Betrayal

Betrayal

11/27/16

The use of this word is a harsh one for all parties involved for there are foregone conclusions as to why any act of betrayal came to fruition. There are countless examples of this type of behavior in our history and when this type of setting is recognized, of course, emotions shall run high. God understands betrayal for He was exposed to it long before humans ever were created and while He continues to be the light for this condition we tend to ignore it. Jesus dealt with denial and betrayal on a personal level and while many do not recognize the actual events of Judas, he still is alive and well in today’s Church. We need to put God back in control of our lives so that we can recognize the light that God is shining us and maybe we will change our hearts before we hang ourselves.

All of us have had a friend, an acquaintance, or someone we know who has either betrayed us or was betrayed. The feeling of betrayal is hard to accurately describe without stating that it feels like an arrow has found its way straight to your heart or inner core. It is a person’s worst fear for them to feel this way because it seems like every defense you put up is quickly breached and your security no longer exists. It does not take humans very long to make a long list of opportunities that have gone bad and can be placed into this category and many times having a betrayal list is longer than the “good times” list. Whatever the scenario might have been it is hard for us to forgive these situations and those who drove this setting into place, but even Jesus had His moment of betrayal and it was through this process that His appointed time on earth soon came to an end.  But as we shall see, Jesus allowed the will of God to be completed instead of taking matters into His own hands, which He had every human right to do so.  It is this point where the betrayed and the betrayer part ways and confirm the truth about the heart that lies within.

This article is going to address another issue that has been a popular concern, and a growing one over the past few decades and it has to do with the belief of behavior and the consequences of the actions involved. The biblical setting of this article will be out of Matthew Chapter 26, Mark Chapter 14, and John Chapter 13 with these passages commonly known as the Last Supper and while the true issue here in these passages is about betrayal it is the act itself and the consequences of such an act that will be getting the attention that God wishes for us to hear. This article may seem to be cruel to some and common sense to others but always keep in mind that what is contained in God’s Word is just that, His heart and His Word all wrapped together as truth. While almost everyone understands the act that Judas agreed to complete, but what about the Passover feast itself and how things continued after Judas was dismissed.

Over our recent past, humans have begun to justify their sinful behavior with the term love and how God could not hate anyone or send them to a place where He was not present. Many have used settings in the Bible to justify these sayings and beliefs with many using Jesus as their example of why God is perfectly ok with sin and not being too concerned about its presence amongst our lives. Some have even justified their lifestyles so much to proclaim that Jesus rewrote the laws of the Old Testament in order to be on everyone’s equal beliefs. This is such a lie from the pit of hell and one that will claim so many lives for the ruler of the world and not God.  If God was “ok” with sin and its presence then why did He kick out Adam and Eve for their disobedience, why did He utterly destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, and most importantly why did He allow His only Son to die a sinner’s death for no reason?  This type of logic does not line up with God’s Word and it never shall either.  One also has to contend that this type of behavior and beliefs from humanity did not originate here but in ancient times as well which throws us into the same type of consequential category as the ancients.

To remind ourselves of God’s position, we must remember that God cannot change any word that He has set into motion, He cannot change any law that He has proclaimed and put into practice, God cannot alter His beliefs to accommodate anyone, god is all knowing, all seeing, all powerful and is the Creator of the universe and all living things, and has no rival. This means that god cannot do anything wrong at any time of the day or night. Therefore, what is spoken in God’s Word is the truth and according to His Word cannot be changed. In other words, God cannot betray His own existence.  While this truth is hard for us to wrap our hearts around sometimes, it must be at the forefront of our existence.  Sometimes the Word of God can seem a bit harsh but its words originate from a being that is totally serious when it comes to your eternal placement, and in that manner, God cannot afford to play games or sugarcoat the truth.

