The sermon presents a detailed examination of Mark 14:53-72, focusing on the contrasts between Jesus and the figures around Him. It begins by highlighting the contrast between the first Adam's failure and Jesus' triumph in the garden. The narrative then shifts to the trial of Jesus, emphasizing its unjust nature as a 'sham trial' conducted at night in secrecy. Jesus is portrayed as the new temple and high priest, fulfilling prophecies and embodying righteousness in contrast to the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. Jesus' claim of 'I am' underscores His divinity and role as Savior. The sermon also contrasts Jesus' steadfastness during His trial with Peter's denial, highlighting Jesus' role as the unblemished Lamb and the one who restores Peter. The sermon concludes with an invitation to believe in Jesus for salvation and restoration.

If you have a pew Bible you can find Mark chapter 14 on page 1014. 1014 will be beginning in verse 53 of Mark 14. We'll be reading through the end of this chapter. Mark chapter 14, beginning in verse 53, and if you would please stand now as we hear from God Almighty. Beginning in verse 53.

Almighty. Beginning in verse 53, they led Jesus away to the high priest and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. Peter had followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest. He was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put him to death, and they were not finding any.

For many were giving false testimony against him, but their testimony was not consistent. Some stood up and began to give false testimony against him saying, we heard him say, I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands. Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus saying, Do you not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against you?

But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning him and saying to him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? And Jesus said, I am. You shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, what further need do we have of witnesses?

You have heard the blasphemy, how does it seem to you? And they all condemned him to be deserving of death. Some began to spit at him and to blindfold him and to beat him with their fists and say to him, prophesy, and the officers received him with slaps in the face. 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 Jesus the Nazarene.

But he denied it, saying, I neither know nor understand what you are talking about. And he went out onto the porch. The servant girl saw him and began once more to say to the bystanders, this is one of them. But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too.

But he began to curse and swear. I do not know this man you are talking about. Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. And he began to weep.

May God bless the reading of his word. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. And you may be seated.

Last Lord's Day, Mark placed before us two different atoms. The first atom and his failure in the garden and the second atom and his triumph in the garden. We saw the first atom represented by the disciples Three times they could not stay awake. And when the crowd came to arrest the Lord Jesus, they scattered just like Jesus had foretold. They fled from the garden just like their father Adam had fled in that first garden, these disciples fled from the presence of Jesus.

But in contrast to the first Adam in Genesis chapter 3, and the disciples that represented Him in Mark 14, we found in Mark 14 a man in a garden who did not flee. We found the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, who did not fail where all other men had failed before. We saw that this Jesus triumphed, where the first Adam and his offspring had failed. He stood firm. He stood in the place of sinners.

He said, in essence, take me instead. He gave his life for his sheep. He gave his life for his bride. What a contrast. What a contrast we saw.

Failure and triumph. Through the first Adam in the Garden, through the first man Adam, the Federal Head, sin and death, reign and sin and corruption have been passed down to our fathers and to us and to our offspring. Through the first Adam we were placed under the curse and we died. But through the work of the second Adam in the garden, the federal head of the new covenant, For all who repent to believe upon Him, the curse has been broken. The second Adam drank the cup of God's wrath.

The second Adam drank the cup of the curse himself so that in him we might receive the cup of blessing in exchange through the second Adam who rose up from that garden tomb, his linen covering removed through that second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. We his people live. That is a contrast of all contrasts. A contrast that Mark continues in our passage this morning. We've seen a contrast in the gardens, a contrast of federal heads in the garden, and now this morning we see a contrast of two trials.

The sham trial of Jesus before the high priest in the home of the high priest, and the trial of Peter in the courtyard. A tale of two trials. And you're to see the contrast. First we have the setup. Verses 53 and 54 of our passage provide the setup.

Mark is giving us another contrast. I want you to notice how verse 53 begins. They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. The mob that had come into Gethsemane at night with swords and clubs and the verses prior, they're now leading Jesus away to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes have gathered together.

That's not a mistake that those same three groups are mentioned again. They were mentioned just prior again and they were mentioned just prior to that again. They keep getting mentioned these three groups of men. This is exactly as Jesus had foretold in Mark chapter 8. These were the exact same groups of men that Jesus had explicitly mentioned and said that these men would reject him and kill him.

This was all directed by the sovereign hand of Almighty God. This is exactly as the scriptures had foretold. And I want you to notice that What are these men doing? Well, they're leading Jesus away to a trial at night. That's significant.

