The Betrayal
Text: Mark 14:43-52
Core Idea: Jesus Christ willingly and joyfully went to the cross because He believed in God’s sovereignty and provision. He went under the sword of divine justice for you and me so that we may enter the presence of God and have life again. Then let’s look to Christ for He alone is the source of hope and peace for all our circumstances.
INTRODUCTION
Well, we are going through the Gospel of Mark – exploring the life of Jesus. Last week, we learned that despite the crushing weight of sorrow and distress, Jesus humbly submitted Himself to the will of God and chose to drink the cup of God’s wrath because of His love for us. Today, we’ll see that the hour has finally come – the betrayer will arrive, and Jesus will be arrested. Now, the text that we’re about to read happens in the darkness of early Friday morning and everything that we’ll read from this point onward (the arrest, the trials, the crucifixion, and the death) will all take place by 3 PM, the same day – and Jesus will be in the grave before sundown. That’s how fast everything happened. But this, of course, wouldn’t be the end of the story – Mark will tell us that Jesus conquered death and rose from the grave on Sunday morning just as He predicted. That’s what we can look forward to. But before we get there, let’s turn to the passage that signaled the beginning of Jesus’ Passion. So, look with me to Mark 14:43-52. Let me read this for us.
43 Just as He was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With Him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the Man; arrest Him and lead Him away under guard.” 45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 The men seized Jesus and arrested Him. 47 Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 48 “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture Me? 49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then everyone deserted Him and fled. 51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let me share three things from this passage:
· THE BETRAYER
· THE FULFILLMENT
· THE DESERTION
1) THE BETRAYER
Imagine this scene with me. Jesus had just finished praying for the third time in Gethsemane and He found the disciples sleeping again even though He had warned them to watch and pray. I’m sure He had so much to say to them but there was no time for that anymore because, at that moment, Judas appeared with a crowd armed with swords to arrest Jesus. Can you imagine how intimidated and confused the disciples must have been? They probably asked themselves, “What’s going on here? Who are these people? And why is Judas leading the way?” – only to realize that Judas was the betrayer that Jesus was talking about at the Passover meal. They knew that one of the twelve would betray them because Jesus had told them – but maybe they didn’t want to believe it. Maybe they were hoping that Jesus was wrong because they were like brothers to each other. But to finally see the betrayer with their own eyes, they must have been hurt, angry, and devastated.
This is shockingly tragic because Judas had intimate, unrestricted, and privileged access to Jesus. He was there when Jesus fed the five thousand. He was there when He calmed the storm. He was there when He raised Lazarus from the dead. With his eyes, Judas saw the clearest evidence. With his ears, he heard the powerful teachings. With his feet, he followed the greatest example. And yet Judas still betrayed Jesus. And if that wasn’t enough, Judas completely mocked Jesus by handing Him over with a kiss. Culturally, a kiss signified love, affection, and respect between close friends. It was a common greeting – a sign of deep respect and honor. But here was Judas giving Jesus an expression of love with a heart of hatred. Pastor John MacArthur said, “Judas could not have chosen a more despicable way to identify Jesus, because he perverted its usual meaning so treacherously and hypocritically.” As the Roman soldiers mockingly adorned Jesus with a crown of thorns, Judas mockingly betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
