Why is it that after the Lord Jesus instituted His supper, He warned the disciples of their stumbling and charged them to watch and pray? The reason is that whenever the Lord reveals something concerning Himself in God’s economy, He exposes our real situation. Consider the case of Peter in chapter eight. Peter received the revelation that Jesus is the Christ. After Peter received this revelation, the Lord exposed him as being Satan. Furthermore, the Lord went on to expose Peter’s self, his soul life.
The institution of the Lord’s table reveals the Lord’s death, His resurrection, the Lord Himself, and His enlargement, His mystical Body. Immediately after this revelation, Peter and the other disciples were exposed. Their natural man, self, self-will, mind, and thought were all exposed. Although they experienced the Lord’s institution of His table, they did not realize how much they were in themselves and how much they were according to the natural concept. Therefore, the Lord Jesus exposed them. This exposure is the practicality of being brought into the Lord’s death.
As we read chapters fourteen and fifteen of the Gospel of Mark, we see that Peter was brought into the Lord’s crucifixion. When Peter boasted that he would never deny the Lord Jesus, he had not yet been crucified. He claimed that even if all the others were stumbled, he would not be stumbled. He went on to say, “If I must die with You, I will by no means deny You” (14:31). However, very shortly after making this boast, he fully denied the Lord Jesus. After denying Him, “Peter remembered the word Jesus had said to him, Before a cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times. And thinking upon it, he wept” (14:72). In a very real sense, this was Peter’s crucifixion. He wept because he had been crucified.
Although Peter denied the Lord, he did not give up. Rather, he went on to enter into the Lord’s resurrection.
Perhaps you are wondering what indication there is in the Gospel of Mark that Peter entered into Christ’s resurrection. Consider the word of the angel to the women who came to the tomb early in the morning on the day of the Lord’s resurrection: “Do not be amazed; you are seeking Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He was raised! He is not here! Behold, the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, even as He told you” (16:6-7). Here we see that the angel specifically names Peter. This indicates that Peter was brought into the resurrection of Christ.
We should not read the Gospel of Mark merely as a book of stories. We need to see the revelation in this book. The Gospel of Mark reveals that the Lord Jesus did not intend to go through death and resurrection alone. Instead, it was the Lord’s intention to bring His followers with Him into death and resurrection. If we see this revelation, we shall be assured that, as those who love the Lord Jesus, He will bring us through His death and into His resurrection.
When we come to the end of the Gospel of Mark, we see that all the Lord’s followers were brought not only into His death and resurrection but also into His ascension. In His ascension they were sent out to preach the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Praise the Lord that His disciples were brought into His death, resurrection, and ascension!
Although Peter was present when the Lord instituted His supper, he did not understand the significance of it. Immediately after the supper, the Lord warned His disciples about being stumbled. This warning was an indication that the disciples were still in the flesh. Even though the Lord had instituted the supper and they had all partaken of it, they were nevertheless in the flesh. Immediately Peter behaved himself in a natural way, boasting that he would not be stumbled or deny the Lord.
After warning His disciples concerning their stumbling, the Lord Jesus brought three of them—Peter, James, and John—with Him to Gethsemane. The Lord charged them to “remain here and watch” (v. 34). However, when He came to them, He found them sleeping and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Are you not strong enough to watch one hour?” (v. 37). Peter, the leader of the disciples, took the lead to sleep. He did not have the strength to do anything except sleep.
Peter also behaved in a natural way when the Lord Jesus was arrested. He drew his sword and “struck the slave of the high priest, and took off his ear” (v. 47). Peter again caused trouble. At the time the Lord Jesus was being arrested, it was necessary for Him to perform a miracle to heal the ear of the high priest’s slave (Luke 22:50-51).
According to Mark 14:66-72 Peter utterly denied the Lord Jesus. One of the servant girls of the high priest said to Peter, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus!” (v. 67). But Peter denied this, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying” (v. 68). Shortly thereafter Peter denied the Lord Jesus twice more. Through this exposure Peter was put on the cross. The Lord Jesus was crucified, and Peter also was crucified. His exposure was his crucifixion.