The Arrest of the King

This morning, we pick up in the Gospel of Mark with the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. This moment has been foreshadowed through the whole book, and now we come to its reality. Let’s read Mark 14:43-52. I want to study this text by focusing on what Jesus says in verses 48 and 49. In this statement and the interactions with those at the scene, see two points: The King Reveals the Unrighteousness of the World, and the King Redeems the Unworthy.

First, from verse 48, see the fact that the King reveals the unrighteousness of the World. Mark tells us that, as soon as Jesus rebuked his disciples for falling asleep as he prayed, here comes Judas Iscariot with a mob. They march up to Jesus, Judas betrays him with a kiss, and the soldiers seize and shackle him. Jesus then responds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?” The whole scene begs an important question. How did Jesus’s ministry lead the religious and political leaders to this moment? Why did they reject him so thoroughly that they felt it necessary to arrest him by force? Ultimately, they rejected him because he was not the Messiah they wanted. All of Israel was looking for a Messiah that would defeat their enemies and elevate their position as the chosen people of God. We see this even in the disciples. Three different times, Jesus warned his disciples that he must suffer, die, and rise again. In Mark 8:31, Jesus gives his first warning, and Peter responds by rebuking him. In Mark 9:33, the disciples follow Jesus’ second warning of his suffering by arguing over who will be the greatest in the kingdom. In Mark 10:35, James and John ignore his final warning and instead ask if they might sit at his right and left hand when he comes into his kingdom. All along, the disciples ignored and rejected Jesus’s clear teaching about his crucifixion because they just couldn’t comprehend a Messiah that would suffer. The religious leaders, too, rejected Jesus as Messiah because he exposed their hypocrisy and called them to true obedience. They wanted the Messiah to endorse their man-made religious systems, not rebuke them. The elders of Israel (the merchants and aristocrats) wanted a mascot for a Messiah. Or, perhaps they wanted a savvy politician as their messiah, someone who could navigate complex diplomacy with Rome.

Jesus was none of these things. Instead of coming in political power, he came with the authority of heaven and the demons fled. Instead of coming in the self-righteousness of religious purity, he came with forgiveness and healing for those labeled “unclean”. Instead of coming in military might, he came as a servant to all. Why did he come in this way? He came this way because the systems of this world did not need reform. It is not as though the political system of Israel was flawed, but with the right political player, it could be used for good. It was not the case that the religious system of Israel just needed to get back to its roots. Something new was needed. The messiah had to come with a new kingdom, a new covenant, a new creation, and a new people.

This is nowhere more evident than in the irony of Jesus’s arrest. In rejecting and arresting Jesus, the systems of this world revealed their unrighteousness. For one, they arrest an innocent man as though he were a violent insurgent. Jesus asks, “Have you come out as against a robber?” The Greek for “robber” here could be translated as “brigand” or “zealot”. It is the idea of a violent criminal, not a petty thief. Jesus has only ever done good. He has only ever healed and raised the dead. He has only ever rebuked the demons. He has only ever taught submission to earthly authorities. Yet, the leaders of Israel respond to him with violence – with clubs and swords under the cloak of darkness. This exposes the fact that the world systems, represented in the leaders of Israel and the Roman Empire, cannot judge in righteousness. As Isaiah 5:20-21 says of the leaders of Israel – “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” The Romans certainly did this with the cruelty of crucifixion, which they called just punishment. The priests of Israel did this by using the temple to rob the poor and defraud the elderly. The Pharisees and scribes did this by creating religious hurdles that kept the people from true worship. Now, they look at Jesus, the pure, spotless Lamb of God, and they treat him like a brigand.

This is ironic, too, because they are the true robbers. In Mark 11:17, Jesus sees the moneychangers and merchants in the temple court, and he drives them out. Then, he says, “you have made the house of God into a den of robbers.” The word he uses there is the same Greek word he uses here. They robbed the people by forcing them to exchange their Roman coins for temple money, earning a fee with each exchange. They then sold sacrificial animals to weary travelers from across the Empire at inflated prices.

It’s also ironic because they would treat the pure Son of God as a robber while asking for the freedom of a convicted robber. In John 18, we are told of a last-ditch effort that Pilate made to free Jesus. He decides to appeal to an annual tradition of allowing one criminal to go free at the crowd’s request. So, he brings out Barabbas, a zealot who was jailed for insurrection and murder, and he asks, “who should I release, Barabbas, or the king of the Jews.” To Pilate’s shock, the crowd answers back, “Give us Barabbas!” Here is the ultimate evidence that the systems of this world are unrighteous – that they would trade the Son of God for a brigand. They would call evil good and good evil, in the face of the eternal Son of God. There is no reforming this system. There is no using it for good. It must be destroyed and replaced with something new. Daniel prophesied of this, in Daniel 2:44, when he said that the kingdom of God would crush the kingdoms of this world. In John 18:36, Jesus tells Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world. It doesn’t use the same reasoning and justifications that Pilate expected. It would not fight in the way that Rome would fight. It would not conquer with armies, but through sacrificial service and the foolishness of preaching.

