The Manner of a Betrayer

"And they all left Him and fled" (Mark 14:50)

When it comes to being a betrayer, beloved, Judas Iscariot sure gets all the press. And rightly so! Surely no word in the English language is any uglier than "betray." And to sell out someone for money is certainly the most venomous act imaginable. So stand up in that spotlight, Judas. You earned it!

But was Judas the only betrayer on that night of horrors? I don't think so. Mark has recorded for us here that at the point when the disciples saw that Jesus was taken there in the Garden of Gethsemane, they bolted and scattered like scared rabbits. But is that even the moment when in their own way they too betrayed the Lord?

Back up with me just a bit before Judas and the mob of religious leaders, Roman soldiers, and temple police descended upon them that night. It was still quiet and they had the garden to themselves. Jesus had only made one request of them. He had told them that He was heading for the cross but they absolutely refused to accept it. So when He asked them to watch and pray with Him, they did not see the need. What did they do? It is difficult to believe what they did!

"And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, 'Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?'" (v. 37)

Not only did Peter and James and John fall asleep on that occasion, beloved, but Jesus went away and prayed twice more and each time came back and found them in slumber. It was as if He had never made any request of them at all! Finally, when Judas and the others were in sight, Jesus had to wake them one final time so that together they could go and face what was coming. And at that moment, having slept away their opportunity to stand with Him, they ran away!

As I think about my own life today, I must confess that there has been at times the manner of a betrayer in me as well. I know that there have been occasions when I should have prayed but did not, should have been alert but was not, should have spoken but stayed silent, should have stood up but fell back. And in those times, beloved, I was as much a "betrayer" of the Lamb of God as were the disciples that night. Think of the opportunities you may have missed yourself to stay the course, to reach out in love, to speak an encouraging word, to extend much-needed forgiveness. There is something, then, of a "betrayer" in all of us.

The thought of the disciples running away from the soldiers and temple police that night, and especially the memory of my own such failures, have filled me with the determination that they will not occur again. As a follower of Christ I am determined to stand with Him, to speak for Him, to go where He goes and to be everything He wants me to be. Want to come along?

Ron