Mark 14:43-52 "Betrayed with a Kiss"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

This past Mon-Wed, Amanda and I were at our Regional Calvary Chapel Huddle...

And, I wanted to share I walked away feeling affirmed that we are on the right track.

Pastors with decades of experience shared their hearts…

And, the first spoke about not departing the teaching of the word to focus entirely on the issues of the world… because then you’ll always be chasing issues… and lose sight of the word.

When you know the truth… it’s much more difficult to fall for the lie.

The second Pastor spoke about priorities… and the first priority of the Pastor is to Jesus… to not leave your first love.

The third Pastor spoke about teaching the whole counsel of God… and the fourth about eschatology.

It’s a great feeling to hear from seasoned Pastors and to be in alignment with their words of wisdom.

So, praise God for that time away.

Let’s turn in our Bibles to Mark 14 as we continue our chapter and verse journey through the Gospel of Mark. Mark 14:43-52 today.

We are in Jesus’ final week of ministry, and the hour of His arrest, passion, trials, cross, death and resurrection now had come…

Jesus and His disciples had finished the Passover meal…

Where Jesus confirmed Judas Iscariot as His betrayer… then Satan entered Judas and he departed to lead soldiers to Jesus for His arrest.

Last week… we observed that highly vulnerable scene of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane…

Where His emotions were on full display as He was in tremendous agony and prayed earnestly…

He asked if there was any other way to save mankind besides Him taking on the sin of the world… and experiencing God’s wrath on sin…

He asked the Father… for the hour and the cup to pass…

But, there was no other way… the answer was, “No”… but, an Angel was sent to strengthen Jesus for His hour.

Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to watch and pray…

And, three times He found them asleep… Luke recorded they were “sleeping from sorrow.”

No doubt they too were feeling the emotional press of all that loomed ahead as well.

Jesus used this to impress upon them one final lesson… the importance of watching and praying, “lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

And, upon the third time of Jesus finding them asleep, He woke them and said, “ … the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. [primarily the Sanhedrin] 42 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer [Judas] is at hand.”.

Which leads us today… to Jesus’ arrest in the Garden… and our sermon title, “Betrayed with a Kiss.”

Let’s Pray!

In reverence for God’s word, Please stand as I read our passage…

Mark 14:43-52 “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. 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.

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.

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.”

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.”

Praise God for His word! Please be seated.

Here in the Garden scene… Matthew and Luke record “And while He was still speaking”… Mark records, “Immediately…”

As Jesus was waking His disciples and announcing His hour was at hand…

In this very moment… a huge mob arrived for His arrest.

It was night… you can imagine the torches and the march of feet… the clanking of armor…

They were led by Judas… still titled “one of the twelve...”

Which is a title that is so out of place…

“One of the twelve” had no place accepting the thirty pieces of silver by the Jewish High Council… the Sanhedrin… to betray Jesus…

And, “One of the twelve” had no place leading the enemy to the Messiah… to the place His garden place of prayer which He frequented often.

Yet… here was “One of the twelve” fulfilling scripture which Jesus alluded to at the Last Supper…

Ps 41:9 “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”

And, now at the garden… the full consummation of Judas sin and betrayal… was at hand.

Which began… not with this garden betrayal…

But, Judas had clearly been allured and corrupted by money…

First in as recorded in John 12:6, “...he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.”

There is a line that is dangerous to cross in life… and Judas crossed it beginning with taking money from the offering box for Jesus’ ministry.

And, then… either in his continued love for money… and who knows what else corrupted his heart… was he disgruntled or jealous of Jesus’ inner three disciples?

But, something happened and on Tuesday/Wednesday of the Passover week… Luke 22:3 records “Then Satan entered Judas...”

And, he conferred with the chief priests and captains how he may betray Jesus and he accepted the payment of the price of a slave… just thirty pieces of silver to betray the Savior of the World (as Matt 26:15 records)…

Then, for a second time… on Friday of the Passover week… at the Passover Seder… Jesus predicted Judas betrayal and passed Judas a piece of bread…

And, John 13:27 reads, “Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him.”

Twice we read the Satan entered Judas… likely first to plant a seed that would take… and then… again as Judas fully commits to the betrayal.

When it was night… Judas left… and then we see him next here in the garden with a massive amount of troops.

