Passion Week-Wednesday: Betrayal

Background Passages: Matthew 26:14-16, Matthew 27:1-5, Romans 5:6-8, and 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus had to be a little grateful for his Wednesday. A quiet day. After the confrontations with the Pharisees and dawn to dusk teaching, Wednesday was more peaceful. His time in the temple was without controversy or confrontation. His time with his disciples laid back and easy.

Yet, in the back rooms of religious hierarchy where decisions are made, sinful men were plotting his death. In the bosom of his own fellowship, a disillusioned disciple made a choice.

Whether one betrays a country, principle or person the act of betrayal isn’t easily forgiven or forgotten. The names of history’s most infamous traitors remain on the tips of our tongues.

Brutus.

Benedict Arnold.

Judas Iscariot.

None of these names surprise to you. Had I asked you to name the three most infamous traitors, most of you would name these three men. Most of us would put Judas at the top of the list. How did he get there?

Judas is an enigmatic character. When Jesus called he followed. He must have recognized something different in Jesus. His words. The miracles he performed. Everything about Jesus convinced Judas that this was the Messiah for whom his people had waited.

Along the way, the words Jesus preached seemed less like the warrior king he wanted and more like one afraid to do what was necessary to free his people. Judas pushed and prodded his master, but Jesus’ message never strayed.

Knowing it would take money to feed the rebellion he desire, Judas let greed consume him. Two things happened that pushed Judas over the edge. When a woman anointed Jesus with precious perfume, John tells us that Judas protested what he felt was extravagant waste.

“Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?” objected Judas. John explains that Judas motives were not honorable. That Judas cared little about the poor and wanted the money for himself. (John 12:4-6)

Then after another of Jesus’ private sessions with the disciples on the Mount of Olives, Jesus told them plainly that his hour had come. That in two days he would be handed over to be crucified. (Matthew 26:2) It was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Judas.

The last three years had been a waste. The man he thought would rid them of the Roman occupation, the man he had thought would elevate him to a position of authority in a new kingdom, admitted he would die. Judas had enough.

Whether motivated by pure greed or by the desire to bend Jesus to Judas’ will, the traitor went to the religious leaders and bartered away Jesus’ life. He pocketed their thirty pieces of silver and waited for the right time to turn him in to the authorities. (Matthew 26:14-16)

Some will say Judas had no choice. That this was his destiny. Judas had a choice. He just chose poorly. Had Judas honored his commitment to Christ, the religious leaders would have found another way to get rid of Jesus. They had met that very night in the house of Caiaphas, the chief priest, plotting and planning his arrest and death. Judas just made it infinitely easier.

No. Judas made his choice. And, here’s the rub. He made the same mistake I make almost every day of my life when I reject the will of God and try to bend him to my will. And, together we put Jesus on the cross.

Wednesday night, you see, was the night the last piece of God’s plan to bring salvation to a rebellious world fell in place. The countdown clock was ticking and the only thing that would stop it was if Jesus turned his back on God and walked away. (Jesus also had a choice.)

For us up to this point in our weekly study, Jesus’ death on the cross has been hidden in the mist. Too unpleasant to think about. Pushed in the background of his continued teaching and life-changing lessons about love and devotion to God.

But, the week now takes a darker turn.

We tend to throw Judas at the top of the list of history’s traitors, making him a scapegoat, minimizing the role we played in Jesus’ death.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)

Judas betrayed Jesus in a despicable way. We’re just as guilty of betraying Jesus as anyone. Turning our backs on him for 30 pieces of selfish desire. Our rebellion. Our sin. While we were yet sinners…

“God made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Judas stood with the soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane as they arrested Jesus. He watched from a distance as the religious leaders manipulated the system. Jesus was sentenced to death on the cross.

Seized with remorse for betraying “innocent blood,” Judas tossed the 30 pieces of silver at the feet of the priests and elders. In his grief he found a tree on the outskirts of town and hung himself. (Matthew 27:1-5)

How’s that for a bit of irony? Both Judas and Jesus hung from a tree. Both bearing guilt. Judas dying for his own guilt. Jesus dying for the guilt all who would put their faith and trust in him. He died for me. He died for you. Sinners and betrayers all.

Jesus died for the sins of the world…to give each of us the chance and that choice to “become the righteousness of God.” To live in right relationship with him.

Though Wednesday was for Jesus a quiet day before his crucifixion, it brings with it a brutal reminder of our role in sending Jesus to the cross. It’s not a lesson we like to hear. It is one we need to remember. It is by God’s grace that we are saved.

Thank God for his provision. Thank God that from the moment of creation itself he planned a way to take away my guilt and my betrayal forever. Thank God for Jesus Christ his son.

