"Then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you? And they counted out 30 pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him." (Matthew 26:14)
Nothing rocks our world more than the betrayal of a close friend or a loved one. It can break our hearts and cause us to react differently than if the betrayal came from someone else.
In Psalm 55, David pours out his heart to his Lord because a close friend Ahithophel had betrayed him. Ahithophel had been David’s close personal friend and counselor but Ahithophel turned on the King. If the betrayal had been a known enemy, then that would have been expected and David could have handled it. But when betrayal comes from this unexpected, close person, he was caught off guard and it broke his heart.
Jesus was also betrayed by someone close to Him, one of chosen disciples, a friend, someone who walked and talked with our Lord and witnessed His ministry and miracles, who chose to betray Him with a kiss. (Matt.26:48,49)
And I’m sure we could all look back on our lives and point to some situation where we have felt betrayed. If we only knew beforehand, we could have taken steps to ensure our protection from that breach of trust.
Yet unlike David or us Jesus knew of His betrayal. He mentioned it frequently (Matt.17:22, John 13:21) and even identified his betrayer and did nothing to protect Himself, even though it would lead to His death.(John 13:26) Why? Because He came into this world for one purpose, to die for our sins. (John 12:27) The “betrayal by a kiss” was only the beginning of what He knew was coming and would endure for us, despising the shame,
Hallelujah!
The Truth
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)
