Reflecting on Lent: Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest (Mark 14:43-52)​

by | Feb 25, 2024 | John Koh, • Timely Word •

Reflecting on Lent:

Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest ​

Mark 14:43-52

Let us pause and think about the events that led to the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ as we go through the Lenten season. Today, let us think about a crucial event in Jesus’ life: when He was betrayed and arrested, as told in Mark 14:43–52.​

Picture the peaceful scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus, struggling with the weight of what was to come, knelt in prayer while His friends slept nearby. The peace of the night was broken when Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples, came up to Him with a group of soldiers brandishing swords and clubs, planning to betray Him with a kiss. This act is a stark warning of how fragile loyalty is and how deep evil can take root in the heart of a person. Even though it hurt to be betrayed, Jesus responded with love and compassion by calling Judas a “friend” (Matthew 26:50).​

Jesus was incredibly calm and determined even though he knew he was in imminent danger. When He spoke to His attackers, He asked them why they had swords and clubs, showing how silly it was to treat Him like a rebel (Mark 14:48). Everyone was scared and confused as He was taken away, leaving Him to face His fate alone. This is an important lesson of how hard it can be to be a disciple and how important it is to stay true even when things get hard.​

Jesus’ arrest proved that the Bible was true and showed that God had a plan to save the world. The things that happened in Gethsemane set the stage for Jesus’ final sacrifice on the cross, where He would take on all of our sins and pay the price for us to be reconciled with God.

When we think about Jesus’ betrayal and arrest, let us not just see it as a page from history, but as a deeply personal and life-changing event. We may reject Jesus in our own lives, just like Judas did with his words, actions, and loyalties. Lent is a holy time to think about ourselves and ask for forgiveness. It is an opportunity to look into our hearts and recommit ourselves to following Christ with all our hearts.​

Also, how Jesus responded to being betrayed is a powerful example of how to love and forgive. Even though His friend betrayed Him without good reason, Jesus showed grace and mercy to those who hurt Him. As we go through Lent, may we show compassion like Christ did by forgiving those who have hurt us and working towards mending broken relationships.​

Let us approach this Lenten season with respect and humility, thinking about how important it was for Jesus to be betrayed and arrested. Draw near to the cross, where you can be forgiven, saved, and given the chance to start over. Let us follow in the footsteps of our Lord and show His love, grace, and compassion in everything we do. May the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ always be with us.​

By Brother John Koh​

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Discipleship

by | Feb 18, 2023 | John Koh, • Timely Word •

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20

Not only was Jesus interested in His disciples knowing who He was, they also needed to know what He came to do and what was going to be required of them to follow Him. Being His disciple involved many things, but let us focus on just three areas – Walk by Faith, Share His Faith and Multiple His Faith. We are all in the process of growing in each of these areas.

  1. Walk by faith

Walking by faith requires a strong determination to follow God. This is an on-going personal response to God in times of worship, prayer, digging deeper into His word, learning to love in community and engaging in our small groups. It is not just head knowledge but heart transformation under the anointing and impartation of the Holy Spirit. If we follow this path, we need to be willing to come out of our comfort zone and let God shape us as He sees fit. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for our joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrew 12:2).

  1. Share His faith

Jesus wants us to make disciples, and that means we need to share our faith and tell others about Him. One of the ways to share our faith is to live godly lives. It speaks volumes. Show care to those close to you, help meet their needs and offer to listen when they have problems, pray for those you interact with. We may not be able to answer all of their questions, but they cannot deny the reality of what Christ has done in our lives.

Jesus taught us to share the gospel by showing our love to others in John 13:34-35 – “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Jesus reveals to us what love is, through His life, death, and resurrection. We can explore ways to be a blessing to others, as it plants amazing seeds and meaningful discussions can take place with the opportunity to share the gospel. Ultimately, our greatest act as Christians, is to love one another.

  1. Multiply His Faith

Jesus has told His disciples to make disciples who will love and obey Him and this was to continue indefinitely, such that two thousand years later, you and I could have the opportunity to hear the gospel and become His disciples. It would be a great tragedy if the chain broke with us.

In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul said to Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

Where do you think the entry point is for you? Would you say that the next step for you is to learn to Walk by Faith, Share Your Faith, or Multiply Your Faith?

By brother John Koh

The Three-fold Call of Discipleship

by | Feb 18, 2022 | John Koh, • Timely Word •

“Come, follow me.” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

Jesus’ ministry gives us a great example of discipleship when He called the twelve men to follow Him. They dropped what they were doing and committed to learning and following His ways. Discipleship is living a life of following Christ and helping others to do the same. When Jesus calls us to be His disciples, He issues a three-fold call.

1.Discipleship is a call to follow Jesus

Being a disciple is to follow Jesus. That requires us to give our whole lives – mind, will, emotions and our future to follow Him. When we follow Jesus and depend on Him, we grow stronger in our faith and become more like Him. Jesus is our light and life. Following His light and example brings me peace and confidence in dealing with different situations in my life, even though sometimes things around me are challenging and difficult to handle at the workplace.

The goal of discipleship is to help people to follow Jesus who will then teach and disciple others to do the same. Jesus trained His disciples during His three years of ministry so they could train others.

