March 3 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Mark 14:43–52

Devotional

In Mark 14, the Lord Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane. He has been taken into custody and all His disciples have left Him. Suddenly, one man comes toward Him. He is a young man who joins himself to the men who are leading Jesus away. This young man does not belong to the enemies because the enemies desire to remove this man from their midst. Neither does this young man belong to the disciples for they have all left Jesus. Apparently he belongs to the friends of Jesus. He is an unknown soldier who appears to follow the Lamb of God.

Who is this young man? It was probably Mark himself, the author of this gospel. No other gospel makes note of this event. No one else could have written about it because there were only enemies present. Besides that, he wore a linen garment. That was the night clothing worn by those who were well off. We know historically that Mark came from a rich family.

This brave young man in a linen garment follows Jesus. Although the disciples abandoned Jesus there is still one who wants to follow Him. He will be faithful to Him. This one young man wants to show support for Jesus. He left the comfort of his bed at night because the drawing love of Christ compelled Him.

We would nearly say this was uplifting for the Lord Jesus. There is at least one person who will be His companion on His road of suffering. But no, that’s not what happened because it doesn’t take long before the soldiers realize that the young man is a follower of Jesus. Then look! This young man runs for his own safety. The soldiers grab him and take hold of his linen cloth but he escapes and leaves the linen cloth in the hands of the soldiers. He cherishes his own life and wants to save his own skin. No, this was no uplifting moment for the Surety. Rather, this was for Him a bitter drop in the cup of His sufferings. This last sheep lets go of Him just like the disciples. It is as if the devil whispers to Jesus, “Do you see that all have forsaken Thee? No one wants anything to do with Thee.” It is as if the tempter asks, “For whom must Thou now die? Where are Thy sheep? Is anyone still interested in Thee?”

If the Lord Jesus desired, He could have ripped the bonds of His arrest apart as Samson had done. But He never wasted His strength on sin. If He desired, He could have called on the angels to deliver Him. He could have consumed the enemies. He could do this all, but He did not want to because of His great love for sinners. He does not want to save Himself. He will continue His way of suffering and death even for those who forsook Him. This is the Surety in His suffering. Not only is He cast out of the communion of men, He will also be cast out of the communion with God. It was God Himself in justice who smote the Shepherd. God’s justice demands punishment for sin. Here, the Shepherd experiences what it means, “I am alone and in misery.”

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.