December 9th
Daily Reading
Psalm 41:9
Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,
the one who shared my food, has turned against me.
Zechariah 11:12-13
And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord.
Luke 22:47-48
But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Matthew 26:14-16
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
(Readings taken from Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/ New Living Translation)
Abandoned by a friend
Betrayal is deeply painful.
In the act of betrayal, an innocent party is exposed to danger, and trust is irreparably broken.
The impact of betrayal is particularly destructive because true betrayal involves the disclosure of information to an enemy.
With friends we are vulnerable. We let down our defenses and share the deepest parts of ourselves. Our tears and sorrows and joys.
Our enemies though, despise us. They want to see us experience harm. Hurt. Hardship.
Could there be any behaviour more heartbreaking than experiencing a friend intentionally and deceptively seek out our enemy?
Betrayal seems deeply human. A shared experience.
The prophet Isaiah foreshadows Jesus’ anguish, telling us: “He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.”
It is a profoundly sobering thought. We are not alone in the experience of betrayal. This God, God of the Created order, encountered betrayal. He is a God who understands our grief.
Is it possible, however, that I could be implicated in the sorrow of his betrayal? Is it possible that seeing my friend, the God I love rejected, I have responded with silence? Looked the other way?
Whilst the betrayal of Jesus is a dark moment we typically ascribe to the Easter story, it is a thread that remains anchored in our understanding of Christmas. Because it was with full knowledge God sent his Son to Earth. Seeing the betrayal to come. Embracing our failure. Orchestrating His plan.
Our betrayal then, becomes His beauty!
