Mark 14:10-11 — God Forbid! God Forgive!

 Mark 14:10-11

Steps to the Temple Courts

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 

And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. (ESV)

…So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him. ((NKJV)

Golgotha, where this betrayal leads

Comments:

Who was it that betrayed Jesus? It was one of the twelve, one of his closest friends, one who should have appreciated him most. But Judas was a thief and had likely become disenchanted with Jesus' attitude towards money. If this had happened today, Judas probably would have escaped popular blame by claiming to be a victim of a financial addiction. He might say that he just had to get some money in order to feel secure and/or calm his fears of homelessness, etc. The problem was pride, greed, and the grip of having habitually yielded to sin. But Judas was no victim, he consciously chose to go to the chief priests to betray Jesus.

Second, notice to whom Jesus was betrayed. Jesus was betrayed to compromised religion, to mere stewards who were to keep things until the Messiah would come, but now that he had come they did not want to relinquish control to the real Master. It reminds me of the symbolism in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings where Denethor the Steward of Gondor refuses to recognize the true kingship of Aragorn.

What was the reaction of these "holy men of God" to Judas' terrible proposition? They were glad. They probably thought that this was an answer to their prayers. They would gladly pay to get rid of a troublemaker like Jesus. And that desire suited Judas fine. He sold his inheritance like Esau once had "for a mess of pottage". Ironically, Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver—the price of a slave—and purchased us back from slavery to sin and death.

One other thing I noticed in this paragraph—Judas sought how he might conveniently betray Jesus (NKJV). That says a lot. Judas was not just going to betray Jesus he was going to do it conveniently…when he had the opportunity. Jesus was no longer convenient for Judas, all this talk about betrayal and death and wasting money on perfume, the repeated talk about how we should be servants, not authoritarians, this talk about the destruction of the temple—it just wasn't convenient! But betraying Jesus might be. 

I wonder if sometimes we also find it convenient to betray Jesus (rather than curb our flesh). God forbid! O God forgive!