The Rational Response: Mark 14:43-49
Jesus responds as He does because of His connection to the Father. This theme has been at the surface of this story for the last few days of reading, and it will continue to be significant with every new confrontation Jesus faces. Jesus can do what He does because He is walking the path the Father has set before Him.
Judas comes with a crowd. It is unlikely Judas gathered the crowd together, but he did lead it. Based on the clues in the Gospel stories, Judas went to get the religious elite. It was the religious elite who brought an armed crowd to arrest Jesus.
This is important because there is a clue in the text indicating Judas isn’t the evil betrayer many think him to be. When Judas approaches Jesus, he calls Him “Rabbi.” This is the same word Peter used during the transfiguration to address Jesus. It is the word the blind man used for Jesus when Jesus asked him what he wanted. It is the name Nicodemus used when he met Jesus in the evening. It is the name Mary Magdalene uses to refer to Jesus after the resurrection. The word Rabbi is a word of respect, admiration, and submission.
Judas could have said anything to Jesus. He could have called Jesus by name. He could have called Him teacher. He could have even called Him master. Instead, Judas picks a word that indicates he still believes Jesus to be superior to himself. Judas isn’t trying to get Jesus killed; Judas is still trying to create a circumstance for Jesus to become the Messiah he believes Jesus to be.
As Judas approaches Jesus, he kisses Jesus. That, not the name Judas used, was the sign the religious elite agreed upon with Judas. The religious elite come to Jesus and physically restrain Him. They were armed; they felt it necessary to make a show of force.
Jesus’ response to the display of force is not only humbling but exceptionally counter-cultural. Jesus doesn’t resist. He doesn’t fight back. He doesn’t become assertive and aggressive. Instead, Jesus responds with logic and rational behavior. He asks them why they came with force when He was with them peaceably in the temple day after day.
This response shows how God’s ways are not our ways. Culturally, we applaud people who make others back down. We applaud people who talk louder than others, who carry a bigger stick than others, or who get more in the face of others. Our culture applauds those who respond to emotion with stronger emotion, but this is not what Jesus does. The religious elite and their crowd bring strong emotion; Jesus responds with a rationality derived from being on the same page as the Father. Jesus doesn’t need to get angry or even get emotional. This is the Father’s plan. Jesus only needs to walk the path the Father has planned for Him. Jesus responds as He does because of His connection to the Father.