And, I say all this… not just to give you a narrative… but to point out what was at first a transgression of stealing from the money box… somehow snowballed to leading enemy soldiers to arrest Jesus.

I would be shocked if when Judas first came on board as a disciple… even more… as an Apostle… as ‘one of the twelve’ men who had the blessed privilege throughout all of time to walk so close with Jesus…

I would be surprised if he set out in the beginning to betray Jesus.

It just typically doesn’t happen that way.

And, it doesn’t have to happen that way… in the OT… a man who stands in stark contrast to Judas is Moses…

Moses was adopted into the most powerful family in Egypt… the daughter of Pharaoh found him by the river.

As a prince of Egypt… at Moses’ fingertips was great wealth… power… privilege… the best education… and a pleasure filled life.

Sounds like the American dream. Sounds a lot like what Judas would have loved.

But, here’s what stands Moses apart…

In what’s called the “Faith Hall of Fame”… Hebrews 11… Heb 11:24-26 records this, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.”

Moses recognized that palace living offered great pleasure… but it was grounded in sin… it was not in the will of God…

Moses recognized this and rejected being the son of privilege… and eventually became a son of promise.

He recognized SIN was only a passing pleasure.

Sin is pleasurable… but, it’s like a sugar rush… a short term fix that eventually causes decay in one’s life.

Short-term gain… long-term consequences.

Pro 20:17 reads, “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.”

Sin at first seems sweet, but afterward is highly unpleasant… like chewing on gravel.

And, you look back eventually at all the wreckage, and you ask, “What happened?” “How did I get here?”

“Why are my teeth all busted up?”

It’s because you’ve been chewing on gravel.

Sin is a slippery slope… it often starts off in secret… perhaps even infrequent…

But… so often grows into something much larger and out of control.

I wonder how many prison inmates could testify to that truth?

I wonder if Judas would have testified to that truth.

I bet he would have… judging by the fact that he was remorseful and returned the thirty pieces of silver… throwing the money into the temple and said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” (Matt 27:4)…

James gives us a sense of the slippery slope of sin, James 1:14-15 reads “… each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Judas desired money and was enticed to steal… money was used as further temptation for him to betray the Christ…

And, sin indeed brought death to Judas.

In fact, I would argue that Judas died twice. As Satan entered Judas… he died spiritually. And, as Judas hung himself… he died physically.

Be on guard family… learn from the mistakes of Judas…

His name is forever recorded in infamy for what comes to a head here in this scene in Mark 14…

Back in V43 in our passage today… Judas, at the height of his sin… arrives at the garden “… with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.” [the “hands of sinners” as Jesus said in V41]

The great multitude that accompanied Judas is better described in John 18:3 which reads, “Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.”

So, our antagonists in this scene are:

Judas Iscariot… described various was in the Gospels and Acts as: sadly ‘my own familiar friend’ and ‘one of the twelve’… sadly because the other side of the coin is he was describe as “the betrayer… the son of perdition… a devil… not clean… a thief, ‘a guide to those who arrested Jesus’”… which is exactly what is happening in this scene. Judas was a guide to a lot of men…

I think sometimes we don’t realize just how many men came with Judas… to arrest Jesus…

I mean… we read there was a “great multitude” in Mark 14, but when you look at the Greek words in John 18:3… here’s what it says…

First, there was a “detachment of troops”… “detachment” in Gk. is “speira” by def. means “a coil or a band”… as in a “band of soldiers” or a “mass of men”… used for a Roman “cohort” which was about 600 men.

So, a lot of Roman Soldiers came to arrest Jesus…

And, being that it was Passover… it was customary to have additional Roman troops present in Jerusalem to maintain order… which Rome was big on.

With this sizable of a force, they may have suspected a large uprising… not just Jesus… and His eleven disciples.

Then, there were “officers from the chief priests and Pharisees”… officers by def. means “underlings” or “servants” and they served the chief priests and Pharisees (the Sanhedrin).

Luke 22:52 describes them as “captains of the temple.”

This was the Temple Guard. 1 Ch 26 describes them as “gatekeepers”… 4,000 men at that time who were Levites related to the descendents of the Korahites and the Merarites…

These were Jews who kept order on the Temple Mount… kind of like Jewish police…

And, Rome permitted this because a Rome valued order… and a Roman presence on the Temple Mount caused great disdain because of Jewish laws on separation from Gentiles… and cleanliness laws.

