One Goes Out, the Other Goes In

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Scripture:

Mark 14:10   Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

Observation:

The anonymous woman had just come into the company of Jesus and his disciples to anoint him. This would have been highly suspect because men and women were to practice social distancing in the day with the woman never having come into physical contact with Jesus. The section ends by contrasting the action of Judas. He had been in physical proximity, near to Jesus for an extended period of time but now he chooses to go out. 

Evidently wanted posters had been placed throughout the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was a wanted man, and his whereabouts came with a reward. Again we find the juxtaposition between Judas and the woman. One found Jesus, entered near and gave him everything, while the other went out and provided information to his whereabouts and made himself rich. 

The religious leaders didn’t want to arrest Jesus in public because they were afraid of the people. They needed an insider who could lead the temple guards to Jesus when he was in a secluded location. Judas went out and met with the chief priests and began planning his betrayal. 

Application:

The spiritual life is a journey in which we are always on the move, either going in, or going out. Far too many think that they can be stationary, having come to Christ but then not growing in their spiritual lives. That’s not really a possibility because life is always about growth and development, movement that takes us in one direction or the other. 

Although Judas was in close proximity to Jesus, he was moving away spiritually. His selfish desires were never given over to the leadership of Jesus Christ. He was constantly concerned about money and Jesus’ spirit of generosity remained entirely foreign. Instead of becoming more like Jesus, he created distance in his heart, soul, and mind that led him in an entirely different direction. 

No wonder we are challenged to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength! This provides momentum that continually moves us in the right direction, toward the Savior. When our heart, soul, mind and strength are disengaged from loving the Lord, then we move away, sometimes without even being aware. 

Depending on where you are in the world, the next eight weeks will be a major slow-down in life. Maybe this provides us with the opportunity to evaluate whether we have been going in, or going out. If we’ve not been actively going in, we might want to think about ways to change the momentum. Draw near to Jesus, and bring him everything! That’s what it means to go in. 

Prayer:

Lord, draw me close to you. Amen. 

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