BETRAYAL
“HE WHO EATS BREAD WITH ME HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.” Jesus quoting Psalm 41:9 in John 13:18
“THE WORDS OF HIS MOUTH WERE SMOOTHER THAN BUTTER BUT WAR WAS IN HIS HEART, HIS WORDS WERE SOFTER THAN OIL, YET THEY WERE DRAWN SWORDS.” Psalm 55:21
It may surprise you to know that the sin committed against the Lord that is mentioned the most in Scripture is His betrayal. The Old Testament predicts it; Jesus laments it; the New Testament authors record it. What is betrayal and why is it such a heinous sin that even Jesus seemed to dread its prospect? To be sure, Jesus endured His share of suffering in His life. He suffered in His temptation in the wilderness. He suffered poverty and deprivation throughout most of His life having nowhere to lay his head (Mt 8:20). He was chased around Palestine by religious and civic leaders alike which forced Him to spend the bulk of His ministry away from the Temple. His family even considered him insane while His closest disciples misunderstood Him, forsook Him and even denied Him. But when it comes to His betrayal, His pain and sorrow rise to new heights. As He was celebrating the last supper many things things were no doubt occupying his mind. But what is the one thing He mentions? “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me” (Matt 26:21). And as they begin the meal He spoke in a voice that trembled in anguish, “Behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table’”(Luke 22:21). The apostle John who lay on the bosom of Jesus during this troubled time notes the deep paroxysms in Jesus’ soul. “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me’” (John 13:21). Earlier in the week as He is entering the holy city Jesus was heard to say, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes’”(Mark 10:33). Note further that as Paul describes that last Pascal meal in a text that is used for many communion services, he describes that Pascal event as ‘the night in which He was betrayed’ (1 Corinthians 11:23). Our summary does not stop there. Whereas the Old Testament prophets overlooked many events in the life of our Lord, His betrayal is well documented with a note of great tragedy. Psalm 41:9 speaks of Christ’s heartache through the experience of David who is betrayed by an intimate friend:
“Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”
In another Davidic psalm, the author perplexingly thinks about how his betrayer once worshipped with him in the congregation.
“For it is not an enemy who insults me; that I could endure.
It is not a foe who rises against me; from him I could hide.
But it is you, a man like myself, my companion and close friend.
We shared sweet fellowship together; we walked with the crowd into the house of God” (Psalm 55:12-14).
In Zechariah 11:12, the pitiful price exchanged for the head of Jesus is compared to Israel’s grudging payment to Yahweh for all His service to her over hundreds of years. The payment was the price of a slave. “Then I said to them, ‘If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.’ And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.”
One can gather from all this that if the Scriptures describe the poignant pain and destructive damage caused by the betrayal of Jesus then the sin of betrayal must be one of the greatest sins of humanity. Why then is betrayal such a devastating sin in the eyes of God? The reason is that betrayal destroys the very soul of who we are as human beings. We were made to trust and be trusted. We were created dependent creatures who find life in leaning on the support of another, whether God or man. The moment we are spanked out of the womb we prostrate ourselves on the breasts of others to sustain us. Moms nurse us; dads shapes us; teachers equip us; police officers protect us; pastors shepherd us. Without these God-given guides in our lives we quickly disintegrate as human beings and become psychotic, fearful, scattered and hopeless. Betrayal is when those who have covenanted to help us not only abandon us but do so with the knife of guile in their hands. It is the breach of a sacred covenant which undermines the very foundations of existence itself. Betrayal comes in many different shapes and sizes. The depth of the pain of a betrayal is commensurate with the depth of the quality of the relationship that was severed by the betrayal. If your co-worker who you hardly knew turns on you, it is painful but manageable. But if your mother or your spouse or your pastor with whom you had a long trusting relationship turns on you, the pain can be long and excruciating. Betrayal laughs in the face of vulnerability and tramples on weak, trusting souls. When we give our heart to someone we literally strip down emotionally before them and allow them free access to our most intimate selves. We let them see things about us that no one else sees. Those who trust deeply in others put themselves in a compromising position that can be most frightening. We give that intimate friend the power to destroy us. This is why betrayal harbors the seeds of destruction. Worse yet, as the blast of betrayal is fired, its pain never goes away. So as not to risk this possibility, many refuse to get close to anybody. I have known people like that; at times I have been that person. Betrayal is such a frightening prospect that young people eschew marriage and millennials avoid good friends opting for computer screens or dogs instead. Betrayal kills people, if not physically, certainly emotionally and psychologically. Counseling offices are filled with dazed and confused and emotionally immobilized people who suffered abuse by a trusted relative at an early age. We see now why Jesus melted at the prospect of one of His disciples betraying Him.
Betrayal reaches its pinnacle of devastation when it is pierces one’s soul under the disguise of love. Betrayers have often been the kindest people alive. They know the best way to sting a friend is to sweeten him up with honey. That was the tactic of Judas who came to Jesus with that innocently fatal kiss. Psalm 55 describes Judas - and many betrayers - when it says, “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil yet they were drawn swords.” If you want to discover a betrayer then find a man with flattery on his lips. Proverbs 26:28 links together deceitful lying with flattery. “A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it and a flattering mouth works ruin.” The truth is that betrayal often flies on the wings of flattery. This is something we all must soberly consider. It is all too easy for us to tell people what they want to hear to gain their love and approval. We justify such behavior under the euphemism of encouragement. But is it encouragement to tell people what is not true simply to make them feel good? And when this pattern is repeated often enough in a relationship the day soon comes when the flatterer shows his colors and turns on the unsuspecting victim through word or deed. The person that has been long flattered and now betrayed is at first confused. Confusion soon turns to embitterment. The one he thought was a good friend is now an arch enemy; the cheering picture is taken off the wall and thrown into an old dusty box. This is horror of betrayal which always leaves a sour aftertaste in the mouth long after the flatterer has moved on to his next victim.
How often did Judas tell Jesus what a good work Jesus was doing, or what a great leader He was, or how he was growing under Jesus’ ministry, no one knows for sure. The fact that Judas was the money manager for the group shows that he had built up his reputation as a faithful guy. Yet all the while the snake was crouched low ready to strike when the time for a handsome profit came along. Jesus went to that cross not only suffering the guilt of the sin of mankind and enduring the wrath of the Father but He died in perplexity as He thought about His once good friend receiving a few silver coins for his head. I wonder if in a brief flickering moment Jesus might have thought about Judas and felt a pang of love for Him? If He did, we certainly don’t. Nothing is harder than to forgive a betrayer.
Let it be known that betrayal is a sin that always comes back to bite with venom the hand that betrays. Its initial jolt of satisfaction always turns to a tragic end. Judas betrayed God and paid the ultimate price. Impenitent betrayers will always pay the ultimate price. But, you ask, haven’t we all in some way betrayed Jesus? And the answer is a resounding yes! So confess your betrayals to God and know that He will forgive you every time and then ask for the grace to forgive those who have betrayed you.