Focus:
kjv@Revelation:14:12 @ Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
(
FaithOfJesus thread begun by r
RandyP )
Today's Verse:
kjv@Mark:14:43-52
kjv@Mark:14:43 @ And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
kjv@Mark:14:44 @ And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely.
kjv@Mark:14:45 @ And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.
kjv@Mark:14:46 @ And they laid their hands on him, and took him.
kjv@Mark:14:47 @ And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
kjv@Mark:14:48 @ And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?
kjv@Mark:14:49 @ I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.
kjv@Mark:14:50 @ And they all forsook him, and fled.
kjv@Mark:14:51 @ And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:
kjv@Mark:14:52 @ And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
Today's notes:
Context:
- Before - this hour may pass
- After - Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?
Key Concepts:
What is God's righteousness observed doing?:
- Knowing from the beginning who would believe and who would betray Jesus kjv@John:6:64, Jesus Himself being aware as well.
- Jesus rebuking His captors for coming Him as if for a common thief.
What does this tell us about God's righteousness?:
- Jesus once said that the wheat and tare are so similar until their fruit that it is difficult for men to tell them apart, suggesting damage be done to the preferred one by attempting to extract the other until the harvest. Surely it was meant in a much larger field sense, yet it is important for the future Apostles to know that they may not have the slightest clue who is who and what is what. We can also suggest that Judas did not go astray, he started as he was and but soured further under the heat of righteousness, thus Jesus did not go out after him as one astray kjv@Matthew:18:12. Recall that these twelve were not hand chosen by Jesus, they were given even the son of perdition.
- The priests quandary is exposed by the question. They could have taken Jesus there at the temple on several occasions, but they did not for fear that His teachings were too popular and the public would have reacted to the arrest and trial differently. There were other occasions that they had tried to catch Jesus or run Him off a cliff, but the Father would not allow it for it wasn't Him giving His Son, it was them trying to take Him. Now it is dramatically different because Mark has gone out of his way to show that this is of the Father. If it had been up to the priests they would have waited for after the feast.
How is man reacting?:
- All disciples fleeing scattered.
- It is believed that the young boy fleeing naked is none other than Mark himself at age twelve. The boy Mark (Marcus, surname John) sounds as if dressed in his night gown, perhaps that his mother (also called Mary influential in the early church) dressed him in before he snuck away to catch the twelve after they'd congregated alone in the upper room. If true, the two specifically described as fleeing, Peter and Mark are the same two that would spend much time later evangelizing together, Peter taking Mark under his wing kjv@1Peter:5:13, the same two attributed to the material source and penning of this very gospel.
- It seems odd that along with the temple guard that there would be palace servants in along with them perhaps to buttress up their ranks; at least the one known by name kjv@John:18:10.
Notes:
Judas: a thief kjv@John:12:6, had the purse kjv@John:13:29, later possessed by Satan kjv@Luke:22:3 (or idea of betrayal placed into his heart kjv@John:13:2), better for him that he had not been born kjv@Matthew:26:24
The "daily with you" clause was expanded in kjv@Luke:22:53 to include "but this is your hour/power of darkness". Jesus had prayed that "this hour" pass, now it is their/it's hour. As theorized before, it is not an hour of man inflicting his will upon God it is an hour of God exposing man's sinful will to the jury. Otherwise a legion of angels could have been called upon to end this all.
Some questions to ask: Had this not been the Father's will and doing would Jesus have been caught? Had it not been Jesus' will would He have accepted Judas from the beginning? Would He have let Judas out of His sight this night? Would He have gone to the place Judas would have known He was going and quietly waited and prayed there? Would the priest have acted so quickly in the feast or hurriedly in the same night?
Key Messages:
What does this say about our present condition?
- If Jesus was betrayed by one of His own, who would we likely be betrayed by as well. How likely would we be able to foretell who of our brothers it would be? How likely would we be offended that the Lord knew of it all along and that it would be part of His plan? How quickly would we be able to get over our personal sense of betrayal on the one hand and offense on the other and pickup where the Lord wanted us to start back up?
- Who would ever think that this would be the direction the arm of the LORD would be moving? Who wouldn't have difficulty not rejecting it unless like us by knowing the outcome of this first? How different are HIS thoughts and way than ours? Even though HE told us for a long long time how HE would perform this? What other mysterious ways does HE operate in having done this now toward us?
Further Resources:
Comment Board:Mark:14:43-52
index:FAITHOFJESUSDEVOTION - Devotional Index
strkjv@Mark:14:43-52 rwp@Mark:14:43-52 mhcc@Mark:14:43-52
FaithOfJesus2 - Devotion Index
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