Betrayal …

Mark 15:1-15

¹ Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

² “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

³ The chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”

⁵ But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

⁶ Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. ⁷ A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. ⁸ The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

⁹ “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, ¹⁰ knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

¹² “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

¹³ “Crucify him!” they shouted.

¹⁴ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

This passage is about betrayal.  Ultimate betrayal!  

Jesus was betrayed by the people who should have been His biggest supporters, the religious leaders of the day.  He was also betrayed by the very people He was trying the help, the Jewish people of the region. It was the ultimate betrayal because it leads directly to His death.

As the Son of God, the depths of this betrayal cannot be measured in human terms, it can only be understood in the eternal divine realm as the ultimate gift of forgiveness.

For us in the ‘here and now’ we are left with a remarkable example of humility. Throughout the ordeal Jesus never lashed out, He never condemned or even defended His innocence but His only response and to His dying breath was to ‘forgive’.  Regarding Jesus’ response to this injustice it says Pilate was ‘amazed’.

As I write this Daily Digest entry on this very day a person very dear to me has been wrongly treated by their place of work. However, I am happy to report that even though this will lead to the end of this person’s position they have chosen to work willingly with the organisation to ensure a smooth transition.  You can only do these types of things willingly when there is forgiveness in your heart.

How do you respond when people mistreat you?

Lord, allow us to appreciate the sacrifice you made for each of us individually and help us to forgive others as you have forgiven us.  Amen.    

Written by David Newton