Trial and Testimony
Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens,
“It has come at last—
salvation and power
and the Kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters
has been thrown down to earth—
the one who accuses them
before our God day and night.
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
and by their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so much
that they were afraid to die. -Revelation 12:10-11, NLT (emphasis added)
It is a little odd to end a series on the Gospel of Mark with the close of Chapter 14. There are primarily two reasons this is the case presently. First, we did cover the content of Mark 15 and 16 in our worship times as we gathered on Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday this year. Second, the content of Mark 15 and 16 are often covered in similar gatherings. That said, it would be fantastic to take about 20 minutes to listen to or read Mark 14, 15 and 16 as a single narrative block. Often, and maybe especially because we visit these passages in parts and pieces we miss the full impact of the unity and beauty of them as a connected story.
That said, in this final blog on Mark, I wanted to share something which applies to our text in particular but also to the whole of Mark’s gospel and our testimony of the gospel. Mark presents Jesus’ trial and Peter’s trial as contrasting to one another. We noted many of their differences in the message on Sunday. What emerges though as we think in the broader scope of the ‘postlude’ to these trials and the testimony given within them is striking. Jesus’ bold testimony about himself is the bedrock of our faith. He is God and Christ. He will judge the inhabitants of the earth by and because of His sacrifice. His testimony is the reason for His death, both practically and theologically. Even before Pilate, Jesus’ testimony and His lack of defense against the many charges leveled create the precise circumstance which bring about His death. This is not a mistake, this is His mission. He has come to give His life as a ransom for many and to do so requires the cross. For the followers of Jesus, this is extremely substantial. First, that He dies in our place to ransom us and rescue us. Second, that His cross bearing path is now ours if we seek to follow Him. In other words, as those ransomed by Jesus, we now owe Him our life and faithful testimony. We proclaim His rescue of us and are witnesses to it in everyday life. That we lack perfection in our testimony of Jesus does not rob the cross of its power or the testimony of Jesus of its validity. In fact, it heightens both. We the people called by the name of Jesus, overcome because of His blood. His redemptive death is freedom and life for us on a day-to-day basis. This means that neither my mistakes nor my successes as a follower of Jesus are bigger than Jesus’ blood sacrifice on my behalf. When I fail as a follower of Jesus, I cling to the cross of Christ. When I succeed as a follower of Jesus, I cling to the cross of Christ. My testimony is always about Christ, when I get it right and when I get it wrong. That is what makes the Gospel genuinely good news–I am not the savior- HE is! One of the tactics the “accuser” likes to use is to make us feel shame for our mistakes such that we won’t declare the goodness of Jesus or want anyone to associate us with Him. But, the reality is that Jesus’ finished work on the cross strips away our shame. My sin does not need to be hidden away. My sin is forgiven because of the blood of the Lamb. I can carry my head high because, the perfect Son of God will not give up on me and His grace is sufficient for all my sin. To sin and fall short as a follower of Jesus does not mean I am a hypocrite. To hide my sin and pretend it is not a big deal does make me a hypocrite. My testimony is most effective when I am honest about my sin and imperfection, knowing that Christ saves the undeserving not the self-righteous. Is there hyoprisy in the church? Sure, plenty of it. Our work though is to testify to Jesus’ ongoing saving work in our lives. This means both the failures and success of my followership are in the story. Here then is the challenge, give testimony of Jesus’ saving work everywhere you go. Give testimony of Jesus’ saving work when your followership is exemplary. Give testimony of Jesus’ saving work when your followership is marred by abysmal failure. Jesus is not ashamed of you. He has rescued you not because of your perfection but in spite of your imperfection.