So, Rome permitted this allowance to maintain a Temple Guard… to avoid riots from their own presence, but also for the Jews to police their own people and maintain order.

But, when it came to the arrest of Jesus… shamefully… the Jews had no problem sending the Temple Guard with a Roman Cohort.

And, they come here to the Garden… hundreds of troops… with swords, clubs, lanterns, and torches… very intimidating.

But, they are nothing for Jesus…

I love this detail John 18:4-7 records… as they approach we read… “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him [a little snapshot of Jesus’ omniscience], went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” 5 They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. 6 Now when He said to them, “I am He,” [lit. “I am”… “He” is italicized because the 1611 King James translators added the italicized words to add clarity, but this is Gk. “egō eimi” “I am”… and when He said “I am”… ] they drew back and fell to the ground. [That’s power… Jesus… like the OT “I AM”, “The Great I AM”… just speaks a word and like Jesus of the second coming… Rev 19… His word is like a sword that proceeds from His mouth and just topples the troops… except in Rev the enemies of the Lord are just killed… here in the Garden… Divine restraint is exercised… they just got knocked down so scripture could be fulfilled, and mankind’s redemption completed. Surprisingly…] V7 Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” [I might be like, “no one, my mistake… have a nice night...”]

And, then… back in Mark vv 44-47… Judas now steps forward and betrays Jesus with a kiss… V44 “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. 46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.”

Judas had established with this Jewish/ Roman mob a pre-set signal… by definition a “fixed sign”… a kiss… to indicate who Jesus was.

I guess with it being night, and there being 11 disciples… they didn’t want to get the wrong guy…

This does tell us that Jesus had a normal appearance… Jesus didn’t stand out in His beauty with blue eyes and flowing locks at the early Latter Day Saints churches first printed…

Isa 53:2, say this of His first coming appearance, “He has no form or comeliness [No handsome appearance, splendor or beauty]; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.”

Don’t think it was Jesus’ appearance that caused people to follow Him.

There was a variety of sincere and insincere motivations behind why people flocked to Jesus, but it wasn’t because of appearance.

So, since Jesus common in appearance… Judas prearranged identifying Jesus… and betraying Jesus with a kiss…

Which is such a terrible way to betray a friend. A kiss, then, like in many European countries today… was a kiss of friendship… a gesture of affection… and even reverence especially when extended from student to Rabbi…

I appreciate, in our culture, a bro hug is about as far as we go.

But, there culture was different… and this kiss was cultural… and normal…

In V44 we read “whomever I kiss” and in V45 how Judas “kissed Him.”

And a quick double click into the Greek uncovers an interesting observation.

“Kiss” in V44 is the Gk. word “philĕō”…

The same word for “brotherly love.” So, Judas’ plan was to extend brotherly affection in the form of a kiss to Jesus.

But “kissed” in V45 is Gk. “kataphilĕō” which means to “kiss fervently”…

This is how the Father kissed his prodigal son when he returned.

And, how the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet… kissed His feet.

And, how the Ephesian Elders kissed Paul as he departed.

It’s a kiss of affection…

Judas said, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” (Teacher, Teacher) and kissed Him.

Friends, be careful of wolves in sheep’s clothing… because they often betray in the most affectionate of ways.

Jesus was betrayed with a kiss by His own familiar friend. By one of the twelve.

We serve a God who can sympathize with our heartbreak… and our betrayals…

When you pray to Him… know that He understands you… “...we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15)

And, notice the words at the end of V44… Judas’ instructions… “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.”

Why the concern from Judas that once they seize Jesus that they “lead Him away safely.”

I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed that detail before. All four Gospel writers record the account of Jesus’ arrest in the garden, but only Mark records this detail that Judas desired for Jesus to be ‘led away safely.’

At face value this may seem like Judas is saying, “Arrest Him, but don’t injure Him,” but sadly it’s not that…

“Safely” in many Bible translations is translated as “under guard.”

As in “securely” with no chance of escape.

This testifies to the depravity of Judas… once he entered this wicked deal… he didn’t want it to blow up in his face.

What Judas didn’t realize was the guilt of betraying innocent blood would convict him so deep… that his own mirror would become his worst enemy.

