Preached on March 4, 2020
Order of Service: The Order of the Confessional Service, Page 41, Psalmody: Psalm 41 (See insert.)
Lection: Passion History – Lesson 2.
Sermon: “Behold Our Savior, A Man of Sorrows: Behold Him In The Sorrow Of being Betrayed.” Isaiah 53:3 (Based on the Passion History – Lesson 2.)
Hymns: 149, 347, 409 390
Dear Friends in Christ,
This evening we continue our Lenten emphasis on our Savior, a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. His entire life and ministry were marked with many sorrows, especially on the part of those who would not own Him. The Bible says, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” (John 1:11)
Last week we beheld our Savior bearing great sorrow as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. His soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. His true human soul was filled with the sorrow brought on by our sin and guilt which were imputed to Him. Added to that, He bore the anguish caused by the holy wrath and punishment of God which we deserved on account of our sins. It was all this sorrow which drove Him to the garden to pray. Three times He fell on the ground and prayed, “Father, if thou be willing, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
Tonight, we find Jesus still in Gethsemane. He has just finished praying. He has been strengthened by an angel and is now ready to drink the cup of suffering. He has now awakened His three sleeping disciples who were not able to watch with Him for one hour.
At this point, He and all His disciples are about to leave the garden. However, they are suddenly confronted with a band of men marching in with lanterns, torches, swords and staves. Who are these men, and what are they up to? Among these men are temple guards and officers sent by the chief priests and elders. They have been dispatched to arrest Jesus. And who is leading this band of men? None other than one of Jesus’ very own disciples, Judas Iscariot! For thirty pieces of silver he covenanted with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus into their hands. Jesus was to be arrested as if He were some kind of criminal.
In our service this evening, we are going to behold our Savior, a Man of Sorrows, having to endure the sickening sorrow of being betrayed. It is not pleasant. At the same time, as we behold our Savior bearing this sorrow, we are also going to meditate upon the lessons to be learned from this painful and pitiful event. Indeed, even out of this woeful event our Savior would have us learn from Him.
First, let us return to Gethsemane and see how this awful betrayal unfolded. We see that this betrayal was carefully planned. By this time, Judas had already fallen from grace. Scripture does not tell us specifically when Judas lost his faith. It appears to have occurred long before the betrayal was agreed to. Judas had already become a thief. Covetousness had choked out his faith. O how covetousness can warp a person’s values! Judas’ coveting heart was so distorted that he saw thirty pieces silver to be a reasonable amount of money to betray the Son of God! Thirty pieces of silver amounted to about $15, the price of a slave! Judas knew how badly the Jewish leaders wanted to apprehend Jesus. He knew how agitated they were when they learned that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, Thus, Judas knew how easy it would be to make a deal with the Jews. Judas knew this would be easy money.
Now since Judas was one of Jesus’ very own disciples, he knew where Jesus could be found. He knew that the Garden of Gethsemane was a place Jesus often frequented with His disciples. It was a place of rest and quietness and thus for uninterrupted prayer. The Bible says, “And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with His disciples.” (John 18:2) Thus, the plan was that Judas would be given a band of men who would go with him to arrest Jesus in the garden. The plan was that Judas would go up to Jesus and kiss him! This would be the sign to the temple guards that this was the man they were to arrest. That Judas decided to use a kiss on the cheek as a sign is most indicative of a wicked hypocrite. A kiss is usually an expression of sincere love and friendship. Judas wishes to make it look as if he is most happy to see Jesus and wants to show that He is still a dear friend. But what was this kiss? It was a kiss of betrayal! This is where we get the well-known expression, “the kiss of Judas.” And kiss he did . The Bible says, “And Judas drew near to Him to kiss Him, and he goeth straightway to Him and saith, “Hail Master, and kissed Him.”
Imagine how Jesus felt in His true human soul! Remember, Jesus was true man as well as true God. In His true human soul He felt sorrow just as you and I feel sorrow. Jesus felt the grief of this betrayal just as you and I would feel great sorrow if a friend were to betray us or let us down!