In Matthew Chapter 26 we read that Christ is preparing for the Jewish time of Passover, which is one of the largest and most sacred traditions that the children of Israel have, for it marks the event in their history of when God passed through their captive state and after He demonstrated His authority over all humanity, freed His people from their situation.  When Jesus was alive He was always pointing to this time of the year during His ministry but like most humans they (we) missed it and carried on with this tradition as a blind symbol of remembrance of their history only. 

There is one act in this passage that defines how things will be when God decides it is time to call His people home and what will occur when the truth is being revealed.  Many of us have read this passage of Scripture numerous times but I have to admit that this passage and this little detail that God is going to show us is an important one for our lives today.  I must admit that it shall not make some people happy and it even goes to the point of angering a few, but it is a truth that we need to take into our hearts and apply it to those who are being fooled into believing a lie from Satan himself.  Yes, it is that important of a detail and it is one that we need to use when someone questions us about our stance on sin.  We must always remember that God is a complete God and when He places something in motion He must adhere to it for eternity and cannot change that Way in any shape or form.

We know that not every act that Jesus did is recorded in the Bible, for if all that He did was written down the enormity of the Bible would simply be overwhelming in size and content.  We have sufficient amount of truth in the Old Testament alone to warrant a truthful manuscript of the life of Christ, and when you add His life in detail in accordance with the New Testament there can be no mistake that He alone was the Son of God and that He had a specific purpose for His existence on earth.  There have been and still are plenty of times of when I study Jesus’ actions on earth that I wish I had more details but through the amount of words that are in the New Testament and Old Testament it is possible – with the help of God of course – to piece together what the true mission of Christ really is to our lives.  But it is this part of the gifts of our physical bodies that God has given us to enhance God’s Word, through His Word the details of the completeness of God, which means that through the completeness of God means that He is complete through His Word and not ours finite imaginative one.

Only a few chapters before Matthew 26, we find that Jesus was on a journey to call His disciples and to change their lives forever.  I sit and wonder how I would feel if I was one of those 12 men whom He called to give up everything and to personally walk and talk with Him on a daily basis.  I understand that is exactly what He has done through this ministry of mine and I would not change it for anything, but to have the opportunity to see His flesh and to hear the voice of God speak personally to me on a daily, right in front of my eyes; I know one day this will occur but until then, I shall wait.  Can you imagine how these 12 men felt when some dude walks up to you and says something like, drop your fishing line, give up your known lifestyle, and come with me and I will teach you to fish for men instead?  It is frightening enough to have people come up to you and ask for directions to the supermarket much less ask you to change your entire world and go with them.

What a motley crew Jesus took as well, for none of them were part of the religious order known as the High Priest or priests of the Jewish religion.  They were all working class and common men who worked hard for their wages each day; with a few shady characters thrown in the mix for example purposes.  Each one of these men was chosen because of what Jesus saw in their hearts and what their hearts would accomplish for His Father’s Kingdom.  If you wish to put it in this manner, then one can say this was the beginning process of Jesus building His Church through Him and not the world – let the stepping on toes begin.  This means that God knows that there will be people who attend that really want to understand His Word and that there shall be those who go through the motions even as they sit in the presence of God.

We also have plenty of examples of how the disciples really did not understand what Jesus was saying to them, because when you argue about who is going to be the greatest or first in the class while your teacher is about to tell you that He is going to die for the world, one gets a pretty good idea that even after a time with God some just miss it.  And, if we are truthful, many of the people who sit in the pews in the church every Sunday fall into this category as well.  Do you realize that it is these types of people today that are a direct mirror image of the original Disciples of Christ?  Stepping on toes part 2. 

However, there is a pattern here that Jesus must have recognized and it is one that must have concerned Him but it was one that while concerned Him He did not exclude His disciples from a certain high and holy day that was approaching.  There is no doubt that Jesus loved each and every one of the men He chose to serve Him as disciples and it is through this act that brings us to the meat of the article and the point that God wishes for us to understand.  It is a passage that has deep meaning to those loved ones of yours that choose to live in a world of sin rather committing themselves to be separated from the world.  It is this passage that drives a nail into the lie that says it is ok to do what I want because God loves me and will not let me go to hell but live in heaven.

