Wednesday: Leaving All to Flee From Jesus
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 11th of September 2024
Read Mark 14:43-52. What happens here that is so crucial to the plan of salvation?
It is shocking that one of Jesus’ closest associates betrayed Him to His enemies. The Gospels do not go into great detail about Judas’s motivation. But Ellen G. White writes: “Judas had naturally a strong love for money; but he had not always been corrupt enough to do such a deed as this. He had fostered the evil spirit of avarice until it had become the ruling motive of his life. The love of mammon overbalanced his love for Christ. Through becoming the slave of one vice he gave himself to Satan, to be driven to any lengths in sin.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 716.
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Betrayal in itself is deplored by all, even by those who make use of betrayers (compare with Matthew 27:3-7). But Judas’s deed is particularly nefarious because he seeks to hide his betrayal under the guise of friendship. He gives the crowd instruction that the man he kisses is the man to arrest. It appears that Judas wanted to hide his perfidy from Jesus and the other disciples.
Chaos breaks out when the crowd arrests Jesus. Someone draws a sword (John 18:10-11 says it was Peter) and cuts off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Jesus addresses the mob, chastising them for doing in secret what they were afraid to do in the open when He was teaching in the temple. But Jesus ends with a reference to the Scriptures being fulfilled. It is another signal of that dual plot running through the Passion Narrative—that the will of God is coming to fulfillment even as the will of man works to destroy the Messiah.
The disciples all flee, including Peter, who nevertheless will reappear, following Jesus at a distance and ending up getting himself in trouble. But Mark 14:51-52 tells of a young man following Jesus, an account found here and nowhere else in the canonical Gospels. Some think it was Mark himself, but that is unprovable. What is remarkable is that he runs away naked. The young man, instead of leaving all to follow Jesus, leaves all to flee from Jesus.
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Think about the fearful idea that being a slave of only one vice led Judas to do what he did. What should this tell us about hating sin and, by God’s grace, overcoming it? |
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The defining moment in Gethsemene:
I see elements of my own relationship with Jesus in these four categories; selfish interest in being on the winning side; enthusiasm for the cause without thinking of the consequences; curiosity because something is going on; or fleeing the scene because I cannot get my head around what is happening.
Good early morning dear brother Maurice:
I see myself also in each of your characterizations of the four individuals. I am particularly fearful that in the day-to-day mundane "cares of this life" that I will be as unprepared as the disciples were when challenging times break upon the church as when typhoon Yagi, wrecked havoc in southeast Asia. I am sure that the prayers of many who wish for this time of trial to pass away will at that time be unanswered. The Passion of Jesus will be, in a small sip, our own passion, or it will be that church members will flee and be shaken out. May Heaven keep us firm through the trial to come;
Steven
Hello Mr Maurice, who was that yound man who had linen cloth and fled while Naked, Why would he flee and again which stories can we draw from that yound man
There is no mention in the Bible who the young man is. A tradition has developed that it was Mark himself, but apparently that tradition was started around 1300CE.
I guess that he fled beause the rabble who had come to arrest Jesus made an attempt to grab him. So he shed his linen covering and ran off.
The story is a bit of a puzzle but I like to think it represents those who are curious about Christianity and are not really sure about what is going on.
That young man also signifies those spectators or followers who follow in disguise. At slight interference they flee when their sin is exposed or when they perceive that they are exposed. In the Garden of Eden nakedness became a source of shame. Noah passed out naked. Our nakedness is covered by Jesus’ blood
Sir Maurice, this best describes no one than ME.
I see elements of my own relationship with Jesus in these four categories; selfish interest in being on the winning side; enthusiasm for the cause without thinking of the consequences; curiosity because something is going on; or fleeing the scene because I cannot get my head around what is happening.
Yesterdays lesson and today's is thought provoking. LORD have mercy on us.
