Betrayed, Arrested, Denied

It shows us that God has not just arrived, but has personally entered into the sorrow

and brokenness of our world.

Tonight we're looking at Mark 14, starting in verse 32, where Jesus, after eating the

Passover with his disciples, comes with them to the Garden of Gethsemane.

So let's pick up there in verse 32.

Mark writes, and they went to a place called Gethsemane, and he, that is Jesus, said to his

disciples, sit here while I pray.

And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.

And he said to them, my soul is very sorrowful even to death.

Remain here and watch.

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that if it were possible, the hour

might pass from him.

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.

Remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will.

And he came and found them sleeping.

And he said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep?

Could you not watch one hour?

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.

And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not

know what to answer him.

And he came the third time and said to them, are you still sleeping?

And taking your rest, it is enough.

The hour has come.

The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Jesus' prayer in the garden is the prelude to everything that's about to happen.

Jesus is about to enter into the hour, as he calls it, of his passion.

And he fully knows what he's headed into.

Three times in chapter 8, and then again in chapter 9, and chapter 10, he told his disciples

what was going to happen.

He even said that this was the very reason why he had come, to give his life as a ransom

for many.

But as we look at this scene, you know, it's shocking that Jesus, he isn't facing his death

like so many other heroes.

Think of, if you remember the story of Socrates, how does Socrates meet death?

Conversing with his friends, sort of gladly taking the hemlock, ready to pass on to the

other world.

Or think of all the war stories of great men charging into battle fearlessly.

And yet here is Jesus, distressed, troubled, Mark says, sorrowful, even to death, we're

told.

Now on the one hand, isn't it a mark of the reliability of the Gospels that they describe

Jesus this way?

Who would want to remember their great leader trembling in fear before meeting his great

hour?

And yet that is exactly what Jesus in his humanity faced, and the Gospel writers tell

it faithfully.

But on the other hand, isn't this trembling of Jesus also a mark, not just of the reliability

of the Gospel account, but also of the dreadful path that lay before Jesus?

In his prayer, Jesus speaks of the cup, which throughout the Old Testament was a symbol, a symbol not of celebration, a symbol not of merrymaking, but a symbol actually

of God's just judgment, that it's something that those who had rejected him would have to drink to the dregs.

Jesus trembles in the garden, not just because physical death lay before him, but that in death, he would be bearing the cup, drinking the cup of God's awful and right wrath against sin.

And Jesus, in his human will, we see here, pours out his heart to the Father.

If possible, remove this cup from me.

He trembles before its prospect.

But then he prays, yet, not what I will, but what you will.

Even though what lies ahead causes Jesus to tremble, still he submits his will to the Father's will in love and in trust.

And if you think about it, isn't this exactly what our first parents, isn't this exactly what Adam failed to do in the story of the Garden of Eden?

Isn't it Adam who essentially says, not your will, God, but my will be done?

And isn't that exactly the way in which humanity has played itself out ever since?

But now here in another garden, Jesus has come to reverse humanity's fate.

To say, not what I will, but what you will, God.

And while all this is going on, Jesus' closest disciples and friends,

the inner three, Peter and James and John,

as Jesus is in the grips of his hour,

when he needs their comfort the most,

what are they doing?

Falling asleep.

They're drifting off,

leaving him alone with his sorrow.

Which is all an omen of what's about to happen.

Jesus comes to the sleeping disciples a third time and says in verse 42,

let's pick up the story there,

rise, he says, let us be going.

See, my betrayer is at hand.

And immediately while he was speaking,

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.

Now the betrayer had given them a sign saying,

the one I will kiss is the man.

Seize him and lead him away.

Under guard.

And when he came, he went up to him at once and said,

Rabbi.

And he kissed him.

And they laid hands on him and seized him.

But one of those who stood by,

drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest

and cut off his ear.

And Jesus said to them,

have you come out as against a robber

with swords and clubs to capture me?

