Sunday Sermon Quotes: Slow Motion

“When it comes to Good Friday the Gospels go into slow motion. They have passed over in silence whole decades of Jesus life, and even when they pick up the threads of the public ministry there are weeks and months of which they say nothing. Our printed Bibles do not, unfortunately, highlight the significance of Mark 14:17, where the evangelist introduces his account of the Last Supper with the words, ‘when evening came.’ Unpretentious though they sound, they are of huge moment. The Jewish day began with sunset, and this ‘evening’ marks the beginning of Good Friday. Fifteen hours later, Jesus would be crucified, but these intervening hours would themselves be crammed with drama: The Last Supper, Gethsemane, the betrayal, the arrest and the trial, then the crucifixion, followed by the entombment. From the Last Supper to his burial, a mere twenty four hours; and so detailed is the account of his last few hours that we know exactly what happened at 9 o’ clock in the morning, at midday and at 3 o’ clock in the afternoon. Against the backdrop of the previous indifference to chronology, such detail is remarkable, and serves to underline once again the evangelists concentration on Jesus death.” Donald Macleod

“Mark’s record describes the events that lead up to the cross with the careful precision of a diarist.” Sinclair Ferguson

“In this chapter, every paragraph, in its own way, prepares for Jesus death.” Peter Bolt

“His task was not merely to tell them where to find Jesus; he had to be the active agent in transferring Him into their hands.” Edmond Hiebert

“Treachery shadows the final hours. Jesus must protect Himself by limiting His confidence to two disciples who will know the time and place for the Passover feast.” Edmond Hiebert

“It may be assumed that the owner of the house was a man of courage who had determined to shelter the heretic Galilean and his outlawed company of followers.” William Lane

“The sentences are saturated with sovereignty.” Douglas O’ Donnell

“Jesus is not a tragic hero caught in events beyond his control. There is no hint of desperation, fear, anger, or futility on his part. Jesus does not cower or retreat as plots are hatched against him. He displays, as he has throughout the Gospel, a sovereign freedom and authority to follow a course he has freely chosen in accordance with God’s plan. Judas and others may act against him, but they do not act upon him.” James Edwards

“His life is completely submitted to the Father’s will. This will has been revealed in Scripture, and he bows to it. Because his life is governed by the teaching of Scripture, his death will be neither accident nor tragedy.” Sinclair Ferguson