Here Comes My Betrayer. ENOUGH!

House destroyed by Beirut Blast Aug 4th 2020

Mark 14 41-42 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

I was reading the familiar story of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, it is an important part of the story of the passion of Jesus in the hours before the crucifixion. And this one word struck me

ENOUGH!

Before this the story is relatively safe, we see Jesus talking seriously about many things preparing his disciples for the future ahead, then we see him gathering with a few friends to pray needing their support. It is a beautiful scene of his humanity he is burdened beyond belief with his destiny and suffering and needing his friends yet they fall asleep.

Then eventually after all the preparation it cannot alter what is happening now, Jesus says enough, let us go and face the betrayal.

There comes a moment when we need to draw a line and say enough, enough analysis, enough praying, enough discussion, enough time has passed it is time to move.

Even if moving on means facing failure and shame.

From that moment when Jesus said enough, it is as though the gloves were off and all becomes chaos, safety is abandoned and we see betrayal, violence, noisy mobs and political manipulation, tragedy and pain, abandonment and loss, disappointment and crisis.

The gloves were off indeed from that moment on we see the action begin, before this the whole history in the old testament and Jesus birth and life up to this moment were just preparation.

When Jesus said  

‘ENOUGH’

He meant it, everything is ready and now I can move on and from this point on Heaven will come down to earth, the world is ready to see what God can do. From that moment on though the disciples did not yet see it they would soon be taking the news to the whole world.

Enough preparation God is moving on the earth. Today we see individuals in the farthest corners of the world are receiving this message. Enough of the old life, they are receiving a new life.

A life that does not lie down and accept injustice and sickness, but fights against them because they have ruled for long enough.

A life that does not abandon the broken and handicapped the poor and the sick but does something about them.

A life that does not accept that ignorance is acceptable but brings education to those without any hope

A life that is prepared to face the shame and failure because knowing Jesus is worth all the suffering because having once tasted his love there is no going back

A life that says our environment is meant for us to live and thrive in and we have ignored it for long enough

A life that says enough of the evil that men continually invent we will continually fight them for the sake of the future.

If you listen carefully to your own heart maybe you can find something that has gone on for long enough, and it is time to draw a line and see the new life that is found on the other side of that line.

Jesus said

Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

We also go where he went. It is not safe it can be chaotic and disturbing, decidedly uncomfortable and full of unwanted passions. Yet in this we find a richness of life that is not available any other way. I see this in the faces of my friends who have suffered and say that their faith is greater because of that suffering. They have fought to find faith when met by betrayal and injustice and they have found it, and it was worth it. Faith like this is the faith that changes the world for everyone.

Faith like this says, ‘Enough!’