Near to Jesus, Far from God Mark 14:10-21

Bob Harris, weatherman for NY TV station WPIX-TV and the nationally syndicated independent Network news, had to weather a public storm of his own making in 1979. Though he had studied math, physics and geology at three colleges, he left school without a degree but with a strong desire to be a media weatherman. He phoned WCBS-TV, introducing himself as a Ph.D. in geophysics from Columbia U. The phony degree got him in the door. After a two-month tryout, he was hired as an off-camera forecaster for WCBS. For the next decade his career flourished. He became widely known as "Dr. Bob." He was also hired by the New York Times as a consulting meteorologist. The same year both the Long Island Railroad and then Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn hired him.

Forty years of age and living his childhood dream, he found himself in public disgrace and national humiliation when an anonymous letter prompted WCBS management to investigate his academic credentials. Both the station and the New York Times fire him. His story got attention across the land. He was on the Today Show, the Tomorrow Show, and in People Weekly, among others. He thought he'd lose his home and never work in the media again. Several days later the Long Island Railroad and Bowie Kuhn announced they would not fire him. Then WNEW-TV gave him a job. He admits it was a dreadful mistake on his part and doubtless played a role in his divorce. "I took a shortcut that turned out to be the long way around, and one day the bill came due. I will be sorry as long as I am alive."

-It is entirely impossible to be near to Jesus but far from the heart of God

I. Judas Betrays Jesus vv. 10-11

Our passage for tonight begins with a report on Judas, one of the twelve

Judas does something unthinkable; he betrays Jesus to the priests

For some time, they have conspired to seize Jesus and now they will have an opportunity to do so in a secret way, with information from His inmost circle of followers

There are a lot of details that we don’t know here, but a few are clear:

Judas willingly betrayed Jesus; no one pressured him or twisted his arm. He sought this out for himself

Second, there is a sin issue that is present in Judas’s heart:

Occasionally you may hear speculation that Judas was attempting to force Jesus’s hand. Under threat of violence, He would have to reveal Himself in power

I don’t think there’s any merit to that. All signs point to a financial motivation that is present for Judas

This leads us to a troubling observation: It is possible to be near to Jesus, but far from His heart

There was a persistent sin issue that is present in Judas’s life: greed

In other places in the Scripture, we note that Judas is critical of the woman anointing Jesus with oil, as an extravagant waste

In John 12, we learn that he was a thief who abused his authority and helped himself to what was in the moneybags.

Where there is a matter of sin between us and the Lord, we must not be surprised when it leads to deeper and harder betrayals down the road

Whatever sin is present in your life, do not assume that you have it under control, you can just quit whenever you want or on your terms, or that it does not have a profound effect on other aspects of your spiritual life

II. Jesus is Prepared for Passover vv. 12-16

While the betrayal is deep, we see a second stream of thought taking place:

Judas is betraying Jesus, but even that betrayal works ultimately towards a deeper fulfillment of God’s purposes

Mark and the other gospel writers all take this moment to draw our attention to an important parallel that is no coincidence:

Jesus is going to be betrayed, arrested, and crucified in conjunction with the Passover celebration

He is going to die in the season where the Passover lamb was slaughtered

Everything that takes place here is working together and the Lord has never lost control of the situation

Jesus sends His disciples into town and tells them to look for a man carrying a jar of water. This is unusual because that was typically women’s work

That man will lead them to a house with an upper room; they are to ask about the room

They will find a furnished room ready for them to share a Passover meal together

There is not detail that has been missed in this, however the preparation has taken place

Judas does not derail the work of God, he only ends up fulfilling it

Jesus and the disciples are walking along a path that God has set for them

Each individual has opportunities and options, but the Lord never loses control of the situation

We need to have a deep understanding of God’s Providence; whatever He intends to do, gets done, no matter what

III. Judas Faces Judgment vv. 17-21

Finally, we are left with an interesting question: What does this mean for Judas

If Judas’s betrayal becomes a key part of Jesus’s sacrificial offering, does he carry any culpability?

I think we need to dig into this a bit

3 important points stick out to me:

Jesus fully understands what is coming; He is not caught by surprise in the least

Jesus offers an opportunity for repentance

While He states as a matter of fact what will happen, the act is incredibly important

Eleven disciples take a moment for introspection and Judas has an opportunity to:

Confess what he has done

Alter his course of action

Judas refuses to repent

Jesus offers words of condemnation for Judas

Judas made his decision to betray freely and he carries the moral responsibility for that decision

None of us can look at our circumstances and accuse God of acting unfairly!

The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott Guilt in the Family Reunion

In T. S. Eliot’s verse play The Family Reunion, Harry, returning home for his mother’s birthday, confesses how one night in [the] mid-Atlantic he’d pushed his wife overboard. His feelings of guilt are well nigh unbearable.

“It’s not being alone that is the horror; what matter is the filthiness.”

“I can clean my skin, purify my life, void my mind, but always there is the filthiness, that lies a little deeper.”