PASSION WEEK: WALKING WITH JESUS DAY 3

 

Isaiah 50:4-9

4 The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
I have not been rebellious,
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.
8 He who vindicates me is near.
Who then will bring charges against me?
Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!
9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
Who will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths will eat them up.

JOHN 13:21- 32

Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. 

 

Most of us have experienced betrayal at some point in our lives by someone close and beloved. Have you ever shared the deepest parts of yourself, only for that trusted person to turn on you and become an adversary?

I feel like by reflecting on our own experiences of betrayal, can bring us closer to the cross, closer to Jesus’ Passion, closer to the experience of Jesus. I don’t know if you agree with me on this, but I find in reading today’s scriptures there is a connection between our experiences of betrayal, and the magnitude of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas.

There is something here really important for us in the details of our readings. Since Jesus was betrayed so painfully by Judas, we can be sure that he knows the dreadful pain and shame we feel from the betrayal of our friend or loved one. Like so many of our experiences, the Gospels tell us that we are not alone for Jesus has been there too. The message is that we can take our pain and brokenness to the cross in the confidence that Jesus knows it and feels it. When I was growing up there was a hymn that we used to sing that said “no one understands like Jesus.” In the throes of betrayal it is helpful to remember that Jesus lived it before we did. Best news ever is that Jesus lives it with us now. One of the most meaningful phrases in the Bible to me is found in the story of Lazarus, we are told “Jesus wept.” He wept because he knew the pain. Every human emotion we experience, Jesus knows it.

I admit this knowledge doesn’t eliminate the pain and hurt, there is a healing journey in the wake of betrayal. Yet, don’t you find there is a comfort in the reality that Jesus has walked it all before us and that he is able to sympathize with us.

LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus, just as the disciples had no idea what was playing out before them, so we have many things going on in our lives that we cannot understand. Help us to trust that you have the full picture, and our times are in your hands. It is comforting to know that you share our pain, and you weep with us. Amen.