Friday, April 22, 2011

Lent Day 38 - Mark 14:42-72


Betrayer, Condemners, escapers, and a denier. Jesus is betrayed by a kiss from Judas. While often portrayed as money hungry or simplistic back stabber, there is much more to Judas plot. To me Judas has hatched a plot to make Jesus to be the kind of Messiah, Judas would have him be - a violent revolutionary. Judas is starting a fight by having the soldiers come with clubs and swords to arrest Jesus. As Jesus points out there is no reason for them to come that way. And why might this disciple have gotten this sword? Might Judas have planted that as well?
Jesus allows himself to be arrested. Ten of the disciples escape.  Jesus says little to refute the false accusations against Him, is charged with blasphemy, mocked and beaten as a false Messiah. Jesus quotes from Psalm 110 and Daniel 7:13 as an answer to the main question of the trial in v. 61: "Are you the Christ (Messiah)?" Being a Messiah wasn't criminal, but claiming to be a Messiah in such a way that you share the throne of Israel's God was tyranny. If Jesus was a false Messiah and couldn't deliver on kicking out Rome, then Rome would come down hard on the Jews (which later happened in 70ad). Here Jesus was claiming to be king, but they couldn't grasp just what kind of king. It certainly wasn't the king they were hoping to have. Jesus' ultimate undoing is that He believed God would vindicate them and thus condemning the those leading the trial.
Interwoven is the story of Peter's three denials of knowing Jesus. Perhaps Peter justified by saving his own skin or wondering if he really did know this Jesus as Messiah.
Questions:
What does the way Jesus was arrest and the way the trial was conducted tell us about how Messiahs were viewed?
How do we act similarly to Judas and Peter? How would you feel if you were Judas? Or Peter?
Go back and read Mark 8:35. How are those words coming true with regards to both Jesus and Mark?
What does it mean to lose our life in order that it would be saved?

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