Day after day, I was with you in the temple teaching

and you did not seize me.

But let the scriptures be fulfilled.

And they all left him and fled.

And a young man followed him with nothing but a linen cloth about his body

and they seized him.

But he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

So it begins with Jesus being betrayed.

By one of his own disciples,

one of the twelve,

a friend that he had spent three years with.

But then lest we think too good of ourselves,

we're shown that he's abandoned by all the rest.

In this telling, Mark uses the word seize again and again.

Did you notice that?

As the crowd has come to lay their hands on Jesus,

to seize him,

ironically and tragically,

in their act of taking hold of him,

Jesus becomes more and more and more alone,

betrayed and abandoned.

And after all he had done throughout his ministry,

in broad daylight,

that they might truly grasp who he is,

they come instead in the middle of the night

to seize him and drag him away to the authorities.

Now Mark is the only gospel to include the detail of the young man

who runs away naked.

And I wonder if he includes it because it represents

the shame of the scene so well.

And Mark actually leaves this young man anonymous,

nameless,

as if to say that what was true of this young man

was true of all of them.

They all ran away in shame.

And indeed I wonder if Mark leaves this young man nameless

to provoke us to search our own hearts.

Do you see yourself in this young man?

Given the option of identifying with Jesus,

how often have we abandoned him instead?

How often have we made our shameless

and shameful flight away?

The prophet Amos wrote,

hundreds of years before Jesus came,

even the bravest of warriors

will flee naked on that day.

And the apostle Paul wrote,

there's no one righteous,

not even one.

All have turned away.

And yet,

as we look at Jesus in the midst of the garden,

as his friends all turn faithless and run,

he remains faithful.

Let the scriptures be fulfilled,

he says.

You see,

God

had planned it this way.

This was why he had come.

As his betrayer sees him

and the rest flee,

Jesus himself keeps a firm grip

on the will of his father.

even as they lead him

to be condemned.

Look again at verse 53.

Let's pick it up from here.

And they led Jesus

to the high priest.

And all the chief priests

and the elders

and the scribes

came together.

And Peter had followed him

at a distance

right into the courtyard

of the high priest.

And as he was sitting with the guards

and warming himself

at the fire.

Now the chief priests

and the whole council

were seeking testimony

against Jesus

to put him to death,

but they found none.

For many bore false witness

against him,

but their testimony

did not agree.

And some stood up

and bore false witness

against him,

saying,

We heard him say,

I will destroy this temple

that is made with hands,

and in three days

I will build another

not made with hands.

Yet even about this

their testimony

did not agree.

And 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?

But he remained silent

and made no answer.

Again the high priest

asked him,

Are you the Christ,

the Son of the Blessed?

And Jesus said,

I am.

And you will see

the Son of Man

seated at the right hand

of power

and coming with

the clouds of heaven.

And the high priest

tore his garments

and said,

What further witnesses

do we need?

You have heard

his blasphemy.

What is your decision?

And they all condemned him

as deserving death.

And some began

to spit on him

and to cover his face

and to strike him,

saying to him,

Prophesy.

And the guards

received him

with blows.

The scene now shifts

from the Garden of Gethsemane

to the house

to the high priest.

And under the cover of night

in a gross

miscarriage of justice,

Jesus is condemned.

And again,

in Mark's telling

of the event,

he brings out

another theme

and this theme

is the theme

of testimony

or witness.

Again and again,

Mark points out

the false testimony

and the conflicting testimony.

And at first,

Jesus is silent

knowing that anything

he says

is just going to be

thrown back in his face

and used against him.

Until the high priest

asks him point blank,

Are you the Christ?

The Son of the Blessed?

The Son of God?

And in that moment,

when his accusers

are bearing down

with their fangs

ready to sink in,

with their swords

sharpened to strike,

when they're ready

to cast their verdict

over his life,

Jesus gives

his own testimony,

his own witness.

