Betraying Jesus with a Kiss | Mark 14:43-52 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Series)

Please meet me in the gospel of Mark chapter 14. And in our time together, we are going to be looking at verse 43 down to verse 52. I'll wait for you before we begin reading. Mark fourteen forty three to 52. And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the 12, 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. Lord, in the same way that you opened the minds of your disciples that they might understand the scriptures. We pray for that same mercy to be granted to us. We trust, Lord, that you will speak, and we pray, Lord, that these truths would translate into testimonies in our own lives. We ask these things in Jesus' name.

Amen. Before us is one of the most captivating, appalling, adrenaline pumping episodes in all of the gospel accounts. It is a scene that describes the heinous and unjustified arrest of the sinless son of God. And though the apprehension of the Lord Jesus Christ is a staggering thought in itself to contemplate, there are other things related to this moment that make it even more incredible. This account appears in every gospel, and each of them provide unique details that have been preserved for our reflection.

But since we have been in the past months and even over a year, focus on Mark. Mark's account here, Mark's version is going to be the perspective that we will be holding to while referencing other writers in order to have a fuller understanding of this remarkable event. And so in this brief introduction, let me let you know where we're headed. I want us to consider from this scene five features that we cannot afford to overlook. Five features.

And the first one deals with the crowd. The second one deals with the sword. The third here deals with rather the sword, the second being the kiss, the fourth being the scriptures, and the fifth being the cloth. So let me revisit those. First, we're dealing with the crowd.

Second, we're dealing with the kiss. Third, we're looking at the sword. Fourth, we're looking at the scriptures. And lastly, we're looking at the cloth. And I have a feeling that you are really looking forward to learning about this young man in the garden leaving behind his linen cloth.

We will get there, and I hope that you will never read this story the same way again. You'll never be able to explain it the same way again, and that it will cause your heart to erupt in praise when you realize the brilliance and the genius of our God, namely through the authorship of the Holy Spirit. The crowd. Look again with me in verse 43. And immediately while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the 12.

That that's mentioned there to show us just how deplorable this is. One of the 12, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. According to Matthew's account in chapter 26 verse 47, it wasn't just any crowd that surrounded Jesus Christ. He adds the word great crowd. It was a great crowd.

John is more specific in telling us what this crowd was made up of. Noting in John 18 verse three that it was a band of soldiers and with them some officers of the chief priests and Pharisees. A band of soldiers. Now the Greek word for band there denotes a military cohort and it consists of between, get this, 500 to a thousand soldiers. Now right there, we are already confronted with the popular imagination that when Jesus was surrounded by these soldiers, it was just like a handful of them.

Though we're not given an exact number, we can be certain that we're not dealing with five or 10 here. Potentially, hundreds. Hundreds of men have come to ambush the son of God, and what is also certain is that those who surrounded the Lord on this ominous night says something about what Judas was thinking. There might be different reasons to why he escorted this large group. Why have this heavily armed assembly chaperone him?

It could be that Judas imagined the Lord Jesus would try to flee. It could be that in thinking that he would flee that there would be a need for a great search team and so he recruits a great amount of people to do that. It's also possible that he anticipated the disciples to try and defend their rabbi, and so he brings about a a great crowd in order to intimidate them from even entertaining such an attempt. It could also be alternatively that he he might have thought that Jesus could use his miraculous power. He's witnessed it with his own eyes.

He's seen what Christ can do in the moment. And so thinking perhaps that he might try to resist, he would bring a crowd to bring about somewhat of a fair fight. Whatever the reasons are, whether they're one or many, Judas being confident in bringing this crowd shows us that he did not understand who Christ was. He didn't understand who Christ was and his power. He didn't understand who Christ was and his purpose.

He didn't even understand who Christ was and his person. To think that you can overpower the Lord Jesus Christ shows some severe ignorance and really the blindness of pride on Judas's part. And Jesus demonstrates that Judas didn't know what he was doing. Judas was gonna learn very quickly with this great crowd of people who was really in control of this event. Turn with me to John 18 and look here at verse four with me.

