We continued our series “The Road Once Traveled” at Gateway Church in Austin.
How do we respond when faced with fear or temptation? What does it mean to return to Jesus after we’ve failed Him? Jesus experiences both emotional anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane and physical betrayal as Judas leads the soldiers to arrest Him. Peter, who swore he would never deny Jesus, does so three times. This week, we will examine the moments of failure and fear on the road to the cross, recognizing our own struggles with weakness and betrayal.
Digging Deeper:
Work through the following questions and scriptures on your own or get together with your group, spiritual running partners, or family to talk through what you are learning.
Message Video from Gateway South Austin:
Message Notes from Carlos Ortiz, Jr.:
Ever felt betrayed only to realize you actually betrayed the person who betrayed you?
We do this daily. When we are at the center of our story, we can easily slip into being the victim of every circumstance and situation that we face. As a pastor who has met with a few hundred couples/families in my day, I see this play out on a regular basis. Someone experiences a betrayal of sorts, responds in a very normal way, only to at times needing to be reminded of their own times of betrayal, AND also confront them with the reality that there is a warranted response needed to salvage the relationship.
But what about our spiritual relationship? What about our interaction, or lack of interaction, with the God who created us, and with his Son, Jesus, who laid down his life for us? What is the role of betrayal in our soul?
If Jesus knows what we face, how did he face betrayal, and recovering from betrayal? We’ve been in Mark as we are on the road to Easter Weekend, which we call THE WEEKEND.
It’s a time where we slow down and experience the cross of Christ and his resurrection. Let’s all do this together, and be sure to invite someone to the good news of who Jesus is.
But here’s the irony of it all, it is the good news, but that was because Jesus endured not only the cross and grave, he endured the betrayal along the road to the cross and grave.
We’re going to read the story as is, straight from scripture, so let’s posture our hearts to understand the weight Jesus is carrying, the people, the disciples/followers who were with him on that journey, and let’s read how it plays out. Here we go from Mark 14…starting in verse 32:
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.
41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
43 Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.
44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” 45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 The men seized Jesus and arrested him. 47 Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
48 “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then everyone deserted him and fled.
51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
Jesus is then brought to a court called The Sanhedrin. It’s a spiritual leader court that is bringing accusations against him. This is important, because you have to remember that the Jews had no real power under the Romans, but the Romans did depend on them to keep order within their own culture. Being found guilty here, would then give them reason to take Jesus before the Roman rulers for a more official consequence.
While all of this is going on, Peter, who had already abandoned Jesus, makes his way to the courtyard of the Sanhedrin. And he has this interaction:
…one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.
“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.
But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. 69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it.
After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”
He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”
Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
If we simply skim over this passage, this section of Jesus’ road to the cross, we get what we’ve been given for years from teachers. We get the story of Peter and Judas making the same mistake of betraying Jesus, and there is truth in that. But there is also so much more nuance to Jesus’ sense of being betrayed. There are actually four accounts of people not being for Jesus, not two.
The First Betrayal – Apathetic Allegiance
33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
Peter, James and John are often regarded as Jesus’ inner circle of the disciples. There is a bond, a friendship, trust, time invested. But it’s more than what we think of as close friendships. These are also the 3 most outspoken disciples who had claimed they were willing to lay it all down for Jesus.
Earlier in chapter 14 of Mark, Jesus is quoting Zechariah 13:7 when he says that all of the disciples will fall away. In reference to the shepherd being struck down and all of the sheep being scattered.
But Peter was not having it.. No, he replied with this in verse 29:
“Even if all fall away, I will not.”
Then we have James and John who in Mark chapter 10 made their own bold request. They basically asked to be seated on either side of Jesus when they are in heaven for eternity.
“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” – Mark 10:38-39
“We can,” they answered.
These were Jesus’ best, brightest and most bold disciples, and in his time of need, his time of anguish, they succumbed to their flesh being weak. Although Jesus knew they would come up short, he showed his disappointment, he spoke to their inability to do what they had said they would do. And yet, Jesus wasn’t simply all up in his feelings, he is marking them for the future. He is wanting them to feel the weight of the cross, to share in the suffering of drinking from the same cup as him.
The Second Betrayal – Treasonous Tutelage
One working definition of treason is: “Betraying one who is owed an allegiance, by conspiring to work with their enemies.”
Judas’ act not only was the betrayal of all betrayals, it has also impacted the view of people’s perception of a name for the last 200 years. Judas’ journey went from sitting at the feet of Jesus as rabbi, to allowing his heart to be tainted. To the point that he not only betrays Jesus, but he does so in correlation with those who are directly trying to come after him.
Judas’ journey has all sorts of theories and plotlines, but scripture really only gives us two references and one reason…greed.
We see in John 12, that when Mary took her perfume and washed the feet of Jesus, the only objection that came was from Judas Iscariot…he felt it was a waste, not good use of her treasure. He had already started seeing Jesus as a mere man, not worthy of someone’s all. He didn’t say it for Mary’s benefit, what he said was a reflection of his greed.
He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. – John 12:6
Then when he orchestrates the betrayal of Jesus with the spiritual leaders of the day, he really only has one question:
“What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. – Matthew 26:15-16
Let’s be honest, when was the last time you met someone named Judas?
