What could be worse than betrayal? Sure it is bad when the
enemy strikes you, but you expect
that. Betrayal is not like that. Betrayal happens with those whom we are close
to. This makes the strike all the more painful.
We read in chapter 13 verse 21 that Jesus was troubled in His
Spirit. He knew someone would betray Him. He could foresee that one of the 12
disciples that he loved, poured himself into, taught, sent out and washed the
feet of, would hand him over to the religious leaders whose plan was to put him
to death.
The others are surprised. Peter tells the beloved disciple,
John, to ask Jesus who He is referring to. Jesus must have quietly responded to John
about the bread (see verse 26) because nobody understood why Jesus said to
Judas, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Judas leaves and it is night. The imagery is pregnant with
meaning. Night is where darkness reigns. The Enemy is on the loose to see
that his plan succeeds: putting God in the flesh to death. He uses one of Jesus’
closest disciples to get the job done.
But this Enemy is ultimately on a leash and any evil that is
spewed out God will use for good: the salvation of our souls. You see, the
worst possible thing that has ever occurred on earth was going to happen: God
the Son was about to die. But God would use Satan’s evil plan to fulfill His
good plan: His death would be the propitiation for our sins.
Even though Jesus knows the greatest good will come from
the deepest evil, that doesn’t make it easy. Jesus would not only experience
that utmost physical pain imaginable, He would also experience it emotionally
as His closest friends betrayed Him (Judas), denied Him (Peter) and abandoned
Him (the rest of them). And worst of all, He would experience it spiritually as
the Father in Heaven turns His face away from Him as He bears our sin so that
we would never be forsaken.
He experienced this all for God’s glory and our good. What love.
Would you meditate on these truths from an article by Thabiti
Anyabwile as we close:
·
Jesus willingly suffers [the wrath of God] so
sinners may escape it.
·
Jesus’ abandonment means the sinners
adoption.
·
He takes our place on the cross so we can take
His place in the kingdom.
·
Because He was abandoned socially, we may be
children in the household of God.
·
Because He was deserted emotionally, we become
whole again—renewed in the image of God.
Because He suffered spiritual separation, we may be spiritually united
to Him through faith so that we will never be separated from God’s love.
·
Because He was forsaken, we are forgiven.
·
Now He says to us, “I will never leave you nor
forsake you.”
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