Devotional: Betrayal

“But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

- Luke 22:21-22

Betrayal is felt the deepest when it is done by someone you love. It can be your best friend gossiping about you, it can be your spouse lying to you, it can be broken promises from your parents…

In the context of this scripture, Jesus is eating His last meal with His disciples during Passover. He brings attention to the fact that one of His twelve, Judas Iscariot, will expose and deliver Him to be arrested.

Only 30 pieces of silver...

Can you imagine the depth of hurt that Jesus must have felt knowing and witnessing one of His own disciples betray Him? Not only was He betrayed, but He was betrayed for merely money– 30 pieces of silver to be exact. Some commentators say that might have been worth the wages of four months. More interestingly, it was the price a Hebrew would pay if their bull accidentally killed someone’s slave (Exodus 21:32); essentially, this was the price of a slave/servant’s life. The connection can’t go unnoticed: Jesus’ first coming was to be the suffering servant AND He was killed— symbolized by that law mentioned in Exodus.

Additionally, Jesus’ betrayal for 30 pieces of silver fulfills Old Testament prophecy: Zechariah 11:13 – “And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’-the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.” 

To dig even deeper, Judas’ betrayal for money parallels a beautiful scenario that happened one week prior. In John 12, Jesus is attending the house of Martha and Mary for dinner when Mary pours out her expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. Ironically, Judas objects and says, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.” The following scripture says that he didn’t actually care for the poor, but often stole from the group’s money bag. Judas’ heart was already positioned toward selfishness and greed.

The contrast between the two is striking. Mary joyfully sacrificed probably her most valuable possession in order to honor Jesus, whereas Judas was willing to betray Jesus for a meager sum of silver.

What does the story of Judas’ betrayal reveal to us today?

• Jesus was always willing to submit to God’s plan.

He knew from upon choosing Judas, that Judas wouldn’t believe and that he would betray Him. Why would Jesus choose Him as His disciple then? I believe one of the main reasons He chose him was because Judas’ sole purpose was to be His betrayer. It fell in line with God’s will to spark the events that happened after. 

• Jesus loves His enemies.

Despite knowing who Judas was at his core, Jesus still loved him. He kept him as a close disciple. This falls in line with Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

• Jesus will always give us a choice and a chance.

Even knowing that Judas would never accept Him, Jesus still allowed him to be in His innermost circle, providing Judas ample evidence to prove His deity. Regardless, Judas still rejected Him.

• The difficulty of belief.

Judas personally witnessed Jesus perform miracles time and time again and no doubt experienced the divine love He had for people. Even with this, Judas never believed (this is made known to us in John 6:64). Jesus later tells His disciples after His resurrection, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29).  While the gospel message is simple (to believe in Jesus for eternal life), doing so is not easy for many people. We are blessed for believing because we believe without having seen Him!

• Do not allow materialistic gain to blind your heart and guide your choices.

1 Timothy 6:10 tells us that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil…” We saw just how sinfully the love of money corrupted Judas. When we look at all sorts of evil in the world, we can likely trace it back to greediness and pride. Having money is not the issue; it’s about where your heart has positioned it. Serving Jesus should always be the priority. 1 Timothy 6:17 says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

Take a moment: Based on Jesus’ response to Judas, how should we deal with betrayal in our lives?

1.Remember that Jesus went through this same pain and hurt:

Hebrews 2:17-18 tells us, “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren [us; humanity], that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

2. Love them anyway.

If you knew someone was going to betray you, you probably wouldn’t even let them into your life. Jesus knew from day one that Judas would be His betrayer, yet He still loved him. This doesn’t mean that we should allow people to walk all over us, but it does mean that we do not retaliate and that we allow God’s grace to move through us.

3. Remember that all things work together for the good of those who love God.

When we trust in God, not men or ourselves, we can rely on God’s justice. We can also know in our hearts that nothing wrong done against us will be wasted. He will work things out for our growth and for His will to be done in our lives. 

4. Pray for them and yourself.

Pray to avoid any temptation to retaliate. Pray for God to heal the wounds that betrayal has caused. Also pray for that person, especially if they have never asked for forgiveness. They need Jesus just as much as you!

5. God will never betray you.

God is the only person you know for certain that will never betray you. Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us that He will never leave nor forsake us. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As a believer, you have been deposited the Holy Spirit inside of you.

Trusting in God when you are betrayed and continuing to love is how we live by faith.

-Alina