WHAT IS BURIED INSIDE YOU?

Mark 14:17-21

¹⁷ When evening happened, he came with the twelve. ¹⁸ And when they were reclining and were eating, Jesus said, “I guarantee you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” ¹⁹ They began to be offended and to say to him one after another, “You know it is not me?” ²⁰ He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me. ²¹ Because the Son of Man is going as it is written of him, but tragedy will come to that man by whom the Son of Man is given over! It would have been better for that man not to have been born.”

one of us

Judas was not an outsider. He was not a villain lurking at the edges of the story. He was one of the twelve—trusted, included, sent out to preach, empowered to heal, welcomed into every circle where Jesus taught and revealed Himself. And that is what makes his betrayal so unsettling. The same is true of Eve, and of every figure in history who has turned against God in catastrophic ways. They are not a different species. They are us. The seeds of rebellion run through the human story. Apostasy is not an ancient problem or a rare one. It is woven into the fabric of fallen humanity. Every generation must face this truth honestly. We cannot pretend that we have evolved beyond the capacity to betray our Creator.

The disciples felt the shock of this when Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him. All twelve recoiled at the thought. Each one insisted—almost pleaded—that he could never do such a thing. Yet Judas had already made his arrangements. He had preached the gospel with power. He had watched people turn to Christ. He had walked the roads, shared the meals, and witnessed the miracles. And now he was ready to trade the Son of God for a handful of coins. The contrast is devastating: the man who once appeared sold out for Jesus was now prepared to sell Him out.

If betrayal can rise from within the twelve, it can rise within any of us. The betrayer does not always announce himself early. He may wait for an opportune moment, hiding beneath layers of fear, resentment, greed, or wounded pride. That is why none of us can take our loyalty for granted. We cannot trust our own strength or our own resolve. We cling to Christ because He alone can keep us faithful. We hold to the cross like a lifeline, not because we are strong, but because we know how weak we can be.

LORD, make us loyal and faithful to You.