John 18 verse four. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward. Don't you love that? Knowing all that would happen to him, did not retreat, did not turn his back, he came forward. He came forward and said to them, whom do you seek?

Oh, what calmness, what authority, what boldness, what courage? Whom do you seek? They answered them, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them, I am he. Judas who betrayed him was standing with them.

When Jesus said to them, I am he, they drew back and fell to the ground. Now the significance of John's vantage points can easily be lost if we don't consider how sometimes our English translations limit us. If you have the King James version, then you'll notice that the word he when Jesus answered I am, he is italicized. I don't know how many people hold to the King James today, but some still do. And what the King James translators did is that when words did not appear in the original language, they would italicize them to let you know, the reader, that this is not found in the original text.

And even if you have the ESV, depending on your version, you will see there beside I am here a footnote. A little number above the word to indicate to you, hey, we wanna show you that the word he there is not found in the Greek. So more accurately, when they approach Jesus and Jesus asked whom do you seek? And they said Jesus of Nazareth. How did he actually respond?

He didn't say I am he. He said I am. I am. A clear reference to the name that Yahweh gave to Moses in Exodus three fourteen. And how fitting is it that John is the one who includes this detail exclusively?

What is John's goal in bringing about his gospel account to display and demonstrate the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ? And on many occasions, what do we have? Jesus giving these I am statements. Right? Several of them.

I am, I am, and in some moments he just says, I am and this is one of them. I am the door. I am the way. I am the light. And here we find Christ now approaching his death before his enemies and he says, I am.

And not only is that proclamation in itself powerful, it came with power. Because the moment he said, I am, there was this invisible force that lifted these enemies of Christ off their feet and put them on their rear ends. Jesus's response is not only a fearless affirmation of his identity. He's not trying to hide. He's saying, I am the one that you're looking for, but it also is a statement of his divinity as Yahweh in the flesh.

And something incredible comes with that self proclaimed deification. And we see here that when Jesus did this, it came with power for a reason to show this evil bunch, that the one who is really in control, the one who is really the master of this moment was him. So powerful is Christ, so in control was Christ that all he had to do was say the word and he could change the direction of this whole ambush. So they fell backwards. And he could overcome them with just a whisper if he chose.

And let me tell you this, this is a preview of a power that the world is gonna witness when the same Jesus comes back to rescue his bride, to judge the wicked, and to establish his government. Do you remember what Paul tells us when Christ returns to deal with the Antichrist, how he was going to kill him? Let me remind you from second Thessalonians two eight, where Paul says, and then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus will kill with what? With the breath with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. Just his breath.

Just his word. No weapon. No angels needed. No seraphim. No cherubim.

Just a whisper. And he can render any of his enemies powerless. So what we learn about the crowd is that the evil one, who is the invisible energizer and animator of all these things, the evil one with the range of his minions and the great weaponry that was here was not in control. He was not determining anything. He was not dictating Jesus' arrest, trial, and ultimate death.

Christ was. It's not the crowd that's in control, it's Christ. And he's still in control and he'll always be in control. And people who don't believe he's in control are gonna find out that he is indeed. Now we move from the crowd to the kiss.

And in verse 43, we read that there was this crowd who came, but the betrayer in verse 44 had given them a sign saying the one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard. In Middle Eastern culture, it it was and it still is a common gesture of greeting among friends, even among men to kiss. And if you've been in this church long enough, you've probably seen it. Arabs in this church welcome each other in a very similar way and so this affectionate act in itself is not strange.

It's not something out of the ordinary. But it was a way for Judas to differentiate Christ from the other disciples in that dark scene. And so he says, I'm gonna kiss one person and that's the person that you need to find and arrest. This is the signal of choice that I made and it was a despicable one. Despicable not just because it was grossly hypocritical to to utilize a gesture of affection and endearment and respect to actually highlight the one you want to see die.