According to a snapshot from Social Security data from a few years ago, in the United States these were the number of people who named their sons Judas::
2009 – 13
2010 – 13
2011 – 10
2012 – 21
2013 – 14
HIs name is synonymous with treason, and not for honor or a code of ethics, but for greed!
So Jesus pours himself into the 12 disciples, including Judas. Knowing that Judas was working to betray him, he still included him at the table, he still taught him, performed miracles in front of him, laid out the vision of the cross to him. And in the end he was turned over, betrayed by him and with an intimate act of relationship…a kiss.
“The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” 45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 The men seized Jesus and arrested him.
Judas may have called him Rabbi, teacher, as though he was still under his authority, but in reality Judas was under the authority of his own greed.
The Third Betrayal – Fleeting Fans
This third betrayal is not controversial, but it does only appear here in the book of Mark. It’s a vague reference that many theologians believe is Mark himself, but because scripture is not clear about it we’ll read it and understand it at face value.
51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
So here’s what we do know. There’s a young man who hears the commotion taking place, and follows the commotion. It involved Jesus, and like thousands of others, when there was commotion and noise around Jesus it sparked interest…until it didn’t. This unnamed young man was not a disciple, that we know of, but nonetheless a follower. Until it was going to cost him something!
In researching this particular passage I came across an interesting insight from Dr. Abraham Kuruvilla. He’s an Indian man who is both board certified in medicine and a professor of Theology.
Dr. Kuruvilla doesn’t necessarily ascribe the young man in the passage to Mark, but he does give credit to Mark for using these two verses as a literary device.
“Sindōn” is translated as “linen garment.”
The reason for this is that this word Sindon is only used in two stories, here in Mark to describe the young man following what is taking place, and the other is the linen that was used to cover Jesus after his crucifixion, found in Matthew and Luke.
The moment the soldiers went to arrest the “young man”, he left the garment and fled in his nakedness, his shame. So Jesus is betrayed by his inner core of friends, his greedy disciple, and now by just a random casual follower who was more willing to leave in shame than to keep his dignity and pay a price for following Jesus.
Yet, Jesus is found being described as covered in the same type of garment (Sindōn) the young man left behind. He left his garment of shame, and Jesus was buried carrying the same garment. Dr. Kuruvilla says this,
“The garment of shame of the “young man” buried Jesus; Jesus’s garment of glory restores the “young man.” All of these not-so-subtle literary sleights of hand point to the rehabilitation of the failed disciple: the naked, shamed one is clothed, and this with the clothing of glory of his master, while Jesus takes on the clothing of shame, the garb of failed followers.” – Dr. Kuruvilla
It was for our sin and shame that Jesus went to the cross! What this unnamed young man garment represented was now restored because of Jesus’ work of redemption.
The Fourth Betrayal – Disowning Disciple
Jesus’ last straw of betrayal was from Peter. Not only could Peter not stay awake during Jesus’ time of agony and suffering in the garden, he also was confronted by people who had seen him with Jesus.
In this confrontation we see a young girl begin to agitate him, he gets uncomfortable and moves around, and by the end, he is so angry he begins to curse and yell…
“I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”
Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept. – Mark 14:71-72
What Peter was confronted with was Jesus’ words from earlier in the night:
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice[e] you yourself will disown me three times.
But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same. – Mark 14:30-31
This wasn’t some promise or commitment made years or months or weeks before…NO these were words sworn by Peter. He said he would give his life before he would disown Jesus. And yet, here he was being confronted by a young girl, and he failed, three times!
Peter is us! How many times have we said that we would do ANYTHING for Christ, except for that one thing. It’s like the old Meatloaf song from the early 90s. “I would do anything for love, but I won’t do THAT!”
What is your” that”? What is the thing that you and I will be willing to betray Jesus over?
Is it our apathy and not wanting to pay a price?
Is it our greed, and we confess to the Rabbi with our lips, but we’re truly guided by money?
Is it the fact that we’ve never even committed to follow Jesus? Or maybe we’re actually Christian fans, only following until it no longer benefits us!
Or is it that we have gone all in, and we’ve dropped everything to follow Jesus, but he’s finally asking for THAT one last thing, and we deny him?
I hope you are feeling what I’m feeling as I share these words from scripture, as we walk through the heaviness of what Jesus was facing, not only from his enemies, but from those who were supposed to be his friends.
How do we apply this?
What is the lesson to be learned?
How can we become more like Jesus from this passage?
The straightforward truth is that… We can only begin to start looking like Jesus when we acknowledge our need for Him!
“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” – Romans 3:22-24
So since we all have sinned, and we all fall short and will fall short, we have to acknowledge the ways we fall short.
Let’s acknowledge the kind of betrayer we default to:
Apathy (lack of sacrifice)
Greed (thinking of myself and my stuff)
Fairweather Fan (here for the highs and gone for the lows)
Disown (walk away because of the one thing I won’t give up)
As we pray, can we have in mind where we call short? And let’s all (together as one church) begin to acknowledge it, and thank Jesus for continuing down the road to the cross in spite of those who betrayed him!
