April 5, 2023
It’s April and the Spring season is unfolding for us. Our theme this month again is PEOPLE. And because the month starts off with Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, I thought I would do something just a little different than I did with the People theme in January.
I want to focus on something that happened in between the first Palm Sunday and Easter and use one passage throughout April; Mark 14:43-52. This passage deals with Jesus and His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane. The passage is generally known for the time when one of His followers, Judas Iscariot, betrayed the Lord.
Instead of looking at the two main characters (Jesus and Judas), we’ll look at four others who were present that day. They are lesser-known people who are either mentioned by name or identified by their actions.
In this blog I will share some thoughts about Malik the Mobster – Mark 14:43-46. Over the rest of the month we’ll look at Simon the Slasher – Mark 14:47a, Malchus the Earless – Mark 14:47b, and then Noam the Nah’ked Gai – Mark 14:51-52.
In the American culture, we have heard a lot about mobs in the past few years. Not the Mafia type (criminal elements) but more in line with this definition “a large and disorderly crowd bent on destructive action.” Sadly mob action is becoming a norm in our culture where bullies decide to inflict their will and ideologies on the innocent, the different, and the helpless. The media seemingly, is reporting incidents of mob action weekly in one form or another; political, social, and personal. And all too often, it is the media who is stirring up and encouraging these mobs.
A mob, mob action, and mobster are our focus today. We read in Mark 14:43 “Just as He was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.” Sort of illustrates the definition, doesn’t it?
Matthew tells us that it was “a large crowd” and in John we learn more about the makeup of this crowd, as there was “a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees,” plus the fact that they were “carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.” These soldiers, more than likely, were the temple guard as evidence by their actions in John 18 and earlier references in John 7.
In John 18:12 we read of these soldiers having a “commander.” A commander would have been a very loyal, tough, ruthless, no-nonsense type of guy, who wielded great authority. This commander would stop at nothing to enforce his orders or whims because his position, career, and life were dependent upon his success. I envision this guy having the name Malik, which carries the Hebrew meaning of “king.” The meaning really captures the role of this guy. I call him Malik the Mobster.
Malik had been ordered by the upper-ups to come and arrest Jesus. I’m not sure if he had ever personally heard, seen, or encountered Jesus, but most everyone in Jerusalem during this time knew of Him. Bullies rarely act alone. The want to flaunt their power and prestige so they gather their “boys,” minions, troops, gang members, homies, mates, … and the names go on. Why? Because they want to enforce their will, they want others to grovel, they want to show off, they want to look good in the eyes of others, and they want to take no chances of failing.
What a difference between Jesus and Malik. Jesus the kind one. The humble. The lover. The compassionate. The friend of the friendless. The one who was full of mercy, grace, and truth.
And then there was Malik. The one who was king of his own little domain. The one who thought he was better than everyone else. The one who wielded power. The who viewed the helpless and humble as weak and less than he. The one who did the bidding of others – in this case the religious leaders, but in the case of other bullies there is always someone who has given them orders (parental upbringing, peers, society, their own imagination, etc.).
All of us have a little Malik in us – some people more than others. We want and enjoy power. We have to exert our will over others and have our way. We feel, think, act, believe we are better than the other guy. We do the bidding of others more so than of God. We care more about the bottom line, our sense of duty, and getting the job done, than we do about what really is right or wrong and how the other guy may feel.
Maliks come and go. Jesus is eternal. Those who follow the way of Jesus will also live for eternity and will be rewarded for doing so. Malik – his rewards rust. They are often lost, stolen, sold in pawnshops, and for sure will disappear when the end of time settles upon us.
In 2023 BE more like Jesus than the Malik that beckons you from within.