It's more than just the fact that it was deceitful. It is dripping with damning irony. And perhaps, Jesus' answer and response to Judas as he's approaching him to embrace him in such a way reveals that there is a deeper significance to what this man is doing. Do you remember what Christ asked him in Luke twenty two forty eight? Judas, would you betray the son of man with a kiss?

You know where my mind went to when I was meditating on this? Another place in the old testament where we're told that the son would be kissed. Do you remember? The messianic Psalm in Psalm chapter two, where we're told there about in a wonderful hymn, the nations plotting against the Lord and his anointed. And you remember how the psalmist concludes, do you not?

He admonishes the kings and the rulers of the nations in light of the coming establishment of God's global government ruled from Zion. Psalm two verse 12, kiss kiss the sun, lest he be angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. To kiss in this context is a pledge of allegiance. It's to say, I submit to you.

I honor you. I respect you. And this was a well known song. This is a song of hope for the nation of Israel. That the Lord and his anointed will come rule and reign over the whole world.

I wonder if Judas knew this song. And I wonder in knowing a conscience of it depicting a victorious, kingly, strong, undefeated Messiah, he mockingly kisses Jesus. Judas, would you betray the son of man with a kiss? And he daringly does so. You know what else this Psalm teaches me in connection to Judas kissing him, kissing the son?

There is a wrong way to kiss the son. The wrong way is exemplified in Judas, an insincere pledge of loyalty to him. And if there's a wrong way to kiss the son, then there is a right way to kiss the son. You wanna know something fascinating? In all of the gospel accounts, there are only two places where we read of human lips planting on the son of god.

The first is what you just read, Judas kissing the son. The second is when Jesus was invited to a dinner and a woman, unnamed, interrupts that feast. She comes to his feet, wets those feet with her tears, dries them with her hair, kisses them, and anoints them with oil. And this so moved the heart of Christ that he looks to his host and he says in that chapter of Luke seven, when I came in, you did not kiss me, but she has not ceased to kiss me. And then she turns he turns to this genuine woman from out of the overflow of her heart, could not help but kiss the son.

And he assures her in Luke seven forty eight, your sins are forgiven. There are two ways to kiss the son, a genuine, sincere, saving way in a way that seems sincere, but in fact, is hollow. Empty of true substance, not coming from the heart. How have you kissed the son? You say you believe in him.

Is it a true belief? You say you repented. Is it true repentance? And speaking about kissing, did you know that Christians are commanded to kiss? Not just the sun, but each other.

Five times across the New Testament are we told that we are to greet each other with this kind of affection. Right? Now that might be strange to some of us, but it's not strange to the Middle Easterners in here and other cultures, may I add. Here's one example of it. In Romans sixteen sixteen, a very easy reference and it's repeated in different ways at the end of some epistles.

Notice what the spirit of God says through some of the apostles and here's Paul who writes, greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. So again, remember this was normal. This is normal in the culture of the early church, but what's more important about determining whether we should kiss or handshake or hug is the characteristic, the quality of the reception or the welcome or the address. What did Paul say?

And you'll find this in every instance about kissing one another, greeting one another. Did he just say greet one another with a kiss? What did he proceed the word kiss with? The word holy. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Now, you know what some have done with this? Okay. This means that we are to greet one another and if we choose the route of affection to make sure that it's appropriate and dignified and familial. Don't make it weird when you kiss each other and greet each other. I don't think that's what they're getting at here.

I don't think that's the point. I think with these commands to greet one another with a holy kiss has to be set against the backdrop of the most infamous and unholy kiss ever given, Judas. So with that in view, here's what greeting one another with a holy kiss really means. Let your greeting be free from deceit, free from insincerity, Free from hidden betrayal. Free from a limiting love.

A corrupt love. In other words, let's make sure that in none of our churches there are Judases who kissed, but in his heart contradicted what he demonstrated. What does it look like for us to not kiss with a holy kiss? Can I tell you what it looks like? Somebody gossiping about another member of the church throughout the week and then when they come in on Sunday and see that same person, so sister, how are you?

