Study in Mark’s Gospel

1. Study in Mark’s Gospel Presentation 47

2. The Betrayal And Arrest Of Jesus Chap 14v43-65 Presentation 47

3. Introduction Many of us have been badly let down in the course of our lives and I guess that the pain and disappointment of that is proportionate to how close we have been to those who have failed us. A stranger’s faithlessness tends to cause less hurt than that of a family member. Jesus’ disappointments form a series of concentric circles. On the outside we have the pain produced by the rejection of his own chosen people Jn. 1v11, then there was the rejection of the religious establishment, who above all others should have been able to recognise his identity. In a special sense there were the custodians of God’s Word. But finally, there was the rejection of Judas, one of the twelve friends Jesus had handpicked to be his apprentices. People he had uniquely given of himself to. Presentation 47

4. Jesus’ Arrest Gethsemane was where the real battle was won. The picture we have from now on is of Jesus in complete control. The arrival of an armed guard did not unsettle Jesus. Judas’ kiss of betrayal did not phase him or take him by surprise. Jesus was now ready for the cross. Clearly, his enemies were fearful, for the arresting party was heavily armed. They were taking no chances. We need to remember that on at least three previous occasions the religious leaders had unsuccessfully sought to arrest Jesus. On one occasion the arresting party had been so mesmerised by the authority of Jesus’ teaching that they had left empty handed, on the other two occasions Jesus had passed right through them. Presentation 47

5. Jesus’ Arrest The religious leaders may even have entertained the fear that Jesus was ‘unarrestable’. Have you wondered why they did not seize Jesus at an earlier opportunity? Yes they feared the crowd but it would not have been difficult to follow Jesus to his lodgings in Bethany and arrest him there. Have you ever wondered why they rushed the arrest and trial, cut through red tape, bypassed standard procedures, disregarded their own law concerning the trial of capital cases, why the case against Jesus was so poorly prepared and clearly rushed. J. M. Boicebelieves the explanation lies in the fact that they had not intended to arrest Jesus until after the Passover. What changed things? The Judas card! Presentation 47

6. Jesus’ Arrest The arrival of Judas informing them not only of where Jesus could be arrested easily but perhaps also the intelligence that he brought gave impetus to their decision. Judas had heard Jesus talking about his immanent death. Did these leaders think, ‘this is the time; he is vulnerable now he is full of self-doubt. The mood of surrender is on him; we must strike while the iron is hot. We need to do this now in spite of all the difficulties of rushing a trial through and securing an execution permit before the Passover.’? The rush suddenly to make arrangements for Jesus’ arrest and trial would explain the considerable period of time between Judas leaving the upper room and arriving with the arresting party. Presentation 47

7. Jesus’ Arrest All sorts of arrangements had to be made that evening which the religious leaders had not anticipated. Now the thing to marvel at in all of this is that it was Jesus and not they who is in control of events. It was he who would choose the moment when he would die. Jesus words to the arresting party in v53 ‘this is your hour when darkness reigns’ suggests that unknown to them they were simply dupes of Satan just as Judas had been his glove puppet. But the ultimate control of events did not lie with Satan but with Jesus himself. Think of the many occasions when Jesus, thinking of his death, spoke of his ‘hour’. That he did not resist arrest was not because he could not but because he chose not to do so. Presentation 47

8. Jesus’ Arrest Jesus enemies arrived armed to the teeth. A few of his disciples were ready to fight. Neither group was aware that this arrest was part of Jesus’ plan. Matthew tells us that Jesus told he could have called on 72,000 angels and more to help him if he had wanted to, Matt. 26v53. John alone records the experience of the arresting party falling backward to the ground after Jesus identified had himself cf. Jn.18v6. Why did they fall to the ground? Jesus had used the Hebrew name for God. The name ‘I am, for God had been revealed first to Moses and now Jesus takes it upon his lips. Presentation 47

9. Jesus’ Arrest But more than that, it has been suggested that in that instant something of the essential glory of Jesus similar to that which the disciples saw on the Mt. of Transfiguration shone out. In this way, Jesus was indicating, ‘You have not simply come to arrest a man, whom you are confident you can overcome, with all your weapons. You are in factarresting God, who freely chooses to place himself in your hands and to submit to trial and death.’ Doubtless many in the arresting party had long shut their ears to the voice of God and they failed to recognise him when he stood before them. Jesus revealed his glory! Presentation 47

10. Judas The Betrayer We now turn our attention to Judas Iscariot, one of the most tragic figures in history. He was a man on whom Jesus had conferred immense privilege. He was part of a trusted inner band of disciples. He had received a wealth of teaching from Jesus. Indeed, he had shared with him many of the inner thoughts of Jesus. He had a glorious opportunity to be a herald of the arrival of the kingdom of God. However, despite that background and incredible privilege Judas went tragically wrong. He had agreed to betray Jesus into the hands of his enemies. How do we explain that? Presentation 47

