Invasion November 12
Mark 14:42 “Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” 43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
Jesus wakes His disciples to the next chapter in their shared story. He commands them to waken from their slumber in the calm waters of His harbor and ready themselves for the winds of the storm out on the sea of life.
The calmness of Jesus contrasts with the scene now before them. Their perception adjusts gradually as the curtain is pulled aside to reveal the armed force that has come against them. Men with swords and clubs invade the peace of the garden’s night. And one of their own has brought the multi-headed dragon upon them!
They have not faced armed men prior to this night. Previously, their opponents have come at them with words, and the enemy has found themselves bested by the words of their Teacher. The battles of words have been bloodless, but have left festering unhealed scars on their enemies.
The sword has come into the garden unnoticed like that serpent of old.
Jesus has spent these hours preparing for the event. The disciples have slept rather than watched and prayed, and they are at a loss. They are unable to respond, much less to assume command of the moment.
Betrayal November 13
Mark 14:44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.”
45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
Betrayal is giving over or yielding up something or someone to the enemy. The third entry in Merriam-Webster seems applicable, as well: “to fail or desert especially in time of need.”
Some have asserted that Judas’ betrayal was necessary to Jesus in order for Him to accomplish the task set before Him. This view would have Judas as a pawn in the hands of God.
Note that the authorities had determined already that Jesus must die, but they would have waited until after the religious festival (Mark 14:1-2). Judas acted from his own motives. He only brought the events forward by a matter of days.
A betrayer gives to the enemy more than a thing or a person. He also gives away all belief in the cause he betrays, and also the benefits the cause offers. In Judas’ case, he gave Him who was without sin into “the hands of sinners.”
The Man whom Judas has followed for nearly three years has not met expectations. Judas has no love for the religious or Roman authorities. He is in love with an idea, perhaps related only to his own well-being, or perhaps a greater hope for all Israel.
A thought is not wrong – unless we believe in the idea over reality.
Judas’ idea on how things should be is about to be met by the reality of how things must be.
A Kiss November 14
Mark 14:44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.”
45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
Judas had told the guards that he would kiss the man they were to arrest. These men who are to arrest Jesus probably would not recognize Him among the disciples, particularly in the dark.
The Greek word translated as “kiss” is Strong’s G5368, phileo. Other than in the context of Judas’ betrayal, the Gospels use the word to mean to have affection for another as a friend, a sentiment more of the mind rather than the agape love of the heart.
Judas is showing his mind when he betrays Jesus, ignoring his heart.
At best, Judas is more attached to his idea of how events should unfold rather than to Jesus’ idea of the future. Judas’ vision conflicts with the reality of what is possible given all of the events leading to this infamous betrayal. Perhaps he is attached to the idea of the military Messiah rather than the person of Jesus.
At worst, Judas has baser motives such as jealousy and envy, or a personal desire for greatness and money.
Judas gives to the authorities what is not his to give, another man’s life. He also sells what he does have to give, his own character and his identity as a friend and disciple.
A Hard Place November 15
Mark 14:46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. 47 And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
The animal instinct to the threat of violence is fight or flight. This narrow choice omits one often chosen and that is at least equally damaging: freeze.
People are often stuck, frozen in what would seem to be destructive conditions, and yet they remain. We can find ourselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place, crushed by circumstance but with no viable alternative.
The battered spouse, the abused employee, the citizen ruled by a tyrannical form of government, and a multitude of others find themselves constrained by lack of choice. There appears to be no avenue to freedom.
One of the disciples (only John’s Gospel identifies him as Peter and the servant as Malchus) takes out his sword in Jesus’ defense. After all that Jesus has taught, think of the contradiction in this statement.
The disciples have only two swords among them (Luke 22:38). This is their arsenal against the Temple guards and the Roman Empire.
We have all heard the command, “Don’t just stand there. Do something!” Sometimes the more appropriate response is, “Don’t just do something. Stand there!” Take a stand in peace….
Jesus never teaches us to deny reality. He teaches us to see reality through the lens of God’s love. He teaches abiding in a greater promise than force and violence can offer.
The Rock November 16
Mark 14:48 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
Jesus has taught non-violence. He has modeled how to stand firm without having to take up physical weapons.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Hebr. 4:12). The logos (the Word), and the Christ are One with the Father. Jesus’ stands before the soldiers, accepting the inevitable, the event that must happen because of all that has led to this moment.
When there is no alternative apart from the rock and the hard place, Jesus models standing on character, modeling the love of God even in the face of mankind’s rebellion.
Reality cannot be denied. What exists at the moment simply is. Every moment has led inexorably to this moment.
Events since the curse of Genesis 3:15 have all led to Jesus’ arrest. And He knows where these next few hours will lead, as well.
