Betrayed by friends and followers, who were like family.
In the Easter week, Maundy Thursday is the day that we remember the events of the last supper, of Gethsemane. It is within those events of Jesus sharing the Passover meal with his disciples, then praying in the garden, also with his disciples, that Jesus experiences what we have all experienced …
betrayal by someone loved
It is here that we can most understand and relate to the suffering of Jesus.
Being arrested, accusations made against him, put on trial, sentenced to death, flogged, crucified. We cannot relate to such experiences of the passion of the Christ.
Betrayal, though … by someone who we loved and who loved us …
we have all felt the life-stealing sting of betrayal by one we love(d).
We have all felt the moment of awareness that we were betrayed by one we love … can betrayal come from any source other than one we love?
Were the relationship not one of trust, one of investment, one of love … there would be no betrayal.
If Jesus can be betrayed, why would we expect less of ourselves? of those closest to us?
Jesus had poured his life, his all into his twelve disciples. When he needed (lets face it, when he wanted) them most, they were sleeping, disowning, abandoning and betraying him.
I find it a fascinating thing that all of these heart-wrenching betrayals occurred around the time that Jesus delivered his final message to the disciples.
It was as though his final message, last teaching, great finale was being slapped back across his face.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
He told them to love,
as he loved.
Would Jesus sell any one of them for silver?
Would Jesus sleep while any of them prayed?
Would Jesus disown, deny any one of them?
Would Jesus go into hiding if any of them were in trouble?
Of course not. This day and the night to follow were the moments when Jesus anguish began … with something worse than flogging, worse than death on a cross.
His worst moments were the betrayals by those who he loved, those who he died for.
Christ knew, even as he entered Jerusalem, that those who knew him the most … then and now, would be the ones who would turn their … turn our backs on him.
we sleep … when we should be praying,
we disown … when asked who we are,
we abandon Christ … when we might be mocked, challenged in our faith,
we betray him … every single day, when we choose to sell our souls to the things of this world.
itsawonderfilledlife 