Betrayed

Last year around Easter I wrote a post called Incomprehensible Love. Besides talking about Jesus, of course, I focused on another person mentioned. Barabbas. But in this post I'm going to look at Judas. Actually, this is going to be a three part series, each post looking at someone else.


Picture the scene: It's the night of the Passover and Jesus and His twelve disciples are reclining around a table, celebrating it together. Perhaps the disciples were joking with one another, after all, they had known each other for a while at this point. Or maybe they were in respectful and thoughtful silence, reflecting on what the Passover represents. Regardless, their world was shaken when Jesus spoke.

Matthew 26:21, "While they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.""

They begin to question one another and ask Jesus, "Surely not I, Lord?" (Matt. 26:22).

Matthew 26:23-25,
"He replied, "The one who dipped his hand with me in the bowl—he will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born."
Judas, his betrayer, replied, 'Surely not I, Rabbi?"
"You have said it," he told him."

John 13:27, "After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him. So Jesus told him, "What you’re doing, do quickly.""

At this point the rest of the disciples were still a bit confused.

So when did this all come about?

Luke 22:1-6 ,"The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called Passover, was approaching. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put him to death, because they were afraid of the people.
Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was numbered among the Twelve. He went away and discussed with the chief priests and temple police how he could hand him over to them. They were glad and agreed to give him silver. So he accepted the offer and started looking for a good opportunity to betray him to them when the crowd was not present."

Jesus was betrayed by Judas. To be completely honest I had never thought that much about that part. But think about it. Jesus had been with these twelve disciples for a while. He had spent time with them. They had eaten together, talked with one another, traveled with each other. They lived life with each other.

Then Judas betrayed Jesus.

Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? Even if you hadn't I'm sure you can imagine the heartbreak of that occurring. Yes, Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him, but that doesn't make it any less painful.

But Jesus died for Judas. He went through that, for Judas. He was betrayed for the one who betrayed Him.

We betray Jesus sometimes too. Every time we sin we're betraying Him and what He means to us.

Jesus was humiliated. He was mocked and jeered at. He was spat upon. He was whipped. Being whipped means that His flesh was literally ripped off. His organs were exposed. He stood silent, being accused before a crowd who kept shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!". He was nailed to a cross. He struggled to breathe while hanging there. Until at last He breathed His last.

He went through all of that for Judas. For you. For me. He knew we would reject Him. He knew we would betray Him. But He still went through that.

Jesus was betrayed and killed by the ones He came to save.

Why?

I ask myself that question sometimes. I look around me at our evil world, at the sin in my own heart, and I simply ask why. Why would Jesus go through all of that for us? We don't deserve it and often we reject it.

The answer is simple, but so far beyond our comprehension. He loves us. The King of the Universe, Creator of all things, God of every nation... He loves us.

1 John 3:16, "This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us."

Jesus said to love your enemies (Matthew 5:44). We may claim this is too hard and that He doesn't know what He's talking about but He knows that better than we do. He loves us and we were all His enemies.

Ephesians 2:12-13, "At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

So what happened to Judas? I find it very sad. After Judas betrayed Jesus into the hands of the religious leaders, after he saw that He had been condemned, he was full of remorse. He realized what he did was wrong and he returned the money that he had received from betraying Jesus. I wish I could say he repented. I wish I could say he turned back to Jesus. But Judas hung himself. (Matthew 27:3-10).

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Jesus loves us. He loves us so much He died for us, so that we could have a way to the Father. Judas' life had a heartbreaking ending, but we can choose differently. We can choose to repent and turn to Jesus. Yes, we may have been enemies of God, we may have betrayed Him, but He still loves us and we can turn back to Him!

John 15:9, "As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love."

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What're your thoughts? What stands out to you about this? Have you ever thought that much about Judas?