And you see,

friends,

Jesus is,

Jesus is

the faithful witness.

When everyone else

has spun the truth

and uttered lies,

he says,

I am.

And you will see

the Son of Man

seated at the right hand

of power

coming with the clouds

of heaven.

And in saying that,

Jesus is taking

two of the most

potent texts

about the Messiah

in the Old Testament,

the long-awaited

coming King,

the one who was supposed

to bring the hope

of Israel,

Jesus is taking

two of the most

potent texts,

the two that make

some of the most

boldest claims

about the Messiah's

relationship to the

one true God

and says,

that's who I am.

And of course,

the irony here

is thick

indeed.

Jesus,

the one who is

the world's

rightful judge,

being judged.

How quick

we are

to cast

our verdict

over God

when we ought

to be more concerned

about God's verdict

over us.

how often

we sit

in judgment

when really

it's we

who are on trial

before our

living

and holy God.

But the deep

irony of the scene

quickly turns

to tragedy

as Mark

turns back

to Peter

who had followed

at a distance

right into the

high priest's

courtyard.

Verse 66,

and as Peter

was below

in the courtyard,

one of the

servant girls

of the high

priest came

and seeing

Peter warming

himself,

she looked at

him and said,

you also

were with

the Nazarene,

Jesus.

But he denied

it,

saying,

I neither know

nor understand

what you mean.

And he went

out into the

gateway

and the rooster

crowed.

And the servant

girl saw him

and began again

to say to the

bystanders,

this man is

one of them.

But again,

he denied it.

And after a

little while,

the bystanders

again said to

Peter,

certainly you

are one of

them,

for you're

a Galilean.

But he began

to invoke

a curse on

himself and

to swear,

I do not

know this

man of whom

you speak.

And immediately

the rooster

crowed a

second time.

And Peter

remembered how

Jesus had

said to him,

before the

rooster crows

twice,

you will deny

me three

times.

And he

broke down

and wept.

It's hard to

imagine a

more poignant

scene in the

Gospels.

And again,

isn't it another

mark of the

authenticity of

the reliability

of these texts

that we have?

Certainly no

follower of Jesus

would have made

up such a

humiliating story

about one of

their key

followers and

published it for

all the world

to read unless

it actually

happened.

But you see,

more than just

that,

isn't Peter's

denial the

final wound?

Jesus has been

betrayed,

abandoned,

condemned,

and now

denied.

God.

While Jesus is

bearing true

witness to his

identity,

witness that

will lead to a

certain execution,

Peter,

perhaps one of

Jesus' closest

friends on

earth,

is denying him

in the courtyard.

So what are we

to make of

this passage?

We often sing a

hymn here at

Trinity about

Jesus that

begins like this,

Man of

sorrows,

what a name

for the Son

of God

who came.

In our passage

tonight, we begin

to see the

depth of this

sorrow.

sorrow.

This text

shows us that

in his passion,

Jesus experiences

not just the

physical pain

of the cross

and the beating

and the spitting,

but even the

full depths of

relational and

emotional pain

and sorrow.

I wonder

tonight,

as we've come

here for

worship,

have you been

betrayed?

Have you been

abandoned ever?

Have you ever

been falsely

condemned?

Have you ever

been denied?

Friends,

what this text

is telling us

is that Jesus

knows exactly

what you are

going through.

That he drank

that cup

to the full

for you

so that he

might know

you

and so that

you might be

fully known.

God.

Now,

take what we

see of Jesus

in this passage

and hold it up

to your

understanding of

who God is.

Is your God

distant?

Is he

uninvolved?

Is he

unconcerned?

Is he

unaware?

anywhere?

And then

consider the

God that we

know in

Jesus,

who enters

into the most

horrible of

earthly exclusion

and sorrow

out of love

for his lost

creation.

And though it's

shocking,

though it's

hard to wrap

our minds

around a

suffering God,

consider it.

what other

God is

worthy of

worship?

