has passed. The solemn vows taken at a wedding.
There is no deeper, or more solemn joy than the joy of receiving the cup of blessing because our savior has drained the sup of wrath.

Guilt gone.
Punishment gone.
Fear gone.
Alienation gone.

Romans 8: because He has drunk the cup, we are given His Spirit… and we may cry Abba Father.

And the promise of the rest one day:
Suffering: gone
Temptation:gone
Confusion: gone
Weariness: gone

Communion with God
Seeing God
Energy to worship him as he deserves…
Words that truly honour him.
Spirits that are constantly inclined towards him
Joy that is rightly centered upon him.
Joy that looks to Christ with tears that he would drink that cup for us.

All because he drank that cup to the dregs.

The shepherd is struck (43-49, 53-65)
43(BS) And immediately, while he was still speaking,(BT) Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard." 45And when he came, he went up to him at once and said,(BU) "Rabbi!" And he(BV) kissed him. 46And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47But one of those who stood by drew his(BW) sword and struck the servant[e] of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49(BX) Day after day I was with you in the temple(BY) teaching, and you did not seize me. But(BZ) let the Scriptures be fulfilled."
53(CC) And(CD) they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. 54(CE) And(CF) Peter had followed him at a distance,(CG) right into(CH) the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with(CI) the guards and(CJ) warming himself at the fire. 55Now the chief priests and the whole Council[f] were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 56(CK) For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony(CL) did not agree. 57And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, 58(CM) "We heard him say,(CN) 'I will destroy this temple(CO) that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another,(CP) not made with hands.'" 59Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. 60And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?"[g] 61But(CQ) he remained silent and made no answer.(CR) Again the high priest asked him, "Are you(CS) the Christ, the Son of(CT) the Blessed?" 62And Jesus said, "I am, and(CU) you will see the Son of Man(CV) seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." 63And the high priest(CW) tore his garments and said, "What further witnesses do we need? 64You have heard(CX) his blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they(CY) all condemned him as(CZ) deserving death. 65(DA) And some began(DB) to spit on him and(DC) to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" And the guards received him(DD) with blows.
Jesus had just predicted in verse 27 that the shepherd would be struck.
And he is.
In this one chapter more evil is done to Jesus than any of us will face in our lives, and this is even before his flogging and execution in the next chapter.
- betrayed by a beloved disciple
- arrested by the temple guard
- deserted by all his disciples
- the trial he faces here would be a farce if it were not so seriously intent of his destruction.
It was illegal in all kinds of ways.
- It takes place at night
- In an illegitimate place
- There is no hearing for his defence
- The arrest and the trail begin before there is even a charge. In fact the death sentence is decided upon, and then they try to find a charge that would match the sentence.
- The witnesses for the prosecution all contradict each other.
- The defendent isn’t merely imtimidated: he is mocked; he is struck in the face;
accused of a crime he didn’t commit
- but despite all this, he is condemned by such a court.
- and , at the very moment this is happening, his closest follower: the rock on which he would built his church denies that he even knows him.

The ironies of this section are too many to list: here are but a few.
- The one who most emphatically insists he will stand by Jesus, is most vehement in his denial.
- Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss: precisely what we are beckoned to do to find mercy in Psalm 2: kiss the Son.
- As Peter denies knowing Jesus, he brings down curses upon himself, the very thing that we receive if we are left without knowledge of Christ.
- It is the great shepherd who will be sacrificed as the Passover Lamb.
- The high priest asks Jesus why he has no answer, when in fact nobody has been able to bring any charge that would require an answer.
- Men stand in judgment over the one before the God who would judge them.
- Jesus silence speaks more powerfully than all their words.
- In attempting intimidating him with their fury, they are unaware that he has already resolved to face a far greater fury from God.
- The high priest rends his clothes in disgust at the blasphemy of Jesus calling himself the Son of God; yet the blasphemy is his violent attack upon God’s Son.
The sheep are scattered (26-31, 50-52, 66-72)
26(AO) And when they had sung a hymn,(AP) they went out to(AQ) the Mount of Olives. 27And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, for it is written, 'I will(AR) strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' 28But after I am raised up,(AS) I will go before you to Galilee." 29(AT) Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not." 30And(AU) Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before(AV) the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." 31But(AW) he said emphatically, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." And they all said the same.
50(CA) And they all left him and fled.
A Young Man Flees
51And a young man followed him, with nothing but(CB) a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.
66(DE) And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67and seeing Peter(DF) warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus." 68But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you mean." And he went out into the gateway[h] and(DG) the rooster crowed.[i] 69And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them." 70But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, "Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean." 71But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know this man of whom you speak." 72And immediately the rooster crowed(DH) a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, (DI) "Before the rooster crows twice, you will(DJ) deny me three times." And he broke down and wept.[j]
They all fled. If we had been there, we too would have fled. We are not to scorn Peter, or the other disciples. We are to identify with them. We do not stand alongside Jesus in his hour of suffering. We abandon him. He alone stands.

Peter was unable to keep his promise.

Three times he denied Jesus.

How often do our proud claims that our discipleship will outmatch anyone else’s. That we will not fall into this or that sin again. That this time we will devote ourselves to him more fully. How often do such boasts end with us remembering the words of Jesus, and breaking down in tears.

There would not be another alongside Jesus going to his death with him because of his love for him.

The problem of our rebellion against God is indeed the global problem. All other problems spring from that problem.

Yet all the co-operation of all the people in the world could not begin to solve it. The resolutions of the most vehement disciple cave within a night and end in curses. The co-operation of the whole world would just multiply the curses. We cannot even contribute to the solution. We are the problem.

The solution can come from Christ alone.

Jesus would drink that cup entirely alone.

He would be the sole Passover lamb who would bear the sins of the world.

For those who deserted him. For the scattered sheep. In the original Passover a lamb died in place of the firstborn son. Now God’s Son would die in the place of the scattered sheep.

Let’s end our meditation in the words of an old hymn. We’ve not sung it here before, so we are not going to sing it now, but we will be learning it this evening, Lord willing.

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
that men to judge thee have in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
O most afflicted!

2. Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee!
'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee;
I crucified thee.

3. Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
the slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered.
For our atonement, while we nothing heeded,
God interceded.

4. For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life's oblation;
thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion,
for my salvation.

5. Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
not my deserving.

 
Lost material….

From introduction:

As we have seen in reading through Mark’s gospel over the past few months, Jesus clearly portrays the heart of the human problem to be the problem of the human heart. So, in chapter 7:20-22 he had said,
“What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "
The radical result of such uncleanness Jesus describes as hell. 9: 43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.[c] 45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.[d] 47And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48where
" 'their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.
The problem of our guilt before God, that exacts such a terrible punishment from God could not be more serious. We could not be more lost.
And Jesus has been clear that he has come to bring a solution to this problem.
42(BT) And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles(BU) lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43But(BV) it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[d] 44and whoever would be first among you must be(BW) slave[e] of all. 45For even the Son of Man came not to be served but(BX) to serve, and(BY) to give his life as a ransom for(BZ) many."
Is the solution to the problem of our broken relationship with God of such magnitude that it can only be resolved by a global solution?
Point 1
If God himself has entered this world in Jesus Christ, who has died for us, and we may know him as Lord, we cannot take things a little too far. We can go the wrong way: but we cannot press too far down the road of extravagant love to the Lord Jesus.
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It’s real cloak and dagger stuff: Jesus has eagerly desired to eat the Passover, and ensures that he would not be arrested until after that meal is finished: so even the disciples, don’t know where they are going. Judas would not be able to betray him until after they had eaten.
The preparations for the meal are made.