Stephen
Terry, Director
Taken
and Tried
Commentary
for the September 14, 2024, Sabbath School Lesson
"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." Mark
14:44-45, NIV
For several years, I have been
nurturing a small orchard in my backyard. I have tried apricot trees only to
have them perish in our harsh winters. I also have a cherry tree that usually
blossoms too early and loses its blossoms to frost and therefore bears no
fruit. Even if it were not to succumb to frost, few pollinators are active when
it blooms. Only once have we seen a cherry crop on this tree. I have had a
similar experience with an Italian Plum Tree. It blooms but has only born one
plum in the years it has been planted. We are experiencing firsthand the dearth
of pollinators that would bring fruit to our trees. Just this year, I planted
zucchini with the same result. Only one zucchini appeared on the vines.
Since soft fruit trees seem to
struggle here, I also planted pear and apple trees, hoping for a better result.
The first year the apple trees were too immature to produce, but the pear trees
did and were full of worms. The second year, I used Neem organic spray for the
worms. It made no difference. The third year I put out pheromone traps for
codling moths and other pests. We had a bumper crop of apples and pears that looked
great, only to discover that worms had again destroyed everything. I took a few
apples that still looked okay and bagged them in small net bags. But the worms
were already there and in time surfaced to reveal the damage. It was
disappointing to see an otherwise beautiful apple destroyed by the worm
burrowing within. It makes me wonder how our Creator is saddened when he sees
us, though beautiful on the outside, eaten away within.
Jesus had this experience with
Judas and Peter. He spent three and a half years teaching his disciples only to
have both men betray him in the end. Judas turned him over to those who wished
to kill Jesus. His love of money won out over any desire he had to be a part of
God's Kingdom. While he may have had great plans for his thirty pieces of
silver, his despair over what he had done only brought him to a suicide's end.
He may even have been buried as an indigent in the Potter's Field purchased
with the money by the priests when he threw it back at them when he realized
his sin. So many spend their lives grasping for money, convinced it is for a
good purpose, only to end up with nothing to show for it. They saw it as
security when the only real security is with Jesus Christ. It is not only
impossible for the rich to be saved without God's intervention (Matthew
19:23-26), it is just as difficult for the poor whose greatest desire is to
acquire the riches that will end their poverty. Far too often, those golden
apples sought for their promise turn out to be as wormy as those in my orchard,
good for nothing but the rubbish heap.
Peter's betrayal is a different
story. While Judas' betrayal led to despair and death, Peter's sorrow over his
betrayal led to repentance. He even willingly faced crucifixion himself in Rome
for the sake of the gospel. His betrayal was because he feared the consequences
of his association with Jesus. But later when persecution began in Rome and
Peter sought to flee, a legend states that Christ himself met Peter on the road
out of Rome. Peter asked him where he was going and Jesus said, "Into the city.
I still have many people there." Upon hearing that, Peter turned around and
returned to Rome to minister to those saints that remained there. When the
persecution reached him and he was sentenced to be crucified, he asked to be
crucified upside down as he was not worthy to be crucified as Jesus was. He still
carried the sorrow of his past betrayal of Jesus. But his humility earned him a
special place in Christendom. To this day, the Roman Catholic church considers
him the first pope. The papal coat of arms has two keys based on the papal line
being traced back to Peter who was given the keys of the kingdom of heaven by
Jesus. (Matthew
16:19) No matter how one may stand regarding the theology of Rome, this is a
remarkable rehabilitation of the one who not only denied he knew Jesus but did
so with cursing.
When we read about the final
scenes of Christ's life, we cannot help but ask ourselves how we would have responded
in similar circumstances. In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew
25:31-46), we are told that every hungry, thirsty, or homeless person,
every naked, sick or imprisoned person is as though it were Jesus. When such
persons confront us, do we embrace their need as our own and provide for that
need as we are able, or do we instead betray that need as Judas and Peter
betrayed Jesus? We may think we have not failed Jesus here, but we all have.
Kind David knew this in his day. (Psalm
14:2-3) It was no different when Paul wrote his letter to the Romans. (Romans
3:23) There is no reason therefore to arrogantly assert we are somehow
better. We all stand equally before the throne of grace as sinners dependent
upon the grace and compassion of a loving and merciful God, who loved us enough
to send Jesus for our salvation despite our selfish and greedy natures. When we
realize who and what we are, we can give up in despair like Judas, but that is
not God's will for us. Jesus throws out a lifeline to us, hoping we will see
the love that led him to attempt our rescue. It is his goodness contrasted to
our own lack that leads us to understand our need and like Peter, to sorrowful
repentance. (Romans
2:4) While some, like Judas, may even dare to do so, it makes little sense
to despise such goodness on our behalf.
For centuries, the Jews looked
forward to a messiah, not understanding the nature of salvation. Like those today,
who see guns as salvation for them and their families, the Jews came to believe
that the messiah, when he came would overthrow the Romans and their armies
through force of arms. This is why they rallied around Bar Kochba as a messianic
figure in the early second century. They did not realize that the hour of their
visitation by the messiah had passed, and they failed to recognize or accept
him since he came as a humble shepherd instead of a conquering warlord. Instead
of doling out bread and fish to the hungering masses, they wanted a messiah to slay
the Romans and drive them from Israel. Many in Israel today still are waiting for
such a messiah. They are not alone, for many in Christendom are pursuing that
illusion also, expecting the temple to be rebuilt, even though it was destroyed
because Israel had rejected her messiah and opted to betray him instead.
If we continue to reject God's
loving overtures to us, we will become like those wormy apples. We may seem alright
on the outside, but inside we are being consumed by the evil that besets us.
Jesus said it was like being whitewashed tombs, appearing bright and clean on
the outside but full of death within. (Matthew
23:27) However, he offers life in place of that death. (John
10:10) Even avid Bible students have often failed to grasp that truth,
seeking for life in the Bible, but not recognizing the source of that life is
in the love of God and the gift of Jesus. (John
5:39-40) Once we come to that understanding and open our lives to Jesus, we
will experience the heartfelt sorrow for what we have said and done like Peter
did. Then like those who listened to Peter's sermon on Pentecost, we will seek forgiveness
for our failure. When asked what they should do, Peter responded, "Repent and
be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts
2:38) It is that surrender, that repentance that opens the door of our
hearts that the Holy Spirit might work a miracle in us. He will take away our hardened
heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh capable of feeling compassion
and empathy for others and being a conduit for love into our world, replacing
darkness and despair with light, hope, and love.