Oh, I love you so much. I've been praying about you and praying for you. Well, Monday through Saturday, their reputation has been torn to shreds by those same lips. What does an unholy kiss look like? It looks like a brother greeting another brother and developing a relationship with them purely to manipulate them for whatever reason, to take advantage of them, to come off in a certain way for selfish gain.

That's what an unholy kiss looks like. So greet one another with a holy kiss. There shouldn't be any doubt in our minds that when we look at each other, embrace one another, wave to each other, sit across a table downstairs, that we are committed and in love with one another. No unholy kisses. This is what they're saying.

And this is what we have to understand. Be real with one another. Be transparent. There should not have be any fear in this place that there is a Judas in the midst. So we go from the crowd to the kiss, but now we come to the sword.

Come back with me to Mark 14 in verse 46. 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. John eighteen ten clarifies who the disciple was that attacked the servant, and we actually know the identity of the servant. Peter. Are you surprised?

Peter. In the name of the high priest servant, Malchus. But it's only Luke, and this isn't a surprise either, that adds a detail, a couple of details that would make sense from the beloved physician. Turn with me to Luke 22 verse 50 and see how specific Luke is and how Luke adds a note that makes the scene. Yes, heartbreaking betrayal, but there's beauty in it.

In Luke 22 verse fifty, and one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. So he says exactly which ear it was. Doctors like details. And cut off his right ear, But Jesus said no more of this. And here's here's what you're gonna find in Luke's account, and he touched his ear and healed him.

Behold, the last healing miracle Jesus performs before he goes to his death. Who does he heal? This was a personal assistant to the high priest, Malchus. This is not an innocent bystander who just happened to be in Gethsemane and got caught in the crossfire. It could very well be that Peter targeted Malchus knowing who he was.

It could even be that Malchus stood there in some of those scenes in the gospels where there was confrontation between the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the Scribes being sent off by the high priest to observe and supervise. It could very well be that this is not the first time Malchus was made known to the disciples. Malchus, listen, was an enemy, a foe, part of this diabolical plot. And yet, when his ear was removed, and don't get it twisted, Peter wasn't aiming for his ear. He just missed.

Jesus halts his disciple. He looks at Malchus. I I just wonder what that was like. What was that atmosphere like for Christ to take the time and to restore Malchus before he would die for Malchus? Do you know what you have here?

You have a preview of a gospel truth. What we find in Romans five that while we were weak, while we were sinners, while we were enemies, Christ died for us. That's what you have here. You have a preview. Just one testimony of many of Christ healing, restoring, reconciling those who at once were enemies of him.

Let me also say this, that Christ here in this moment also demonstrates that many times his disciples misrepresent him. And the best thing to do if you have been disappointed by his representatives is to look to Christ. Disciples of Jesus make a lot of mess they have throughout history, and you're probably the recipient of pain and hurt from those who claim his name. So let me say this, be patient with Christians and never turn your back on Christ because Christians have failed in one way or another, even if they failed in a colossal way like Peter. What happens to Peter here?

I believe that like him, if we truly belong to the Lord, though we have done great mistakes, we've performed things that we thought to ourselves, how did I allow myself to go there? God will eventually teach you and mature you and grow you. And I believe Peter learned a valuable lesson here. Many lessons, I'm sure I can't read his mind. We are not a religion that permits the utilization of the sword as an act of vengeance against our enemies.

Right? Nor we have faith that advocates that we conquer people in order to make converts. What Peter is gonna learn is that there has been a weapon provided to us far greater than a sword, and that does much greater work in our enemies. So the same disciple who took out the sword and cut off the ear of those who oppose Christ, would know another kind of confrontation that would cause a different kind of bleeding. A righteous one, a praiseworthy one, and the one that is far more effective in overcoming those who oppose Christ.

Saying, what are you talking about? Here's what I'm talking about. Listen to the language of what happened to the audience that Peter preached to after the first Christian sermon on that day of Pentecost in Acts two thirty seven. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brothers, what shall we do? We don't implement the sword.

