The month of February reminds me of my candidating weekend at Edgewood five years ago when you were checking me out and I was checking you out to see how God might be leading each of us. I think I preached at least five times, attended a number of groups and met with a ton of people. I still don’t know how I got through those sermons because the week before we came my computer crashed before I could print out my notes!
The number one reason I was interested in coming to Edgewood was your desire to grow in outreach to the community and to the continents, to your neighbors and to the nations. While we have more to do, I’m thrilled with how Edgewood’s reach is extending beyond our building and at the same time, how God is using our facility to reach boys and girls, teenagers, young adults and grown adults with the gospel. I’m looking forward to seeing how an expanded and renovated building can be leveraged for future intergenerational ministry impact. All this will involve change from what we’re used to, which is hard for some of us, but these changes will help us more fully live out our vision and mission.
I often get asked what my vision is for Edgewood. Simply put, I long for us to live on mission where God has placed us as we gather, grow, give and go with the gospel of Jesus Christ to our families, our neighbors, to our co-workers, our classmates, to the community and to the nations.
One of my greatest joys as one of your pastors is to watch how God uses His people as they live on mission for Christ in the community. Props to Pastor Dan and the Celebrate Recovery team for stepping up to help people in Rock Island County struggling with opioid addiction so they can get the treatment they need. The name of the program is the Safe Passage Initiative, which allows users to voluntarily bring in their drugs and paraphernalia to law enforcement without being arrested. Law enforcement will dispose of these items and get participants to a treatment or detox facility. When these individuals need transportation to Rockford or Chicago a servant from Celebrate Recovery will drive them there.
Lieutenant Jon De Loose from the Rock Island Sherriff’s department and Lieutenant Dan Knittle from the Rock Island Police Department (Dan and his wife Kit now attend Edgewood) are running point on this initiative as they have worked to find “Safe Passage Guides.”
Here’s a quote from the front page article in the Quad Cities Times on Wednesday – “Twelve volunteers from Edgewood Baptist Church in Rock Island have stepped up to make that happen, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.” Wednesday’s front page of the Dispatch/Argus contained this quote from Sheriff Bustos: “The initial cadre of volunteers is from Edgewood Baptist Church...” How cool to have Edgewood’s name come out of the Sheriff’s mouth!
Incidentally, there have been 64 opioid-related deaths in Rock Island County since 2011 and the number jumped from six in 2016 to 21 in 2017. Pastor Dan told me that he knows of 8 people that have had some connection with CR that overdosed and died this past year.
Another of our Go Team partners is Youth Hope. They are currently in need of meals for kids at both the Rock Island and Moline Centers. This is a great missions project for individuals and for our Growth Groups. Pastor Kyle’s Mainspring group has already helped out and the group Beth and I lead is jumping aboard as well. It’s been cool to watch how Wildwood and Calvary Church of the Quad Cities are also rallying to help meet this need.
This past weekend we were encouraged to live out extravagant love by responding to the need in the QCA for Winter Rescue Kits that will provide winter coats, a warm meal, toiletries and other items for those who are homeless. As of last weekend the number was a bit over 500. I challenged the people of Edgewood to help get this number over 600. Well, it went way over 600…it’s now over 800! Rusty Boruff, the director of One Eighty, told me on Friday that 400 of these kits will be delivered to 400 homeless students in the Davenport Schools.
It’s great to see two of our Go Team partners, Moody Radio and One Eighty, mobilize so many Christ-followers from so many churches to respond to meet this need and what a joy to be part of such a generous church that lives on mission in extravagant ways!
I’m also thrilled that 23 people new to Edgewood attended the January Next Steps Group. At least 10 are ready to become members. How cool that four people were baptized last weekend and five people joined Team Edgewood as members! I can’t wait to see how God will use our newest members for the fame of His glorious name in the QCA.
Last weekend we saw in response to Mary’s expression of extravagant love for the Lord that Judas was filled with jealousy and rage because he thought her worship was a waste of valuable resources. The main lesson we learned is that God is calling us to do all we can with all we have.
I received an email this week from someone who is still wrestling with this truth. I share part of it in the hopes that it will encourage and exhort you as it did me. He and his wife are new to Edgewood: “I am in a very comfortable place in my life and have been a beneficiary of living in a rich country and being of a color and background that can reward handsomely. Your message made me ask myself what sweet aroma my life was making in the presence of God in the heavenly realms? I had to honestly say not as much as it could be. My job will be to see how the Holy Spirit would lead me in this area and to be attentive to His direction.” What a joy to see how people respond to the Scriptures! That’s another one of my favorite things about Edgewood.
