Mark 14:43-52 Every Step is Joy: Christ Is Despised For Us

The Text

Mark 14:43–52 (CSB)
⁴³ While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.

⁴⁴ His betrayer had given them a signal. “The one I kiss,” he said, “he’s the one; arrest him and take him away under guard.”

⁴⁵ So when he came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.

⁴⁶ They took hold of him and arrested him.

⁴⁷ One of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸ Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture me?

⁴⁹ Every day I was among you, teaching in the temple, and you didn’t arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”

⁵⁰ Then they all deserted him and ran away.

⁵¹ Now a certain young man, wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following him. They caught hold of him,

⁵² but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.

The Devotion

Since Genesis 3, since sin entered into the world, we have all despised God.

God made us to worship him. We exchange that goodness and righteousness for what? To be our own God. To foolishly think our way was better than his way.

Over and over again, through the Bible and throughout the history of mankind, God would speak directly to us--he would let us in on the plan. You know what we consistently do? We can't accept the plan. Even when Christ told the disciples, "I have to die", "I must go", "It will be better if I went back", "I am going to die and in three days, will rise", the disciples didn't believe it.

And neither can we. I cannot tell you how many friends of mine who love God but cannot bare the thought that the son of God did die. They come to the conclusion: "Christ did not have to die. He could have simply forgiven sins by speaking the words."

That sounds nice but what did God say?

Hebrews 9:22 (CSB) According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

We despise his way. We despise his plan. We despise God.

But God did not save us because of us. God saved us despise us and our continuous sin. Because God is God and God is love and God made a promise and he will see that promise to the bitter end.

For our sake and his glory. For our salvation and our joy. For his righteousness and holiness. Forevermore.

Every step that Christ took towards the cross was in complete joy and satisfaction because every step he took was one step closer to completely, satisfactorily, perfectly, definitely, absolutely, forever "save his people from their sins."