 

Passion Week-Tuesday: Devotion

Author’s Note: I’m stepping outside of my normal process during this holy week of our Christian faith. As I began my preparations toward Easter this year, I wanted to walk where Jesus walked during that last week. I wanted to see what I could learn from God’s son at a time in his life that required boundless courage and faith. The parallel accounts in scripture differ minutely in chronology. Don’t get hung up on those minor inconsistencies. We’ll look at the major themes along the way. I will post a devotional study every day during this week, leading up of Easter Sunday. Let’s see together where this journey can take us.

Background Passages: Mark 12:41-44; Mark 13:1-36

Tuesday

From the time he was 12 years of age, Jesus enjoyed going to the temple in Jerusalem. It was a special place. A holy place. His Father’s house. If Jesus was in Jerusalem, one would find him in the temple, typically in the morning hours, teaching and or engaged in deep conversation with priests and people about the nature of the coming kingdom of God. I believe Jesus enjoyed his time in the temple.

This Tuesday of Passion Week was a good day.

We find Jesus again in the temple after another night in Bethany. Later in the day, he gathers his disciples on the Mount of Olives for a private lesson. There were things he still needed to tell them…important things…they would need to remember when he was gone. You’ll find that conversation in Mark 13. There are some good thoughts in that Chapter so you might want to read them on your own. Look for the lessons Jesus teaches them.

      • He warned them against the heresies of false teachers. “Do not be deceived…”. (Vs. 1)
      • He told them to expect to be persecuted for their beliefs. “You will be handed over to local councils and synagogues…” (Vs. 9)
      • He encourage them to depend upon the Holy Spirit for the words to speak. ”Do not worry about what to say…for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” (Vs. 11)
      • He reminded them to not let their faith falter in difficult times. ”but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Vs. 13)
      • He reassured them that were taught all they needed to know… ”I have told you everything ahead of time.” (Vs. 23)
      • He encouraged them be diligent in their faith until their death or until he returns. ”Keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will return.” (Vs. 35)

We would do well to hear these words of Jesus today. As vital as those words may be, I want to focus on a smaller passage. One that we typically read and move passed with a knowing nod and a smile on our face. I think there is great truth in the story of the widow’s mite.

*****

At some point during that morning, Jesus sat on a stone bench and leaned his back against the cool wall in the outer courtyard. Across the way, he could see the people and the priests filing passed a row of 12 offering vases, shaped a little like inverted megaphones.

It started out as people watching. Mindless observation of a routine activity. Then Jesus noticed a small, elderly woman shuffling through the line, waiting for her turn. Standing behind her were two Pharisees with whom Jesus was acquainted from his conversations yesterday. They stood six feet back from the woman, noses wrinkled in disdain.

There was something about this woman that caught Jesus’ eye. He nudged his disciples and nodded in her direction. They all began to watch.

When she reached the coffer, she turned her money bag upside down and emptied its contents into her trembling hand. Two small coins worth little more than a penny in today’s currency. She shook the bag once more, as if hoping for more. Finding nothing extra, the woman bowed her head. A short prayer concluded, she carefully slid the two coins into the container and walked away.

The two Pharisees stood next to the same offering vase, raising their hands, announcing to God and anyone within earshot that they had a grand offering to give. They emptied their money from a heavy, gilded bag, counted out several coins. Lifting their hands high above the opening, they dropped their coins into the metal container, with a rattle heard around the courtyard.

Jesus shook his head and spoke to his disciples.

“I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others,” pointing to the Pharisees. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had.”

“Out of their wealth.” The words paint a picture of one giving leftovers. Money that remained after they had fulfilled all their other wants and desires. Empty. No meaning behind it. Little more than a showy display of duty.

“Out of her poverty.” These words paint a portrait of a woman who could not care for her basic needs, but still gave her all to God. Her everything. Her all.

Sure, this small passage stuck in the middle of Jesus Passion Week experiences seems almost out of place. It’s a wonderful lesson that shares what should be our attitude toward giving. But you can see it as more.

He saw in this widowed woman a kindred soul. Someone who would deny herself and give her all to God.

Jesus knew the sacrifice he was about to make. To give his whole being and soul on a cross for the salvation of a sinful world. His sacrifice would be total. Complete. Giving his all to God for his will and purpose.

In a week as special as this one in the lives of all Christians, the story of the widow’s mite serves as a remarkable reminder of the depth of God’s love for the world.

Her example and the example of Christ teach us the importance of sacrificially giving ourselves over to the will of God. To do as he commands. Too many Christians live a Sunday kind of faith, making a show of piety that creates a little noise on the weekend, but lives silently during the week.

