Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. Matthew 26:14-16
What will you give me?
Judas seeks out wealth. He wants money. I think most of us can relate to that.
One thing about our culture nowadays is that almost everybody would say that more money would make life a little easier.
The Love of Money
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 6:10
But, caring too much about money will cause big problems. In the case of Judas, it motivated him to sell out his good friend, who also happens to be the Savior of the world, the Son of God.
Betrayal hurts
Imagine what that betrayal feels like. One of your closest friends sells you for money. They bargain with your life like it is a possession they own.
He was betrayed
Jesus was betrayed. He was not emotionless, just sinless. He experienced the hurt of being betrayed by a friend.
He knows how we feel
Your friends and mine may not sell us for monetary gain, but betrayal still happens. We trust them and they let us down. We believe they are our true friends, then they talk about us behind our backs.
Jesus knows that hurt. He knows how we feel. He has experienced it and is filled with compassion when we are going through it. He loves us.
Comfort
At that moment, Jesus wants to wrap us in his arms. He wants to lean down to look us in the eye and say, “It really will be okay. I know it hurts so bad.”
But, even more than that, He says to us, “I will never turn my back on you. I will never betray your trust or bad-mouth you.”
Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
What do we do?
We can take comfort in the arms of Jesus when we feel hurt. We can guard against hurting others. And, like Jesus, we can use our hurtful experiences to help others who go through a similar pain.
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
Action Step:
Our Focus today is the EASTER STORY!
Easter Story: We will take days throughout Lent to learn different events leading up to the resurrection of Jesus.
Have you ever felt betrayed? Are you still having trouble feeling bitterness and resentment toward the person (or people) who betrayed you? It is time to let go and trust in the arms of Jesus.
Is there someone you can have compassion for or help because they are experiencing the hurt of betrayal?
Today is the day to tackle the feelings that betrayal brings and reach out to others who need your experience to heal from theirs.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank You for sending Your Son. He felt the pain of betrayal so He can comfort us in the middle of our pain. Help us to get rid of bitterness and embrace that comfort. Show us someone that we can help in the midst of their hurt. In Jesus’ name, amen.
