Betrayal

Matthew 26:17-25

Betrayal is not a common occurrence for most of us, but it happens and I’ve been on both ends of it, the betrayer and the betrayed.  When the betrayer is a very close friend it leaves the betrayed angry and wanting to get even, but that’s not the story of Matthew 26:17-25.  The gospel of Mark gives us insight into Jesus choosing the twelve disciples, it is in Mark 3:13-19, and it was the Sabbath and Jesus had entered the synagogue earlier that day and healed a man with a withered hand, and the religious leaders were upset.  I want you to know our Lord is not anyone to mess with, do you recall these religious clowns were hoping he would heal the guys so they could accuse him, and Jesus ask this question: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill? But they were silent.”  Now Mark shares that Jesus was angry and grieved at their hardness of heart.  What happens next, a great crowd followed Jesus and Mark reports that anytime an unclean spirit saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”  Jesus goes up on the mountain and calls those whom he desired and they came to him.  And out of those He appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles.)  Now in sharing this information we must remember it’s after the fact that Mark is describing whom Judas was, in Mark 3:19, “and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.”

It is the first day of Unleavened Bread and the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?”  Now we do not have any understanding of where the disciples wanted to eat the Passover meal, but Jesus said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.”  Have you wondered whose house Jesus had His last Passover meal at on this earth?  If it had been your house, if it had been my house I would have wanted Mark to tell the whole world the small part of my action, but for some reason God is silent on the owner of the house.

What is important is that the disciples did as they were told and prepared the Passover meal and as they were eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

In the Scriptures it is often recorded that the demons knew Jesus and stated; “You are the Son of God” but would not bow to His authority.  We are told that Satan came into Judas and Judas was possessed and so the words that Jesus spoke did not have meaning to Judas.  The devil is so good at doing this, first the lie and then the condemnation for acting on the lie.  And we know that happened, for Judas tried to give back the money, and went out and hung himself.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Ride