Then we can’t help but ask, “Why? How could someone spend three years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the presence of Jesus and do what he did? How can anyone be that evil, that self-serving, that heartless, and that hopeless? How can he give up his Lord, his Friend for money – just for 30 pieces of silver? Why would Judas betray Jesus?” Of course, we’ll never know exactly why because the Bible never tells us. But here are just two possibilities that were given by some scholars. First, it could’ve been a matter of greed. For Judas, the worth of money was much bigger than the worth of Jesus. Now, it’s hard to believe that Judas would do this just for money but it’s not so farfetched if we remember how many times Jesus warned His disciples about money. He taught in the parable of the Sower that faith can be choked by the deceitfulness of wealth (Mk. 4:19). He taught that we can’t serve both God and money – that we’ll ultimately hate the one and love the other (Matt. 7:24). He taught that we shouldn’t use the power of money to manipulate others (Matt. 18:23-34) – or that we shouldn’t hoard it for ourselves but invest in others (Matt. 25:34-40). But for Judas, Jesus wasn’t the Lord – money was. And he gladly gave up Jesus for his true master. Now, if this really was the ultimate reason for his betrayal, it’s unbelievably tragic knowing how worthless his prize turned out to be. He gave up everything just for 30 pieces of silver. The second reason: Judas could’ve been disappointed and frustrated that Jesus wasn’t seizing the opportunity to take over the kingdom from the Romans. He desperately wanted Jesus to deliver them from their oppressors (the Romans) and make their nation glorious again. He wanted Jesus to restore their wealth, power, and fame – and ultimately make their lives better. But when Jesus said that He came to suffer many things, that He came not to be served but to serve, that He came to give His life as a ransom for many, Judas may have felt betrayed – “I didn’t follow You for this. Well, let me show you how a real revolution is made.” So, out of spite, Judas did what he did. Again, these are all speculations. But regardless of what the motive was, the point is that Judas, one of the twelve, betrayed Jesus.
Then what happened to Judas? I ask this because we never hear from him again in the Gospel of Mark, but this is what Matthew 27:3-5 says, “When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That’s your responsibility.’ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.” Judas was filled with remorse – he felt bad. So, he returned the money. Then was Judas forgiven? Will we see him in heaven again? Sadly, I don’t think so. To be sure, God’s grace is enough to forgive Judas – Christ’s death is sufficient to atone for his sin. But the last tragedy of Judas was the worst: he didn’t return to Jesus. In his darkest hour, under the weight of his guilt, Judas didn’t turn to Jesus but to the religious leaders. Why? I’m not sure. Maybe he wanted the religious leaders to comfort him and affirm what he did was right. In giving back the money, maybe he was trying to take back what he did. I don’t know. But what we do know is that the religious leaders didn’t offer him mercy – there was no grace. Judas was left in despair – so, he took his own life.
What does this mean for us today? This is what Hope Bolinger said, “What’s especially important to take away is one of Jesus’ last moments with Judas. Even though He knew Judas would betray Him, He still washed Judas’ feet before the Last Supper, an act of servitude. We can often criticize Judas for what he did, until we realize that we, in fact, are Judas. We betrayed Jesus. Our sins led Him to His death. But Jesus chooses to wash our feet. To befriend us. And to ultimately save us.” Then before we condemn Judas, Mark is inviting us to examine our own hearts. This is a warning for us to see that it’s possible to have the appearance but not be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. We can do all the right things (come to church every Sunday, read and study the Bible, pray before we eat, serve in different ministries, give generously) – we can be “close” to Jesus but be so far from Him. Friends, are you truly in Christ today? Is Jesus truly all that you desire or is He just a means to an end? Do you serve Jesus because you love Him with all your heart or are you serving just to get things from Him? Do you view Jesus absolutely beautiful or conveniently useful? I urge you – turn to Jesus today. Yes, we should grieve over our sins; yes, we should be remorseful; yes, we should feel the depths of our rebellion against this holy God – but we must realize that the enemy wants that to be the end. The enemy’s goal is to get us stuck looking at ourselves (our flaws, our failures, and our fears) and be crushed – instead of looking to Jesus and be forgiven, be freed from the weight of our guilt. Don’t make the same mistake as Judas. Turn to Jesus today because He will receive you with open arms.
