Wednesday
I betrayed my best friend on a church trip during middle school. We were sharing a room, and he had a candy stash. Some other guys got wind of the candy and came into the room to take some. The fight coalesced around one candy bar, which the intruders struggled to pry from my friend’s hand. I held up my hands and yelled, “Pass it here!” in seeming alliance with him. He tossed me the candy, but instead of protecting it, I casually handed it over to the other guys.
I thought it would be funny. It wasn’t. A few minutes of iciness passed between us. We made up quickly, but I still cringe thinking back to that moment.
Betrayal, by definition, is something only a close companion can do. An enemy can hurt you, but betrayal is the action of a friend, sibling, lover. Judas Iscariot wasn’t a guy lobbing grenades from the other side. He was Jesus’ friend, one of the Twelve. So what can we take away from his betrayal of Jesus?
Here are three observations from the scene in John 13. First, there’s a lot of confusion. The disciples are confused as to who the betrayer could possibly be, and they’re confused why Judas leaves so abruptly. No one seems to think Judas could be the one.
Second, we observe the darkest of darkness. This was no ordinary betrayal. Satan, who had earlier moved Judas in this direction (John 13:2), now takes full possession. The betrayal and all the terrible events that follow are the actions of the Great Accuser. The final note that “it was night” is no mere historical observation. This is the hour of literal and spiritual darkness.
Third, amidst the confusion and darkness is the unlikeliest love. Jesus didn’t point a finger at Judas; he shared his food with him. It was a final act of affection and love for one who would tear his heart out.
Judas received the bread but not the love. Jesus’ posture to us, no matter the depth of our failures or rebellion, is the same. He says, “Receive my love. Eat with me, friend.” Reaching out to us is not just a piece of bread but his whole body, broken on the cross and given freely to all who would receive him.
May this darkest, most chaotic betrayal settle you in the unlikeliest love that shines in the darkness.