Now, consider my second point, “The King Redeems the Unworthy”. In verse 49, Jesus surrenders himself to this violent mob and says, “Let the scriptures be fulfilled.” What scriptures? I think Jesus has in mind the whole of the OT prophesies about the suffering servant who would be betrayed. So, Isaiah 53 sees a suffering servant who would be “counted with the transgressors.” Zech. 13:7 tells of a shepherd who would be struck, and his sheep would be scattered. Psalm 41 prophesied of the betrayal of a close friend. These scriptures turn our attention to the disciples who were in the crowd. There are three unworthy responses of the disciples that I want you to see.

First, see the betrayer, in vers 44-46. We’ve known this moment was coming, because Jesus warned of it earlier in the chapter. Judas marks out Jesus for arrest by offering him a “kataphileo” – a “brotherly kiss”. This was a common practice, much like our handshake. It was a sign of love and friendship. Yet, Judas does not offer it in friendship, but in betrayal. Judas is every charlatan and heretic who has ever lived. They put on the robe of friendship, but their heart is full of deceit. There are many who would use their closeness to Jesus for personal gain. There are those who would attend church because of the political connections. There are some who use the language of Christianity to get close to people, so that they can use them. All of these are Judas.

Second, see the brute from verse 47. Mark tells us that, in the commotion, one of the disciples drew his sword and struck a servant of the high priest. John’s Gospel tells us both of the people in this conflict. The disciple that drew his sword was, of course, Peter – the impetus, impulsive disciple who was quick to answer and quick to act. The servant was a man named Malchus. There are a few things to note about this encounter. One, Peter was not swinging for Malchus’ ear. No one does that. Peter was aiming for his head, and Malchus probably moved just at the last moment so that Peter cut off his ear. Peter was not making a statement. In the moment, he was willing to fight to the death for his lord. Two, Malchus is called a doula (a slave) of the high priest. He is viewed as property, and should he have been killed in this conflict, no one would have mourned him… no one except for Jesus. Jesus, however, shows him compassion. In Luke’s account, from Luke 22, Jesus heals the servant before he rebukes Peter. Three, Peter’s action is a sinful response that Jesus rebukes. In Matt. 26, he tells Peter, “All who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Peter represents the Christian that would use earthly means to accomplish spiritual purposes. He is like Abram and Sarai, who had a child by their servant, Hagar, in an attempt to shortcut God’s purpose. He is like Rebekah and Jacob, who deceived Esau and Isaac to gain God’s blessing. He is like Aaron, who led the people of Israel to make a golden calf when Moses took too long to receive the law of God. God’s kingdom does not work by earthly means. We cannot use power or force or deception or clever marketing and then expect God to bless it. 

Finally, see the broken, from verses 50-52. On the heals of Jesus’s rebuke, Mark notes, in verse 50, “And they all left him and fled.” By this, we know what is meant. All of his disciples scattered, as Jesus had predicted they would. They were cowards. Even Peter, who first reacted in violence, would eventually slink away into the dark. We know all of that, but there is a strange side note that we find in 51 and 52. Mark tells us of a young man who was a disciple of Jesus. He was wearing nothing but a linen cloth, and when the soldiers tried to seize him, he left his clothes and ran off into the dark in the nude. This is a strange detail to mention. It doesn’t fit with anything else in the Gospel, nor does it have much to do with the main storyline of the betrayal and abandonment of the twelve disciples. So, why is it here? Scholars have proposed (and I think they are right), that this is an author’s note about himself. One of the major themes of Mark’s gospel is the unexpected nature of Jesus’s kingship. Jesus does not come as the Messiah they expect, and so everyone, including his disciples, abandon him. They don’t believe him when he tells them he will die and rise again. They don’t stick around with him when he faces arrest. It would be easy, as an author, writing this story a decade later, to say, “yeah, none of those hardheaded buffoons got it until I decided to write all this down.” But, instead, Mark includes a short sidenote: “Before you judge the disciples harshly, I was there too, and I was so scared that when the soldiers seized me, I ran away naked.”

Whether they betrayed him or brutishly reacted or bolted, all of his disciples proved themselves to be unworthy of the kingdom. Yet, this too is why Jesus had to face the cross. There is no one who is worthy of the kingdom of God. As Paul says, in Rom. 3:10, “There is none righteous, no not one”. Isaiah 53 agrees, saying, “All we like sheep have gone astray, and he has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus had to face the cross, because on the cross all of the shame and guilt and unworthiness of humanity was laid bare. On the cross, Jesus bore our shame and guilt. As 2 Cor. 5:21 says, “he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is the story of the disciples. These men who fled in the darkest hour would one day stand to proclaim the Gospel in the face of persecution. All but one of them would die for their testimony to Christ. Even Mark went on to be the interpreter for Peter and ministered in Alexandria, where later tradition says that he was seized at a pagan festival and dragged behind horses until he died. What changed these men? The change was the power of the resurrection at work in them. They saw the resurrected Jesus, and that changed everything about them. They received the Holy Spirit, and he gave them to boldness to proclaim the good news.

Brothers and sisters, we too are unworthy of the kingdom, if we are judging by our own merits. It is only because of the grace of God and Christ’s work in nailing our shame and guilt to the cross that we have been accepted into the kingdom of God.