Mark 14:43-52: Inauthentic Discipleship

The words “you Judas” have become synonymous with “traitor”.  He is portrayed as the arch-villain in the gospels, and for good reason.  The authorities needed some way of identifying Jesus.  Faces, even famous ones, weren’t as well known in ancient times, prior to the advent of mass media.  Judas provides that means of identification, and even tells the ones looking to arrest him where he can be conveniently and quietly captured, away from the volatile crowd.  He hails Jesus as “rabbi”, and even greets him with a kiss, outward signs of respect and obedience from an inwardly treacherous heart.  The Greek verb used for kiss, kataphileo, means to kiss with every show of affection, which only highlights the duplicity manifested by Judas’ actions. 

But there are other ways we fail Jesus.  It is true that sometimes we betray him, like Judas.  Some of us do it even while we extend our hands upward in praise, or bow our heads in prayer.  Other times though, our failures are far more discreet.  Maybe we don’t betray Jesus, maybe we simply flee like the young man in our story, refusing to stand with Jesus when it matters most.  Or maybe we just sleep, napping through life like Peter, James, and John dozing in Gethsemane, all the while oblivious to the fact that our discipleship is being tested.  We don’t have to be duplicitous to be inauthentic disciples, we can also be half-hearted. 

And yet, our failures only have power over us if we allow them to define us.  We should be reminded that when it comes to others and their faith, we can’t judge a book by its cover.  Judas seemed loyal, he to the extent that he was trusted to be the treasurer of the disciples, but he turned out to be a traitor.  Meanwhile, the three who seem incompetent, Peter, James, and John; they ultimately prove to be loyal in the end.   They prove to be loyal because Jesus’ arrest is not the end of the story.  Back in Mark 14:28 Jesus says, “after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”  Jesus reference forward to his resurrection points beyond Mark’s gospel, and the words “go before” describe the action of a shepherd.  Jesus enters death before us, like a shepherd leading the flock, with the promise that because he emerges out the other side into life, so will we.  Like the disciples, who so often struggled, we must embraced that promise, and allow the spirit of Christ to transform us, all the while dying to ourselves, so that we might live for him. 

Almighty God,

We come before you as people who can identify with the disciples, especially with their failures.  Some of us are sleep-walking through life, not realizing how our faith is being tested.  Others of us have fled from your presence to chase the things of this world.  In some way, all of us have betrayed you.  And yet, you point us forward, to the light of your resurrection.  Allow the same Spirit that restored your disciples, making them men of faith and conviction, to work in our hearts.    We pray that we will not be defined by our failures, but by our faith in you.  We ask this in the name of the one who’s suffering redeems us, and makes us whole, Jesus Christ.  Amen.