God asks for our complete devotion, sacrifice and humility, every minute of every day, with every spiritual, emotional, social and financial resource he sees fit to give us. That’s a powerful lesson.

The Bible doesn’t tell us more about this remarkable widow. As the late Grady Nutt would say, “I can’t prove it happened and you can’t prove it didn’t.” After watching what happened, I just believe Jesus searched her out in the crowd, placed a tender hand on her cheek, and blessed her for her sacrifice. They talked about her life and her deep understanding of God’s blessings in a cruel world.

I can see Jesus sharing God’s love for her so that as she left his side she knew the Messiah had come. I believe she put her trust in him that day. As she walked away, I can see Jesus reaching into Judas’ purse, despite the disciple’s shocked expression, and calling her name. When she turned, he smiled and tossed her a bag of coin. “You’ll need this more than us.”

Devotion. Sacrifice. Humility. Those are not words highly valued in today’s world. Too often we find that God takes a back seat to personal desires. That self-serving hearts dictate our words and deeds. That personal pride and the praise of others are what we cherish most.

The story of the widow’s mite tells us that life’s blessings come to those who give themselves wholeheartedly to God, holding nothing back. When we live a life of complete devotion, sacrifice and humility, that’s a life God can honor.

It is the life Jesus lived. It is the life he called us to live.

That’s a great lesson for me to learn.

Tuesday was a good day.

Camelot and the Cross

Background Passages: Mark 15:21-47; Phil. 2:6-8; John 3:16

The legend of King Arthur and Camelot reads as a favorite of many since it first appeared on the French literary scene in the 12th century. As a movie, released in 1967, the tale gained popular acclaim. In the movie’s climatic scene, King Arthur discovered the adulterous relationship between Queen Guinevere and Lancelot, the king’s most trusted and loved knight. Though Lancelot escaped capture, Guinevere, having broken the laws of Camelot, is tried and convicted, sentenced to burn at the stake. Arthur, deeply torn between his devotion to the laws of his beloved kingdom and his passion for Guinevere, faces an unholy predicament.

Mordred, King Arthur’s scheming, illegitimate son, dances in glee at Arthur’s “magnificent dilemma.” He says, “Let her die, your life is over. Let her live, your life’s a fraud. Which will it be, Arthur? Do you kill the queen or kill the law?” As the tragedy unfolds, Arthur stoically sacrifices his true love, “Let justice be done.”

The king watches in horror, heart shattered, as the guards lead Guinevere into the castle courtyard. The executioner chains her to the stake, waiting with his torch for the king’s signal to set the pyre ablaze. In the gripping agony of love, Arthur gives into his breaking heart. “I cannot let her die.” Mordred, relishing the downfall of the king, mutters, “Well, you are human after all, aren’t you, Arthur? Human and helpless.”

Guinevere is spared, but the dream of Camelot crumbles.

In his book, Windows of the Soul, Ken Gire compares the cross of Calvary with that climatic scene in the castle courtyard of Camelot. Think about it. God created his world and all within it and called it “good.” He loved his people so much that he made with them a covenant of relationship, a promise never broken by the Father. He loved them with all his being.

He handed them a set of principles by which they should live, asking for their obedience and commitment. Time and time again the world proved unfaithful, lost in the quagmire of its self-interest, rebellion and sin. Time and time again, the world was tried, convicted and deserving of death.

In the shadows, Satan gleefully watched as God faced his magnificent dilemma. “Let the world die, your life is over. Let the world live, your life’s a fraud. Which will it be, God? Do you kill the world or kill the law?”

Satan saw only a no-win scenario. God must turn away from his call to righteousness and ignore the sin of the world or hold to his principles and punish the world he loved. Either way. Satan wins. God loses. God, heart heavy in sorrow said, “I cannot let them die.” Satan smiled, relishing what he saw as the downfall of the Heavenly King. Helpless. But God was not finished with his redemptive act.

Filled with love for his created, the King left his throne. Took off his crown. Laid aside his scepter. Shrugged the royal robe from his shoulders. Traded his castle for a cross.

“Who, being the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross!” Phil. 2:6-8

God took the sins of the world upon himself through his “only begotten son.” A sacred, sacrificial substitute for a world that deserved to die. Today, we still find it difficult to comprehend because we are incapable of loving anything as God so loved his children. For those of us who accept by faith the grace that is the cross, we find a promise of life eternal in the arms of a living Lord who loves us as no other loves us. God’s third option remains the hope for the world.

In a story of love and justice, Camelot ends in tragedy. Gire said it best, “When love and justice collide, only the Cross offers a happy ending.”

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16