By Audrey Bauman

Mark 14: 43 - 51  NLT

“Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested”

⁴³ And immediately, even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders. ⁴⁴ The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.” ⁴⁵ As soon as they arrived, Judas walked up to Jesus. “Rabbi!” he exclaimed, and gave him the kiss.

⁴⁶ Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. ⁴⁷ But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.

⁴⁸ Jesus asked them, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? ⁴⁹ Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there among you teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.”

⁵⁰ Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away. ⁵¹ One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, ⁵² he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked."

The arrest was a little sloppy. Other gospels tell us that it was Peter who chopped off the ear of one of the guards, and that Jesus healed the man. It’s not surprising that impetuous Peter would do something like that. But as Jesus is bound to be taken away, all the disciples fled. Notice that?   ALL the disciples fled. 

Mark is the only one who includes a brief story of a young man who fled naked. Charles Swindoll in his commentary, Living Insights: Mark, tells us who he thinks that young man was.

"Some suggest - and I find this reasonable - that the young man was John Mark, the human author of this Gospel. John Mark was the son of a woman named Mary, probably one of Jesus' female benefactors (Matt. 27: 55; Mark 15: 40 - 41; Luke 23: 49; John 19: 25; Acts 12: 12). He may have been sleeping under the stars in the garden not far from the disciples. If this was the young man's identity, what we perceive as a cryptic detail was recognized by first-century Christians as a cameo appearance of the writer.. Mark may have inserted this detail to admit to his own weak faithlessness that night in the garden.

When the guards saw the boy following them, they tried to grab him, but they failed to seize anything but his undershirt. It tore away and the young man ran into the darkness wearing nothing. Like a painter who signs the corner of a masterpiece, it's possible Mark signed this work to say that he became an eyewitness to some of the events". (page 362)

It also amazes me that Judas betrayed the man he had followed for three years. Why would he do that? Wouldn't he have respect and love for Jesus? None of the gospels give us any idea of why? They simply tell the story. Only the Gospel of Mark mentions at the last supper that Judas left to talk with the chief priests. The other gospels merely state that Judas came with the priests and the soldiers to identify Jesus. Those writing the gospels likely didn't understand Judas' motivation either. 

I do know it's possible for people to attend church as an indication of being a nice person. They really don't have a personal relationship with God. They just want to look good. Maybe Judas had some political reason for following Jesus, or he thought Jesus did some amazing things and liked being associated with him - kind of a popularity attraction. Down deep there was no commitment to who Jesus really was.

I am also amazed that Jesus befriended him for 3 years. Jesus knew that Judas would betray him. Think about yourself. If you knew that some person at work, or some neighbour, had a plan to make your life difficult, would you stay friends with them? In fact, if you knew there was a problem person at work, you'd likely try to get them dismissed. Yet Jesus must have treated him well. When Jesus told them at the last supper that one of them would betray him, they were all stunned and wondered who it could possibly be. 

That Jesus can love us and treat us well no matter if he knows we are not really committed to him at all - that's truly amazing. Yet, stop and think. Jesus died for each one of us knowing that not everyone would accept his horrific death as a gift. God's love for us is incomprehensible. We can't understand it. 

We can be thankful and love him as completely as our broken selves are able. Spend a few minutes now in prayer to think about God's love for you and understand even more how much he cares for you.

Our song for today is  The Love of God by MercyMe.