In a world

of brokenness

and pain

and sorrow

and exclusion

and abandonment

and betrayal

and denial,

what other

God would

you worship

other than

the one

who knows

exactly

what that

means?

And friends,

Christianity

is the only

game in town

when it

comes to

that.

There is

no pain

that you

have felt

or will

feel

that God

himself

does not

know

from the

inside

in a

personal way.

There is

no tearing

of the

heart

that Jesus

himself

has not

felt.

So when

you draw

near to

him,

when you

go to

him in

prayer,

don't think

that he

can't

understand

you.

Don't

think that

you're

knocking

on a

brick wall

of heaven

and the

doors never

open.

Don't

think that

this God

can't

comfort

you.

In the

Psalms,

we read

some just

amazing

verses,

like this

one from

Psalm 34,

the Lord

is near

to the

brokenhearted

and saves

the crushed

in spirit.

And again,

in Psalm 147,

the psalmist

writes,

he heals

the brokenhearted

and binds

up their

wounds.

And we

see now,

in light

of the

cross,

in light

of Jesus'

passion,

in light

of the

garden,

how this

can be

true.

In Jesus,

God has

truly come

near to

the brokenhearted

and he's

come near

to heal

because he

too was

broken and

betrayed

and abandoned

and condemned

and denied.

Man of

sorrows,

what a

name

for the

Son of

God who

came.

But the

verse continues,

doesn't it?

Ruined

sinners

to

reclaim.

Hallelujah.

Praise God.

What a

Savior.

You see,

friends,

Jesus drank

this cup,

not just

to sympathize

with sufferers,

glorious as that

is,

but also to

save the

sinful

and to

reclaim

the ruined.

After all,

don't you see,

as you read this

text,

Christ,

it's we

who have

betrayed

God

when

something

more

immediately

pleasurable

presents

itself.

It's we

who have

abandoned

him

when the

following

gets costly.

It's we

who have

sought to

condemn him

when we

decided he

ought to

have done

things

differently

in my

life.

It's even

we who

have denied

him

when the

pressure of

the world

of friends

and co-workers

and colleagues

presses in.

And wouldn't

it be right,

wouldn't it be

justice that

would say,

let the

betrayers be

betrayed,

let the

abandoners be

abandoned,

let the

condemners be

condemned,

let the

deniers be

denied.

Isn't that

how your

heart works?

I know that's

how my

heart works.

It's easy

to forgive

someone who

breaks your

things,

right?

But not

so when

someone breaks

your heart.

They get

what they

deserve.

But instead

Jesus comes

and is

betrayed

and is

abandoned

and is

condemned

and is

even

denied

so that

those

who deserve

those things

never

ultimately

have to

be.

He's

betrayed

so that

all who

believe in

him

can be

accepted.

He takes

our curse

so we

can receive

his blessing.

Don't you

see from

the garden

of Gethsemane

and from

the house

of the

high priest

rings out

the good

news of

the gospel.

Christ is

taking the

cup of

sorrow so

that you

and I

can take

the cup

of his

joy so

that abandoners

can be

counted as

faithful friends

in the eyes

of God

so that

those who

have denied

him can

be counted

in Christ

as those

who are

faithful and

true.

Friends,

this is what

Holy Week is

all about.

This is what

Easter is all

about.

This is what

Christianity is

all about.

This is what

the world

is about.

This is what

God is about.

That he

bears our

cross so

that we can

share in his

resurrection

and so

that God's

glorious grace

will be

demonstrated

for all

eternity.

Man of

sorrows,

what a name

for the

Son of

God who

came,

ruined

sinners

to reclaim.

Hallelujah.

Praise

God.

What a

Savior.

Let's

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

word messault,

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Buddy,

give me a good

news for us. And may we be willing, Lord, seeing your great mercy to stand for you.

In your name we pray. Amen.

