Mark 14:17-21 (Part II)
Betrayal. It is an awful, painful word because it is an awful, painful experience, perhaps one of the worst we can know. And, of course, it’s part and parcel of our human experience. We have been betrayed by others, and we have betrayed those we care about as well. Perhaps not to the extent that Judas betrays Jesus. Yet who among us has not let another down, been unworthy of a confidence, disappointed the reasonable expectations of others, failed to live up to the trust placed in us. And who has not experienced the same from others.
Betrayal. It is painful. And it is ordinary. And perhaps this is why our Lord experiences it, too. Because Jesus came to this earth, shared our life and our lot, suffering all that we suffer, that he might both sympathize with and redeem us from all that afflicts our life and condition in this world.
As the author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (4:15-16).
Jesus knows what we suffer because Jesus suffered it to. And because it didn’t finish him, we have his promise that it will not finish us either. For whatever difficult or low places we’ve been or may yet go, Jesus has already been there. And where Jesus is now, we will also one day be. Thanks be to God.
VC John
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