The scene in today’s lesson is stormy. So I read a little bit about weather to see if I could find any metaphors. Here’s some science:
I see the parallels. Demonic legions rushed forward, pushing into the group of Jesus and His disciples. Forces of evil were heavy, fear and anger and tension roiled thickly, soldier bodies were moving fast with sharp tongues and sharp swords. Confusion. The disciples had just awakened and stumbled groggily away from a quiet garden, where all had been still save Jesus’ moans. They were moving slowly and sadly. But they were still with Jesus and were still a part of His warmth and movement for good. Still together. Racing towards them, the mob-explosiveness stopped for one moment - those closest saw the quick, jaw-dropping bait-and-switch of Judas’ betrayal. His kiss. Shock and heart-thumping tension, a sudden drop in temperature. Then things accelerate into tornado speeds. An ear is lopped off and instantly restored by Jesus. Soldiers and religious leaders crush together, disorderly, hatefully grabbing at Jesus and His disciples. One unnamed follower is caught and tears himself away to flee naked, leaving his linen cloth in the soldiers’ hands. The terror is blowing Jesus’ followers away; they all flee out of the path of certain death.
Except Jesus. Just like during the frightening, life-threatening storm in the boat on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus stands calmly. He radiates power and poise. And innocence. He is the opposite of the prevailing energy. His mind is on Scripture. On His Father and their love. On His mission. He has the calm assurance that prophecy is being fulfilled through Him. He has the peace from a night of prayer. He is in charge, even though He walks away as a captive of men and demons. He is the eye of the storm, and He is the only safe place to be.
Esther your comment is quite good. You got good points in it. Thank you
Thank you, my Sister Carmen, may you continue to experience God's blessings.
There is so much going on in today's lesson and yet an interesting part is left out. (John 18:3-8) When Judas and the "rabble" came to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asks them whom they seek. When He responds, "I am He". They fall back as if lightning flashed before their eyes. If I were in that crowd, in that moment I'm out of there. There's something Supernatural about this guy.
As I remarked regarding Judas's reaction to Mary's "wasteful" annointing of Jesus, he (Judas) obviously had an issue with money. Whether he intended things to break as bad as they did for Jesus is debatable. Perhaps he thought he could play it both ways by getting paid by the Chief Priests, while forcing Jesus to flex His "Messiah muscles". How despicable to betray Jesus with a kiss though. It obviously didn't work out the way he had hoped, because being filled with remorse he returned the money. Sadly though instead of repenting of his sin, his guilt and shame drove him to suicide. It's just like the Devil to use a person for nefarious purposes and then lead them to destroy themselves. If you ever feel the condemnation of your guilt and shame take it to Jesus. Jesus will forgive you and empower you to leave it behind. He has paid the penalty for it so that you, me, we, don't have to.
Next comes swashbuckling Peter, determined to protect and deliver Jesus, pulls out his sword and whacks off the ear of Malchus, the High Priest's servant. Don't think for a moment that Peter intended to cut off his ear, he more than likely intended to give him a permanent part in his hair. Yet Jesus rebukes Peter and reattaches the servants ear. Which again should have gotten their attention that Jesus was no ordinary man.
Jesus indeed could have called for His angels, who were probably waiting for the order, to deliver Him. But this was the reason that He came into the world. He couldn't deliver Himself and humanity too. It was either Himself or us, and He chose the latter. Again the hymn, "What Wondrous Love is This?" resonates in my heart.
This is all a cautionary tale of the power of one cherished sin of Judas, and the fallout that came from it. Lord Jesus, teach me to see the sin in my life as the hideous thing that it is. That it caused you to experience the hell you went through. Deliver me not only from Satan, deliver me from myself.
What happens here that is so crucial to the plan of salvation?
Let me reword that question. Did Christ have to die for our salvation? My thoughts are yes. I have run into those who say no. Be that as it may I believe He did, there was no other way. Yes I know all the many text point to His having to die in the Old Testiment prophecy. Some say that prophecy did not have to happen. I still believe He had to die for our salvation. You may say there is a text that says His life was enough for our salvation, but I still believe Christ had to die for our salvation. We just relearned that the whole of man kind depended on Christ having to follow through with the plan of salvation, set forth from the foundation of this world. So why would any one believe that Christ did not have to die for our salvation. Solemn thought that He died for our sins, yet heart warming.
