“Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the 12, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.”
– Mark 14:10–11
As we pray through different verses in the gospels that describe the week leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave on this Wednesday, we come to the day. It was likely either Tuesday or Wednesday when Judas finally agreed to betray Jesus. Mark 14:10–11 tell us in a very short span about a significant sin. About this man who had spent years by Jesus’ side, who went to the religious leaders of the day to betray Jesus for a small sum of money, and he started to look for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them.
We ought to be humbled before Christ due to the ways we are prone to betray Jesus with our words and our actions.
There’s so much we could talk about here, so much, even as we think about our own lives and the ways we are prone to treat others, the ways we are prone to betray Jesus with our words and our actions.
Mark 14:10–11 Reminds Us to be Humble
Certainly, Mark 14:10-11 should bring about humility in us before Jesus for the ways we have turned from Him, from His Word, the ways in which we have not testified to Him when we have had an opportunity. Also, to reflect on ways that we’ve betrayed others, ways in which others have put their confidence, their trust in us, and we’ve not proven worthy of that trust. Then, after we’ve looked in our own hearts and our own lives, humbly confessing sin, to realize that in this sinful world, others will betray, have betrayed us. There’s a lot we can pray here. I just want to lead us to pray on all of those levels.
Mark 14:10–11 Leads Us to Pray for Forgiveness
Lord Jesus, we bow our hearts before you now. We pray for your forgiveness for ways that we have betrayed you, for ways that we have turned from you, for ways that we have opposed you, for ways that we have been silent when you have given us opportunities to speak about you.
Jesus, we praise you for your love for us despite our over and over again, in so many different ways, not proving worthy of your trust in our lives. We praise you for your trustworthiness. We praise you that you have never and will never betray us. All glory be to your name. We love you, Lord, as our perfect friend. Even as we think about others in this world who have betrayed us, people who we have placed our trust in who have taken that trust and hurt us with it, God, we pray that you would help us to love them as you have loved us.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray to be Faithful
Jesus, may your love for us drive our love for them. God help us to be faithful to you and help us to be faithful to others. Lord, help us to be faithful followers of Jesus today. To follow you in every way, to speak of you, as we have the opportunity to testify to you, to walk in obedience to your commands, to walk in intimacy with you in intimate friendship with you, God may that be true of our day today. And that you would help us to be faithful friends to others, faithful coworkers, faithful neighbors, people upon whom others can trust to love them, serve them, care for them and be true to the word we give to them.
God, we pray in light of Mark 14:10-11 that you would help us to be faithful even as we bow our hearts right now, and we praise you for your faithfulness to us, your faithfulness that drove you all the way to the cross, even when that meant being betrayed by one of your closest friends. We love you, Jesus, and we pray all of this in your name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
