Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

We're we've been to the last supper, the Passover feast, everything's eaten, I guess they've cleared up. They've sung a Psalm or a Him, and Jesus has declared that someone will betray him 1 of the 12 and they're going out into them into the night. But just before that happens, Jesus carries on with this really interesting little event, verse 27 of Mark 14. You will all fall away Jesus told them, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. But after I've risen, I will go ahead of you into Galile.

Peter declared, even if all fall away, I will not. Truly, I tell you Jesus answered, today, yes, tonight, Before the cock crows twice, you, yourself, will disown me 3 times. But Peter insisted emphatically. Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you. And all the others said the same.

Yeah. Well, I mean, It's a devastating revelation, isn't it? It is a devastating revelation. And, you you know, if you were 1 of the 12, you could just about stomach the idea that 1 would betray. Yeah.

But now to be told that all are gonna fall away -- Mhmm. -- must have been a real a real suck a punch for them. And Jesus is saying that because that, again, is what has been prophesied in the old testament, and his his total commitment to fulfill the scriptures in every way is is here. And you've got this powerful image, haven't you? Of a shepherd?

So Jesus is both the lamb and the shepherd. And the sheep are gonna be scattered. And what happens to the sheep with no shepherd? Well, It lacks guidance. It's vulnerable to enemies.

Whereas before, with the shepherd, it would move as a group. It's every sheep for himself, I suppose when the shepherd is gone, isn't it? So it's a picture of, you know, abandonment and vulnerability. And that's that's what's gonna happen. That's what they're gonna be like.

They're gonna scatter -- Mhmm. -- as the ship suffers. And and again, he knows that he'll be he's got this this this word strike. I will strike Shepard. It reminds you of the stuff in Genesis 3 where, you know, the the the the the demon of the snake is gonna strike out at him and -- Mhmm.

-- and then also the striking of the the wrath of God upon upon him. There is this beating there is this crushing and striking of the shepherd -- Mhmm. -- is gonna happen. Yeah. And they're all gonna run away.

They're all gonna run away. Yeah. And And yet, you know, there is hope for them. Isn't there? In verse 28, but after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galile and it's almost as to say that the voice of the shepherd is going to be silenced for a time and you will all flee, but the the voice of the shepherd will be heard again.

You know, and he will again call his flock and he will go ahead of them. And so there's there's there's a little just ray of light and a ray of grace for them, isn't there there? And yet Peter, you know, it's I think he's probably still focusing on the first part of what Jesus said. And is just so eager to claim that he himself will not be part of -- Yeah. Even though this has been promised in the old testament, you know, it's not going to be true, Peter.

Yeah. Because he's a brave lad. Yeah. And actually, when it comes to the event of Jesus arrest which we will see next in in gethsemane. He he is brave.

It's not that he's not brave. He he's the 1 who draws a a sword out. He's the 1 that has a go at the authorities. So there's a braveness about him and he said, I'm with you. But Jesus you know, that's not what it's about.

Mhmm. And then he eventually denies Jesus. Mhmm. Right. And and I think that's his his his downfall, isn't it?

Is that Trust in himself, isn't it? Yeah. This is confidence in himself. And, you know, he's, you know, he's not the only 1. I mean, he insists in phatically -- Yeah.

-- which would be interesting to look up just how powerful that expression is, I imagine, very strong. You know, but they all say the same. You know, so they're all. And this is why they're gonna be scattered, isn't it? Yeah.

This is why because they they trust themselves. Yeah. Whereas really they should be saying, yeah, you know, Crum's help us lord. You know, we we, you know, we wanna be true to we wanna be loyal to you, but in our own strength, we won't do it. So you need to help us.

And it it's very kind of Jesus, isn't it? To connect his denial to this cock crowing. Mhmm. Because there's a reality about that, isn't it? It's it's it's not it's like an alarm bell.

Which is, you know, what a quote called Crowley is in many ways. Yeah. And and it's sort of waking him up, isn't it in the morning, to the truth of what he is. If Jesus had not connected it to that, he might have just gone through life that sort of convincing himself, he was okay and -- Mhmm. -- you know, not not seeing what had happened.

And and again, it just shows you the intimate plan of of Christ. And also his complete understanding of who Peter is. And then he places this cockroach to just rub in that alarm. I told you, listen to my word. Mhmm.

And it's you know, it's gonna be when he hears that noise, it is an incredibly humbling experience for him because his You know, he insists emphatically that he won't. But when you get to it, you see that he emphatically denies I mean, he he does so multiple times with increasing -- Yeah. -- ferocity doesn't he, you know? We do not know, you know. Yeah.

And so so actually, to then hear that would be just like the sound of the cockerel, which would have just been normal to everybody else, would have just penetrated him in that in that way as he connected it to what Jesus said. Yeah. I wonder I wonder what it was like for every time he heard a cock crow, even after that. Yeah. Yeah.

After he was forgiven. Yeah. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah.

So you've got these disciples and in 1 sense, you know, Judus isn't the exception. I mean, I know I know he's selling. He's selling and that that is a further step. But all of the disciples are not far many not that many steps behind Jesus, are they? And so this isn't telling us that there are good disciples and bad disciples in 1 sense.

This is telling us that actually even the disciples, all of us are in the same boat. Yeah. Yeah. It's not if you're a failure. It's what kind of failure are you, isn't it?

It's a Yeah. It is. It is. That is that is something for us to take really seriously, isn't it? I can't remember where it is but the verse just comes to my mind about the warning.

Be careful if you think you stand. Yeah. Because you may be about to fall. That's absolutely what learn here, isn't it? Be careful if you think you're standing firm.

Yeah. And that you're above temptation and above denial. Because of that, is a sure sign that we're on the way to a to a fall. And when you go to John's gospel, you you see that in the restoration of Peter, Jesus does 3 times, asks me. Do you love me?

Do you love me? And so this is the intimacy of Jesus us, isn't it? He knows our falling, he knows our frailty, and he knows how to how to put us back and how to restore us, which is a very beautiful thing. Yeah. So I guess this was a really strong learning thing for Peter, however painful it was.

Yeah. He's gonna learn just how amazing Jesus is, I think. Yeah. Alright. We'll leave it there.