We're going to sing a song of meditation and response. Use this time to pray. Use this time

to connect with the Lord. Use the words of this song. 20 minutes after the sermon, just doing some

Q&A, trying to interact with this text together. So this is a time for us to ask questions on some

things we might not have been able to get to or any questions you might have had about the text.

So we'll take questions. If I don't know the answer to your question or if it seems kind of

far afield from where we were tonight, I will confess my ignorance or maybe we can talk about

it afterwards. But yeah, we'll do our best. So why don't we begin? Who has a question?

Andrew, yeah.

Can you expand perhaps on why all the gospel writers, Mark includes the story of this young

guy, like you would think Luke would have done that given the length of Luke's gospel?

Yeah, yeah. That's a great question. So the question is, why do we think Mark is the only

one who included the story of this young man who runs away naked, especially when some of

the other gospels are a lot longer and it seems like they've got more space to include stuff

like that? You know, ultimately we don't know. Some people think that the young man is actually

Mark himself. Total speculation, but I guess it's possible. It's a bit of an odd detail,

isn't it? It's very strange. It's striking too. It's an arresting detail. So one wonders if,

you know, some of the other gospel writers just choose not to include it because of the other things

that they felt like they wanted to emphasize in their accounts of Jesus. I mean, remember that

the gospel accounts are not exhaustive. We don't have in the gospel accounts every single thing

that Jesus ever said and did. All of the gospel accounts are engineered to present in a compelling

way the truth about Jesus Christ. So they're all selective and they're all strategic and they're all

carefully crafted. So yeah, it's a good question.

Any other questions? Jonathan?

Yeah.

Good question. So when Jesus says, not my will, but your will be done, is the implication that Jesus has

a separate will from the Father. We actually talked about this in Sunday school this morning,

actually. So there's a really neat conversation throughout the early church about the relationship

of Jesus's will to the will of the Father. And it seems, and especially as we look at this passage,

we know that Jesus is fully human and we know that Jesus is fully divine. Two natures in one person.

That is sort of the biblical teaching and the teaching that the church affirmed throughout the

ages about who Jesus is. So this question of wills, as you read a passage like this, it seems as if

Jesus has a fully human will, in addition to a fully divine will. Not just one, but he's got two,

and that he submits that fully human will to the will of the Father. And that's the real beauty of it,

that in Jesus's earthly ministry, he's doing everything that we failed to do.

So all those times, I mean, isn't that our great spiritual battle? That our wills are rebellious?

That they're disordered? That our passions don't go in the way that God created them to go because

we've fallen? And Jesus comes and takes on our flesh, and even takes on our will, and says,

no, I'm going to do it in the right way. So it becomes this great message of hope.

And as Malcolm pointed out this morning as he was teaching his class, it becomes this awesome

picture of the future where Jesus is taking us in the new heavens and the new earth as a place

where our wills, our still totally human wills, are utterly conformed to God, such it will never sin,

that we'll always love God above all else and do whatever he says, and in that find perfect freedom

and joy. So this battle that's happening here in the garden has massive significance for our salvation.

So yeah, so what the church has said is that there are two wills in Jesus, a human will and a divine will.

Yeah.

Any other questions? Yes, Kevin.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Oh, good question.

Yeah.

Okay, so, yeah, it's kind of, kind of, it makes sense of that.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yep.

Yeah, right.

Uh-huh.

Yeah.

Yeah, good, good observations, Kevin.

So the question is, you know, how do these details work out in this scene when the mob comes and the,

and Judas comes to betray Jesus and hand him over?

It seems like, right, it seems like at first, uh, so John tells us that the disciple who strikes

the ear is actually Peter, sort of impetuous Peter, kind of lashing out.

Uh, and, you know, and we, it, doesn't that fit with the arc of the gospel's narrative, right?

That the disciples were always sort of trying to figure out, like, okay, Jesus, when are we going

to start to do the military sort of project that we were expecting you to do?