2) THE FULFILLMENT
Verse 47 – after the guards arrested Jesus, “One of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.” Now, Mark doesn’t tell us who this was, but it might not be too hard for us to guess who this was. If you thought of Peter, you’re absolutely right. John 18:10 says, “Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)” Then why did Peter do this? It’s because he wanted to prove something. Do you remember what he said in Mark 14:31? “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” Peter pledged himself to be faithful to Jesus no matter what – that he would die for Him if necessary. Unfortunately, he had already failed once when he fell asleep instead of praying in Gethsemane. So, seeing Jesus being violently taken away, this was his opportunity to prove his loyalty and bravery. He knew that he was hopelessly outnumbered. He knew that he had no chance against these men. But Peter drew his sword and struck one of them – only to remind us that he still didn’t understand why Jesus came. Do you remember when he tried to stop Jesus from suffering in chapter 8? Jesus said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan” (Mk. 8:33). And here he was again – trying to stop Jesus from going to the cross.
So, Jesus stepped in – He couldn’t have Peter tempt Him again. So, Jesus said in verse 48, “Am I leading a rebellion that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture Me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me.” Jesus was provoking them by calling them cowards. He was basically saying, “Why are you coming now? Where were you on Monday when I was at the temple? Where were you on Tuesday or Wednesday? Day after day, in broad daylight, I was teaching openly in the temple. But you choose to come at night – why? And what’s up with all the swords and clubs? Am I some kind of a criminal? Did you think that I was going to lead a revolt?” Jesus knew what was on their heart – He knew that they were fearful of people’s opinions. Mark 14:1-2 says, “The chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. ‘But not during the festival,’ they said, ‘or the people may riot.’” Then here, Jesus was exposing them – but He wasn’t done. He said in verse 49, “But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” He was basically saying, “You think you have everything under control – you think everything is going your way. But there’s a reason why you came to arrest Me now – not before. There’s a reason why Judas betrayed Me. There’s a reason why I will willingly go with you even though I have done nothing wrong. It’s because the Scripture must be fulfilled. God had planned this perfectly in His wisdom – which means that all of you are merely instruments in the hands of God. Nobody is taking My life from Me. I’m offering Myself because God’s plan is being worked out here right now.” In fact, listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 26:53, “Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” A legion equaled about 6,000 soldiers. Then Jesus was saying, “If I want to, I can call 72,000 angels to protect Myself. But I won’t because the Scripture must be fulfilled.”
In the midst of darkness, sin, and chaos, Jesus was able to remain calm because He knew that this was the exact plan of God. He believed that God’s purpose was being accomplished even through the evil actions of sinful people. Again, He didn’t submit because He lacked the power to stop what they were trying to do but because He had chosen to go to the cross. Brothers and sisters, this is so important because if you don’t understand this, you really don’t understand the cross. The cross is not some sort of “Plan B” that God came up with. This is not His backup plan. No, Jesus came for the purpose of dying because this was the only way to satisfy the justice of God and the love of God. James Edwards writes, “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.”
Then this is what I want us to remember: even though Jesus’ soul was distressed and troubled, even though He was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, Jesus was able to remain calm because He firmly believed that God was in complete control. This was God’s doing. He wanted this to happen. Then we can’t help but ask, “Why? Why would God do that to His own Son?” John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God’s love for us is what sent Jesus to the cross. And Jesus trusted God. Now, notice that Jesus didn’t just concede to God’s sovereignty – He didn’t just shrug His shoulders and say, “Well, if that’s what God wants, if God is allowing this terrible thing to happen, what can I do? I’ll obey but it sucks.” Honestly, that’s how many of us respond to our pain. We don’t want to be bitter but we’re still fighting to believe in God’s sovereignty and goodness. So, we helplessly, reluctantly concede – “Okay, God. Do what You need to do.” But that’s not what Jesus did. Because He knew that this was in accordance with God’s holy will, even though He knew that this would be horrendous for Him, He willingly obeyed. He joyfully embraced his calling knowing that it would bring salvation to many. Then to borrow Hellen’s words from last week, if anyone is in the furnace of pain today, I urge you – fight to believe in God’s sovereignty and goodness in your lives. Remember that He’s not just in control over some things, many things, or even most things. No, He’s in control of all things – which means that He is most definitely in control over your life as well. Then I pray that He will give you the faith to anchor yourselves to this truth because this is how we stay faithful in the valley of the shadow of death.