Mary asked, “What can I give?” while Judas asked, “What can I get?” As we continue in our exposition of Mark 14, we’re introduced to the kind of man Judas was. We’ll come back to what he did later in this chapter. Here’s a helpful outline.
• The profound mystery of Judas (10-11)
• The Passover meal with Judas (12-17)
• The practical message from Judas (18-21)
1. The profound mystery of Judas. Judas is a tragic enigma because he didn’t look like the traitor-type. Look at verse 10: “Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.” The name “Judas” was quite common and is derived from Judah, one of the sons of Jacob. Judah was the father of the largest and most dominant of all the tribes of Israel. Perhaps he was named after Judas Maccabeus, who led an uprising for Jewish independence years earlier, sort of like a George Washington figure.
“Iscariot” is derived from two words – Ish, meaning, “man” and Kerioth, a town located 23 miles south of Jerusalem. Judas was the only disciple not from Galilee, which could have made him feel isolated and may have helped him hide his hypocrisy. At the same time, those from the southern part of Israel often felt superior to those from the backwaters of Galilee. Like the other 11, he was called to be “one of the twelve.” It’s notable that in all the lists of the disciples, he is always listed last.
We read that he “went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.” To “betray” means, “to deliver over.” This is exactly what Jesus said would happen in Mark 9:31: “The Son of Man is going to be delivered.” We learn from Mark 14:1 that the religious leaders were conspiring to kill him and were just waiting for the right time.
In verse 11, the religious leaders respond: “And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money.” We see in Matthew 26:14-15 that Judas negotiated a price: “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” They settled on 30 pieces of silver, which according to Exodus 21:32, was the amount someone had to pay if their animal accidentally killed someone. This was also the going rate for a slave. In our currency, it was about $25.
The second half of verse 11 reads, “And he sought an opportunity to betray him.” The word for “sought” means to “strive to find” and the verb tense indicates that, “he kept on seeking.” Judas is forever associated with the word “betray.” When his name is mentioned it’s almost always linked with this stigma as in Mark 3:19: “And Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” Jesus also called him “a devil” in John 6:70 and in Luke 6:16 we read that Judas “became a traitor.”
Interestingly, because Judas betrayed Jesus, the other disciple who unfortunately had the same name distanced himself by taking on the name Thaddeus. Jesus also had a brother named Judas (see Matthew 13:55), but when writing a letter that it is in the Bible, he shortened his name to Jude. This is the only book of the Bible with a shortened name. Ever hear of 1 and 2 Pete or 1, 2 or 3 Jack? No one wants to be called Judas; though I did learn this week that the “Judas goat” is trained in the stockyards to lead sheep to slaughter, while its own life is spared.
Regarding his character, three other words come to mind:
• He was covetous. In John 12:4, Judas expresses disbelief and even disgust that Mary would waste all that perfume.
• He was a thief. In John 12:5, we read that as treasurer for the team he stole shekels from the moneybag.
• He was deceitful. No one suspected his duplicity and treachery. In John 13:29, when Judas leaves the supper early the disciples thought he was out getting provisions or giving money to the poor.
2. The Passover Meal with Judas. We transition now to the Passover meal that Jesus desires to eat with Judas and the disciples. The disciples know the time is near to celebrate this supper so they ask for some details in verse 12: “And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, ‘Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?’”
The law required that Passover be celebrated within the city limits of Jerusalem but they don’t know specifically where to gather. To put it into our context it would be similar to not knowing where you were going to eat your Thanksgiving meal when you woke up on Thanksgiving Day. Most of us have this figured out weeks or months in advance. Actually, some in the QCA don’t know where they’re going to eat…or even if they’re going to eat that day.
I think the reason why Jesus had not told them yet is because He didn’t want Judas to tip off the religious leaders until after He had this meal with them. That helps explain the secret arrangement and coded signs in the next section.
Not surprisingly, Jesus has it all figured out as we see in verses 13-15: “And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.’” It would be very unusual for a man to be carrying a jar of water so this sign would be apparent to them. We know from Luke’s gospel that this was Peter and John and their job was to put a tail on this guy and whatever house he goes in they’re to relay a message to the master of that house.
The master of the house did not do a lot but he did all he could with all he had. The disciples used this large upper room again when they huddled after the resurrection and again on the Day of Pentecost. This man wasn’t one of the 12, but he was faithful to use what he had for God’s glory.
Either Jesus prearranged all the details or in His omniscience He knew that this room was available and ready to go. Christ was in complete control of the events and was not a helpless victim or even a martyr. This reminds me of Hebrews 4:13: “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Notice that the room was large and “furnished,” which meant it had carpet, cushions and a low u-shaped table ready to host the Passover meal. The room would also have had all traces of leaven (yeast) removed from it.
