Matthew 26:14-16, 19-23, 25 (NASB) 14Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, "What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?" And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. 16From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus. 19The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. 20Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. 21As they were eating, He said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me." 22Being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, "Surely not I, Lord?" 23And He answered, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me 25And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself."
Is there any Judas in us? Look with me at the act of betrayal. The word literally means to give over or to deliver into the hands of judgment. But, no definition can capture the experience of being betrayed or of betraying. Betrayal takes place between friends, with people we are close to, people we love, trust, and have confidence in. Only people we care about have the power to betray us. The Sanhedrin was right in recognizing that only a friend in pretense could get to Jesus, could bring Him down, could do the deed that would destroy Him. Betrayal is the deepest wound we can inflict on someone who cares about us, and the deepest wound we can receive.
While there is a certain amount of self-deceit involved in betrayal – we excuse, we rationalize – betrayal is not done entirely blindly. It is deliberate. We always have some awareness. We do not accidently betray someone. We do not simply stumble into it. Because betrayal has an element of knowing, words like "I’m sorry" sound hollow, and explanations are ultimately futile. Forgiveness is the only help we have for betrayal. Forgiveness is the only thing that will bring healing to the betrayed and the betrayer. We remain trapped by betrayal if remorse, and not forgiveness and repentance, is all we feel along with our wounded pride.
We are all capable of being a Judas. Hear and heed that warning. Receive also this word of hope. Jesus knew who would betray Him, and He knows us as well. Jesus knew and loved Judas still, and loves us still. God is not surprised at our sin, because God knows. If we can remember and are willing to believe that God knows our betrayal and is troubled by our betrayal, but is not surprised, alienated, or turned away by it, we will know we still have a choice. We are not condemned forever to a prison of pain. God will work. God will forgive. God will restore. And we can choose whether to accept or reject God’s continued commitment to us.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope March 29, 1992
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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