Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived, and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” So when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.
Then they laid hands on him and arrested him. But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a rebel? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.” All of them deserted him and fled.
A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.
Mark 14:43-52 NRSV
Previously in the passage, Jesus tells Peter, James, and John three times to stay awake and pray that they may not come into the time of trial. Reading that, I wonder if Jesus was calling them to be spiritually discerning to understand how to respond when the moment of His arrest came. Would things have been different if they had prayed instead of sleeping? Maybe they would have known what to do or even chosen not to get involved at all. Instead, because they fell asleep, they reacted according to the flesh rather than the Spirit as we see this in verse 47, “But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.”
Carrying that into the passage, I also realize how quickly we judge Judas for betraying Jesus. The more I read the Gospels, the more I see similarities between the disciples and us, and how Jesus patiently dealt with them. Would Jesus still have been arrested if Judas hadn’t betrayed Him? I believe so. God’s will, which was God in Christ taking on the wrath earned by humanity, would have been fulfilled regardless. Yet Judas, driven by greed, chose to be part of that moment. And still, I find myself asking why Judas did what he did, without first examining my own life.
God has given us instruction through Scripture, yet I can’t count how many times I’ve “slept” and missed the ways God was speaking to me. As a student and a leader, there have been countless times when I’ve lost myself in busy schedules and overwhelming responsibilities. I’ve asked God for direction, but instead of spending time listening, I spent more time planning my next steps. I found myself asking, “When is God speaking to me?” when the real question should have been, “Am I even listening?”
In many ways, I’ve lived like a modern-day Judas, betraying Jesus daily. I’ve “kissed” Him with my words, yet traded Him for temporary, tangible things; no different from the thirty pieces of silver. My testimony is a reflection of how many times I’ve exchanged something eternal for something fleeting. Yet even in that, His grace has been sufficient for me. And because of that grace, I no longer want to live that way. And because He willingly allowed Himself to be arrested in the garden, it all points to the grace we’ve been given to become a child of God, who was born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, or the will of man, but of God.
Hoih Nu is a second-year theology major on the pre-med track at La Sierra University and currently serves as the spiritual vice president of the Student Association (SALSU).