Betrayal

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Mark 14:10-11 TNIV



In the business world, this type of betrayal from someone who appeared to be a close friend is not uncommon and seems to happen more than any of us would like. The lesson that we can learn from Jesus is how to respond when this happens. Jesus, knowing all along that Judas would be the one that would ultimately cause His death and crucifixion, still loved Him as one of the 12, even until the very end when Judas kissed Jesus on His forehead in order to point Him out to the chief priests. Jesus knew the condition of Judas’s heart; Jesus knew that Judas was lost and broken; Jesus knew that Judas was the product of a fallen world and so, as much as it hurt to experience such a horrible betrayal from one of His closest friends, Jesus knew that all of this had to take place in order for Him to heal and restore us all into a new relationship with our Creator. When you look at the world today; when you look at that person that has betrayed you; when you look at that loved one who continues to pierce your broken heart; when you gaze into the eyes of a colleague or family member or close friend who has broken your trust one too many times, remember the example of Jesus and through His power, remember their brokenness and love them even more knowing that they are lost and in desperate need of a Savior.