They come in the garden at night and they take Jesus away at night. And this is very consistent with the Sanhedrin's fear of the people. They fear the people and so they do all of this under the cover of darkness. Most theologians agree that Jewish law at this time forbade trials at night. Right?

To maintain justice, to be clear that justice would not be in any kind of way made impure. Do this in broad daylight. What do we see here? Here these men are at night having a trial. Bending their own laws to see Jesus destroyed.

And so even before the trial commences, what do you know about this trial? This trial is a sham trial. Why is it going on at night? Notice also where they lead the Lord Jesus. They led him away to the high priest.

The high priest was a man named Caiaphas who according to R.C. Sproul was perhaps the most powerful Jewish man in the land. The most powerful Jew in the land. And Where is the trial to occur? In public?

Out for everyone to see just to make sure it's all in the up and up? No, it's in the home of the high priest, Caiaphas. Peter's in the courtyard, and Jesus is inside. He's not in public, but in private. And so before we even get to the trial, Mark sets up here lots of clues for us to make it really clear, this trial is unrighteous.

This trial is bound up in secrecy and the fear of man. Does that sound like a just trial to you? It's about to get a lot worse. The trial of Jesus is a sham from the setup. It's not a trial, it's a setup itself.

It's a kangaroo court. So Mark sets up the trial in verse 53, the trial of Jesus. And then Mark sets up the trial of Peter in the next verse. So verses 53 and 54 are the setups for each of the trials that you're going to be reading about. Verse 53 was the trial of Jesus, verse 54 the trial of Peter.

Peter was going to have a trial of his own. Look at verse 54. Peter had followed him in a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. Again, I want you to notice particular language. Peter had followed him at a distance.

Why does Mark include that detail, you think? It's quite the contrast, isn't it? From Peter's boasting just verses prior, verses 29 and 31 from last week. I won't flee Jesus. I will die with you if that's what it's going to take.

Here is Peter at a distance. You see the contrast? In the courtyard of the high priest, sitting down and warming himself, getting comfortable in the courtyard while the Lord Jesus is inside suffering. That's a contrast. The tale of two trials, a contrast of two cases.

Trial number one. Case number one. Jesus before the high priest. In verses 55 through 65, we see a constant refrain. What is that refrain that we see there?

What word does Mark repeatedly use? Well, one of the repeated words there is the word testimony. And specifically, we come to realize that this is false testimony. Look again at verse 55. Now the chief priests and the whole council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put him to death and they were not finding any.

This is a sham trial. We've already seen in verse 53 that this is a kangaroo court, but now we see it even more clearly they are trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put him to death and they can't find him. Now that is completely backwards from biblical justice. You know this. You know this beloved here in America, don't you?

In America, we have the doctrine of innocent until proven guilty. Some might argue that we don't have much of that anymore. Do you know where that principle in American law comes from? The presumption of innocence? Innocent until proven guilty?

It comes directly from the Bible. It comes directly from God's law in Deuteronomy 19 and Numbers chapter 35. You can write those down to look at them in the hours that come. The law of our land here in America comes directly from the law of God and God and God says in Deuteronomy 19 and Numbers 35 unless two or more witnesses provide the same testimony, a man is presumed innocent. That's God's law.

And yet, the law of God that these chief priests know really well, The law of God that these chief priests know really well. The law of God that these religious council members know exceedingly well. The law of God is what they are completely ignoring. And they're disobeying by presuming the guilt of Jesus. Notice what the text is not saying.

It is not saying, let's hear the testimony and then we'll decide whether we put him to death or not. We'll see if he's guilty. No, no. The text tells us they kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus because they had already purposed to destroy him. That's backwards justice.

That's an abomination of justice that is coming to the courtroom with unequal weights and measures and we know what God thinks of unequal weights and measures, don't we? It is an abomination to the Lord God Almighty. And these men act like it's merely a trifle. They seek to find false testimony against Jesus. But what happens?

They can't find it. They can't obtain any false testimony. I mean they can't get anybody to agree. How come they can't Find any dirt on Jesus? Why can't these men find any consistent testimony that Jesus deserves death?

Why is that? The answer is pretty obvious, isn't it? Because Jesus doesn't deserve death. Because Jesus is actually completely innocent. These men can't find testimony against Jesus because Jesus hasn't broken God's law.

Ever. I don't want you to miss what Mark is showing you in these verses in part. Mark is showing you in part in these verses that Jesus is perfectly righteous. So righteous is he that even men who seek to lie about him can't get the story straight. There's no dirt.

