Jesus True To You

Mark 14:10-11, 16-18 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over…16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. 17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me – one who is eating with me.”
 
BETRAYAL is very hard to forgive. If you want to deeply hurt someone, betray their trust in you. They’ll harbor hard feelings against you for a very long time, perhaps for the rest of their lives. What causes one to betray friends, business associates or family? Why would Judas betray Jesus?
   Pride and self-focus is the root of betrayal. Judas’ focus was a common one. He wanted money.  He bartered Jesus’ life for 30 pieces of silver. Perhaps there are other reasons, but regardless of what we think, Judas betrayed Jesus for his own perverted reason. To the betrayer, “Me” has high priority over “We”. 
   In contrast, Jesus demonstrates he is in complete union with the Father’s will. Jesus, of course, knew his disciple’s self-focused heart. He even told Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” John 13:27b. Jesus purposefully and faithfully moved forward to complete God’s plan to be your Savior. To do otherwise, Jesus would have betrayed the Father, and he would have betrayed you. There is only “You.” in Jesus’ sacrificial love.
     We can also note that Judas wasn’t the only betrayer in Jerusalem that week. Read how the ruling Jews were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. These men who said they taught God’s law and guarded his temple were also self-centered. They profited from the business in the temple. Their purpose was to rule and become wealthy. They accused Jesus of blasphemy; yet they were the one betraying the LORD God. They blasphemed his name with their hard hearts, intent on “Me” more than the people they claimed to serve.
   When we consider the great battle between God and Satan during this dark week in Jerusalem, our minds must always take time to evaluate our own relationship with Jesus and his church. Perhaps we are guilty of betraying our vows we professed as we were baptized or joined a church. Maybe we have betrayed the trust a pastor has put in us to complete a task for the church we had committed to do but neglected. Might we be too “Me” centered when we consider our offerings? Have we betrayed specific promises to a friend or family member? Can people trust you to be honest? Do you need to seek forgiveness for a betrayal? Or perhaps it’s time to forgive someone who has betrayed you.
       On that night when Jesus said, “I tell you the truth.” he reminded us he is the Truth. You can trust that the Savior, who was willing to submit to his betrayer, will never betray you.