The lesson seems to suggest again that Jesus had to be betrayed for the plan of salvation to be fulfilled. I do believe He had to die, though I believe the spiritual death was really what was significant, not so much the physical, though the spiritual caused the physical. But I don't believe the betrayal was necessary. The Bible prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed but that doesn't mean it was God's plan as such. Given human nature, it would probably be impossible He was not betrayed but saying that was all part of God's plan seems to make Satan a key part of salvation. I can't accept that.
The plan of salvation (Jesus death and resurrection)was instituted by God before the fall of man, not Judas betrayal. Blessings!
In regard to Judas' one sin, I wonder. Greed definitely drove him, though he was already sinning in that area long before he sold Jesus. John tells us he was stealing from the money bag. So it wasn't one defect that was in the background. It had been part of his life for a long time. John 6:70,71 has Jesus calling Judas "a devil" long before he was betrayed. Not "you will be a devil" but "you are". So Judas had problems. His desire to see Jesus establish a kingdom, his criticism of the woman indicate other sins in his life -pride, self-righteousness. So I don't know that he just had one cherished sin, though likely one drove him the most.
However, aside from greed, the other disciples had the same sins - pride, prejudice, spiritual apathy. And they failed Jesus too. They didn't betray him, but is flight and denial that much better? So what was different?
I guess when all is said and done, I don't believe the difference was actions as much as heart. Peter and the others loved Jesus, flawed as they were. I wonder if Judas really did? Was he just using Jesus for his own desires? I'm sure he was influenced by Jesus but I think he kept him at arms length. And in the end, that doomed him.
Hi all I was wondering why this man whoever was..was following Jesus dressing only in a linen cloth. Was not inappropriate to walk naked?. And at the end in his desperation left the linen and run away. I think this special verse shows that in moment of panic we do things that we normally wouldn't do. Why he didn't keep his clothes and keep his dignity?.
It seems that the more we indulge in sin the easier it becomes to do things that we once would not have considered to do.
Indeed Natalia! Sin has a "slippery slope" designed by the enemy of our souls. If indulged, it silently grows, like a cancer and becomes progressive. We can develop a spiritual "callous". Always remember 1 John 1:9. When we fall down, reach up to Jesus. Keep getting up. Shalom, my sister!
Jesus was known and was very popular. Why did they have to use Judas to arrest Jesus?
The original word translated as "linen sheet" is used elsewhere by Matthew (and Mark) to denote, specifically, a burial cloth.
Why would someone be naked and wearing a linen cloth? Because they'd be dead, wrapped and getting ready for burial.
That is probably taking too narrow a view of the meaning of "sindona". It simply means linen cloth and says nothing about its purpose.
But its narrow usage is specifically as a burial cloth that Joseph bought to wrap Jesus' body after His death.
There are a variety of other words to denote garments, outer garments, or plain cloths; but it's not a wearable tunic that Mark references here.
The word is used in the description of the burial cloth but that does not limit it use, The word literally means "linen cloth" and in the Greek of the time could be used to describe night attire, bed sheet, linen tunic, burial shroud and so on. We often use English words in the same way where their meaning is defined by context. Clearly in the case of Joseph the context of a body and burial is referring to a shroud. But, in the case of the young man, there is no association with death. The simplest interpretation is that in the context, it means night attire or bed-sheet. Interpreting it as "shroud" would be an outlier.
When studying specifically the book of Mark, we don't need to go into detail regarding Judas' motivations because Mark himself doesn't give us a clue.
What Mark portrays is Jesus' divinity in foretelling about His betrayal. What Mark's readers would then question is, why do you worship someone who allows one of His disciples to betray Him? Didn't Jesus read Judas' background check and know that he would betray Him?
And that's exactly the point. Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him. The question is then: Jesus is asking YOU to follow Him, KNOWING WELL AHEAD that you may betray or deny Him, but He is still calling you to be a follower; will you follow Him anyway?