3) THE DESERTION
Verse 50, “Then everyone deserted Him and fled.” God’s plan left Jesus alone – everybody deserted Him including this young man who ran away naked (leaving his garment behind) when the soldiers seized him. Now, some people argue that this was Mark himself. Mark would’ve been a young man at that time – and by including this story here, he was basically confessing to the readers, “I was there, and I was as bad as everybody else. I was one of the people who deserted Jesus.” This is possible but not likely. It’s more likely that Mark added this detail to illustrate the chaos of that evening and that Jesus really was alone.
Then why did they desert Jesus? Because they were all afraid of the sword. They didn’t want to go through the pain. They didn’t want to be killed. So, they all ran – except one. There was one person who didn’t flee but faced the sword with courage – but this wouldn’t be just any sword. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they were banished from the Garden of Eden. And this is what Genesis 3:24 says, “After He drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (FYI, Cherubim is an angel of God.) Then this is telling us that God placed an angel with a flaming sword to guard the garden so that no one can get back to the presence of God without going under that sword. What does that sword represent? The divine justice against sin. In other words, our sin is what separates us from God – which means that there’s no way back to the presence of God unless we’re struck by the sword of divine justice. But because He loved us so much, Jesus didn’t run away even though He could have, He didn’t stop the soldiers from taking Him away even though He could have – instead, Jesus Christ stayed, and He went under that sword for you and me. Jesus got what we deserved so that we may get what He deserves. Friends, Jesus went to the cross so that He could purchase salvation for you and me – so that He could drink your cup, so that He could bear your sword. Do you know this Jesus? He was arrested for you, tried for you, humiliated for you, abandoned for you, suffered for you, and killed for you. He did all this so that He can embrace you. Then are you ready to take the first step toward Him today? Place your trust in Him. Ask Him to save you. He will answer. Receive Christ today.
Now, let me quickly address the Christians. Brothers and sisters, do you ever get tempted to desert Jesus? If we’re honest, we’re tempted to abandon Jesus because of the afflictions in our lives, because of the ambitions of our hearts, or simply because of our sins – and we let ourselves drift away from Him. We’re tempted to desert Jesus because of our comfort, our convenience, our laziness, or our fears – and we let our hearts grow cold, we compromise, we begin to live as if He doesn’t exist. If this is you, let this song be your prayer today. These are the words from the song, Come Thou Fount: “O to grace how great a debtor | Daily I’m constrained to be | Let Thy grace Lord like a fetter | Bind my wandering heart to Thee | Prone to wander Lord I feel it | Prone to leave the God I love | Here’s my heart Lord take and seal it | Seal it for Thy courts above.” Ask Him to bind your wandering heart – keep you close to Him. Now, the amazing thing is that we can pray this with hope and assurance because the writer of this hymn also wrote, “Jesus sought me when a stranger | Wandering from the fold of God | He to rescue me from danger | Interposed His precious blood.” Jesus sought us when we were strangers, enemies of God and, because of His blood, because of His love for us, we can be sure that He will lead us home. It’s true that we may be tempted to desert Jesus at times in our lives, but He will never desert us. We are secure in His hands because He was struck by the sword for us.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus Christ willingly and joyfully went to the cross because He believed in God’s sovereignty and provision. He went under the sword of divine justice for you and me so that we may enter the presence of God and have life again. Then let us look to Christ – let us fight to fix our eyes on Him knowing that He alone is the source of hope and peace for all our circumstances.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) How is Jesus warning us through the life of Judas? How can this be an opportunity for us to examine our own hearts rather than condemn Judas?
2) Why didn’t Judas turn back to Christ? Is there anything in our lives that’s preventing us from going to Christ?
3) What comfort is there to know that everything that happened to Jesus (the arrest, the trials, the crucifixion, and the death) was to fulfill the Scriptures? How does that help us in the furnace of our pain today?
4) Do you ever get tempted to desert Jesus? Jesus said, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mk. 14:38). Pray for each other that we will stay faithful to Him in all circumstances.