You're supposed to see and think here that as you look at the character of Jesus, the Savior Jesus, He has fully kept the law of God. That's why this trial is a sham. Jesus is innocent. Perfectly obedient to God's law. And beloved, that's really good news for you.

That Jesus is perfectly obedient. That he has never broken the law of God. You know why that's really good news for you? Because you have not kept God's law. It's because you have disobeyed God's law.

Today, probably 15 minutes ago, Maybe 15 seconds. This is really good news, because friends, you and I are lawbreakers. And lawbreakers deserve punishment. Lawbreakers merit condemnation from God. Those who sin in breaking the law of God deserve eternal torment in hell.

And as a lawbreaker, you yourself have earned death as the wages for your law breaking. And you do not meet the requirement of perfection to live eternally with God and glory. Do you see how you are doubly in bad shape? You have merited damnation and even if somehow that damnation was taken away from you, you do not have the perfect righteousness with which to live with God forever and eternity. Doubly in that shape.

You need a Savior. I need a Savior. Is there a Savior who would come and bear the guilt and condemnation that you and I deserve as sinners? Is there a Savior who would come and drink the full cup of God's wrath upon all of our sin? He would drink it upon Himself.

Is there a Savior that would, in that moment of taking your sin upon himself, is there a savior that would, in that moment of taking your sin upon himself, is there a savior who would then credit to your account, to your spiritual bank account, his very own perfect righteousness, his very own law keeping, his very own obedience, so that God the Father would look at you and say, oh, I don't see your sin anymore. I see the righteousness of my Son in the place of your sin. Wouldn't that be such good news if there was a Savior that would come to do that? That would be really good news. How good that news would be if four sinners, if such a Savior would come and say, Your own garments that you've covered yourself with, they're filthy rags, But mine, they are spotless.

And I will give the garments of salvation that I've earned to you. And I will clothe you in those garments of salvation so that you will be forever spotless before God the Father. I will give you my righteousness, that Savior would say, and it will always flow freely from me to you as a gift, received by grace through faith. That would be so good. That would be amazing if only such a Savior would come and satisfy the wrath of God and His law keeping would be imputed to me so that the Father would see no more sin and perfection.

Christ's perfection. That would be really good, wouldn't it, if a Christ would come? He came. He came. And here we see in our passage the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world and to make righteous in the Father's sight his bride.

He came. Here he is. Jesus is the law-keeping, perfectly righteous, perfectly obedient, unblemished Lamb of God. He's come to justify His people. He is blameless, but He's in a sham trial.

And men cannot find any dirt on Him. And yet they keep trying, and they keep trying, and they keep trying. Look at verse 56. For many were giving false testimony against him, but their testimony was not consistent. They still can't find any dirt on him.

And beloved, let me tell you right now, they never will. In these verses, you are to see that Jesus has obeyed the law of God perfectly and entirely. But Mark wants you also to see something else. He's drawing contrast throughout this passage. Again, he wants you to see the perfection of Jesus.

There is no dirt that these men can drum up that sticks. Mark also wants you to realize that as you see the perfection of Jesus and how He's kept the law of God, you are to see how these men have not. You see the contrast. The Savior versus these men. These men, these representative heads of Israel, They are the opposite of Jesus.

They are not law keepers. They are law breakers These men honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. They are hypocrites How so? How are they hypocrites? Let me just remind you.

Trial by night. Secret trial in the home of the high priest that isn't where trials are supposed to be held. But most of all, false testimony. False testimony. They are organizing false testimony.

They are working with unequal weights and measures. So it's no wonder in Mark 11 that Jesus, who knows the hearts of all men has cursed the fig tree of a temple. Right? It's no wonder that Jesus who knows the hearts of these men has cursed the temple in Mark 11. No wonder that Jesus has called these men out in the parable of the vineyard and the tenants in Mark chapter 12 and has said that judgment is surely to come upon them.

Why is judgment to come upon these men? It's Because they're hypocrites. Because they're law breakers. Because these men who are the heads of Israel, they are breaking the ninth commandment. That's clear.

What's the ninth commandment? Thou shalt not bear false witness, false testimony. False witness, false testimony. What do we see right here? An organized attempt by these men to bear false witness against Jesus.

