Betrayed!
Pastor Marty Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at 11:39AM Luke 22:47-53. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on March 6, 2016.
There are many stories of betrayal throughout history: Satan and God, Absalom and David, Brutus and Julius Caesar, and of course our topic of today, Judas and Jesus. What is unique about the betrayal of Jesus is that he knew it was going to happen and allowed it to happen anyway. We should never think that this means it didn’t bother Jesus. Rather, we see Jesus as a man who feels deeply and yet submits those feelings to a specific plan.
Such betrayals can paralyze even the best of people. It can be hard to keep focused and continue forward in life, or to even have the “want to.” Today the most common betrayal is that which happens in the marriage relationship. Every year in America hundreds of thousands of marriages end in divorce. Whether that comes from full blown betrayal through adultery or a softer betrayal in which one simply quits working on the relationship, betrayal is something that we can all relate to. In our times of pain, sorrow, and paralysis, we must recognize that Jesus knows what it means to be betrayed and he offers us a way through it.
Jesus Is Betrayed And Arrested
By definition, betrayal comes from people who are close enough to us to do so. In the life of Jesus, there were twelve men that he drew into his daily life. Yes, multitudes were disciples of Jesus, but only the twelve lived with him and received special instruction. Judas was hand-picked by Jesus to be one of these twelve. Another aspect of this closeness is that Judas was given the further responsibility of taking care of the group’s money. Though Jesus knew Judas would betray him, he still offered him a place that was close to his heart and critical to the operation of his ministry.
Sometimes we can act like it was easier for Jesus since he was God. However, it would actually make it worse. Jesus demonstrated nothing but love for Judas and yet he would be stabbed in the back. We might think of this further in regard to the human race. We often focus on our own pain and suffering and judge God for allowing it to happen. And yet, we rarely think about the pain and suffering we have caused Him. He has loved us and given us a critical place in His plan for all of creation. Yet, we have continually rebelled and gone after other “lovers.” If you understand anything about God, understand this: God loves mankind even though we have betrayed Him and He will continue to demonstrate His love towards us to the very end. In fact, this is true for you as an individual as well. God loves you and will not stop loving you until the day you release your final breath.
To add insult to injury, Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. Now for Judas this is a simple and practical way to signal the soldiers who to arrest. In the darkness of the garden it would be easy for Jesus to escape. Yet, there is an immense irony to his choice of signal. The kiss of Judas represents the insincere kisses of those who care only for themselves. They say they love you, but in truth they are only interested in pleasing themselves. Jesus sincerely offers Judas a different way, and yet the insincerity of Judas leads him to destruction.
When we throw in league with the Devil, things that ought to be sacred are sacrificed to the ambitions that one serves. Spouses, children, parents, and others are all used and abused in order to obtain what we want. Even though such things should not be done, the betrayer doesn’t seem to care.
In the midst of the arrest Peter takes out his sword and, in trying to defend Jesus, cuts an ear off of one of the men there. Jesus quickly lets Peter know that this is the wrong way. God is not going to redeem mankind by raising up an army of believers who will slay the enemy. In fact, our spiritual enemies cannot be touched by such weapons. Mankind would not be redeemed by the sword, but by the love of God. Jesus says, “Permit even this.” There is a part of all of us that balks at following Jesus. Peter had been challenged to accept certain things in order to continue with Jesus. Yet, now things were out of hand. Peter cannot understand the insistence of Jesus on being betrayed and put to death. Is there a limit to the things that we will accept and endure in order to follow Jesus? Be sure that this life will test you severely in this matter. Peter needs to stand down because he is trying to thwart the very plan of God. This is typical when we do what our flesh wants. We might be trying to do a good thing, like standing for Jesus, but God is not always headed in the direction we want. Surrendering to this is sometimes too much for people. Perhaps Judas himself believed at the beginning. But somewhere Jesus had crossed a line in which Judas could not permit himself to follow anymore.
It is amazing to see the grace of Jesus displayed to a man who is there to arrest him. Jesus heals the ear of the man. Thus he demonstrates that he truly is the Son of God in that his goodness was received by good and bad alike. Remember the words of Matthew 5:45, “[God] makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Is it possible to follow such a way? Can I refuse to pay back wrong for wrong and instead love people even to the point of death? We should not call it the way of love. For no man ever loved like this. It is the way of Jesus and of the love of God.
Jesus Rebukes His Captors
In verses 52 and 53 we see that Jesus makes some statements to his captors. First he points out that he had not presented himself in such a way that warranted an armed arrest. There was no reason to believe that Jesus and his group would be violent. Jesus was famous for his teachings that promoted turning the other cheek and not paying back wrong for wrong. The show of force is ridiculous. Why seize him while wielding swords and clubs? This kind of militaristic over-kill is becoming of those who have thrown their lot in with the Devil and not with God. They could have taken him at any time and yet they choose the middle of the night and violent means.
Jesus points out that this was their time and the time of the power of darkness. The phrase “the power of darkness” is a clear reference to Satan. Some examples of this can be found in Acts 26:18, “I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.” Here Jesus explains to Paul that the world was stuck in the darkness of the power of Satan. Also, in Colossians 1:13, Paul explains to believers, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” The power of darkness is clearly the spiritual opposite of the Kingdom of Jesus.
Satan loves to operate through force, hiding, betrayal, and vulnerability. Up to now, God has allowed him to have a certain time of power. But it will not end well for Satan and those who join in league with him. They will have their inheritance in the lake of fire, otherwise known as the second death. Today we are choosing which side we are going to be on. You are either putting your trust in God by faith in the way of Jesus, or you are siding with the power of darkness. There is no other way. Even if you find yourself having fallen away for a time, like Judas did, repent of your fear and doubt and turn back to Jesus. The Devil loves to tempt you to fall into sin and then use that failure to cause you to despair all hope. Even now, Jesus holds out his arms to you saying, “I have paid the price of your sin and will set you free from your guilt if you will only turn to me and believe.” Let’s put our faith fully upon the one who not only knows what it is like to be betrayed, but also forgives us for our betrayals of him.