Have you been betrayed by a friend? Was there someone who you thought you could trust who later turned against you? Did you think you were making a difference only to have your feet cut out from under you? How did that make you feel? Were you hurt? Were you angry?
Being betrayed can cause a range of emotions…none of them good. We may be resentful, angry, distraught, depressed, or even vengeful. Depending on who the person betrayed us to, we may feel hopeless. No, being betrayed is not good for our mental well-being.
We read that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. But do we consider the range of emotions Jesus may have felt when He saw Judas coming up the hill with a cohort of soldiers to take Him into custody? Even though Jesus knew it was going to happen, He wasn’t looking forward to it. However, Jesus did what many of us do when we have others to take care of and face a bad situation. He summoned His courage to face it and be a positive example for His disciples.
Do we betray Jesus? When we willfully sin, we do. Our sin is the reason for Him having to go to the cross. Do we feel guilty? Do we resent sinning? Do we repent? Jesus is the reason we are forgiven. Yet, He did not intend on us continuing in our sin. He wants us to allow His Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out. As we release our selfish attitude and seek to do the will of the Father, we begin the process of eliminating our willful sinning. We begin to live the life God wants us to live and become the person he wants us to be.
I pray we all let go of our selfishness. I pray we allow the Holy Spirit to change us. I pray each one of us seek to do God’s will and become the person God intended us to be. Ponder Jesus’ feelings of being betrayed. Give up your selfishness. Allow the Holy Spirit to change you. Stop willfully sinning. Know that you are forgiven.
Mark 14:10-11 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
Marty Pressey 