These religious leaders are hypocrites. They are liars. And what's so interesting in my study this week, I found this to be so interesting. I think essential to understand in this passage. If you've read the Old Testament, if you've read Deuteronomy 19, Deuteronomy 19 verses 15 through 21, Deuteronomy 19, 15 through 21, then you know, When you go and read that, you will find that God says in His law that if there is a false witness, if someone in a trial gives false witness a false charge, then you are to do to that false testifier what you were going to do to the man who had been wrongly accused.

You got that? If someone gives false testimony, then you are to do to that false accuser what they were going to do to the man who had been wrongly accused. What do these false testifiers presume to do to Jesus, the wrongly accused? Put him to death. They intend to destroy him.

And so God says, and he has already said it in Mark chapter 11, and Mark chapter 12, and Mark chapter 13, God says, so I will destroy you. I will do to you false witnesses what you purpose to do to the one innocent. And again that's why all of that destruction upon Jerusalem and the temple was promised by God in the prior chapters. And speaking of the temple, look in verse 57. We've seen the hypocrisy of Israel, But now we see the faithfulness of Jesus.

Jesus is the new temple. Jesus is the one wrongfully accused while the temple in Israel will be destroyed. Jesus is the new temple. Look at verse 57. Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Jesus saying, well, we heard him say, I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.

Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. Verse 58 is probably a reference to John chapter 2. John chapter 2 verse 19, you can write that down. That was at the beginning of Jesus's ministry in John's gospel and Jesus had said this is probably two or three years prior to this trial Jesus had said at the beginning of his ministry Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days and John and John's gospel clarifies that Jesus was distinctly referring to his own body. His body as the temple.

Jesus said that at the beginning of his public ministry. And so these men, here in Mark 14, these hypocrites are taking what Jesus said in John chapter 2, two or three years ago, and bringing it back up and saying, in essence, Jesus is a quasi-terrorist. This man is reckless. This man is a vigilante. He's a threat.

I mean I heard him say one time, didn't you Johnny? I heard him say that he'd destroy the temple and build another made without hands. John can't even agree with him. But there is some truth in that statement in the sense that the temple will be destroyed. Jesus did promise that.

God would destroy the temple. Mark said so in Mark chapter 13 verse 2. And Jesus will be raised up as the new and true temple, not built by hands. But these men are putting things that Jesus has said together in ways that Jesus has not intended them to be put together. They're twisting Jesus' words as a means to condemn Jesus.

And yet Jesus has done no wrong. They're twisting Jesus' words. Jesus was not planning. He was not planning on rebuilding the temple, physical temple. God instead was going to raise Jesus up from the dead as the new and true temple.

Jesus is the temple not built by hands. John says that clearly. In Him, in Jesus is the final sacrifice. In Jesus is the final offering that satisfies the wrath of God. In Jesus we find our great high priest.

We find our prophet, priest, and king. These men are hypocrites, twisting the plain words of Jesus to bear false testimony. Their condemnation as hypocrites is just. And by contrast, Jesus, who is faithful, is blameless. He does not deserve condemnation.

So only He alone can be the Savior. So that in Him taking your condemnation, you can say with the Apostle Paul in Romans 8.1, there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. The righteous for the unrighteous. You're supposed to see this clear contrast.

Only God can work such a salvation to take condemnation that hypocrites deserve upon himself and then impute to you his very own righteousness. Only God can do such a thing. And you know what? That's exactly what Jesus says next. Jesus claims divinity.

We see Jesus claim to be God. A new character enters the scene in this narrative. Finally we get to meet the high priest. It's supposed to be moving towards that that climax of the story. Ah, here is the high priest.

If anyone's going to set things right it will be him, The most powerful man in Israel. Again, this would have been Caiaphas. So in verse 60, Caiaphas no doubt frustrated at the lack of consistent false testimony. He's probably looking around saying, you know, wow, you all can't even lie consistently. Look what I got to work with.

And so he takes matters into his own hands and immediately you realize, oh, this is not a high priest that's going to come in and do what is right. This is a high priest that is the very essence of the cancer. This is the very essence of hypocrisy. It's all downstream of him. This high priest takes matters into his own hands.

Look at verse 60. The high priest stood up after all this false testimony and he came forward and questioned Jesus saying, do you not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against you? But He kept silent. Jesus did not answer.

Again, the high priest was questioning him and saying to him, are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? Verse 62. And Jesus said, I am. And you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with clouds of heaven." Jesus had not answered a single accusation against himself. Now this is in part due to the fulfillment of prophecy in Isaiah chapter 53, like a lamb silent before it shears, the Savior opens not his mouth.