The visions of the prophets, seen through a glass darkly, have been becoming clearer, more identifiable throughout Jesus’ ministry.
With the simple words, “But the Scriptures must be fulfilled,” Jesus yields to His captors. And He does so while maintaining His character, the essence of God’s character.
He stands firm between His accusers and His disciples. He is not like the tablets of stone that crush without mercy, but is the spiritual Rock (1 Cor. 10:4), the living God of love.
They Flee November 17
Mark 14:50 Then they all forsook Him and fled. 51 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.
It is easy to make rash promises in which we fully believe and yet find ourselves incapable of fulfilling
This has been the problem with the Law, as evidenced in every generation since the generation at Sinai promised, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Ex. 19:8). We should even go back to the Beginning and Adam’s unspoken agreement not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17).
Our promises are often beyond our abilities.
And so has been the disciples’ vow to die with Jesus rather than deny Him (Mark 14:31).
The reality of the armed men who have come to take them is the hard reality against which their expectations are being dashed. All that they see at the moment is the threat before them. The ideals and promises of their Teacher melt like snow in the desert sun.
And perhaps Mark is telling on himself in this mention of a young man, a spectator who delays fleeing and is grabbed by a guard. There is no proof for this conjecture. It appears a young man wearing a loose garment is disturbed by the passing troops and follows them. Whoever he is, he also flees from capture.
No one goes into captivity with Jesus. All flee in acts of self-preservation.
Double Minded November 18
Mark 14:53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. 54 But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.
They bring Jesus to the trinity of chief priests, elders (members of the Sanhedrin), and scribes. This is hardly an unbiased tribunal, for all of these have been offended by Jesus’ teaching.
John records that Jesus is first taken to Annas, former high priest and apparently still viewed as the power behind the office (John 18:13). He then sends Jesus to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, the current high priest (John 18:24).
Peter is of two minds, a house divided. He has seen all flee from Jesus because of the armed men. Perhaps he saw the young man who was apprehended but slipped from his garment to escape.
The night is a long one for Jesus, held for interrogation at the whim of different authorities through the late night and early morning hours.
Jesus’ most vocal disciple has not run far away, but neither has he stood by his Teacher. He hides among the servants around the fire, warming himself on this cool spring night.
Fear and loyalty fight within Peter and he stays at a distance, remaining on the fringe of events.
Next day
Mark 14:42 “Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” 43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
Jesus wakes His disciples to the next chapter in their shared story. He commands them to waken from their slumber in the calm waters of His harbor and ready themselves for the winds of the storm out on the sea of life.
The calmness of Jesus contrasts with the scene now before them. Their perception adjusts gradually as the curtain is pulled aside to reveal the armed force that has come against them. Men with swords and clubs invade the peace of the garden’s night. And one of their own has brought the multi-headed dragon upon them!
They have not faced armed men prior to this night. Previously, their opponents have come at them with words, and the enemy has found themselves bested by the words of their Teacher. The battles of words have been bloodless, but have left festering unhealed scars on their enemies.
The sword has come into the garden unnoticed like that serpent of old.
Jesus has spent these hours preparing for the event. The disciples have slept rather than watched and prayed, and they are at a loss. They are unable to respond, much less to assume command of the moment.
Betrayal November 13
Mark 14:44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.”
45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
Betrayal is giving over or yielding up something or someone to the enemy. The third entry in Merriam-Webster seems applicable, as well: “to fail or desert especially in time of need.”
Some have asserted that Judas’ betrayal was necessary to Jesus in order for Him to accomplish the task set before Him. This view would have Judas as a pawn in the hands of God.
Note that the authorities had determined already that Jesus must die, but they would have waited until after the religious festival (Mark 14:1-2). Judas acted from his own motives. He only brought the events forward by a matter of days.
A betrayer gives to the enemy more than a thing or a person. He also gives away all belief in the cause he betrays, and also the benefits the cause offers. In Judas’ case, he gave Him who was without sin into “the hands of sinners.”
The Man whom Judas has followed for nearly three years has not met expectations. Judas has no love for the religious or Roman authorities. He is in love with an idea, perhaps related only to his own well-being, or perhaps a greater hope for all Israel.
A thought is not wrong – unless we believe in the idea over reality.
Judas’ idea on how things should be is about to be met by the reality of how things must be.
A Kiss November 14
Mark 14:44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.”
45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
Judas had told the guards that he would kiss the man they were to arrest. These men who are to arrest Jesus probably would not recognize Him among the disciples, particularly in the dark.
The Greek word translated as “kiss” is Strong’s G5368, phileo. Other than in the context of Judas’ betrayal, the Gospels use the word to mean to have affection for another as a friend, a sentiment more of the mind rather than the agape love of the heart.