Really?  Can one ascertain this truth about God from the Passover and Last Supper portion of the Bible?  I thought it was all about Jesus telling His disciples about His death and how it was going to change the world forever.  I thought it was just about how Jesus was establishing the New Covenant that God had promised.  It is all of those things but there is one significant detail that needs to be remembered and it actually occurs before the supper ends and thus gives us the truth about the heart and what kingdom drives it.  A detail that many people use to justify their acceptance of their sinful life occurs here through the pattern of acceptance, yet it is the separating factor that Jesus calls out during the Passover supper and the final choice is instantly made.

Matthew 26:26 – 29 states as follows:  “And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover. Now when even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?  And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.  The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man who by whom the Son of man is betrayed!  It had been good for that man if he had not been born.  Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I?  He said unto him, Thou hast said. 

When I was a kid and living in Cleveland, Texas, our church put on a play on the Last Supper one Easter season.  The entire play was conducted as the disciples arrived, as Jesus arrived, His words to them and their actions after what Jesus said during that time. Each disciple was given a monolog to depict their life as the one who might betray Jesus on that fateful night and also to reflect on their time with Jesus while He was on earth.  I remember this play quite well for it touched my young heart about how a friend or a group of friends could end up costing a person their physical life; this was God even!!  

The entire play was a call for everyone in the building that night to allow God to search their heart and to see if there was any betrayal residing inside, a powerful message of guilt, repentance, and restoration.  At that moment in my young life, I did not understand the exact part of Judas and I probably do not still but through God’s wisdom He has pointed out this detail that needs to be shared with those who play with God and His Ways.  We can never forget that God is a complete God and if He does something once He must honor that act and then act accordingly with that act in the future.  See, God is a complete God and He demands that we be complete in Him as well and we just cannot do that if there is any betrayal in our hearts.

The point that Jesus made was that someone in that room that was participating in the Last Supper was going to betray Him and it was startling enough that each person in the room asked a specific question, even the guilty party.  Jesus did not kick Judas out of the ceremony even though Jesus knew that it was going to be Judas who was to complete the act. Jesus gave Judas plenty of time to change his mind and to stop the proceedings of betrayal from occurring, but instead, Judas chose to continue what he had already committed himself to and carried out the act within a matter of a few hours.  Even after Judas asked the known answered question of is it I, Jesus did not kick him out, continuing the time that Judas had the opportunity to repent and stay with Jesus and the others.  It is at this point where Judas finally leaves and does not return but he chose his path (the world) and went to the priests.  How many of us have taken Communion with betrayal in our hearts?  Even Judas participated in this act of salvation but in the end chose to follow through with his act of betrayal.

Chasing a rabbit here for a moment but it is an important rabbit to remember.  The spirit of the Chief Priests and the High Priest was not of God but conducted through the spirit that Satan manifested in their hearts.  Yes, the crucifixion of Christ was the will of God and it serves as the high point of restoration for every human being.  God understood this and allowed His only Son to be sacrificed for our lives, this was planned and ordained by God way back in the Garden of Eden and even though it was a grotesque procedure, God knew it had to be done.  The rabbit here is that Judas listened to the spirit of the world instead of the spirit that Jesus portrayed and taught him, which means that the spirit of the world is totally against God and will do anything in order to promote its agenda.  The spirit of the world does not care about your life nor does the ruler of this world and if he can get you to accomplish a single act to push God’s Kingdom backward – or to believe he is doing this – then he has won.

The feast of Passover was a planned out ceremony that everyone that participated in did not leave until all activities were completed.  The disciples must have questioned as to why Judas left the building before the evening festivities had concluded, but it must not have been such of a concern for the activities continued without major interruptions.  Jesus was clear in His statement to Judas concerning the deed that he was about to do and through this statement of Jesus God was allowing Jesus to eventually die.  A “gift” that Satan must have been thrilled about yet something had to be telling him that a huge event was about to take place that would infuriate his eternal being. 

