B
- Message: There seems to be a parallel of messages between Genesis 42 and Mark 14 with a theme of betrayal. In Genesis we see Joseph facing his brothers for the first time after they betrayed him and sold him into slavery. Now the tables are turned and Joseph has all of the power in his hands. In Matthew 14, Judas Iscariot plots and pulls off his betrayal of Jesus. At the same time Jesus warns the rest of them that they will all betray him when things escalate. Peter didn’t want to believe it and even argued that he would stay loyal to the death. Sure enough they all ran away when Jesus was arrested. In both cases there was purpose to the betrayal and in both cases the one being betrayed would save the very ones who betrayed them.
- Command: “Keep watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38
- Promise: In our betrayal God remains faithful.
- Warning: No matter how steady and faithful we believe we are, temptation comes to all of us.
- Application: Betrayal is tough. Nobody wants to feel betrayed and most of us don’t want to be a betrayer to the ones we love. Unfortunately, we all have been on both ends of this and the very thing that makes love so risky is the vulnerability of being betrayed. Without the risk of vulnerability love can’t exist. It’s a slippery slope but we all take the risk because we want to be loved. In both of the stories we read today there was betrayal, and the betrayal led to salvation for the very ones who betrayed them. All of us as believers have been on the receiving end of salvation, but we have also been on the betrayer side too. I feel like this tension of both sides reminds me that when I feel betrayed, I am not alone in this, nor am I innocent of it either. In fact, the only one in these stories that was undeserving of betrayal was Jesus and he suffered it because of his perfection. My reminder to myself to day is that when I feel betrayed by the ones I love I need to remember that I have stumbled in betrayal too. This is not a license to be careless or unfaithful. This is a reminder because when I am the one being hurt I tend to forget about the hurt I have caused. When I forget about my own tendencies, pride rolls in and brings unforgiveness with it.