He couldn’t live with himself… and would chose suicide over life… because of what he did here.

Pro 28:17 reads, “A man burdened with bloodshed will flee into a pit; Let no one help him.”

How true this was for Judas… he raced towards his doom because of the guilt that burdened his conscience.

There’s a saying “guilt will eat you alive”… and it’s true.

David… after his sin with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband Uriah… wrote this in Ps 51:14 “Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.”

David prayed for deliverance… because of Uriah’s death… and if God wiped David’s slate clean… David promised to forever praise the Lord.

The Bible doesn’t advertise the failures of it’s people to shame them, but through their failures… how many people have been saved from walking the same road?

This is one of the reasons I am open about my past failures and past sins…

I’m not trying to paint a picture that I’ve lived a perfect life… that I’m the model citizen… and my marriage is perfect…

I’m just another sinner saved by grace and serving a really BIG God… who loves me despite me… who called this foolish thing of the world to confound the wise so that God’s gets all the glory.

The difference between Judas and David was Judas in his shame and guilt ran FROM God… when all he needed to do was confess and turn back to God…

And, David… in his sin… he didn’t run… that’s what’s so awesome about David… he messed up so royally bad… but he understood the grace of God was bigger then his sin.

And, David would write,

“Create in me a clean heart, O God…”

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation...”

In our failures, keep David in mind… he was a man after God’s own heart because he never turned to idols, and he turned to God with a humble heart.

God gives us these examples because He loves you… and He doesn’t want you to carry guilt and shame… that’s all been paid in full… covered by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

Unfortunately for Judas, he never grasped this lesson.

Continuing on… after Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss…

Mark doesn’t record Jesus’ response, but Matthew records Jesus says to Judas, “Friend, why have you come?”

Luke records Jesus said, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

I see this soft reply as equally piercing and loving as when Jesus looked at Peter after Peter denied Him three times…

God has a way of piercing our souls when we are off track and guiding us back to Him.

And, the next time we see Judas… which only Matthew 27 records… and Luke share in Acts 1… is Judas being remorseful and returning the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.

But, there’s a big difference between remorse and repentance.

Judas felt remorse… and when he brought back the blood money Matt 27:3 records, “Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful...”

So, many people feel remorse when they get caught… Judas realized the depth of his crime… that he was condemned… and felt…

Remorse… Gk. metamelomai, which one scholar defined as “a change of mind that produces regret or even remorse for wrongs done, but not necessarily a change of heart and action."

Remorse is more of a feeling and less of an action…

“I feel bad that I got caught, but I’m not changing my life.”

Judas was remorseful… but, instead of facing God… he ran from Him… straight into a pit… quite literally…

True biblical repentance is a different Gk word… mĕtanŏĕō, meaning “to change one’s mind and purpose… or principle and practice… to think differently afterwards.”

With true biblical repentance, one is aware of their sin, guilt and helplessness…

And, they take hold of God’s mercy in Jesus…

They change their thoughts and behaviors regarding sin…

And, the end result is a pursuit of holy living and abiding in Christ.

True repentance bears the fruit of righteousness… and a pursuit of Christ.

This is reflected in the life of David.

And, I encourage you WHEN you mess up… because we ALL do… run right into the Father’s arms… tell him what you did (because He already knows, and wants to forgive you)…

… don’t carry that burden.

It literally killed Judas.

So, Judas’ job was done here in Mark 14… and Jesus’ passion… which means “to endure” or “to suffer”… that short period of time from the Garden to the Cross…

… has now progressed to another phase where the physical brutality of Jesus is about to begin…

We read in Mark 14:46 “Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.”

They “laid their hands on” Jesus… by def. to “offer violence to, seize...” and the “took” Him by def. to “subdue”… they arrested Him.

No formal charges are recorded in any of the Gospels… but it’s assumed that the Sanhedrin authorized His arrest according to Jewish criminal law… and Roman soldiers were present to help enforce the arrest.

And, no complaint is raised amongst the troops that the arrest was violent… nor would that be expected… for Rome was a terribly violent culture.

Well… in response to this initial violent seizure of Jesus… Peter responds in turn…

Which is not surprising given Peter’s earlier statements of loyalty. “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

Mark 14:47 “And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.”

John 18 confirms this is Peter… John 18:10 reads, “Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.”

