Shepherd Smitten, the Sheep Scattered

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the singing of the Hallel psalms (116-118) by Jesus and the disciples, emphasizing Jesus' confidence in God's plan, before they depart for the Mount of Olives.

A commentator's explanation of the antiphonal singing of the Hallel psalms (116-118) at the Passover meal, showing Jesus' prayer of thanksgiving and confidence in his triumph, illustrating the context of their departure.

and when they had sung a hymn, or literally, having hymned, they went out unto of olives. The words, when they had sung a hymn, are simply one word in the Greek, and we could render it more woodenly and literally. Having hymned, they went out unto the Mount of Olives. And one of the commentators has captured in a very helpful way what was involved in that hymning that they did together before leaving the upper room. I read from this commentator who writes, The table fellowship at the Passover meal was concluded by the recitation of the second half of the Hallel songs. It was customary to sing ...

6:53 - 8:14 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Jesus predicts that all the disciples will stumble and be scattered, grounding this in the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7. He then offers a marvelous sequel: His resurrection and…

The Greek root word for 'offended' or 'stumble' is explained as referring to the stick holding bait in a trap, illustrating how the disciples would be ensnared by fear and opposition.

He tells the eleven that just as surely as one of the twelve would betray him. So all would be offended or cause stumble. This word translated cause stumble or offended comes from a root word which refers to the stick which held the bait to a trap. And when the animal would go for the bait, he would trip the stick and thereby be ensnared and trapped.

11:37 - 12:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Peter vehemently protests Jesus' prediction, boasting that he will never deny Him, even unto death. The other disciples join in this united, self-confident denial, despite Jesus'…

The disciples' vehement protestations are compared to young boys bolstering each other's courage before confronting a bully, only to scatter when the bully appears, illustrating their self-deception and impending failure.

It's given to us by Mark. It's like young boys in a little group, bolstering each other's courage while on their way to confront the bully on the block. And they're all shaking in their boots. And one of them says, I'm really not afraid of him. I'm not afraid of him. Before long, the other guy says, yeah, I'm not afraid of him either. But they're bolstering each other's courage until, we're not afraid of the bully. We're not afraid of the bully. And they begin to believe their own words until the bully turns around a corner and pow, they all split. That's the picture we have here. The Lord say...

37:41 - 38:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Let us learn to pray for humility. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

The disciples' self-confidence is likened to soldiers drunk with alcohol, boasting of bravery, but becoming scared and retreating when the reality of war sets in, highlighting the danger of relying on self-assurance.

never, never, never, never, never, never, never, they would face in conjunction with Jesus being apprehended by the Roman authorities, dragged before the Sanhedrin and then before the Roman courts, then whipped, then crucified. They had never known anything like that. As one man said, their boasting was like soldiers sitting around in the tent imbibing too much alcohol, and when the bugle call to battle goes forth, because the alcohol brought their brains to the reality of the conflict, they grab their swords upon their horses and go forth bravely to battle. But when the cool night air neutral...

43:26 - 44:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Let us learn to pray for humility. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

A lengthy quotation from Bishop Ryle's commentary on this passage, emphasizing the ignorance of self-confidence, the deceitfulness of the heart, and the need for humility and prayer, reinforcing the first salient lesson.

And while he is straight, in the darkness and the coolness of the night, agonizing for grace to go through the ordeal, they're sound asleep, convinced they've got what it takes without even having to pray. And in this passage, there is set before us as the great salient lesson for sincere, real disciples of Jesus Christ, the futility of mere sincerity coupled with self to sustain us to Christ in the face of intense temptation. Listen to good old Bishop Ryle commenting on this very point in the passage. We see in the last place in these verses how much ignorant self-confidence may sometimes be ...

44:54 - 46:07 Read in full sermon

The point: What we need is the presence the present strength and it is those things that we only know when we are vigorously engaged in the means appointed by Christ to convey those very things to us. Self-distrustful prayer, watch…

The story of an old saint's response to news of a godly man's moral fall, where he sheds a tear and whispers, 'My brother, who knows but that I may be the next one,' illustrating profound humility and distrust of one's own heart.

get close enough to let some of the enticements of that sin begin to cause, as it were, the horrible Adamic of the soul and give a felt-out and there's nothing you or I are not capable of doing. Someone came to an old saint and said, Brother so-and-so, have you heard the latest sad news? And the sad news was that a man who had been marked for godliness and usefulness in the kingdom of Christ for years had fallen into grievous moral sin bringing shame to Christ and to the gospel and to the people of God. And do you know what the old seasoned saint said? The man of God did in responding to that ...

52:12 - 53:17 Read in full sermon