Uh, so Peter's like, okay, let's do this.

Game on.

Um, but obviously it's, it's immediately futile.

And in the other gospel accounts, Jesus actually rebukes them for trying to do it and then says,

no, this is, this is where it's going to go.

Um, and then I think, I think you're right, Kevin.

And it's after that point, once, once they see that the die is cast, they all run.

Um, and of course we know that, that Mark's speaking generally there, because Peter then

does sort of follow behind at a distance.

And John's gospel tells us that, that John himself actually fought.

There was, there were actually two of them in the courtyard.

Um, so.

Tyrone, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Good.

Good.

Is that, did Mark?

Yep.

So if you look a little earlier in Mark 14, in verse 27, they had just finished up, uh,

the Passover meal and Jesus had just instituted the Lord's supper communion.

And then Jesus says to them, you'll all fall away for it's written, I'll strike the shepherd

and the sheep will be scattered.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's right.

So that's, I mean, that's probably one of the scriptures that Jesus has in mind that's

being fulfilled in that very moment.

Um, yeah.

Which is ironic, right?

Because later when, after the Sanhedrin, the council sort of condemns him, they start mocking

him and spitting him, saying, prophesy, you know, tell us who hit you.

And the, the sad irony of that is that everything that's happening is happening exactly like Jesus

said it would.

That, that, that Jesus's status as the true prophet of God is held up throughout this whole

narrative, even while they mock him for it.

Um, Michael, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

That's a neat connection, yeah.

Yeah, so Michael's question is,

why is Jesus so disappointed with him for falling asleep?

What's he wanting from them in that moment?

What's he expecting and what's he hoping happens

in that time?

Yeah, that's a good question, Michael.

I think on the surface what he wants is for them

to just be near to him and pray with him

just one last time before the events happen,

before the machinations start turning

that lead to the cross.

So, I mean, you see here both sort of

Jesus' consternation but also his mercy, don't you,

at the end of verse 38 where he says,

this spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.

So even in that moment,

Jesus is merciful towards these guys

and yet,

and yet it's heartbreaking, right?

That in his hour of need,

they're sleeping.

There's one Puritan who's written like a 400-page book

on the phrase watch and pray.

Just those three words, John Owen.

It's a whole book on watch and pray,

so I can recommend that to you.

I've not read it, but you know,

if you want something to do over, you know,

dead week, Michael, you can take up some John Owen.

So, watch and pray.

Yeah.

Kelly.

I think you said that when Jesus says his statement

when he's being condemned,

the Old Testament references.

Mm-hmm.

Can you cite that?

Yeah, so you'll see the Son of Man

seated at the right hand of power.

That's an allusion to Psalm 110.1,

which Jesus actually brought up earlier

in the temple disputes, if you remember that.

The Lord says to my Lord,

sit at my right hand until I make your enemies

your footstool.

And Jesus says,

if the Messiah is David's son,

how does he call him Lord?

Sort of provoking them

to start to get a little deeper

about the identity of the Messiah.

And then the second reference

is the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven.

That's Daniel 7.

I think 7.14.

Is that right, Craig?

7.14?

Yeah.

Which is part of Daniel's sort of visions,

his prophetic visions,

of how God was going to bring

his redemptive plans to completion.

And he has this sort of powerful,

heavily symbolic vision of the ancient of days,

sort of the Lord in splendor.

And then one like the Son of Man

approaching the throne,

coming with the clouds of heaven,

ascending to him.

So tradition then picked that up

as a messianic reference.

So that would be that one.

It's Daniel 7.

That's also the one that Jesus has quoted

in Mark 13, too,

when he's giving his discourse

about the destruction of the temple

and the return of the Son of Man

and those kinds of things.

He's referencing Daniel there, too.

Maybe one or two more questions

before we close.

Noelle.

Yeah.

I wish you had a question.

I wish you had a question.