Interesting that John notes it was the right ear removed…

About 87% of people are right handed, so if Peter was face to face with Malchus… it would have most likely been the left ear that was cut off.

Unless Malchus feigned to the left to dodge the attack… or was running away…

How exactly did this happen?

You probably don’t think about details like this… probably better… pray for me!

What’s truly interesting is that John alone records the name “Malchus.”

John’s Gospel was written with a much later date then Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s Gospels.

And, by this time… John knows Malchus’ name. Why is that?

It might be nothing… John may have just learned his name…

But, Luke recorded after Peter cut off Malchus’ ear that Jesus said, ““Permit even this.” [or, No more of this!”] And He touched his ear and healed him.” (Lk 22:51)

What a fantastic detail from Dr. Luke… you can just imagine this scene… hundreds of soldiers at night armed… carrying torches…

They seize Jesus and Peter cuts off Malchus’ ear… it had to be chaotic in the moment… and in the midst of this…

Malchus has to be somewhat in shock… he’s got a Vincent van Gogh look going on… except wrong ear.

And, Jesus puts his hand on Malchus’ ear and heals him.

I wonder what Jesus would have done if Peter removed Malchus’ head?

“Hold the phone… we have a bleeder!”

Would Jesus have put his head back on?

What kind of impact did this have on Malchus? To be so violently attacked… blood pouring down his neck and torso… maimed for life… and then not… wholly restored…

We won’t know until heaven, but did Malchus come to a place of faith in Jesus Christ… and that’s how his name is known?

Like blind Bartimaeus… who after receiving His sight followed Jesus… and we know His name.

I like to think we know Malchus’ name for the same reason… but only eternity knows.

Truly… not everyone who was healed by Jesus worshipped Him.

I think of the Ten lepers in Luke 17… who cried out to Jesus, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

Jesus said the word and they were healed… and just one of them, a Samaritan, returned… glorified God with a loud voice… and fell at Jesus’ feet giving Him thanks.

Jesus said to Him, “Your faith has made you well.”

And, that’s the true healing… a physical healing is something to truly be thankful for… but that healing is useless in eternity unless there is saving faith in Jesus Christ.

This healing of Malchus is the last recorded miracle of Jesus, prior to the cross, and it’s in response to the mistake of one of His disciples.

He can work and move despite us… despite us getting ahead of Him… or misrepresenting Him… striking the rock twice…

The only reason Malchus needed to be healed was because of Peter’s error.

How often is He still performing miracles to compensate for our errors?

I imagine a lot… and I imagine He does it with grace… not shocked… He might need to guide us to the right path… but He’s longsuffering… He’s patient with us…

John 18:11 records, “So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”

Matthew 26:52-54 records, Jesus said, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? [over 72,000 angels] 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”

He wasn’t going to have His disciples swing swords and getting massacred by the soldiers.

Jesus was in total control…

Angels could have rescued Him…

He could have simple spoken, like we referenced earlier… He said, “I am” and all the soldiers went down like dominoes.

In Revelation… His word destroys His enemies at His second coming.

He doesn’t need us to defend Him.

Spurgeon said, “The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.”

The Lion of Judah needs no humanly defense.

I love that Jesus takes a moment to settle His disciples that God is still in control.

They… and still us today… so often need to hear that reminder… and know that God’s plan is right on track.

And, in the Garden… the Father’s plan was articulated all the way back in Gen 3:15… He told Satan, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

Satan would wound the Son… and in His death and resurrection believing mankind would be redeemed… and the Son would bruise Satan’s head… He would destroy Satan’s authority.

Gen 3:15 is the first time the Gospel was shared… and many other scriptures also foretold of the Son’s passion leading up to the cross.

Scripture must be fulfilled. A key reason we can trust prophecy…

So, once Jesus settles His disciples that God is still in control… He now turns to the great multitude of Soldiers… in particular the Temple Guard…

Mark 14:48–49 “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.”

This was disgraceful and unnecessary…

Their excessive display of soldiers also testified they painted Jesus as a leader of a rebellion.

I think He shamed them a bit here for their methods.

Jesus sat daily with them in the temple and taught them, why not seize Him then?

Well… as stated numerous times… they feared the response of the people… that the people would riot against them… for they took Him as a prophet

Next week, we will see how the arrest and trials at night are illegal… in violation of their own oral law.

