A Jesus as me...

While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him." And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Hail, Master!" And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, "Friend, why are you here?" Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?" At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. - Matthew 26:47-56

When we are prepared to betray Jesus, we tend to lean against Him and show Him love. We want ourselves to believe that we know Him best and will be ready for the movement to happen. Judas felt this too. He thought He knew Christ. Many scholars now believe that His betrayal was not in order to kill Christ, but to usher in the insurrection that Judas believed was coming through Christ. We do the same. Many will spend their days debating how Jesus would vote, what He would cut from the national budget, or who He loves more.

Quite often this leads to flattery. "Hail, Master!" Calling Him our Lord when we spend more time with self-portaiture. Thinking that with just a little nudge He might obey the call of the broken creation to do what they want instead of what He must. Trading in His majesty as the Son of God for an ordinary revolutionary who fights political tyrants instead of forgiving spiritual ones. Ones whose sins lead to the cross. Ones who He loved enough to be born to die for.

For this is the fulfillment of the Scriptures. One to bear our iniquities. One to cast our sins to the deepest sea. One who could have brought His army of angels to wipe out humanity and instead loves them enough to be taken as a criminal, to die like a criminal, to release the criminals and prisoners from their sins. Not for the purpose of giving us a better life here or to be elected to political office. Not to win football games or grant us a wish like a genie. But to bear our shame, our pain, our transgressions against Him so as to gather to Himself a people for Him.

TW