Betrayal and Rejection // Easter Without Chocolate, Part 3

When you see the way someone reacts in difficult circumstances, under pressure, when they’re betrayed and rejected – then you discover what they’re really like.  So how did Jesus react?

One of the hardest things in life is when we're betrayed and rejected. Basically, we all want relationships of trust, and basically, we all want to be liked, okay some more than others but it's a pretty natural thing, isn't it? What we'd really like is for our life to cruise along with great relationships, people we can depend on, people who like us.

But it's not always like that, so often there's betrayal, so often there's rejection and that hurts. My hunch is that if I did a word association with a hundred people and asked them to give me the first word that pops into their mind that relates to Easter, for most it would be chocolate or Easter bunny or something like that. Rejection and betrayal, I think they'd be right down at the bottom of the list.

It's amazing you know, Easter has become a really sweet, chocolaty, fluffy, kiddy type of thing. Easter bunnies, chocolate eggs, more chocolate, yet more chocolate. There's nothing wrong with any of that except it's replaced the reality of Easter with something that isn't real, something sweet and sugary that's not the reality.

Easter's about Jesus, the Son of God, this Jesus who did amazing things, the miracles and people He healed and He spoke and made sense. Somehow when Jesus spoke, you can read about it in Matthew or Mark or Luke or John, the four Gospels, the records of his life, when He spoke somehow he just resonated with people, the truth is like that, it's like a tuning fork, it just hits the right pitch in your heart.

I really encourage you, if you've never done that before, grab one of those books in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John and just read it through from beginning to end; it's only a few hours to read one of those. I remember when I first read the book of Mark, it's the shortest of the four Gospel accounts, and it just blew me away.

Things jump out at you, at least they did for me. The stark difference between the rule based organised religion of the day and this earthy, real, compassionate, passionate Jesus and whenever someone comes along and threatens the status quo, this rule based religion, this power thing that was going on at the time and that's what Jesus did, He was a religious and political subversive, whenever someone does that then feathers are going to get ruffled.

Powerful people don't like their power bases being threatened or eroded. You see it today in politics and business and yep, even in religion, there's nothing new under the sun and that's exactly what happened to Jesus. I'm just going to have a read of a story because often we don't do this, let me just read this story, the historical account of this in John, chapter 18:

When Jesus had finished praying he left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove and he and his disciples went into it. Now, Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place because Jesus had often met his disciples there, so Judas came to the grove and guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees.

They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus knowing all that was going to happen to him went out and asked them, "Who is it that you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied and he said, "That's me," and Judas the traitor was standing there with them. When Jesus said, "That's me," they drew back and fell to the ground and again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." "I told you that's me," Jesus said, "If you're looking for me then let these men go."

This happened so the words he had spoken would be fulfilled, "I have not lost one of those you gave to me." Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it off and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. The servants name was Malchus. Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away. Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and Jewish officials arrested Jesus, they bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father in law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year, and Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priests courtyard but Peter had to wait outside the door. The other disciple who had known the high priest came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in. "Aren't you one of his disciples?" The girl at the door asked and Peter said, "No, not me."

It was cold and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made for themselves and Peter was standing there too, warming himself. Meanwhile the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching, "I've spoken openly to the world,” Jesus said, "I always taught in the synagogues or at the temples where all the Jews came together. I said nothing in secret, why do you ask me questions?”

Ask those who heard me, surely they know what I said." When Jesus said this one of the officials nearby, struck him in the face, "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" He demanded. "If I've said something wrong." Jesus said, "Testify to what is wrong but if I spoke the truth why do you strike me?" Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

And on it went, Jesus was tried several times in these kangaroo courts, ultimately He was tried by the people, Pontius Pilate and Barabbas was set free, the guilty one and Jesus, Jesus was the one that was crucified. He was beaten, reviled, spat upon, dragged his cross up onto that hill called Golgotha which means, "Skull" and nailed to it.

You know what really hits me about this? Jesus was betrayed by so many people, not just Judas, Judas is the number one betrayer but by Peter who denied Him. All of the disciples deserted Him, the crowds, the people who had been so amazed by His teachings and had seen his miracles, they were the ones who ultimately bayed for His blood, they said, "Let Barabbas go and crucify Jesus". And the religious leaders, the people who should have recognised the Son of God, they were the very ones that plotted to kill him.

Jesus knows betrayal and rejection better than anyone and that's how He chose to pay for our sin, mine and yours, to be rejected and betrayed. I use that word deliberately, our rejection of God, He chose to allow this to happen to Him so that you and I would be set free, so that our debt would be paid, so that we would be forgiven. It's not some pantomime, it's not a stained glass window, it's not an Easter egg or an Easter bunny, it's a brutal reality to deal with the greatest problem of humanity; your rejection and my rejection of God. If you've never accepted him as the Lord of your life, why don't you pray this prayer with me now?

Father,
I've heard about this Jesus, this Jesus who was betrayed and reviled and beaten and yet still went to the cross for me to pay for my sin. Father, thank you so much for that, I just confess the things that I've done wrong, I'm sorry for them Father and I give them to you, I turn away from them. I can only do that in your strength and I pray for you to help me but I want to follow Jesus with all my life, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my spirit. I want to live the rest of my life here and have a fantastic relationship God with you through Jesus. Thank you that I can believe in Jesus, the one who suffered and paid my price. Thank you that I have forgiveness and Father, I just pray that you would show me your face, that you would show me how to live my life. I ask that in Jesus Christ’s name.
Amen.