Good Morning Friends,
“After he had said this, Jesus was troubled
in spirit and testified, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray
me.’ His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.
One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon
Peter motioned to this disciple and said, ‘Ask him which one he means.’” (John
13:21-24)
Betrayal: Jesus knew what it felt like. He’d
lived with the 12 apostles for three years. He’d taught them. They’d seen Him
work miracles. They had the opportunity to look into His heart. They knew Jesus
and He knew them. Yet, one of the 12 was a traitor. One of the 12 would betray
Jesus into the hands of His enemies.
Scripture says that Satan entered Judas that
night. Satan was involved in the betrayal, but Judas opened the door for Satan
to enter. What would motivate someone to betray a friend, especially someone
like Jesus? It could have been greed, there was money involved. But it’s hard
to believe anyone would love money that much! Perhaps he was trying to do Jesus
a favor, or so he thought. Trying to force Jesus to declare Himself to be King
and take His throne. If that was in Judas’s mind, it backfired. Judas didn’t
understand the kind of kingdom Jesus was establishing. There may have been
other thoughts and motivations in Judas, but the bottom-line is that he betrayed
the Lord, he betrayed his friend, his best friend.
Perhaps you’ve been betrayed by a friend,
too. Most of us have at one time or another in our lives. You may even know
what motivated the betrayal. I would remind you that there is Someone who knows
what it feels like. He understands the hurt, the anger, the disappointment. He’s
been there, too. In fact, His betrayal was far greater than yours!
Take your betrayal to the One who has already
been through it. He’ll help you work through your betrayal, too.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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