Betrayal

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Text:  Mark 14:10-21

Mark 14:10-11

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray him to them. ¹¹ And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.

(ESV)

One of the downsides of the increased connectedness we have through the internet, email, and social media is that it is easy to unfriend or unfollow someone with a simple click of a mouse or tapping of a finger.  However, when the unfriending or unfollowing is a close friend, there is still an emotional impact and feelings of betrayal.  At the time of the writing of Mark 14:10-11, Jesus has been ministering for three and one-half years.  During that time Jesus has developed a close relationship with these men, creating a special bond but one of the twelve, Judas, is about to sever that bond for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. 

The events foretold by Jesus three times are unfolding in Jerusalem (Mark 8:31-38; 9:30-32; 10:32-34).  However, the disciples are still in a state of denial regarding Jesus' imminent death and are preoccupied with preparations for Passover (Mark 14:12), but instead of condemning the disciples for failing to see what was about to happen, we should see this as a normal reaction.  However, simply denying something negative about to occur in our lives does not change things for even the negative things occurring in our lives are somehow part of God’s grand plan.  Judas, Peter, and Jesus provide an example of how we must react when facing a negative challenge in our lives. 

1)      Judas the betrayer – Judas betrayed Jesus for the price of thirty pieces of silver.  This is a man who traveled with Jesus during His ministry and would have seen Jesus heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, and even raise the dead.  However, even this could not overcome his apparent greed and willingness to betray Jesus for money.  It is also possible Judas observed Jesus; conflict with religious leaders and feared repercussions and believed handing Jesus over to them would help him escape any potential repercussions.  We do not know if Judas was in the upper room when Jesus issued His woe in Mark 14:21 but if he was, this was his opportunity to stop.  Unfortunately, for Judas, instead of heeding Jesus’ warning, he sees the intention of the Pharisees to hand Jesus over to the Romans for crucifixion and kills himself instead of seeking forgiveness (Matthew 27:3-5).  If our actions lead us to sin which is a betrayal of the Lord we must stop our sinful betrayal and seek forgiveness for God will forgive our sins when we confess them to Him (1 John 1:9).     

2)      Peter the denier – In contrast to Judas the betrayer, we have Peter the denier.  Peter’s denial comes soon after a declaration of faith (Matthew 26:30-35).  Peter’s denial is most likely the result of fear after seeing Jesus arrested by the Roman soldiers, fearing the Romans would also go after Jesus’ followers.    However, unlike Judas, Peter asks the Lord to forgive him (John 21:15-19; Matthew 26:75) and after receiving the empowerment of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, delivers the first evangelistic message with 3000 people accepting Jesus as savior (Acts 2:14-41). 

3)      Jesus our savior – In Mark 14:21 Jesus tells his disciples that what will happen to him is according to scripture.  Jesus has come to earth with a mission to die for the sins of humanity.  Jesus is the promised savior of Genesis 3:15 who crushed the serpents head on the cross.  This mission was necessary for all humanity has betrayed God by sinning (Romans 3:23).  Most reading this can also admit to denying Jesus out of fear of rejection or even fear of harm.  However, I want to urge everyone reading this to not be like Judas and believe their situation is hopeless but to instead be like Peter and seek forgiveness from God.  If you have never prayed to receive Jesus as your savior, I urge you to do so now by praying with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

While increased connectedness through digital media and social media makes it easier to unfriend or unfollow someone, Jesus our savior has promised never to leave us (Hebrews 13:5).  Jesus knows all too well the hurt of a close friend either betraying us or denying our friendship and would never subject his children to that rejection.  This makes a relationship with Jesus unlike anything else in the world and why we must make our relationship with the Lord the most important relationship in our lives.  May God bless everyone reading this post.