Judas is showing his mind when he betrays Jesus, ignoring his heart.
At best, Judas is more attached to his idea of how events should unfold rather than to Jesus’ idea of the future. Judas’ vision conflicts with the reality of what is possible given all of the events leading to this infamous betrayal. Perhaps he is attached to the idea of the military Messiah rather than the person of Jesus.
At worst, Judas has baser motives such as jealousy and envy, or a personal desire for greatness and money.
Judas gives to the authorities what is not his to give, another man’s life. He also sells what he does have to give, his own character and his identity as a friend and disciple.
A Hard Place November 15
Mark 14:46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. 47 And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
The animal instinct to the threat of violence is fight or flight. This narrow choice omits one often chosen and that is at least equally damaging: freeze.
People are often stuck, frozen in what would seem to be destructive conditions, and yet they remain. We can find ourselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place, crushed by circumstance but with no viable alternative.
The battered spouse, the abused employee, the citizen ruled by a tyrannical form of government, and a multitude of others find themselves constrained by lack of choice. There appears to be no avenue to freedom.
One of the disciples (only John’s Gospel identifies him as Peter and the servant as Malchus) takes out his sword in Jesus’ defense. After all that Jesus has taught, think of the contradiction in this statement.
The disciples have only two swords among them (Luke 22:38). This is their arsenal against the Temple guards and the Roman Empire.
We have all heard the command, “Don’t just stand there. Do something!” Sometimes the more appropriate response is, “Don’t just do something. Stand there!” Take a stand in peace….
Jesus never teaches us to deny reality. He teaches us to see reality through the lens of God’s love. He teaches abiding in a greater promise than force and violence can offer.
The Rock November 16
Mark 14:48 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
Jesus has taught non-violence. He has modeled how to stand firm without having to take up physical weapons.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Hebr. 4:12). The logos (the Word), and the Christ are One with the Father. Jesus’ stands before the soldiers, accepting the inevitable, the event that must happen because of all that has led to this moment.
When there is no alternative apart from the rock and the hard place, Jesus models standing on character, modeling the love of God even in the face of mankind’s rebellion.
Reality cannot be denied. What exists at the moment simply is. Every moment has led inexorably to this moment.
Events since the curse of Genesis 3:15 have all led to Jesus’ arrest. And He knows where these next few hours will lead, as well.
The visions of the prophets, seen through a glass darkly, have been becoming clearer, more identifiable throughout Jesus’ ministry.
With the simple words, “But the Scriptures must be fulfilled,” Jesus yields to His captors. And He does so while maintaining His character, the essence of God’s character.
He stands firm between His accusers and His disciples. He is not like the tablets of stone that crush without mercy, but is the spiritual Rock (1 Cor. 10:4), the living God of love.
They Flee November 17
Mark 14:50 Then they all forsook Him and fled. 51 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.
It is easy to make rash promises in which we fully believe and yet find ourselves incapable of fulfilling
This has been the problem with the Law, as evidenced in every generation since the generation at Sinai promised, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Ex. 19:8). We should even go back to the Beginning and Adam’s unspoken agreement not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17).
Our promises are often beyond our abilities.
And so has been the disciples’ vow to die with Jesus rather than deny Him (Mark 14:31).
The reality of the armed men who have come to take them is the hard reality against which their expectations are being dashed. All that they see at the moment is the threat before them. The ideals and promises of their Teacher melt like snow in the desert sun.
And perhaps Mark is telling on himself in this mention of a young man, a spectator who delays fleeing and is grabbed by a guard. There is no proof for this conjecture. It appears a young man wearing a loose garment is disturbed by the passing troops and follows them. Whoever he is, he also flees from capture.
No one goes into captivity with Jesus. All flee in acts of self-preservation.
Double Minded November 18
Mark 14:53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. 54 But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.
They bring Jesus to the trinity of chief priests, elders (members of the Sanhedrin), and scribes. This is hardly an unbiased tribunal, for all of these have been offended by Jesus’ teaching.
John records that Jesus is first taken to Annas, former high priest and apparently still viewed as the power behind the office (John 18:13). He then sends Jesus to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, the current high priest (John 18:24).
Peter is of two minds, a house divided. He has seen all flee from Jesus because of the armed men. Perhaps he saw the young man who was apprehended but slipped from his garment to escape.
The night is a long one for Jesus, held for interrogation at the whim of different authorities through the late night and early morning hours.
Jesus’ most vocal disciple has not run far away, but neither has he stood by his Teacher. He hides among the servants around the fire, warming himself on this cool spring night.
Fear and loyalty fight within Peter and he stays at a distance, remaining on the fringe of events.
Next day