But how did Jesus respond? He responded as the gracious Savior of sinners! Even in this most grievous moment, Jesus had a heart of grace! Jesus said to Judas, “Friend, wherefore art thou come? Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?” You would think these words would have pierced Judas’ soul. You would think he would have felt a tug of conscience when his kiss was answered with his Savior’s pleading love! Think of it, Jesus still calls Judas His friend! Even as Judas is sinning most grievously, Jesus in His ever faithful mercy is reaching out to get him to repent and to save his soul! It is just as the Bible says, “having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.” (John 13:1) Yes, our Savior, even in the midst of this sorrow of being betrayed, loved Judas and sought to rescue his soul from damnation. Jesus did not wish nor predestine Judas’ damnation. As the Bible says, “Who is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:9) Likewise, the Bible says, “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11) What a tragedy, therefore, that Judas’ heart had now closed off itself against the gracious love of his Savior, the Lord Jesus.
Now then, what do we learn for ourselves as we behold our Savior, a Man of Sorrows, in His sorrow of being betrayed? First, there is the lesson to be learned from Judas. He was a disciple. There is no doubt that he believed when He was called to be a disciple. Our Savior would not enlist an unbeliever into the circle of His disciples. Yet as time went on, Judas obviously fell from grace. Judas ever stands as a prime example of why Scripture says, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (I Cor, 10:12) When a believer begins to rely on himself, whether it be reliance on one’s own reason and intellect, or whether it be reliance upon ones own ability and strength to persevere in difficult times, or whether he must have riches and power, he is well on his way to a fall. In the Parable of the Sower, we learn that a believer can fall when he permits the cares, riches and pleasures of this world choke out the seed of the Word. As Jesus says, “And they that fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” (Luke 8:14)
Thus, Judas permitted the pursuit of money to choke out the seed of the Word and to take control of his life. It warped his sense of values. Remember what Judas said after Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus’ feet with spikenard, and expensive, sweet-smelling ointment? Scripture says, “Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which would betray Him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?” (John 12:6.) Judas could not see the love for Jesus which motivated this use of the ointment. All he saw were dollar signs. As the Apostle John explained, “This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.” (John 12:6) By this time, Judas had already proven to be a thief by stealing money out of the disciples’ little bag of money. And notice what Jesus said! He set the record straight. He said, “Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.” (vv.7-8) Thus, Judas’ alleged concern for the poor was a sham; it was hypocritical. Judas saw this spikenard of ointment as potential money to be placed into the bag from which he could dip his covetous hand! As the Bible says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” (I Tim. 6:10)
However, there are other lessons to be learned from Jesus Himself as He bore the sorrow of betrayal. If we out of faith and love follow His steps, we, too, may well experience betrayal. As we walk in the ways of God’s Word, there may be times when someone will let us down. Perhaps a friend bows to some social pressure to forsake you and to stand with the crowd. You stand on principle. You out of conscience toward God refuse to do what the group is urging, and your friend does not stand with you. You are abandoned and forsaken, and betrayed! It hurts! O how it hurts! What shall you do? Shall you hate your unfaithful friend? Shall you carry in your heart bitterness and malice toward your betrayer? No, just as Jesus our Savior endured His betrayal with a heart of love and mercy, even calling Judas, “Friend,” so let us also love and pray for our betrayer! With a heart of mercy that is anxious to forgive, let us win back our betrayer. Let us win him back, not just to you, but to our Savior Himself! Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt. 5:7)
Furthermore, even as we are called upon to walk in Jesus’ steps and suffer many sorrows, even being betrayed and forsaken, we never walk alone. There is no step we have to tread that our Savior has not already trod for us! As we walk in the steps of our Savior, the Man of Sorrows, we walk with Him who understands as a Brother in the flesh. The Bible says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15) In other words, we walk with Him who is moved with the feeling of our infirmities. We walk with Him who has perfect sympathy and empathy. We walk with Him who gives us grace in the midst of our sorrows.
And most of all, as we behold our Savior, a Man of Sorrows, let us never doubt the earnestness and sincerity of His love for us who are weak in the flesh and ever prone to go astray. Just as our Savior loved Judas unto the end, so He loves us unto the end. There is not a day, hour, minute, or second that Jesus does not love us! As He says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb. 13:5) Likewise, Jesus says, “And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:20) Thus, each time we go to Him with our sins and weaknesses, He is there for us! He says, “And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) As our Savior, He is our High Priest at God’s Right Hand, ever interceding for us.
Thus, even if we should also suffer the painful sorrow of being betrayed, our loving Savior will sustain us and comfort us with His tender mercy. O what love! May this unfailing love ever draw us unto Him! In His holy Name. Amen.