Betrayed
The betrayal was worse than the execution. It had to have been, because it came from the hand and heart of one he deeply loved.
You know the story. Judas—now known as Judas Iscariot because of this very story—betrays Jesus in the leadup to the crucifixion of Jesus. It was a betrayal Jesus predicted at the last supper (Matt. 26:21) and one foreshadowed by David generations in advance (Ps. 41:9).
Even so, I have to believe the betrayal was, in many ways, more agonizing than the physical excruciation of death on the cross. After all, Judas was one of Jesus’ closest friends. Jesus chose Judas. He did life with Judas. Jesus and Judas confided in each other, they served together, and they were bonded together.
If Jesus could trust anyone, He could trust Judas. And yet, Judas betrayed Jesus, which is why it had to be at least as painful as the cross itself. The betrayal meant Jesus would not only go to the cross, but He would go alone. Very alone.
Jesus knew the Father could not associate with the sin He would take on as He faced the cross, which surely contributed to Jesus’ petition for the Father to make another way (Matt. 26:39). But there was no other way, so Jesus went to the cross, temporarily separated from the Father, with the betrayal by one of his closest friends ringing in His ears and reminding Him that He was alone.
Because of this great gift, you and I never have to know separation from the Father. You and I will never have to know that feeling of total isolation. We have the eternal promise that our God is with us even “to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).
But you know betrayal.
You know what it is like for someone close to you—someone you hold dear—to sell you out and give you up. Far from being an aberration, the betrayal of Jesus by Judas is ubiquitous with the human condition. We have all seen it up close, we have felt its sting, and we have even exacted its unique toll.
Yes, you know betrayal. But you also know the power of an opposite spirit! You know the only antidote to betrayal! You know that the way to cover a multitude of wrongs—including betrayal—is to love deeply!
1 Peter 4:8 says precisely that: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
The most powerful part of that directive is that it immediately follows a proclamation that, “The end of all things is near” (1 Pet. 4:7). The end is coming, friends. And even before it arrives, you will be betrayed over and over again by those closest to you—and even by those you have chosen, and those with whom you are doing life.
It will be excruciating. But it will not be something Jesus himself did not face. And when you are faced with it—when betrayal lands on your doorstep, you have a clear and powerful way to overcome it: Love deeply!
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.