The Betrayal: A Place of Eternal Love

Midweek of Lent 3
St. John's Lutheran Church, Alexandria, VA
Luke 22:47-53

“The Betrayal: A Place of Eternal Love” (Places of the Passion)

Night has fallen. Darkness covers the land. Things – and people – are hidden, not as they appear in the light. It’s the perfect time for betrayal.

“On the night when He was betrayed…” We hear those words each time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Tonight we come to the arrest of Jesus in the garden. He shared the Passover meal with his disciples. He went out to the Mount of Olives to pray with them, agonizing over the cost of his destiny. Now, having woken, his disciples from their slumber, he is betrayed. Spend some time considering this brief segment of Luke’s account of the Passion, though, and you’ll see that at least three betrayals take place.

Jesus said that one of the Twelve would betray him, and now that’s coming true. Jesus isn’t a passive participant in the unfolding events, however; Luke shows us that Jesus commands the scene as it develops. Judas was one of the Twelve, men who sat at Jesus’ feet to learn from him, traveling with him, even being sent out by their Teacher with the authority to cast out demons and to heal as they went out proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom (Luke 9:1). Now he comes pretending to be a disciple, but he isn’t following Jesus; instead, he’s the one leading the enemy right to his Teacher, ready to turn him over with a kiss. Acting as Satan’s agent, he will betray Jesus with a hypocritical gesture of love.

But even as he is being betrayed, Jesus still loves Judas. When Jesus asks, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” he’s not surprised at what’s happening. He’s not. Rather, he’s still treating Judas as his disciple. Jesus puts this question to him, calling Judas to consider the sin of his action, that he has handed himself over to evil. Judas has betrayed himself. Jesus knows the suffering that his disciple is setting before himself with this kiss of death. Jesus wants Judas to wake up and turn from his path before it is too late.

And then comes the second betrayal: the rest of the Twelve fail to follow Jesus, revealing that they’ve failed to take to heart all the things he’s said about who he is: that he must be handed over to those who would put him to death. Instead of following the Father’s will as Jesus does, the Eleven become agents of Satan, like Judas, seeking avoid what would come of it and have their own way. They ask, ““Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” but can’t even wait for their master’s response before lashing out with violence. Their action – presumably using one of those two swords they asked Jesus about just hours before – betray their misplaced confidence as they try to keep Jesus’ destiny from becoming reality.

How does Jesus respond to this second betrayal? Still, with love. With a sharp rebuke, Jesus puts an end to his disciples’ rebellious violence. Rather than overcoming evil, it would only add to it. Instead of rallying troops to battle, Jesus again demonstrates the nature of his mission as the Messiah: he came into our broken world to bring the healing that we ultimately need. Reaching out and touching the chief priest’s servant, Jesus heals his ear. Jesus commands the scene so fully here that he uses it as another opportunity to show his disciples how to be merciful. Even at the coming of this hour of darkness, Jesus shows compassion, even on those who came as his enemies.

There’s the third betrayal. Jesus’ final question is telling. Directed at the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come out against him, it lays bare the true nature of their motivations. The leaders who had been entrusted with the spiritual well-being of the people of Israel cared primarily about their own prosperity and power. They betray their responsibility, rejecting God’s long-awaited Messiah. Jesus has called them out on their living and their leadership, yet they refuse to repent. Instead, they come after him in secrecy under the cover of darkness, fearing the angry outcry that would accompany a public arrest, avoiding the people’s wrath.

In the face of this betrayal, Jesus still loves. He allows himself to be seized and taken away, at peace with his divinely appointed suffering and death. Coming from the prayerful struggle in Gethsemane, Jesus goes out from the garden aware of what’s to come. He does so out of love, knowing that his sacrifice was what the people most needed, knowing it was the battle that would overthrow the enemy, the enemy whose power lurks in the hour of darkness.

Have you experienced the power of darkness? It can slip in among us as we use excuses to cover our inaction. We’re not always as we appear to be. We hide our self-centered motivations under explanations and justifications. When we pretend to be Jesus’ disciples, looking to care for our own interests first, we hand ourselves over to sin. We betray Jesus, too.

Nevertheless, he still loves us. Jesus enters into the hour of darkness as the embodiment of God’s eternal love. He is the Prince of Peace who fulfills his Father’s mission to deliver us from darkness, from the kiss of death that is our sin. And he shows God’s eternal love by giving himself over for us. Every time you hear those words, “On the night when He was betrayed,” Jesus continues by saying, “Take, eat; take, drink; this is for you.” He has come to deliver forgiveness, for you.

Night has fallen. Darkness covers the land. But the light of God’s eternal love in Christ still shines.

Amen.