In the Moment (Part 5): When They Turn On You

TO START

Invite the group to share something meaningful that happened to them this past week.

  • Why was it meaningful? Was it spontaneous or planned? How did it come about?

TO DISCUSS

This week, Zane wrapped up our series, In the Moment by talking about one of the most universal moments of the human experience that speaks to one simple problem across human history: betrayal. 

  • Do you know the feeling of betrayal? In other words, have you ever been betrayed by someone or something? What was it? How did it make you feel? Did it change you? 

  • If someone betrayed you, how did it change the way you viewed the betrayer or people in general?

Let’s get to the moment… Read Mark 14:43-52... what we see is one particularly well-known moment where the Son of God experienced the pain of betrayal 

  • What stands out to you in Jesus’s response to his betrayer even as he knows it’s coming? And why do you think the crowd is so aggressively armed in their journey towards arresting Jesus?

In the sermon, Zane directs us to Judas’s background and the importance of his kiss of death and betrayal as one of Jesus’s closest “friends”. Zane argues that one possible way of understanding Judas’s actions is that he’s trying to be a master manipulator forcing Jesus to respond to power with power while he misses that Jesus isn’t gaining power by the same human understanding of power.

  • Have you had moments where you tried to fight power with power, hate with hate and missed another way/a better way?

Now, we see how Jesus acts in the moment, he allows himself to go to the cross; he reflects in the moment of betrayal, he checks himself in order to make the right decision. 

  • Here’s the soul work question for tonight: What do you turn to when someone turns on you? What do you do when someone cuts you? Do you put them in their place or make them pay? Do you know how you commonly react in moments of betrayal?

Right after this intense moment of betrayal, Mark mentions a streaker; Read Mark 14:51-52. There could be several explanations surrounding the streaker BUT Zane mentions that one possibility is that it’s Mark writing himself into the story because he wants to affirm what we all know… “we’ve lived this story”, we know the feeling of betrayal BUT we don't have to continue the cycle of betrayal... 

  • How have you hurt someone in the past without ever laying a hand on them?

  • So, how do you stop it? How do you stop the cycle of betrayal in your life? We all know every one of us has responded time and time again to betrayal by taking the dagger out of your back and plunging it into theirs, what will lead you to respond in a different way?

TO CLOSE

This week, we want to invite your group to close with two silent reflections and a final prayer. 

First, invite your group members to reflect silently on moments where they’ve felt betrayed and pray the following prompt to open a minute reflection:

God, we want to let go of these moments where we were betrayed by someone or something…

Second, invite your group members to reflect silently on moments where they’ve betrayed someone else or when they’ve responded to betrayal with violence… Pray this to open a minute of reflection:

God, we want to let go of these moments where we betrayed someone or reacted to betrayal with violence...

Lastly, close with these words: 

God, we are human, those who’ve betrayed us are human. 

And God, even though we've had our moments when we've turned on you,

 you’ve shown us that you will not turn on us. 

God, give us the courage to turn to you when we face moments of betrayal 

Knowing that you stand with us and empower us to choose a different way, love. 

Amen. 

Matt DeLano