Judas, My Social Skills Hero

In the evening He came with the twelve. Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.”
And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?” Mark 14:17-19

It has been written, I read it the other night in Patriot Games by Tom Clancy, that in order to betray one must first be trusted. Here this morning we see Jesus drop a heavy rock into the still waters of the Passover dinner. The twelve disciples are trusted and they trust one another, so much that each has no idea who will do it. As we know from the story, even when pointed out Judas raises no suspicion in the mind of the other disciples. Judas has credibility, he is probably a very likeable fellow. Unlike this writer, Judas has those social skills I have heard about. When Jesus all but stands and paints 'Betrayer' on his cloak, Judas comes out smelling clean and generous. We know from the gospels that the disciples think that Judas left to give some alms to the poor. We also know from the gospels that Judas becomes the worst sort of traitor - the well-liked and beloved disciple sort of betrayer who leaves his Savior to hang.

Maybe I don't need the Judas kind of social skills...

Bucky

Of Course They Did

So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover. Mark 14:16

It reads easily after we know the outcome, but for the doubting disciples in their day the things Jesus said could be difficult to believe. As we read last time, even the seemingly simple things Jesus said required considerable preparation and foreknowledge. Jesus also aligned all He said with centuries of prophecy. Which brings me to think of me. No, not in the usual old selfish way, but as in, "What has Jesus plainly said of these end times that I have doubted?" From our dear brothers in Christ, His disciples, we can see one thing - it will be just as He said it will be.

In Christ Jesus our Lord, love and grace to you,

Bucky

A Pre-arranged Meeting

And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’ Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”  Mark 14:13-15

Any spy novel could start out in a similar fashion. Some of them may have taken inspiration from this passage of scripture. Meet a person described by a singular feature, follow, give a sign to another, receive the countersign, and carry out your first assignment. Of course this must all be set up ahead of time, and the timing must be arranged. It wouldn't do to have our first contact missed a mere minute or two. We note in the scripture that the room has been prepared, but for whom? Did someone not make an appointment? Or was the appointment arranged by God and made ready for Jesus and His disciples?  From donkeys to Passover meals, nothing in our Lord's final week was left to chance. 

Maybe those things that seem random in life aren't so random after all?

Bucky

The Famous Betrayer

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.  Mark 14:10-11

The disciples were indignant, then they were embarrassed when Jesus came down on the side of the woman. But one among them went to embittered or maybe even enraged, enough that he decided to betray Jesus to the religious authorities. Judas Iscariot put his name down in history right then. Balaam had held the position of negative lesson in the scriptures for centuries, but Judas blew that old prophet away. Judas even underbid him! Where Balaam spoke of a room full of gold, Judas ends up doing the betrayal for a mere 30 pieces of silver. Of course no fame or money is worth what would soon happen to Judas Iscariot. 

The most charitable suggestion I have read for a reason is that Judas wanted to motivate Jesus to be the Messiah that Judas thought he should be. As we know from the Word of God, Jesus was always going to be the Savior the world needed. Judas could not see that. Don't be a Judas.

Bucky

Answering The Uproar

But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”  Mark 14:6-9

As a memorial to her, I will do my part this morning. The desire to criticize has blown up, the uproar reaction of the flesh had its say, and now Jesus our Lord answers. Priorities, why take the time to criticize and trouble the one doing a good work for Him whose time is so short? And this should not be a surprise to them as Jesus has told His disciples at least three times now that He has come to Jerusalem to die at the hands of the religious leaders and Romans. Prioritize! The time to give alms to the poor will be long, but the time to do good works for the Son of Man is almost up. Jesus defends the one woman, while His twelve disciples act like a bunch of Pharisees. Oh, oh, we want to criticize the disciples now because that temptation to act the Pharisee is still with us. 

Let us instead remember that woman, Mary of Bethany, as we rejoice in Christ today,

Bucky

The Uproar

But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply. Mark 14:4-5

As the sweet smell of expensive perfume oil ravishes the nostrils of the dinner guests, reactions come and an uproar joins the party. Oh, does not criticism come so easily to us? We didn't work to earn the money to buy the stuff. We did not go out to purchase it with our money. And we did not hear the call of the Spirit to do this for Jesus, but we do have that sharp criticism of what ought to have been done with the stuff. Giving the proceeds of the sale to the poor would not earn us any treasure in Heaven since it was not our perfume to begin with, but that sense of self-rightness must sound forth its trumpet! Jesus will have a different opinion from this reaction of ours.

We were not there, you may notice. I placed us there because we have a conceit wherein we like to read the Bible stories and think how much better we would have acted and spoken to Jesus. Utter nonsense. In that time and place, with the same childhood education and religious instruction, we would have been no better. Even today, sharp criticism of good works done unto Jesus still comes easily and quickly to our lips. Next time, let us see what Jesus has to say of this woman's work.

May God bless you this day as we follow Jesus His Son,

Bucky

An Act Of Loving Disrespect?

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  Mark 14:3

Pouring any sort of liquid goo, expensive or cheap, over someone's head is usually an act of great disrespect, especially at dinner time. However, Jesus accepts this as a good work for Him, and as a preparation for His burial. How did she know this? Did she know this? In John we find out that this was Mary of Bethany, one of the sisters of Lazarus. We can imagine that Mary did not as a habit go about pouring expensive perfume oil on the dinner guests. How did she know this was the time for Jesus to die and be buried? Was it an act of love and her left hand didn't know what her right hand was doing, as the old saying goes? It is one of the more unusual and unexpected acts to take place with Jesus in the scriptures. And it causes an uproar...

You or I may be called on to do something strange for Jesus, be ready as we stand our watch!

Bucky