And why is that? Well he doesn't need to. I think it's pretty clear that everyone in this room knows, including the high priest, that none of this is above board. It's all been established in verse 53. None of this is a righteous trial.

None of these testimonies are true about Jesus. That's why it's so hard to find anyone that agrees. And so Jesus opens not his mouth, fulfillment of prophecy. But finally, the high priest asks him a different question. Okay Jesus, forget about the accusations.

I can see we're getting nowhere with that so let me just ask you man to man man to God man let me ask you directly Jesus who are you are you the Christ Are you the son of the Blessed One? Now that phrase, Blessed One, not entirely, but almost entirely, all scholars pretty much believe that was simply a workaround to avoid pronouncing the name of God. And so we have good reason to believe that. The high priest there is asking the same question that you and I have been asking since the beginning of Mark's gospel, that Mark has been asking since the beginning of his gospel. Who is Jesus?

Are you the Christ, the Son of God? That's how Mark 1 1 starts. In the middle of Mark you get Mark chapter 8, who do you think I am Peter? Peter agrees. Get to the end of Mark, here we go again.

We're asking Jesus directly now. Testimony after testimony after testimony, who is Jesus And what has Jesus come to do? Who are you Jesus? What have you come to do? Are you the Christ, the Son of God?

And what have we seen? We've seen fulfillment after fulfillment after fulfillment after fulfillment of what it would take for Jesus to be that Christ. Prophecy, after prophecy, after prophecy of the coming Davidic King, the anointed one who was just anointed Versus prior by Mary. We see time and time again, yes, Jesus has been that Christ. Jesus is that Christ promised from of old.

But is He the Son of God? We've asked that question. Mark says so in Mark chapter 1 verse 1. And time and time again in Mark's Gospel, what have you seen? From Jesus being the Lord of the Sabbath, which only God can be Lord of the Sabbath.

From Jesus forgiving sins and only God can forgive sins. From demons crying out, Jesus crying, You are the son of the most blessed high God. The demons are crying out, you're God. Jesus inaugurates a new covenant in His blood. Only God can do that.

You remember the baptism of Jesus. God the Father declaring from heaven, this is my beloved Son. I mean we talk about evidence, if you can't see it, you don't want to see it. To quote that one wonderful theologian, you can't handle the truth. This is the Son of God.

The Gospel of Mark starts with Jesus being the Christ, the Son of God. It keeps with it throughout the whole middle. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And Mark's gospel ends with Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Son of the Blessed. But what does Jesus say?

I mean what does Jesus say, right? I mean is Jesus guilty of never actually claiming to be God himself? Does Jesus ever claim to actually be the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity? Well, if it hasn't been clear enough already, through Him forgiving sin, Lord of the Sabbath, establishing the new covenant, If it hasn't been clear already, here's your answer in our text. Are you the Christ?

Are you the Son of God? Jesus, I am. I am. Now that is incredible answer. Number one, it's in the affirmative.

So no more of this nonsense, will Jesus never claim. Yes, he did. But look at the way Jesus answers the question, are you divine? Are you the Son of God? He replies in the affirmative with a name that God uses himself, doesn't he?

Man, That's incredible. You remember the Old Testament, right? You remember Moses talking to the burning bush, talking to God in Exodus chapter 3? You remember this? Moses asks God in this theophany of the burning bush, you're telling me to go to Egypt to set your people free.

Who should I tell them has sent me? You're sending me to rescue your people out of slavery in Egypt. God tell me, who should I tell them has sent me? How does God reply? Tell them Moses, I am has sent you.

I am who I am. Tell them I am sent you to rescue the people out of bondage. And now here is Jesus, the one sent from God to rescue his people from an even greater bondage than that which was in Egypt. A bondage to sin. A bondage to Satan.

A bondage to the curse. Here is Jesus, beloved. Time and time again, you just can't ever exhaust this book. But here you've seen Jesus is the true and better Adam come to save the hellbound man and now in our passage this morning you see Jesus is the true and better Moses come to rescue his people from bondage Jesus is the Son of God God in the flesh I am so Jesus answers the question, are you divine, are you the Son of God, with the name that God uses himself. If there was ever a time that Jesus said he was God, this is it.

Not only is it a yes, it is I will use the same name for the one true living God, the same God that you, scribes, chief priests, Pharisees, and high priest, the same God that you claim to worship, I'm Him. I'm Him. And you're trying to destroy me. That's exactly what Jesus is saying in Those two words, I am, yes I am God. I am the one true living God.