We have the sword of the spirit. We don't attack people. We challenge them and seek their conviction through the sharpness of the truth. And so the same Peter who cut off a man's ear stood before thousands of others who have also denied Christ. But this time, wielding the sword of the spirit and seeing all these hearts slashed by the spirit's conviction and then being won over in a saving way.

Peter would learn that. Aren't you grateful for God's patience? Take some time for us to understand how the kingdom of God works. So we covered the crown, we covered the kiss, we covered the sword. Briefly, we now we come to the scriptures in verse 48 of Mark 14.

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. What is Jesus getting at here? He is exposing their cowardice and he is reinforcing his innocence. There are many times that you saw me in the temple teaching, even flipping tables.

Why didn't you arrest me then? Why are you doing it in secret? Why are you concealing this? But again, and we see this throughout the gospels. Jesus wants us to know, we see it in the writings that this is not happenstance.

This is not a surprise. Notice the last words he said, but let the scriptures be fulfilled. So earlier when when Jesus said, I am, he manifested his power to show I'm the master right here. I'm the one who's really in control here. And isn't it amazing that though they were knocked back and though Malchus's ear was healed, they still didn't repent?

Like didn't even reconsider. Maybe maybe we're dealing with something who's not just human here. We're dealing with someone who's extravagantly gracious and merciful and kind. That didn't cross their minds at all. The the the unbelief that's willing to bulldoze through all hurdles of grace.

Some people will go through a lot, will ignore a lot, will reject a lot before they plunge into hell. Let the scriptures be fulfilled. He showed his power earlier, but now he's showing with his power prophecy is at work. This has been foretold. The prophets predicted this in great detail.

And all we can spend the next five ten minutes looking at so many references, but here's one that comes to mind from Isaiah 50 verse five. The Lord God has opened my ear. This is Messiah speaking. The Lord God has opened my ear. This is what we need to know our old testaments.

You read that and say, he's opened my ear. I don't know what that means. Open my ear. No. No.

There's an illusion here to Exodus that when a servant wanted to become a permanent slave to his owner, he would offer his ear. And that ear would be placed against the door and there would be an all pierced through it to signify as a token, this individual now is my permanent slave. And now with that illusion, Messiah says I open my ear. I I am a bond servant. I am the perfect servant to God.

The Lord God has opened my ear and I was not rebellious. I turned not backward. What did he do instead? Verse six. I gave my back to those who strike.

Was it taken from him? Was he forced? No. No. Look at look look at the language.

I gave my back to those who strike and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. And that disgrace and spitting was coming. The prophets foretold this. I'm aware of it, and I'm walking in it faithfully.

I did not turn back. I was not rebellious. I did not shrink. I embraced what I know I've come to do. I could stay here, but I don't wanna stay here.

I wanna spend the remainder of our time with whatever energy we have left to discuss the final element of this glorious scene, the cloth. Verse 50 to 52. 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. This has made people feel awkward, uncomfortable, even confused, and that has been the subject matter of much debate.

The curiosity from this passage is not unfamiliar. It is shared among all genuine seekers of the truth. And here's the main thing that people wanna know, who is this guy? Who is this young man? And so there are all these theories.

Lazarus, Joseph of Arimathea, the rich young ruler. Most people believe that it's John Mark himself, the writer of this gospel, because it's only found in Mark and in a very modest way he's trying to admit and confess his own failure in denying Christ. We can't know for certain, and any any case you would make is just speculation. But what we do know is that this young man's nakedness as a follower of Christ right? Mark is using very familiar language and a young man followed him followed him, denoting discipleship.

He followed him and then he flees from him. So really this scene is a reflection of the shame of the abandonment of the disciples of Christ in verse 50. He's he's reflecting that because nakedness in the Bible points to shame. It's a shameful thing to be naked. That that that's a truth that goes all the way back to the garden because of sin.

