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King David of the Bible would say: it is worse to be betrayed by a friend than attacked by an enemy. He wrote in Psalm 55 verse 12-13: “For it is not an enemy who taunts me—then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.”
Have you ever been let down by a friend? By a family member? By your company, or a group you belong to? They were supposed to support you and be on your side, but they did not. If you have experienced this, maybe you can imagine the pain of Jesus when he was betrayed and let down by his closest disciples.
Today we will read parts of Mark chapter 14, which tells us about how Jesus was betrayed and arrested before his death on the Cross. Although we are talking about a sad subject, I hope this message gives you a sense of hope and that God is near you. Let’s pray.
[Read Mark 14:27-51, 66-72]
The chapter is long, so I’m going to break it into 4 sections. First, let’s go through verses 27-31.
Mark 14:27-31
Last month, we read that Jesus prophesied the betrayal of one disciple, Judas. This time, in verse 27, he prophesies that all 12 of his closest disciples will abandon him.
But we shouldn’t read this just as a criticism of the disciples. Because Jesus doesn’t end his prophecy in gloom. In verse 28, he reminds them that he will be resurrected. And, after he “rises,” he will go home to Galilee ahead of them.
In other words, although they will desert him, their betrayal will not cause his mission to fail. And though they will scatter, they will regroup with Jesus in Galilee.
Despite the disciples’ failure, God’s plan of salvation through Jesus will not be hindered. And like a shepherd, Jesus will regather his scattered flock. Those who wandered away will be restored. What we read today is a story of human weakness and failure but also how amazing God is.
I believe that some of the earliest readers of the Gospel of Mark were comforted by this story. Some of them would have been persecuted for their faith in Jesus, by fellow Jews or by the Roman Empire. Some may have abandoned the faith or hidden it. Next, let’s move on to verses 32 to 42.
Mark 14:32-42
So great is Jesus’ inner torment in the Garden of Gethsemane that he collapses to the ground. In verse 34, he tells his disciples: he feels so down he could die. Verse 36, he prays for his Father to let him avoid drinking the cup of suffering.
Here, as Jesus prepares to face agony and death, he wants Peter, James, and John to support him. To be alert and pray and just to be with him. Back in chapter 3, Mark wrote that Jesus chose his twelve closest disciples to “be with him” (that is the phrase used in 3:14). Not just to do his work but to be with him.
However, Verse 37, he’s disappointed because the disciples have fallen asleep. They are present but not giving him much support. They don’t know what to say to him.
When you are alone and in trouble, call out to Jesus—who understands you. People will disappoint us eventually, but he is faithful. He knows what it feels like to be alone. To be afraid of the future. To face a difficult task. To be tempted to give up. Jesus knows what it’s like to be so sad that it is like a knife in your heart. He understands and he will be with you.
It is through prayer that our hearts can move forward. Wrestling with his feelings during prayer, Jesus first expressed his fear and desire to God; then finally surrendered his human will to his Father’s divine will. He chose to continue with the Father’s mission for him: to drink the cup of suffering by dying on the Cross for our salvation.
Let us move forward. Verse 43 to 50…
14:43-50
Jesus surrenders to the mob. Not because he is weak or because he deserves to be arrested. But to fulfill the Scriptures.
Before this, Jesus had demonstrated great power—power over the human body, over nature, over demons. But the greatness of God is not found only in dramatic miracles. Here, God’s greatest work on Earth was being done through Jesus’ surrender. Jesus didn’t show his power by slaying his enemies. Rather he showed greatness in the magnitude of his love. He loves us to the extent that he is willing to be arrested, to be falsely accused, to suffer humiliation, and to die.
Unfortunately, in that moment, all the disciples could see was that Jesus was losing the fight. So, in verse 50, they deserted him and fled. Now let’s jump ahead to verses 66 to 72.
14:66-72
Although the disciples ran off, Peter showed some courage. He sneaks into the high priest’s courtyard to find out Jesus’ fate.