The God that you claim to worship. And then Jesus quotes more prophecy. He says to the high priest and to all these men I think present, you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven. Now we just read that in the chapter prior, right? It's from Daniel chapter 7 and Psalm 110 Jesus is being very clear here I am the promised son of man who will be presented before the ancient of days promised in Daniel 7 I am this I am God the Son who will be presented to God the Father.

I am the Davidic Messiah promised in Psalm 110 who would sit at the right hand of God and all of his enemies be put under his feet like a footstool. That's who I am. That's what Jesus is saying, right? Are you understanding Jesus' answer? Jesus says, I am.

I am God. I am the Christ. And then He quotes prophecy. Why does He do that? Here's the answer.

You're going to see that I really am the I Am. You're going to know that I really am the Christ, the Son of God. You'll see it. You'll know it. When my vindication comes, What was that vindication?

What was that vindication? You know? The resurrection the ascension But then the final vindication For all who did not believe in the first two signs of vindication It'd be forced upon them in Mark 13. It was prophesied the temple would be destroyed. Jerusalem laid out.

The glory of Jerusalem snuffed to the ground. That's vindication. For all who believe that this Jesus the Christ was the Messiah, they would know of it by His resurrection, they would know of it by His ascension. All doubts would be erased and all that He said vindicated by His resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Ancient of days. But for those like this high priest, for those who rejected the Messiah, for unbelieving Israel, for those who would not believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, the glory of Jerusalem would be snuffed out exactly as Jesus had foretold.

And in that reality, Christ would be vindicated. That Jesus was exactly who Jesus said He was. You want proof? Everything I said would happen, happened, down to the stones not being on top of one another. No more doubt who Jesus is.

Jesus, His vindication is promised here in the destruction of the temple. He sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus says, I am the Christ, the Son of God. And you will see my vindication, high priest. You will see my vindication in my resurrection, ascension, and destruction of Jerusalem.

I will be vindicated. That's what that verse is talking about. And how does the high priest respond to this? The high priest, he's been, He's been, you know, asking Jesus questions. Jesus gives him a very clear answer.

How does the high priest respond? The high priest loses it. He loses it. I don't know what better phrase to use. He loses his mind.

We are told that in verse 63, that upon hearing Jesus respond in the way that He's responded, the high priest tears his clothes, and he says, what further need do we have of witnesses? You've heard the blasphemy. How does it seem to you? And they all condemned him to be deserving of death. Beloved, so much could be said about that one verse.

I want you to see the plain things. I want you to see the contrast. Here is a man who is in his house, the high priest. He's in his house. He's comfortable.

He's in charge of everything. And he loses it. He absolutely loses it. He tears his clothes. Why would you tear your clothes?

Grief, maybe. Agony. Anguish. Many times throughout the scriptures, men have done that when there's been grief, agony, anguish. Job tore his robe when he heard of his children perishing.

You remember that? David tore his robe in mourning after hearing of the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. You remember that? Is that why this chief priest tore his clothes though? You see, in great agony, in great grief?

I don't think so. I mean, if you're reading the same text I'm reading, you don't have a scene like that. This dude loses it. I think this high priest has just completely lost it in his rage and fury at Jesus. Because for this man who is the high priest to tear his clothes, it's just way more significant than if you or I tore our clothes.

Do you know that? It's way different for this high priest to tear his clothes than for David to tear his rose. It's different. It's different for this high priest to tear his clothes than so many of the other characters in the Bible. Do you know why?

Because this is the high priest. This is the high priest of God. And God said something very particular to the high priest. Do you remember? Leviticus chapter 21 verse 10.

Leviticus 21 verse 10. God said to His people, the priest who is highest among his brothers, call that the high priest, The priest who is the highest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, he shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes. I read and I read I could not find an exception to that. Say it again. The high priest shall not tear his clothes.

God commanded that. And yet what is this high priest doing in his rage tearing his clothes beloved it's time and time again you are supposed to be seeing the contrast the hypocrisy the disobedience of these men of this man of this highest man breaking God's law. And then he's screaming at Jesus, this man is condemned! And all around the high priest, everyone, I mean, at least the text doesn't tell us. There's no one in that group of men that know the law of God.

They know Leviticus 21 verse 10. Not a soul is saved. You just did that. Nobody. They ignore the huge no-no of the high priest and they just join in.

