Law & Gospel And The Way Jesus Preaches

The Supper, grieved. v. 18-21

Mark 14:18-21 NASB

18 As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me--one who is eating with Me.” 19 They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?” 20 And He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who dips with Me in the bowl. 21 For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

Why does Jesus let them sweat? He knows full well who the betrayer is: Judas. The other 11 are innocent. But He just throws it out there all nebulous like.

One of you…

Shrugs.

Why?

In the reformation Martin Luther stressed the correct distinction between law and gospel, meaning that the Scriptures tell us right and wrong to convict us of our sin and cause us to run to Jesus. That’s what the imperatives in the Bible are meant to do. All too often they just crush us unless we have assurance of pardon. Unless we have the good news of Jesus. That’s the gospel. The law is the tough diagnosis. The gospel is the medicine.

It’s been said that we need both law & gospel in the right order. Furthermore it has been said that it is wrong to only give people law, that to do so is akin to putting heavy burdens on people without lifting a finger to tell them there’s hope in Jesus. And, to only give gospel without the conviction of sin is the perfect recipe for antinomianism.

I tend to agree with that line of thinking, but I’m not dogmatic about it. Some will tell you to run from Churches that do not follow the law/gospel formula religiously. I’ve never been 100% on board with that. I think it’s generally a good idea, but… Jesus doesn’t always preach that way.

Here, for example. He drops the truth on them and lets them sweat even though He knows full well that 11 of them are innocent. He knows it’s Judas.

Why does He sit there and allow all this “Is it I?” melodrama to play out?

The reason, I think, is that treachery and betrayal lurks in all of our hearts. It’s Judas today. It could be you tomorrow. Indeed, Peter gets the lesson wrong. He’s going to come to the conclusion that though everyone else may betray Him, Peter never will. And he’s as wrong as he could be. He will deny Christ 3x that very night.

Jesus knew that we humans are not the most honest assessors of selves. So He lets them sweat, and search their own hearts and ask the haunting question that we must all ask ourselves, “Is it I?”.

Spiritual growth is painful. That’s why the Western Church is full of spiritual weaklings. We want comfort rather than growth. We never want to feel bad. But conviction of sin is needed before you repent, and growth in Christ only comes after you repent. So it is that the Lord Jesus lays the truth out before them and lets them sweat and do some soul searching: so they can grow.

Because He actually loves them.

Gustave Dore

“Christ And His Disciples”

Woodcut 1800’s