The important issue here is that Judas was not part of the party that left the upper room and went out into the night singing, but he was already in the process of finalizing his betrayal act.  There must have been a huge battle going on inside Judas’ head and heart but the forces of peer pressure from the priests must have been just as intense.  While the religious spirits were jumping with joy the entire Kingdom world was waiting with bated breath to see what would occur next.  But Judas did this act willingly which meant that he was ok with it and that his belief in the world was far greater than what his eyes had witnessed and his ears had heard over the past few years.  Does this pattern sound similar or even identical to how people believe today?  It is this truth that God wants us to understand about, that when you do not accept the ways of God you are in a betrayal status.  

Not only are you betraying God but you are also betraying your individual status of existence and creation as well.  God will allow you to continue this belief of yours but at some point in time, God is going to move on and follow His will for His will shall be done always.  For those of you who are living outside the guidelines of God’s Word please listen to what God is saying because it is your eternal life that is on the line here.  You cannot live and serve the world and expect God to ignore your unrepentant heart.  Jesus did allow Judas all the time to change and repent but in the end, HE DID NOT.  It is this point that is dangerous to those who believe they will be secure in their sins when it comes time for them to stand before God.  Judas’ actions prove that once a person chooses the way of the world they shall follow it even when God is sitting face to face with them; a hard subject but one that is true.  As stated a moment ago, how many justifications did Judas go through in order to complete his act of betrayal?  Probably just as many as those who justify their sinful acts and still claim to call Christ their Lord and Savior, I am sorry but it cannot and will not mix.

As it is stated above there is no doubt that Jesus loved Judas, even when He told Judas about his “secret” plan against Him.  We all know what occurred to Judas after his act of betrayal of Jesus and it does not have a happy ending.  I am confident that even after Judas completed the act of betrayal and he asked Jesus to forgive him that Jesus would have done it in a heartbeat.  It is hard for a human to understand this truth but it is just that, the truth.  Judas did not reenter into the setting until his act was to commence, and it was there that Judas betrayed the Son of God.  In Jewish tradition, there is a holiday that occurs each year that demonstrates how important it is to confess every sin and to forgive everyone against you.  In this tradition, one is supposed to examine their lives even down as far as the lint inside the pant pocket and to remove it from your life.  It is this type of examination that God wants to perform in our lives as well, so it means every sin and not just a few chosen ones.  God loves you this is a correct statement but He cannot overlook sin and justify His love based upon a lie you have spoken into existence.

God is calling His people to repent wholly and completely, not just partially.  It is vital that we give up the things of the world for chances are when it comes time to choose we shall choose the world instead of God.  When I was a young man the state seat belt laws came into effect, and many of my friends and including myself believed that we did not have to wear seat belts because if we were about to be in an accident we could put our feet up on the dash and protect ourselves in that manner.  The only problem is that accidents occur much faster than we can react to such a motion, which means that the theory of putting your feet up is not going to help you in any way.  This is the same type of concept that those who choose to live in sin have when it comes to their eternal life and therefore will project the same outcome as well.  Please, think about this and allow God to challenge your heart to return to Him.

God is calling us to repent totally and allow His restoration process to occur in our lives.  The most important thing that we need to keep close to our hearts is that we need God and Jesus in our lives and that we need to come to Him every day and make sure our lives are wholly in His will and not ours.  Do not be fooled by the worldly version of God’s love for it is a lie.  The ONLY way that we can understand God’s Love is to study His Word and hide it within our hearts.  Church, repent and allow God to change your status from a worldly one to a holy one.  And please know that there shall come a time when things become tough and hard decisions will be made and we need to be engrained in God’s Word to survive both physically and more importantly spiritually.

DLB