Not surprisingly, when Peter and John obey, they discover all the details have been worked out by Jesus as we see in verse 16: “And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.” We’ll talk more about the Passover next weekend, but here are some of the preparations that Peter and John would have made:
• An unblemished lamb would be sacrificed. The blood would be caught in a gold or silver bowl and then passed up to the priests who would splash it upon the altar.
• The lamb would be roasted. Fire is a picture of judgment and ultimately reminds us that Jesus was judged in our place.
• Unleavened bread. This recalls the Israelites eating in haste when they left Egypt.
• Four cups of wine would be set out on the table. More about this next week.
• Bitter herbs would be put on the table. This reminded them of the bitter suffering of slavery.
• A dipping sauce of dried fruit and spices would be moistened with some wine vinegar and put in bowls.
After all the preparations we read in verse 17: “And when it was evening, he came with the twelve.” The Passover meal couldn’t begin until after sunset and had to be finished before midnight.
The word “prepare” is used three times in this passage – in verse 12: “…prepare for you to eat the Passover” and in verse 15: “…there prepare for us” and in verse 16: “…and they prepared the Passover.” Here’s an application. Will you take some time this next week to prepare your heart to meet with the Master as we celebrate the Savior’s Supper next weekend?
To harmonize this passage with the Gospel of John, right after the supper began, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. After Peter protests and then allows Jesus to wash his feet, Christ makes a cryptic comment in John 13:10-11: “‘…and you are clean, but not every one of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’”
3. The Practical Message from Judas. Let’s walk through what happens next as Jesus exposes Judas. Check out verse 18: “And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, ‘Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.’” As we pointed out last week, Da Vinci didn’t quite have it right with his Last Supper painting because they didn’t sit on chairs but rather reclined on their sides. Jesus initiates an awkward moment when he says that one of the 12 would betray Him.
Let me say two things about this. First, to have a meal with someone signified a pact of peace and friendship. To betray a friend during supper would be the height of rudeness and treachery. Second, this betrayal over a meal was prophesied in the Old Testament:
• Psalm 41:9: “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”
• Psalm 55:12-14: “For it is not an enemy who taunts me— then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me— then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng.”
• Zechariah 11:12: “Then I said to them, ‘If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.’ And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.”
• John 17:12: “While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
It’s fascinating that none of the disciples call out Judas at this point. There’s obviously no initial suspicion of his sinister plot. He was so filled with deceit and had perfected his hypocrisy that he had fooled everyone. After hearing this unsettling announcement, each of them invite Jesus to do a spiritual inventory of their own lives in verse 19: “They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, ‘Is it I?’” The Greek sheds some additional light on their response: “It is not I, is it?” They’re hoping for a reassuring answer but they’re not certain. While it’s good that they are concerned about the evil that might be lurking in their own hearts it’s telling that none of them are worried about the fate of Jesus.
In Matthew 26:22, the eleven ask respectfully, “Is it I, Lord?” This is the title that those close to Him used. However, when Judas asks the question in Matthew 26:25, he frames it like this: “Is it I, Rabbi?” That’s the title used by strangers and enemies.
Jesus answers in verse 20: “He said to them, ‘It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me.’” Some background is helpful here. Utensils weren’t used when they ate so they would use bread to soak up any extra liquids, like we do with gravy. In addition, several dishes were placed on the table that contained a dipping sauce, much like when you go to a Mexican restaurant in a large group and the waitress puts out several bowls of salsa on the table. Those reclining closest to Jesus would have used the same bowl of dipping sauce that He used.
We know that John was on his right according to John 13:23, so it’s likely that Judas was next to him on the left. John 13:26-27 provides more detail: “‘It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it. So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot [this was the ultimate form of love and respect and the final opportunity for Judas to repent]. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’”
Let’s go back to Mark 14:21 to hear what else Jesus said: “For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!” We see here the mystery and majesty of how God’s sovereignty and human responsibility work together. The Old Testament and Jesus Himself foretold that He would be betrayed and delivered up to evil men to be crucified and after three days rise from the dead. This was all part of God’s sovereign plan. Peter picked up on this in Acts 1:15: “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas.” And yet, Judas is totally and completely responsible for his actions. The word “woe” means, “calamity, distress, great pain.”
We often want to separate these biblical truths by either stressing the sovereignty of God or human responsibility but they’re actually both taught in Scripture. Listen to what Peter preached in Acts 2:23: “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God [sovereignty], you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men [responsibility].”