Jesus deserves to die. Jesus deserves to die. The high priest loses it and sinfully tears his robe. You see that? Contrast that by looking at Jesus.

Look at Jesus now. Composed, controlled, unflinching, the exact opposite of this high priest. What a man. What a God man. I mean what a contrast.

Beloved that's your savior. That's your lord. That's the one right now who is at the right hand of the Father, reigning, ruling over all things, putting every enemy under His feet, holding you in His hand so that none may pluck you out. This unflinching one is the one in whose grip you belong. He is your salvation.

He is your stronghold. He will not be moved. He is steadfast, immovable. I don't want to belong to anybody but that. He will not lose it in a moment of weakness.

What a Savior that you belong to by grace through faith. What a grip to be held in, strength under control. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those like the Savior Jesus, unflinching, controlled, not being steered by emotions, but sober-minded, standing on a rock called truth blessed are the meek for what they shall inherit the earth and indeed the earth belongs to this our infleet to this our unflinching in control Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who purchased the earth and redeemed it with His blood. I want you to see this contrast clearly, friends.

I hope you do. And now I want you to understand its implications. Jesus is everything that the high priest is not. The high priest loses it, Jesus doesn't. The high priest tears his garments, and just hours later, do you know what Jesus does?

Jesus tears the veil into him. That's significant. The high priest loses it, Jesus doesn't. The high priest tears his garment and just hours later Jesus tears the veil in two with his work on the cross. The high priest tore his garment.

Just think on that. Do you remember Samuel chapter 15? First Samuel chapter 15 Saul goes up to the prophet Samuel. He tears Samuel's garment, the priest. He tears the priest's garment from Samuel.

It's a big deal. And what does Samuel tell King Saul? This very day, the way you just tore my robe, the way you just tore my robe, is the way that God has torn the kingdom from you. He's taken the status, the kingdom, the position away from King Saul. There will be another king.

I don't think you're supposed to divorce that thought from this passage. The high priest tears his clothes. It's as if, I think, as the high priest tears his clothes, you're supposed to think, oh, Saul tore Samuel's clothes, that position, that office was removed for him. The high priest tears his clothes. Who's standing next to the high priest?

Jesus. The position of the high priest is now given to who? Jesus. Who is Jesus? Jesus is everything that the high priest should be.

And this high priest has just given his authority, his high priesthood, over to this Lord Jesus Christ. The one who stands before him, the one whom Hebrews 414 declares is the great high priest, Jesus the Christ. I want you to hear this plainly. The office, here in this passage, the office of high priest has been taken away from this man who was torn his robe has been given to the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus is the new and true temple Jesus is the great high priest who is torn this high priest stationed away from him and Jesus is the one who uttered on that cross, it is finished. And that great high priest rent the temple curtain asunder into two.

Jesus is God. Jesus is God. I hope you're seeing that clearly. And beloved, I should just say this. If you're seeing that clearly this morning, praise God.

Praise God. That's a miracle of God in your life. If you see the glory and the majesty of this Jesus the Christ in this way and you trust him to be your Savior, Lord, High Priest, final sacrifice, that's a miracle. It's a miracle if you see that. But these men do not.

And instead the text goes on to tell us that they mock him. The text tells us that the trial of Jesus ends with shouts of condemnation. They blindfold Jesus. They spit on him. They beat him.

They slap him. And all the while as He's blindfolded they're yelling out, prophesy, prophesy. And Matthew and Luke's gospel, they add the words that as they yell prophesy, they also say tell us who hit you prophesy who slapped you prophesy who beat you you can't tell you blindfolded you're blind that's the thought such evil I wonder have you ever pause and thought why does mark include that you're asked that question why does mark include that well perhaps mark put verse 65 there to show you how cruel men are, right? Here it is, another fulfillment of prophecy, the suffering of Jesus. I think perhaps in part, but I really, if you just take verse 65 in isolation and you just, it's all that you look at, sure, fulfillment of the sufferings of Jesus, sure, The evil of men.

But if you let yourself go on to the next verse, you just ignore that there's another heading there. Sometimes those headaches can throw you off. And you would realize exactly why Mark's including it. They blindfold Jesus, prophesy they cry out, tell us who hit you, prophesy with your eyes blindfolded. And what does Jesus do?

He does just that. The prophecy of Peter, that Jesus made long ago, is immediately fulfilled. I don't think that's an accident. I don't think that's an accident. This verse is the equivalent of Mark saying, you see what Jesus can do?

