Week 38: Day 2

Intro: Hello and welcome to Orbit, a short reflection to help you put God at the centre of your life from the team behind Satellites - I'm Sarah Yardley. Each weekday we share a little bit of the Bible with you, give you a chance to pray and think about it, and provide you with one practical way to put it into practice today.

Bible: Today's reading comes from Mark chapter 14, verses 10-11 and 43-52

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

A little later in the chapter, after Jesus and Judas shared dinner, we read:

Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him. Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

“Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” Then everyone deserted him and fled.

A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

Thoughts:

I have only known I was betrayed a handful of times. Whenever this has happened, I’ve wanted to run as far and fast as I could from the place of betrayal. But we see in another passage in John 13 that Jesus:

-Names his betrayal

-Looks his betrayer in the eye

-Releases his betrayal

It leaves me mystified, this kind of response. If I could re-write the story of my own betrayals, I always would. I would guard my heart, replace Judas with someone from the other disciples early on, tell all my other 11 best friends to stand up for me, and feel terribly sorry for myself. This passage speaks about the fact that all the disciples of Jesus deserted him and ran away, and one was so eager to get away that he literally ran away naked. The last Jesus likely saw of this follower before he was led to the cross was his naked bum, running as far and fast from Jesus as he possibly could.

It’s a dangerous and challenging passage of Scripture, one where Jesus chooses to love his betrayer, even receiving the kiss of the one who sells his friend. We don’t see it in this reading, but even as Jesus is attacked and arrested, he heals the ear of the slave who is attacked with sword. And even as he is treated totally unjustly, he is willing to trust God.

We hear this word often: trust God. It’s fairly easy to trust God with the easy moments of our lives; the good grades, the kind friends, the fun adventures. It’s much harder to trust God when we feel betrayed, abandoned, hopeless and heartsick. The picture we see in this passage is that Jesus never asks us to live in a way that he hasn’t experienced and lived through as well.

If and when you experience the betrayal of even those you once loved and trusted, this passage reminds me that God is always with me. He knows the truth, he never leaves us and forsakes us, and he knows what it is to be wounded by a close friend. His response in this and every way is generous love.

Pray: Father, I pray that you would show me how to forgive the places where I have felt betrayed or let down. I thank you for the example of Jesus, the one who knew the sting of betrayal and the extreme of heartache. I thank you for the cross, which shows us the utter depth of your commitment to be with me. And I thank you that you show us the way of love without expectation. I pray that I would know your grace today.

Silence: There's now just a few moments of silence for you to pray, reflect on these ideas, or simply sit and be still.

Action: Every day on Orbit we give you a simple practical challenge to help you put this passage into action in your life. Here's today's:

Take a few minutes to think about betrayal. Who has betrayed you? Is there anyone you might have betrayed?

The beauty of forgiveness is that it sets us free to walk without carrying the burdens of previous wounds. Ask the Spirit of God to show you if there is anyone you need to forgive, or anyone you need to ask forgiveness from. I usually need to do both!

As Will Smith recently said, “Let our lives be an experiment in unconditional love.”

Outro: That's it for today's Orbit. Thanks so much for joining us - we'll be back with another reflection tomorrow.