When once asked how to reconcile the apparent contradiction between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, Charles Spurgeon replied: “I never have to reconcile friends. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility have never had a falling out with each other. I do not need to reconcile what God has joined together…they do not puzzle me, since I have given up my mind to believing them both.” Here’s my summary of this supposed theological conundrum: There is no biblical contradiction between God’s rule and human responsibility.
In our passage we see God’s sovereign will, Satan’s sinister influence and Judas’ sinful decision. Instead of trying put this all into a tidy package, be OK with that which is inscrutable, unexplainable and incomprehensible. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God…” May the wonders of who God is and how He works lead us into deeper worship of who He is. Instead of arguing, let’s respond with awe.
To underscore that what Judas did was worthy of damnation, Jesus concludes this section with these jarring words: “It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
Lessons from a Betrayer
Let’s land this message with some lessons that we can apply to our lives but before that I want to prepare you for how we’re going to end. After walking through these truths there will be an invitation to respond to the gospel. I’m going to ask you to stand if you’re ready to receive Jesus Christ and be born again. Some of you may actually want come down front for prayer during our closing song.
1. We’re all prone to bail and fail. Remember that all the disciples joined with Judas in indignantly complaining about how wasteful Mary was when she poured all that perfume on Jesus. While Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied Him and the other ten deserted Him. Scottish preacher Robert Murray M’Sheyne once said: “The seeds of every known sin lie within each one of our hearts.” The comic strip character Pogo put it like this: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” It’s actually good for us to ask, “Is it I, Lord?” because the answer just might be yes.
2. It’s possible to be near Jesus and still be far away spiritually. Judas heard all the sermons, witnessed all the miracles and saw all the demonstrations of love by the Lord and yet he somehow hardened himself. He professed to be a follower but did not possess saving faith. You may have been born in church but you are not yet born again.
3. God cares for those who have been terribly betrayed. I can’t begin to understand your pain but I want you to know that you matter to God and to us. We want Edgewood to be a safe place for you. Hearing stories about how Dr. Larry Nassar abused so many for so many years makes me want to cry. Knowing that sometimes pastors have done harm makes me want to vomit. This is a place of grace where you can find hope and healing. We have a support group that meets every Friday night if you’re ready to take that step.
4. Beware of the slippery slope of sin. One pastor writes, “Sinful acts gain momentum that makes it easier for us to embrace other, more heinous sins.” Judas first stole a few shekels and then made some more wrong choices until he was pulled deeper and deeper into depravity. Be careful about minimizing your sins because they may lead you to something even darker and more destructive.
5. You are responsible to respond. While Judas fulfilled ancient prophecies related to the betrayal of Christ, he was not forced to do anything against his will. Judas betrayed Jesus because he wanted to. Acts 1:25 says: “Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” Let me be clear. You don’t have to do something really bad to go to Hell. All you have to do is nothing and that’s where you’ll end up. Every human being deserves to pay for their sins in the eternal raging and unquenchable fires of Hell. The good news is that you don’t have to do any work because it’s all been done for you. But you must believe and receive that Jesus died in our place and rose again on the third day. John 1:12 says: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
6. Remorse is not the same as repentance. Judas felt bad and even made restitution by giving the 30 pieces of silver back but he never repented. Some of you have regret and remorse for what you’ve done but that’s not enough. Erwin Lutzer defines remorse as “simply bearing my own guilt and feeling self-hatred for what I’ve done.” It was those feelings that led Judas to take his own life.
Listen carefully. Judas’ biggest failure was not his betrayal but his lack of repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10 describes the difference between godly grief and worldly weeping: “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” Unless we repent of our sin and ask Jesus to forgive us and come into our lives as Savior and Lord, we will face the same awful eternity that Judas is enduring right now. Jesus put it like this in Luke 13:3: “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Acts 3:19 says, “Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out!”
7. Unless you’re born twice it’s better to never have been born. Don’t make the same mistake Judas did. If you’re not born again from above it will be better for you if you had never been born because you will spend eternity separated from God. Jesus said it this way in John 3:3: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
We have choices in life. We can take the high way or the low way, the right path or the wrong path. Listen to these words written by John Oxenham.
The Way
To every man there openeth
A Way, and Ways and a Way,
And the High Soul climbs the High Way (like Mary),
And the Low Soul gropes the Low (like Judas).
And in between, on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth
A High Way, and a Low;
And every man decideth
The way his soul shall go.
Mark 8:36-37: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?”
If you’re ready to repent and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior would you stand right now so I can pray for you?
Closing Song: “Just as I am”
