Crunch Time

Gospel of Mark

Session 3

Read Mark 14:27-72

Watch Francis Chan Video 10: 03:12 – 07:21.

Discuss

The road to the crucifixion winds ever closer for Jesus. After supper he takes his friends to the Mount of Olives, where he tells them what is about to happen. They then make the short walk to Gethsemane, where Jesus goes off alone to pray.

In the video, Francis talked about the deep anguish that Jesus finally gives vent to in the garden. Jesus is wrestling with the road ahead of him. And his friends can’t stay awake with him for even an hour. In a way, they’ve already begun to abandon him.

Nothing on this road of discipleship is beyond Jesus’s experience. He knows your pain. That’s why he can completely represent us to God. That’s why he can stand in our place at the cross. That’s why he can weep with us in our own pain.

Jesus’s time in the garden helps us see how human he really is. How does his anguish there, anticipating his coming suffering, help you identify with him more closely? (See Hebrews 5:7.)

Recall how Jesus’s identity as the Son of God was affirmed by the Father twice: at his baptism and at the Transfiguration. Jesus gradually revealed his identity only to his disciples, keeping that information close.

The Jewish high priest asked Jesus if he was the Messiah (14:61–65). How did he answer, and how did the high priest respond?

Peter subsequently was questioned about his relationship to Jesus. How did he respond?

It is ironic that two Jews heard the Son of God affirm his true identity, yet the one who should have recognized the Messiah (the high priest) rejected him as a blasphemer and the other (Peter), who knew beyond a doubt who Jesus was, denied knowing him for fear of human authorities. It may be tempting to mock them, but let’s turn the question to ourselves. Would you recognize God’s Holy One? Or do you have a certain image in mind of what he’ll look like? Have you ever turned your back on him in fear of others’ opinions?