Sermon by Pastor Robert Green, Ash Wednesday, February 6, 2008, No. 660, AscensionEvangelicalLutheranChurch, Harrisburg, PA, based on Mark 14:42-52
The theme for this year’s Lenten services is “Crossroads: Traveling with our Savior.”We follow the roads Jesus traveled upon to the Cross. Along the way we stop at crossroads, points where the outcome could have been different, but for our Lord’s determination to travel the only road that would lead to our salvation: the road to his suffering and death upon the Cross. Tonight we travel with our Lord only a short distance, from Gethsemane to his arrest by those who would take him before the Sanhedrin, the religious ruling body for the Jewish nation. The events of this reading bring us to a turning point in the journey of our Lord for up to now he has been perfectly free, traveling with his companions but now the time had come for him to be bound and lead away alone and deserted.
Hear now the words of Mark recording the crossroad at Gethsemane where our Lord was bound and lead away alone to face the judgment of the Sanhedrin that would lead to his death on the Cross.Mark 14:42-52 (NIV) “Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” 43 Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” 45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 The men seized Jesus and arrested him. 47 Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 48 “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then everyone deserted him and fled. 51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
Crossroads: Traveling with our Savior: From Gethsemane to the Sanhedrin
- Jesus was bound
A more literal translation of Jesus’ words would be, “Rise, let us go, behold here comes my betrayer!” The word “behold” is used to indicate something important or key is about to be happen. Behold, the turning point was upon our Lord for the betrayer was at hand. The betrayal would be a crossroads in the life of Christ as he made the final turn down the road to the Cross. Jesus identified his betrayer, before the wicked kiss, because Jesus wanted his disciples to know what was about to be was not going to happen by chance or by the will of man, but by the will and plan of God. Jesus did not run and hide, but stayed and said, “Let us rise! Let us go”not away from but to the Cross.
Judas, the betrayer, had arranged the sign, a kiss. The word “kiss,” as used here, means a kiss given in greeting or farewell to a friend. Thus, Luke tells us, Jesus asked: “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” With a pretense of faith, with betrayal in mind, Judas offered a kiss normally given in friendship and recognition, but given here in hypocrisy and unbelief. The kiss played such a minor role in the course of the events, for the chief priests and soldiers knew exactly who Jesus was and needed no kiss from Judas to identify him. As Jesus said to them, “Am I leading a rebellionthat you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
So what real need was there for Judas to betray Jesus with the kiss? Judas did not have to betray his Savior, for he did so of his own will, but the betrayal was no surprise. Jesus knew it would happen having prophesied it would happen, that night to his disciples, in keeping with God’s prophesy of the betrayal given long before in the Old Testament. God foretold it in Psalm 41:9 (NIV), “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” Earlier that day, Jesus had told his disciples, John 13:10-11, 18-19 (NIV), after washing their feet, “And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean…But this is to fulfill the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’ 19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.”To share bread was the sign of friendship; but to lift up the heel against someone was the sign of betrayal. That prophesy gives meaning to the kiss, for the kiss, given as a sign of friendship, but offered in betrayal, fulfilled the prophecyand in its fulfillment it gives us one more reason to believe Jesus is our Savior.
Judas’s act was the turning point of that horrendous journey, for now the soldiers seized Jesus, bound him and arrested him, to lead him to his trial and condemnation before the Sanhedrin. Could the outcome have been different, a different route chosen? Peter thought so, as the Apostle John tells us, Peterdrew his sword to defend Jesus and struck off the ear of Malcus, the servant of the high priest. John tells us, John 18,“Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” Could Jesus, true God have defended himself against such puny human effort o bind him? Matthew tells us, Jesus also said to Peter, Matthew 26, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
No one would have been able to bind our Lord, to place him under arrest and lead him away, unless Jesus was willing for it to so happen. Jesus as true God had full power over angels and over the hostile men. Yet he submitted to the arrest, the binding and the leading away to his horrendous suffering and death, because he was willing to complete what he had come to do and so fulfill all of Scripture.The Scriptures, the Word of God, had to be fulfilled, for as Jesus himself earlier said, “The Scriptures cannot be broken.”Jesus permitted his capture to free us who were bound by sin, death and the devil. He allowed it to happen that promised the Savior would come as Redeemer to pay the price of sin, eternal death.
Dear Christian, as we condemn Judas for his betrayal, let us also look upon ourselves and ask have we not also betrayed Jesus? To be sure, we have not betrayed him with a kiss, but is not every sin against him as Lord and Savior? Is not every time we have failed to defend him against those who deny him as Lord and Savior, a betrayal? The difference between Judas and us is our faith which leads us towards repentance of our betrayals. Thank the Lord Jesus for coming to us and accepting his betrayal to save us from all our betrayals!
- Jesus was alone
Mark tells earlier, after leaving for the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to his disciples, “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: ”‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” 30 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” 31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.”
We often think of Peter as the one who promised never to desert his Lord and yet deserted and denied him, but notice he was not alone. Each of the disciples promised the same thing, and each deserted him. Once the soldiers arrested Jesus, Mark tells us, “Then everyone deserted him and fled. 51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.”This was another turning point for now Jesus walked alone on the road leading to the Cross. There would be no one to help him, not a disciple, not even the young man, no one to help carry the burden, to share in the suffering, for no man was up to it.
That thesuffering would be Jesus’ alone is explained inPsalm 49:7-9 (NIV), “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him— 8 the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough— 9 that he should live on forever and not see decay.” No mere man could have redeemed us, nor could a mere man have helped, for only the oneand only God-Man, our Lord and Savior, offer such a costly ransom. The ransom was too much for a mere man, for as Paul says in the reading from 2 Corinthians for tonight, the cost was to become our sin“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”The physical suffering and death that lay before Jesus as he was lead to the Sanhedrin for his condemnation and suffering would be horrendous. But by far the worse suffering was to become sin for us and then to be abandoned by his Father as he suffered the full penalty for sin, eternal death. The great ransom paid for our salvation was Christ’s alone to offer, for he alone could offer the precious blood of God, as the all sufficient sacrifice for all sin.
Dear believer, do you trust that you really need a Savior or do you think that somehow you really are not all that sinful? If you do not see your absolute need for a Savior from sin, then you will have no need to see Jesus walking alone on the road to the Cross, and indeed, you will not need to see him on the Cross. For after all, if you are not so bad, do you even need a Savior? But if you see your sin and your need for a Savior, then rejoice as you watch your Savior walking bound, alone, on the lonely road to the Cross and your salvation, a walk only he could take.
Dear Christian, Jesus walked alone so that you would never have to. This was a promise that was near to my father’s heart. My father suffered from cancer for three years. Towards the end he carried a saying in his wallet that went something like this, "You gotta walk that lonely valley ain't nobody here can walk it for you" Of course, no one could walk the path set before my father. He alone had to endure the pain and suffering and ultimate death. To be sure, the family was with him, but while we shared in sorrow and pain as we watched, and offered comfort and care as we could, not one of us was able to lift his burden from him. Yet as Dad walked that valley, he was never alone, for Jesus had walked another road alone that lead to the Cross and his own valley of death. Jesus went alone and bound on that path, so that those who believe would never walk alone, but would always have him with them as the eternal Savior! God be all glory, amen!