It wasn't so from the beginning. And so the impression that we're supposed to get from this is that this young man who also followed Christ was unwilling to be associated with the with the Christ to the degree that he was willing to be in public naked. That's how much he didn't want to pay the price to be with Christ. That he was willing to run out of there without any clothes on. And so he's left in a state of shame.

Not just because of the obvious reason, but because of the internal reason of not being faithful to his master. And that is true of the disciples though they were still clothed. Now we can end it there. That this is a disgraceful lack of commitment, whoever this young man was, But I believe that there is a different emphasis that Mark is trying to to make here. I don't think Mark is as concerned about identifying who this young man is.

You know why? Because he could have told us. But he does underscore something else that I believe most people miss, and it's what this young man wore. Look again here at verse 51. And the young man followed him with nothing but a linen cloth about his body, and they seized them.

Now look at this. But he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. This linen cloth, this material, this garment is brought up twice. And you know why this is important? It's not until you realize and if we all read the original language, like if we had the ability to read the Greek, it would be more apparent.

But we do have a concordance. In this day and age, we can actually do this kind of research. We can actually have access to these resources. So when you look at a concordance, you know what you realize? That the word for linen cloth is only found in one other place in the gospel of Mark.

And here it is in Mark fifteen forty six. And Joseph Joseph brought a linen shroud and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. How many times did Mark bring up this young man and his linen cloth? Twice. How many times do we see this linen shroud which is the same original word when Jesus was wrapped in this material?

Twice. Is it a coincidence that the next and only mention of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rather this linen outfit is placed on the Lord Jesus Christ and it's taken with him into the tomb. And as we read, it's brought up twice. Now you may be hesitant to make any kind of application with that connection, but I am persuaded that this next point will convince us will convince us even more. Because when we come back to Mark 14, look again at verse 51, and the young man followed him.

We concluded that that linen cloth is only mentioned in one other place in the gospel of Mark. And check this out, the word young man is only brought up in one other place in the gospel of Mark. And it is absolutely incredible where you realize the placement of the same word. Go to Mark 16 and look at verse five. This is when the woman came to the tomb to try to anoint Jesus.

And let's actually begin in verse two. And very early on the first day of the week when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb and they were saying to one another, who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb? And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back. It was very large and entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side dressed in a white robe and they were alarmed. It's the only other place where you're gonna find young men in this gospel account.

And what's so amazing by this and because of this, is that when you read Matthew's account of the woman coming to the tomb and Luke and John, the other gospel writers, you know what they tell us about who they encountered? Not a young man, who? An angel. Mark has used the word angel before in his gospel account. And all the other gospel accounts agree, this is an angel that gave this news.

But Mark says it was a young man. Same word as Mark 14. What's happening here? What's he trying to denote? What is he trying to convey?

And I think here we have something of a literary technique marked by the spirit is about to blow our minds. It could be that, yes, in the literal sense, this angel looked like a young man, but I don't think that that's the main point. I believe the main point is that when you read a young man in Mark sixteen five, you were to recall that young man from Mark chapter 14. That same young man that was fully clothed, but end up becoming naked and fleeing. And now you come to this point, you read the same terminology used to describe this person who is sitting in the tomb after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

You think, okay, what's the point? I believe that there is a symbolic work being done here. That this young man who's in the garden is to be bridged with this young man who's in the tomb after the resurrection. So let's pause and and consider these clues so far. Mark mentions someone who is following Christ and he was a young man with a linen cloth, but fled away naked and fell short like the disciples did.

Okay? Pay attention now. It's gonna be worth it. The only other place where this word linen cloth is mentioned is when Jesus was buried with this material, the same material. And the only other place that this young man is mentioned, the same word, is someone in the tomb announcing the glorious resurrection.

But wait, what was the young man in the tomb wearing? Go back to verse five of Mark 16. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. You know what else is interesting? The word white is only found in one other place in all the gospel of Mark.

Do you know where? Let me remind you. Mark chapter nine. Look here with me in verse two. And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves and he was transfigured before them and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.

