...betrayer...

Lent, Day 20

"In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples.

As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me."

Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, "Am I the one?"

He replied, "It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!"

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples...and he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it."
Mark 14:17-23

I have read this passage a gazillion times. Our pastor uses it at times for communion. So when it came up in my daily reading...I was tempted to gloss over it a bit.

You know how it is. "Yeah, yeah...I know this story so I will just skim it till I get to something new." But I opted to focus my mind to re-read it this morning...as I noticed something I hadn't before.

I LOVE it when scripture does that. It comes alive to show you a new view...almost like a friend that decides to share with you things that others don't know about her. You feel drawn into the story...trusted to see in inner workings of relationships and situations and...aaaand I just digressed.

What I realized this morning was this:  Jesus sat there and said "One of you twelve, trusted friends is going to be the key player in my death."

He straight up called Judas out...and while scripture doesn't say that Judas wet himself in fear, I am pretty sure he did cuz, at this point, he already knew what he was planning to do.  He already had it all worked out in his mind and had somehow talked his heart into going along with it...and Jesus, knowing the torment of guilt Judas had to be in, gave him a warning.

It was simple and it was direct..."I know what you are going to do...and trust Me, it isn't worth it."

How often has He given me that same warning??

How many times have I convinced myself that whatever sin I am about to commit, somehow it is worth the result??

And how often have I been like Judas...knowing He knows, hearing His warning, but turning a blind eye to the Truth???

And as I was sitting here, realizing how much of Judas I carry in my own heart...I was confonted with the love Christ carried for these men, including His betrayer. 

He offered them all the cup and the bread. He offered them all a chance at relationship. He offered them all a glimpse at Truth...even knowing that for this one, it was already too late.

My eyes fill with tears as these words paint the picture of the betrayer in my own heart, often too late to give way to His pleading...

...and of the Savior, who loves me enough to warn and love me, even while knowing what is on my mind.

For more information about this celebration of Lent on the pad
and why there are no comments allowed,
click here to read the first post Lent, Day 0.

Looking up, as always...
...bina...