It is important to remember that those who betrayed Jesus were very religious people, a cast a characters that included a disciple (Judas), the chief priests, scribes, and officers, with Satan himself present to enusre it all came off well.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we want to respond to all things in accord with our Lord's word and example.This includes how we respond to human evil. Here are a few thoughts on how to do this.

What is the ground of our assurance as disciples? what will be our confidence on the day of judgment? Throughout the history of institutional Christianity, assurance has been tied to externals like church attendance, sacraments, using Christian termonoligies and symbols. In this episode, we are reminded what it is that brings the disciple great assurance.

From the lips of Jesus to the preaching and pens of the apostles, wealth is presented as a major obstacle to spiritual health. This is contrary to most ancient cultures and certainly contrary to the American culture, even contrary to American religion. How is the disciple to respond?

Fallen humanity remains very religious, and the disciple of Jesus must not be taken in by the hypocrisy and lies of false religion tradition. Rather, we must discern and expose the religious traditions of men for what they are, and instead, listen to Jesus alone.

The disciple of Jesus must share in his Master's definition of the church as being His Body. The ministry therefore belongs to Christ and is realized by the mediating work of the Spirit through the entire Body. The clergy-laity distinction is a man-made institution from which the disciple must therefore come out.

With the coming of our Lord came the radical teaching that to love is one commandment with two parts: Love of God and love of neighbor. This is how Jesus loved and this is how his disciples are to love as well.

It is foundational that disciples not demand to be served but to serve one another, just as Jesus did. Wealth, status, and power are not the way of Jesus nor of his disciples. This is very important in our day in which most pastors believe they have authority they do not truly possess.

When Jesus called his first disciples, he issued a command to follow him. It was not a suggestion, but a command. In other words, to be a disciple means to be a follower of Jesus, and not merely a believer, as important as that is.

We are all born into a family culture that defines who we are and creates our personal identity. When we come to Christ, we are tempted to integrate Christ into our existing narrative and identity, which is just the opposite of what Christ calls His disciples to do. The disciple is to instead walk away from other defining narratives and make Jesus Himself our new identity.