Here's a young man clothed in linen. He wants to follow Christ. Fear, failure, shortcoming runs. They seize him. The cloth is removed.

He runs naked. The only other time this word linen cloth is found in the Gospel of Mark, and may I add in all the gospels, is when Jesus was wrapped with it before he was buried. And the only other time this word young man in the Gospel of Mark is found, interestingly is identified with the angel in Mark 16, and he's wearing a white robe. And the word white is supposed to connect us to the only other place where the word white is found in the gospel of Mark and it's what Jesus wore when he was demonstrating his glory. This is artistry.

These are clues that we have been granted to put together so that we can see this beautiful picture. And I am convinced that what Mark is doing is providing a subplot to the grander story of the gospel account. And what is that subplot? An exchange of garments. So you have this man who we see wearing a linen cloth when he failed Christ.

And that linen cloth that symbolizes such failure was taken with Christ by wave symbolism into the tomb. It was worn by Jesus as he was laid in the grave. But when the same word young man reappears in the gospel, it is after the resurrection of Christ. And he is no longer naked, but he's dressed in a white robe, one that is linked with the glory that Christ wore on the Mount Of Transfiguration. So even in this subplot, Marcus want to communicate the gospel of the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

See this young man is it's not about trying to figure out who it is. It's trying to figure out what he represents. That's what it is. And that's why Mark uses that word about the angel. Not to say that they're the same person, but so that you can make that connection and realize, well, the young man in Mark 14 wore this, but now the same word young man, now he's wearing this.

And and where did this garment go? It went with Jesus to the tomb. And where did this white robe come from? Well Jesus had it when he demonstrated his glory. And so we can be moved by that connection, but what's more important is you realizing that this is an invitation that Christ extends to every man.

To take your filthy sin, your filthy garments, all the mess even even in your religiosity, and trying to honor God and work up your righteousness, whatever it may be. Christ is willing to take all your shame, all your guilt, all your shortcoming, and take it with him to the cross and bury it, never to be brought up and used against you. And more than that, the same Jesus is willing to clothe you with the glory of his righteousness. That is what this is about. That is what the story is.

Even with this young man with his linen cloth. It's a gospel truth, And it's something that I hope that you would consider if you have never considered it. That you would actually be confident to say, if this is what Christianity is all about, why would I deny it? If he's willing to take all the stains and all the shame, and then give me his perfection so that I can stand before him faultless? Is it any accident that this young man wearing the robe was wearing it after Jesus rose from the dead?

No. It's not an accident. It's to show that your salvation has been amened by God because Jesus rose from the dead. He didn't stay in the tomb. And so I invite you to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior by making that exchange.

How do I make that transaction? Repent and believe. Turn to him, give him your sin, receive his saving pardon, and you will know everlasting life. Can we pray? Lord, your word is amazing.

We tremble at your word, rightfully so. What kind of book is this? How has it been put together? You are indeed the author of this book. So first Lord, we ask that you open our eyes that we might behold the wondrous things out of your law.

We don't wanna miss anything. We don't wanna think for a moment that there's one detail in this book that is accidental, that is void of purpose. So Lord, we we wanna pray for revival for our love for the word. Breathe on our hearts to have this appetite for the things of God in the sacred scriptures. Please.

And Lord as we come to it to believe that you are willing to teach us and guide us through it. Lord, we also thank you that in this word, you confirm what Christ said that it is about the son. It is about ultimately what Christ has done for man. And Lord, you even were able to tuck it in a brief little vignette of a young man who ran naked in the garden. And so, Lord, we pray that the gospel would have preeminence in our thinking, in our affections, in our devotion, in our love.

We thank you and we worship you. We give you glory and honor. May these things be tied around our necks, bound in our hearts, and the source of our delight. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.

Can we stand? Isn't God amazing? He is amazing. I'm moved by these truths, and I pray that you're moved as well. Let's give him glory and thanks as we praise him.