Jesus can prophesy with one arm behind his back, kind of. Jesus can prophesy with his eyes closed. It's not hard for Jesus. These men say, prophesy, see, see, see Mr. Prophet, tell us who hit you.

And Mark says, ha! Jesus can do that with his eyes closed because Jesus is the great prophet it's supposed to be ironic here are these men being mocking and contemptible towards Jesus? They're exactly as Jesus had foretold in Mark chapter 8. He did prophesy in Mark chapter 8. He's all alone without any of his disciples with him, exactly as he prophesied earlier in Mark 14.

Jesus is standing trial before the exact same group of men that he prophesied earlier in Mark chapter 8. He's prophesied time and time and time again. Who's the one with the blindfold on? Not Jesus. You get that?

Not Jesus. This is exactly what Jesus has foretold. And now in verses 66 through 72, another prophecy of Jesus fulfilled. Exactly as Jesus said it would be in Peter's betrayal. Let's go there now.

Trial number two. The prophecy. The blindfolded great prophet. Oh, here we see, even though he's blindfolded, Peter's betrayal is fulfilled. Look at verse 66, and this will be quick.

Verse 66, as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came and seeing Peter warping himself, she looked at him and said, You also were with Jesus the Nazarene. But he denied it, saying, I neither know nor understand what you're talking about. And he went out into the porch. The servant girl saw him and began once more to say to the bystanders, this is one of them. But again he denied it.

And after a little while, the bystanders were again saying to Peter, surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too. But he began to curse and swear, I do not know this man you are talking about." Immediately, a rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. And he began to weep. Here we have a second trial.

Do you see it? Peter and his accusers. I just want you to see the contrast really quickly. We've seen the contrast of Jesus and the high priest and how Jesus has taken the high priest position. Yes?

And now here at the end, briefly, I want you to see the contrast between Jesus and Peter. I want you to compare each of their trials. Three times, Peter is confronted with something true about himself. There is no false testimony, is there? Three times Peter is confronted with something true about himself, and three times Peter is confronted with true testimony, three times Peter vehemently denies it.

Three times he betrays the Lord Jesus with exclamation. But what of the one whom Peter betrays? We just read of three different verses of Jesus being confronted with something false about himself. And three verses, three occasions of false testimony in his sham trial. And each time he opens not his mouth.

Pastor Mark Horn puts it this way, I can't do it better. Jesus is silent and refuses to answer false accusations while Peter pours out lies in response to truth statements. Jesus is accused of blasphemy because he stated the truth about himself. Peter calls down curses on his own head in order to lie. That's a huge contrast.

Do you see it? I'm going to try to put it together real quick. Jesus is everything the high priest should have been. Jesus took his place. Jesus in his trial is everything that Peter should be and Jesus will go to a cross to take his place.

The righteous for the unrighteous. Here is Jesus's prophecy from earlier in chapter 14 fulfilled but I want to remind you last Lord's Day we talked about two prophecies a prophecy of failure yes but was that where Jesus ended Does Jesus just prophesy failure and nothing else? What happened last Lord's Day? Prophecy of failure and a prophecy of triumph. He promised restoration to the disciples, to Peter.

And Jesus was raised. Jesus was raised exactly as he had promised. The power of the tomb undone, conquered by Jesus. And what did we read at the end of John's gospel? This disciple named Peter that betrayed Jesus three times in John chapter 21, Jesus goes to this disciple that had betrayed him, denied him three times, and what does Jesus do?

This newly resurrected Savior triumphing over sin and death. What does he do to Peter? Three times Jesus restores him. Three times for three denials, Jesus restores Peter just as he promised. Jesus took Peter's place.

Jesus bore Peter's sin and then Jesus restored him to himself. And this crucified, risen, ascended and reigning Savior will do just that for you. He will do that for you friend this day. You may be reconciled to the Father this very day, but turn to his Son in repentance and faith and you will be like that prophet Joshua in another trial in Zechariah chapter 3 who was clothed in filthy rags and those filthy rags were removed from him. The robes of righteousness from God himself covered him in its stead and he was as a brand plucked from the fire, made pure by the work of Jesus Christ the righteous.

You this day, if you repent and believe in this Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, You will be a child of Almighty God, and you like Peter will be forever restored. Okay? You can sing, crown him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave, And he rose victorious in the strife for those he came to save, like you. So his glories now we sing, who died and rose on high, who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die. And all the people of God said, amen.

Isaac, if you'd come.