You did not have a sermon on Mark last week so I shall give a quick summary of what it was all about.

Jesus and his disciples went to the Mount of Olives where he predicted that they would all desert him. They all, of course, denied that they would. Especially Peter. They then went to Gethsemane where Jesus prayed that he wouldn’t have to go through with his death. He spent his time praying and then said, “Let’s go, my betrayer is at hand.”

Let’s move to today’s reading which started with Judas arriving. He brought a crowd of priests, scribes and elders from the synagogue. All fully armed. Judas kissed Jesus and he was arrested. Someone, we don’t know who, chopped off the ear of the High Priest’s slave. It was at this point that Jesus’ followers fled.

We are now moving into Mark’s story of Jesus’ death. As Christians we bring preconceptions to this story. Perhaps most of us understand that Jesus died for or because of the sins of the world. For a lot of people,, Jesus crucifixion was payment for sin.

This implies that Jesus’ death was necessary and it was part of God’s plan. That may or may not be so but that understanding is not found in Mark which is the Gospel that we are studying at the moment.

Mark’s gospel is full of metaphor as well as history. What is historical? Jesus was executed in Jerusalem at Passover by the Romans with the approval of the religious leaders. As Mark told the story he gave it a metaphorical meaning.

It is often said by people who want get at the Jews that it was they who killed Jesus. In all of the gospels it is made quite clear that it was the temple authorities, the Roman collaborators, who condemned Jesus. The evidence put forward was largely invented and they couldn’t agree about any of it. They declared that Jesus had said that he would destroy this temple and in three days build another not made with hands. That was a garbled version of Jesus’ words when he said to one of his disciples, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left, all will be thrown down.” That was because it had become a den of robbers. The High priest had had enough so he shut it down and went for a confession. They asked him, “Are you the Messiah, The Son of the Blessed one.” In this version Mark gives Jesus admitting that he was. Both Matthew and Luke gave a more ambiguous answer. “That’s what you say.” How historical was the trial? I do not know. Would the temple authorities have met on the night of the most holy day of the Jewish year, Passover? Probably not. What we do know and is worth repeating is that Jesus was condemned to death by collaboration between the temple leaders and the Roman occupiers. Again I emphasise that the temple leaders are not to be confused with the Jewish people. The Jewish followers of Jesus were mostly on his side. That’s why the authorities needed Judas. I suppose most of what I have said so far may be regarded as largely historical.

It is reasonable to ask the question, “Why did Jesus die?” It is easy to give the answer in terms of dying to save us from our sins. I again point out that we are studying Mark’s Gospel and there is no evidence for that in his writing. Jesus died because of the failings of his closest followers. Judas betrayed him. His inner circle of disciples were too weak to keep awake and wait with him. His followers left him stranded. Mark even gives us the vivid image of an unknown young follower fleeing naked into the night from the scene of the arrest, his cowardice exposed for all to see.  Peter goes and sits with the guards, ready to take advantage of their protection. Jesus died because he was betrayed, deserted, and denied by his followers. Jesus died also because he made enemies. The chief priests and scribes planned his arrest under cover of darkness leading to a sham trial in the high priest’s courtyard.

He died also because of his own self-giving love. All through Mark we have had a racing account of Jesus’ very active life. Suddenly it changed. Jesus became a passive victim. It seems to be true that Jesus died because he chose to give his life for others. We have found that the Gospel of Mark can be understood at so many levels. Is there anything metaphorical about this passage?  I do believe that most of what is written has a story behind it. What can we learn from this passage?

I think Mark is telling us that those who claim to follow Jesus are capable of betrayal. The professionally religious, like the scribes and Pharisees, are in danger of acting to protect their self-interest rather than promoting the Kingdom of God. Yet in spite of the temptation to throw in the towel Jesus stood firm. Not in an aggressive forceful way but gently. In some way that is a lesson for us. More respect is gained through gentleness than through violent argument. We should always be prepared to answer the question, “Why are you nice to people, even those who dislike you? The answer should be, “Because that is what Jesus would have done.” If this passage was just history we could read it once and forget it. The betrayal and trial of Jesus was written as a drama to be experienced and explored again and again. Like seeing a play and noticing something different each time. As we move towards His death and resurrection please try and look for the story behind the story. I hope in that way you will approach it anew and find it fascinating.