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I. The Trust He Betrays
Can Judas really be called a friend of Jesus? Listen: “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” Jesus quotes these words right before He predicts His betrayal at the Last Supper. Even in the middle of Judas’ traitorous act in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus still says: “Friend, do what you came for.” But was Judas ever really Jesus’ friend?
He was no different from the rest of the disciples. Because we become so focused on Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, we often overlook the fact that, like the others, he was longing for the Messiah. He wasn’t a “once-a-week” sort of Christian. He was so attracted to and drawn by Jesus’ message that he was willing to leave everything behind to follow Jesus. He was excited by the miracles he saw and the message he heard. He wasn’t a mole or a spy planted by the Pharisees or Sadducees to sabotage Jesus’ ministry. He was a sincere believer.
Our psalm describes him as one “whom I trusted, he who shared my bread.” Jesus trusted Judas. True, he wasn’t a part of the inner circle like Peter, James, and John, but he was entrusted with the group’s treasury. He was entrusted with the full banquet of Jesus’ teachings, not just the sermons the public heard. He was entrusted with the responsibility of mission work when Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs from town to town, preaching the gospel. He felt the thrill of seeing people grasp the grace of God for the first time. He also felt the pain of rejection. Where Jesus slept, Judas slept. Where Jesus ate, Judas ate. Brennan Manning comments, “Sadly, the meaning of meal sharing is largely lost in the Christian community today. In the Near East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity, and forgiveness.” Judas was loved and trusted no less than the other men who followed Jesus. That is the prerequisite for betrayal. Betrayal is a weapon found only in the hands of one you love. Only a friend can betray. Betrayal is mutiny. Betrayal is treachery. It is a violation of trust, an inside job.
Saints, could we be a Judas? You are reading this devotion, so you, too, are someone who is drawn to Him. Jesus has trusted you to serve Him, and you know the “peace, trust, fraternity, and forgiveness” of eating at Jesus’ table. Jesus has made us His trusted friends with whom He has shared every blessing. Do we sometimes praise Him on Sunday and betray Him on Monday? Don’t be fooled! The same potential that led Judas to betray Jesus’ trust and to throw away faith and forgiveness is inside of each of us. Sin is frightening. It can lead us to do frightening things, yes, even betray the trust of our Savior.
Could we love Judas? Jesus did. More amazing than Judas’ betrayal of Jesus is Jesus’ love for Judas. “Friend,” He calls him. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew of Judas’ plot to betray Him even before Judas did, and He never treated him any differently than the rest of the disciples. For months, He dropped hints and gave warnings. Jesus gave Judas every chance. He brought Judas as close to Himself as anyone could possibly be. He held out His grace to him to the very end. The good news is that the love that was big enough to embrace Judas with grace is big enough to embrace us with grace as well when we betray Him. That’s amazing grace, Saints, wouldn’t you say? Look now at…
II. The Treachery He Inflicts
David describes the treachery: “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” We wince and grimace just thinking of the picture these words conjure up in our mind’s eye. We picture our Savior balled up in the fetal position while Judas kicks him when he is down and grinds his heel into his tortured body.
Saints, as we walk the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows, with Jesus this Lenten season, we are very acutely aware of the brutal blows inflicted on our Suffering Savior. The most bitter blows leveled on Jesus weren’t even physical. Judas didn’t slap Jesus in the face or spit on Him. He wasn’t among those who whipped Jesus until the skin was torn from his back. He didn’t sink the thorns from a makeshift crown into his head. He didn’t drive the nails through Jesus’ hands or feet with hammer blows. Yet Judas hurt Jesus much worse, and he did it without ever laying a hand on Him. He kissed him. He could have pointed at Jesus. He could have called out His name. But he put his lips on His cheek and kissed him. A snake kills with his mouth. Treacherous!
That kiss of betrayal was perhaps the most painful of the injuries inflicted on Jesus. But Judas wasn’t alone. The religious leaders turned on Jesus. The crowd turned on Jesus. The disciples turned on Jesus. Peter turned on Jesus. Everyone turned on Jesus. Every person took a step, but no one took a stand. He was betrayed. Not just by Judas. By the world. By us, too.
Betrayal is more than rejection. Rejection opens a wound. Betrayal pours the salt. Betrayal is more than loneliness. Loneliness leaves you in the cold. Betrayal closes the door. Betrayal is more than mockery. Mockery plunges the knife. Betrayal twists it. Betrayal is more than an insult. An insult attacks your pride. Betrayal breaks your heart.
We are most hurt by those closest to us. The closer our relationship, the deeper our pain. Jesus counted His disciples closer to Him than His own family, yet they all turned away from Him before the night was over. Judas had been Jesus’ friend. The treachery of this blatant betrayal of Jesus added immeasurably to Jesus’ anguish.
Jesus’ love for Judas offered forgiveness to the very end. Jesus’ love for us moved Him to endure the anguish of a trust betrayed and a friendship rejected. That assures us that God’s grace will stop at nothing to save us from our sins.
Interestingly, the name Judas doesn’t mean “traitor.” In Hebrew, it means “praise.” Today, we praise Jesus for suffering the anguish and agony of the treachery inflicted by this faithless friend. The amazing truth is this: He did it all for us. That deserves our praise, Saints. Praise the Lord. Amen.
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