Let the Scriptures be Fulfilled > Mark 14:43-52
14:43 The betrayal that Christ has predicted occurs exactly as He said: Judas, one of the disciples, has led a mob to arrest Jesus.
14:44-46 Judas’ plan is made all the worse by how he will betray the Lord: with a kiss – the sign of hospitality and honor in that culture at the time.
14:47-50 One near Jesus draws his sword, apparently to protect the Lord, but ends up doing no such thing. Instead, Christ’s response is to call the situation what it is: a shameful injustice. Yet it is this very injustice that will fulfill the Scriptures as the disciples all flee.
14:51-52 As if to underscore the point, one of the young men following Jesus does all he flee, likely thinking “better to run away naked than be caught and condemned alongside Jesus.”
Emphasis: Jesus is betrayed by one who was close to Him, into the hands of those who should have acted more justly, and no disciple will stand with Him against this great evil.
Context: This betrayal has been a major theme foreshadowed throughout the chapter and will lead us into the trial and Peter’s denial in the coming verses.
Theme: As tragic as this scene is, Christ Himself tells us how to see it: it is the fulfillment of what He prophesied.
Gospel: Apart from His saving grace, all of us are like Judas and the mob. Even in His saving grace, we are no better than the disciples. Praise the Lord that His love for us is not based on our performance, but instead on His faithfulness.
Applications: Ask the Lord to change your mind and ask the Lord to use your failures – both to help you trust Christ more.