2.Discipleship is a call to reach out to non-believers

Jesus expects His disciples who follow Him to reach out to non-believers by introducing them to Jesus so that they can follow Him. I have the opportunity to be involved in the marketplace ministry with Cru Singapore to reach out to the working adults who are non-believers We find relevant management books and invite the participants to join us over 8 sessions of weekly sharing during lunchtime. Last year, we used the book, ‘Leaders Eat Last’ by Simon Sinek, and the discussions focus on three aspects that impact our lives – personal, professional, and spiritual.

3.Discipleship is a call to fellowship with fellow believers

None of the 12 disciples attempted to follow Jesus alone, they followed along with other disciples. Following Jesus and helping others to follow Him happens within a community where we strengthen one another in our walk with our Lord. No matter where we are in our discipleship journey, we are encouraged to be part of a small group church (SGC) where relationships can be built through our meetings and fellowship, as we help and support one another in our walk with our Lord.

Discipleship is a lifelong process of being conformed to the image of Christ with the call to build relationships at three levels: with God, with those who do not know our Lord, and with fellow believers in Christ.

So let us remember to:

  • Follow Jesus
  • Draw others closer to Jesus
  • Build relationships

By brother John Koh

Discipleship in a Pandemic

by | Apr 13, 2021 | John Koh, • Timely Word •

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and    of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20 is the call to discipleship. It is what keeps believers together in our shared mission to make His name known to the ends of the earth.

Discipleship, in light of the pandemic, really is to fix our eyes on Jesus and to work alongside fellow believers (while observing the various safety measures). During this season when the temptation is to isolate and emotionally withdraw, the practice of attending to the presence of Jesus and attending to others is needed even more. We need to develop the habit of finding comfort and encouragement in Christ’s love (Philippians 2:1).

Hebrews 10:25 writes, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching”. In our ongoing discipleship, we need to find way to support one another emotionally, even if not physically, during this challenging time. We need to intentionally engage in practices of Christian friendship and plug into the community, because they are essential for our spiritual health and growth.

In this current situation and in the digital realm, we can help each other carry out the mission of discipleship in our families and immediate spheres of influence.

Discipleship in our family

Online services are good opportunity for families to come together in the homes to worship our Heavenly Father. This enables each member of the family to learn more about one another and grow in discipleship together as we pray for one another.

Discipleship in our Christian community

A large part of our personal experience growing up in the church was the meals that people had together after service. It was there that we got to know one another better and discipleship could flourish through leading and encouragements. Small Groups could consider bringing this element back by inviting each other out for meals outside of online house church.

Discipleship in our immediate spheres of influence

Going digital should not be an excuse to brush aside the need for discipleship. We could still intentionally set aside time for conversations to share God’s peace with the people around us. We could even video-call our friends who are quarantined or on a different shift-work arrangement.

Let us continue to look to one another for support and think about how we can continue to be a blessing to others while being socially responsible.

By brother John Koh

Responding to The Call of Christ

by | Jul 26, 2020 | John Koh, • Timely Word •

What thoughts come to your mind when you hear the word, discipleship?

Discipleship is a process of becoming Christlike and being zealous to help others become disciples. Christian discipleship is a lifelong journey of obedience to Christ, which transforms a person’s behaviour, values and results in ministry in our home, church, marketplace and the world. John, the apostle, wrote, “The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:4-6).

Relationship with Christ

Jesus modelled for us the intimacy He had with the Father while on earth by making time to be alone with Him. His schedules were full, yet time with His Father was the focal point of His everyday life. For us, it means that our programs will be centred on spontaneous and planned times of bible study, prayer, worship and meditation. Time with God results in changed behaviour and thinking. There is no substitute for time spent intentionally with Jesus to develop intimacy, as well as a passion for Him.

Growing spiritually

Jesus’ call to follow Him, is an invitation to commit one’s entire life to Him. The problem occurs when one fails to maintain the intimacy with Jesus that enables the keeping of that commitment. As Matthew 5:13 records, we can lose our saltiness. As a disciple of Christ, we need to cultivate and practice spiritual disciplines such as reading the bible daily, avoiding temptations, doing a daily examination of one’s conscience, etc., and allow God to teach and mould us.

“You will know much of God, and only as much of God, as you are willing to put into practice.” – Eric Liddell, The Disciplines of The Christian Life.

As I grew in faith, I realised that a personal relationship with God is essential, and for that to happen, I needed to spend time with God. Often,  I am exhausted after a day’s work, but each time, I go to my prayer corner and the Lord’s presence provides me with renewed grace for the next day. Spiritual disciplines require perseverance. Each time I persevere in my spiritual disciplines, I begin to recognise the Lord’s goodness in my daily living. It is with the consistent choice to make time with Jesus that the Lord prunes me, resulting in fruits of peace in my life. This is a lifelong pursuit because we make the choice daily to follow Him. We choose to be a disciple and to be disciplined. Then as we grow, we desire to help others in their discipleship journey. The result of discipleship is that we “… will know the truth, and the truth will set you (us) free.” (John 8:31-32).

Responding to His Call

Living a life of a disciple may not be easy as our work, family and friends fight for attention at every corner of our life. Spiritual discipline requires sacrifice and dying to selfish desires. It is a constant choice to create space for God to act. Just as a plant needs watering to grow and bear fruit, our faith life needs to be nurtured and developed through spiritual disciplines we set for ourselves. God is calling each of us, and wants us to follow His ways and grow in holiness. How are you responding to His call in your life to grow as a disciple of Christ today?

By Brother John Koh (YCKC Bulletin 26 July 2020)