Three times, someone recognizes Peter as Jesus’ follower and he quickly denies knowing Jesus. What a drastic change from his boast in verse 31, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” Yet he disowned Jesus not once but three times.
What makes the gospels seem like genuine stories is that they don’t hide the weaknesses of first Christian leaders, such as Peter. The Christian faith does not—or rather, should not—treat its human leaders like gods, as if they cannot fail or make mistakes. In fact, we cannot be Christians if unless we believe we have failed to live up to God’s standards.
Peter’s story is both a warning and an encouragement. Despite our resolve to obey the Lord, we may fail. And yet, the Lord will restore us to himself. Our lives are never too hopeless for Jesus to welcome us back.
Both Judas and Peter betrayed Jesus. They both felt remorse. However, Judas drowned in self-condemnation and hanged himself. Let us be like Peter instead, who was never too ashamed to admit his weakness and return to Jesus.
For today, that is all I have to say about Mark chapter 14. Let me end with the subject of forgiveness and reconciliation—firstly between us and other people, and secondly between us and God.
Reconciliation with other people
First, if you have been hurt by someone, I pray you will find peace in God.
King David, in many of his songs and prayers, released pent-up feelings of anger by telling God about it. In his Psalm 55, which I mentioned at the beginning of this sermon, he basically tells us God, “I want my enemies to die. I want them to go to hell.”
May we find comfort by expressing our feelings to God, knowing that one day he will carry out justice for every evil done in this world. May we find freedom by asking God to help us let go of bitterness towards the person who did wrong.
We may have to forgive the same person many, many times. This doesn’t mean that we have to like them. It doesn’t mean our relationship with them will go back to normal. It doesn’t mean we should allow their wrong behavior to continue. It doesn’t mean we have to keep living with a person who abuses us. Even after forgiving someone, we may need to avoid them for the sake of our health or safety.
Sometimes, we are able to forgive but don’t have the chance to reconcile. Reconciliation only happens when both parties want to forgive and be forgiven. That is not always possible.
Regardless, on our part, the Bible calls us to forgive. When the disciples asked Jesus, “How should we pray?”, he gave them this example in Matthew 6:12: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” He explained a few verses later: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”.
Reconciliation with God
Yes, all of us have sinned against God. It is not only Judas and Peter who betrayed Jesus. The Bible says that the entire human race has betrayed their Creator. God lavished us with the gift of life and many blessings, but we fail to recognize his goodness to us. Instead, we want to be our own gods, or to pursue the blessings of other gods—money, success, relationships, and so on.
God’s own creation rebelled against him. But instead of killing off his enemies, which is what David wanted in his anger, God is willing to remove all record of wrongs. Still, God’s justice requires that the wrongs must be paid for. That’s why Jesus chose to be arrested—so that we can go free. He took our guilt on himself so that we can be declared “not guilty.” We are forgiven; we have a fresh start.
It’s amazing that God wants to reconcile with us. It’s amazing that he wants us to be with him.
Imagine you have a superpower that lets you predict the future. You meet a new person and they seem nice. But your superpower tells you that one day, they are going to do something very bad to you. Are you still going to be friends with them? Will you invest time in that relationship?
Jesus knew how Judas and Peter were going to act. Yet he chose them to be his disciples, to be with him. The Lord knows all about us too. And he still wants us to be with him.
Conclusion
Let me end this message by saying: We may be weak and sinful, but God’s love is greater than our weakness. He understands us, because he has experienced human life and human pain too. He is faithful and will not leave us. He was betrayed and rebelled against. But he wants to restore all people to himself. And just as he has forgiven, he wants us to forgive.
Let’s pray. Almighty Father, look with mercy on this your family for which our Lord Jesus Christ was content to be betrayed and given up into the hands of wicked men and to suffer death upon the cross; who is alive and glorified with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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