When you speak about it,

I should probably get a good idea

of myself into Jesus' death.

But you talk about how...

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Wow, that's a really good question, Noelle.

So Noelle's question is,

on the cross,

Jesus is drinking the cup

of God's wrath against sin.

Does that...

Sort of living post-cross now,

does that change

God's sort of general relationship

with the world?

Because we see in the Old Testament

there are moments

where it seems like God's wrath comes

in maybe natural ways

or in specific historical events.

Maybe a general point

on that question.

As Christians,

we should be incredibly

reticent

to identify

things in nature

or in history

as sort of direct,

wrathful acts of God

against sin

without any kind of

biblical precedent.

sin.

I think in a general way,

yes,

the world is broken

and the world is sinful

and the evil

and corruption

and destruction

that we see

is a product of that.

But I think we should be

very careful to say

that event happened

because those people

did this

and God was judging them.

I just don't think

we have biblical warrant

to do that.

And I think the reason

why the Old Testament

does that

is because

it's God himself

giving the interpretation

of the events

to his people.

So,

without that kind of

God's sort of

stamped interpretation

of events,

I think we should be

very reticent to do that.

Your other question,

though,

is God's sort of

fundamental posture

towards the world

now changed,

though,

because of what

Jesus has done?

And I think

the answer

where we can be

on safe ground

is to say that

it's very different

towards those

who are in Christ.

And in and through

the church now,

that sort of,

that new covenant

community

is now salt

and light

in the world

such that that joy

and peace

is now spreading

as that leaven

kind of goes out.

Jesus is very clear

that just as God

is king,

he is also judge.

So just as he rules

all things,

he will judge

all things.

But the distinction

in God's judgment

is between those

who have repented

of sin

and placed their

trust in Christ

and those who

continue to sort of

rely on self-righteousness

for their standing

with him

who continue in sin.

Is that helpful,

Noelle?

Is that maybe

a start to that?

Yeah.

One more question.

Yes?

Yes?

It's a little strange.

I know.

Yes,

it seems very arcane,

doesn't it?

It seems very sort of

abstract or confusing.

Maybe one way

of saying it

is to say

we know that Jesus

has a fully human nature,

right,

and a fully divine nature,

but he's one person,

right,

that there's one person,

Jesus Christ,

but it's both

of these natures

together.

And those natures

never are separated

in his person,

but they're never

confused.

And what that means

is they never sort of

collapse into one another.

So Jesus has

a fully human will,

but he also has

a fully divine will.

In his human nature,

he has a fully human will.

In his divine nature,

he has a fully divine will.

And they interact

in his person.

I'd encourage you

to talk to Malcolm

after the service

about that

because he is

our resident expert

on Christology,

which is sort of

our understanding

of who Jesus is

theologically.

And he can help you

more with that afterwards

if that's not clear enough.

When I read the Bible,

I've always seen

my Father say to me.

Yeah.

And also,

why the Father

said to Jesus Christ

is because

the will of the prophets

before

who have only

Jesus Christ

is the same.

That's right.

That's the way

of understanding.

Yeah.

That's right.

I would,

yes and amen.

That's completely true.

That Jesus has come

to accomplish

the will of his Father

and to do what

no one else could do.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's right.

Yeah.

That's right.

Good.

Yeah.

That's right.

That's right.

That's right.

Yeah.

Oh,

I think that's right.

I think Jesus is making

a not so veiled reference

to himself there

and saying that

I'm the one,

I'm the son

who's finally come.

And he doesn't,

he prophesy there

that the people

will reject him.

And yet,

even in being rejected,

God makes him

the cornerstone

of a whole new,

of the whole new

renewed people of God.

That even in his rejection,

God accomplishes his plan

for our salvation.

Which,

that's the beauty

of the gospel.

Yeah.

Let's end there.

It's already 10 of 8.

Let's end there.

Let's end there.

Let's end there.

Let's end there.