11. Judas The Betrayer First, we need to recognise that his betrayal is the end of a process. This is not a sudden, inexplicable disaster that Judas found himself railroaded into. Rather this is something that grew and developed over a long period of time. Clearly, a traitorous spirit grew within him and he allowed it to grow! There was a long softening up process which took place and preceded the act of the betrayal of Jesus. The open and public disaster of a moral collapse that takes other people by surprise, almost always has a secret history. What has been going on in private for a long time suddenly comes to the surface. We read in Jn. 12v6 that having been made the treasurer of the disciple band he made a practice of stealing money. Judas used his office and privilege to serve his own ends. Presentation 47

12. Judas The Betrayer Secondly, was disillusionment the catalyst that brought Judas' betrayal to the surface? Jesus had promised the coming of a kingdom and the thought of power, prestige and reward had been very appealing. But when it became clear that Jesus would not establish an earthly kingdom by defeating the Romans, Judas had had enough. He did not intend to take up his cross and follow Jesus. He did not intend to engage in anything that clashed with his own self-interest. Matthew tells us that he asked the chief priests, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" You can see self-interest at work? Did Judas decide to cut his losses when he agreed to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver? Presentation 47

13. Judas The Betrayer Perhaps Judas was after an even greater reward, namely the good graces of the Jewish leaders. Here is someone who recognised the advantage of always being on the winning side. As far as Judas was concerned he believed Jesus was going down. Therefore, he was eager to ingratiate himself with the other side. Perhaps he might also push the door open on, power politics and party influence. These are among the many powerful factors that cause people to turn their back upon Jesus. The parable of the sower becomes a reality in congregational life as the cares/ambitions of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth chokes the seed that has been sown. Presentation 47

14. Judas The Betrayer Thirdly, a further dimension of this betrayal is identified in Lk.22v3 "Then Satan entered Judas". This could not have happened if Judas had not opened the door. to him. There is no handle on the outside of the human heart, the door must be opened from within. Even if Judas was a tool, or puppet of Satan that does not absolve Judas of the responsibility for his foul deed. For he had opened the door. And by doing so he was closing the door on the grace of God! Paul speaks of ‘receiving the grace of God in vain’1 Cor. 6v1. Did Judas think that were he to gain a whole world of personal advantage that could adequately smother his conscience? Judas, who had spent quality time with Jesus, should have known better than to believe the lies of the Devil. Presentation 47

15. Judas The Betrayer Satan's temptations are designed to deceive. Judas was blinded to the consequences of his evil action, that is until after the deed was done. Time and again, when people yield to temptation and after are terrorised by their conscience they ask, "Why didn't the knowledge of the awfulness of these consequences act as a deterrent? If only I had have thought. If only I had known." Invariably, they have been blinded to the consequences of sin by Satan. Presentation 47

16. Judas The Betrayer What happens when the blindfold is removed? In Judas’ case, he realised he had been a puppet in the service of another. Judas was conscience-stricken when he saw the dreadful consequences of his betrayal. Judas thought that he had been serving to advance his own selfish, self-serving ambitions. Then he discovered that Satan had been pulling his strings – he had been in the service of another,. Notice that having served Satan’s purpose, he is then carelessly discarded by his puppet master! What a revelation! Presentation 47

17. Judas The Betrayer Judas kissed Jesus in the garden which gave birth to the expression ‘the Judas kiss.’ A kiss was conventionally a form of greeting bestowed upon close friends. It was a way of saying, “you are close to my heart, my affections are warmed in your presence”. However, Judas’ kiss was insincere and stripped of any heart affection. He has pushed Jesus out beyond the boundary of his daily living. He had changed sides in pursuit of greater personal advantage. This kiss, and all it represented, would linger in his memory and replay itself again and again as if the video recorder of memory has its shuffle mode broken. His conscience could not escape from his awful and appalling deed. Presentation 47

18. Judas The Betrayer What a sense of aloneness must have gripped his life? It may be that Judas never meant to go as far as he did. Most men never dream that they would go to the lengths that they do in their sinning. How often do they say, “Things just seemed to get out of control.” But sin does that! Judas understood not only that he had been abandoned by his puppet master but that he himself had closed the door on God’s grace. He must have thought, “I can no longer live with myself”. Oh that we had the spiritual insight to see this before rather than after the event. With good cause the scriptures encourage us to learn to be aware of Satan’s wiles 2 Cor. 2v11. Presentation 47

19. Conclusion Was anyone ever more let down than Jesus? Precisely because of that he is able to sympathise with those who have suffered at the faithlessness of the hands of others. For the believer to suffer in this way for Jesus’ sake is part of the obedient path of discipleship. A more significant application is surely the warning which the life of Judas holds before us. It is possible to spend company with the people of God, the is possible to taste the benefits of God’s grace and blessing and yet for our hearts’ affections to be won away from him. Satan knows our personal weaknesses,. He knows what strings to pull. The best defence against his attack it to cry to God to constantly keep us close to him and to fan the flames of affection and love for him within our hearts. Presentation 47