How they respond to Jesus here is not a reflection on Jesus, but only on the wicked intentions of their own hearts.

As Luke records in Luke 22:53, “But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

And, again… Jesus cites this was in fulfillment of scripture…

My bible cross references at least two verses fulfilled…

Isa 53:7 “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter...” … and…

Ps 22:6 “But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people...”

Interesting fact… “worm” in Ps 22:6 is Heb. tôwlâʿ… (Tola)… which is called the scarlet worm… “coccus ilicus” a grub that produces a brilliant crimson color when crushed…

But, check this out… I read this about it’s life cycle…

I quote, “The mother climbs up a… tree, in order to lay her eggs. She then attaches herself to the tree building a hard red shell around her. Inside this crimson shell she lays her eggs and keeps them under her body to protect them. The baby grubs are hatched and they feed on the mother’s body for 3 days. During this time a bright crimson red fluid oozes from the mother. This red fluid stains the wood that she is attached to and the baby grubs are covered being permanently stained with it. The young are ready to leave the shell after 3 days. The mother, being still attached to the shell and to the tree, dies so that she can birth a family. On day 4 the mother’s tail pulls up to her head making a heart-like shape and she is no longer red – she has turned into a snow-white wax. This snow-white body looks like a little piece of wool on the side of the tree. It begins to flake off and falls to the ground like snow.”

Not only is this a clear picture of Jesus and His blood stained on the cross, but also of…

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson [tôwlâʿ], They shall be as wool.”

I encourage you to do word studies in Hebrew and Greek when you read your Bible… Blue Letter Bible has a great free tool to look up words… and so often you find brilliant insights from the original language that we miss in English.

John 18:12 records, “Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.”

And to further show God was in total control, we read in Mark 14:50, “Then they all [the disciples] forsook Him and fled.”

Fulfilling Jesus’ words in V27, and fulfilling Zech 13:7… “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered...”

Which all the disciples vehemently spoke against.

The scene, for the most part, ends with our Lord bound, and His disciples fleeing… and it won’t get easier next week as we look at His trials.

But, unique to Mark’s gospel… let’s not forget about the rather humorous vv 51-52 “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.”

What’s that all about? Most interpreters believe this is our Gospel writer, Mark, writing himself into the story…

Like how John referred to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.”

This is a “young man”… Gk. nĕaniskŏs- by def. “one in the prime of life” and “under forty.”

Can you believe that? 39 and under was considered youth… I turn 47 this month… and am NOT a nĕaniskŏs…

Some think the Passover was held at Mark’s home… that he was the son of the house owner who had the large upper room.

In Acts 12:12, Peter… freed from prison goes to John Mark’s home… a young girl named Rhoda is so happy to hear Peter’s voice… she runs away to tell everyone and leaves Peter locked behind the gate… imagine that scene…

And, then no one believes her… they tell her “You’re beside yourself!”

Eventually Peter gets in… but that was Mark’s house.

So, the thought is… and it’s only a theory… that on the night of the Passover… Mark must have gone to bed wearing a linen sleeping garment…

And, perhaps a servant woke Mark’s household with news of Judas’ betrayal and Jesus’ arrest…

After all, several hundred soldiers clanking with their armor and lighting the night with their torches can’t be too inconspicuous.

So, Mark rushes over to Gethsemane either to warn Jesus or to scope things out… but he’s too late…

And as Mark is following Jesus… he’s spotted and some young soldiers attempt to grab him… but they only grab his pajamas… and he runs away in his birthday suit.

Me personally… I might be tempted to write myself into the story another way…

Like how John wrote he beat Peter in a footrace to the empty tomb.

Mark chose the “I ran off naked into the night” for his cameo appearance.

Who am I to judge?

Read ahead… next week… Jesus’ religious trials.

Let’s Pray!

The Garden of Gethsemane… a difficult scene, but...

Full of beautiful lessons and applications for our lives…

prayer…

submitting to the Father’s will…

trusting in His plan…

handling betrayal...

and knowing God is in control… the Lion can defend Himself.

Our elders and prayer team are available if you need prayer… or want to lift someone up in prayer…

Please take the opportunity to cast your cares before the Lord.

And, may the Lord bless you and keep you… and His face shine upon you in the week ahead.