“That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread…” I Corinthians 11:23
I am sure that at some point in our lives we all have encountered betrayal in some form. But how many of us can say that we have actually experienced an act of betrayal in our own personal lives? You may believe you have not been affected by it, but you will be surprised that betrayal is more common than you may think.
People are living with the sting and wound of betrayal in their lives, some knowingly and yet there are many unknowingly. Have you ever been hurt by a spouse who has left a marriage? Did someone reveal a secret that you confided in them? Have you been the topic of some gossip at your workplace? Have you been treated unfairly by those you thought were your friends? Have you experienced the failure of leadership? Maybe you have even shared a meal with some friends and in the end one of them betrayed you…..
This is what happened to Jesus. He was sitting at the table sharing a meal with His closest friends. Those whom He had walked, talked, and shared great fellowship with for the past three years. He had invested His life into them and yet in the end He felt the betrayal of not only the one at the table but eventually every one of them that night.
Betrayal, however, when we encounter it, desires for us to retaliate and respond in an attitude of revenge toward the perpetrator(s). For every one of us that encounter betrayal or experience it on a personal level, will have to face it and choose the right way to act and respond.
This is what Jesus did. And it is a good thing for you, me, and mankind that He responded the way He did! This night would be the night that He would begin the grueling course of redeeming mankind back to God. He was choosing to be the sacrifice for mankind. This was the night when He needed all the support He could get and yet He would find Himself betrayed by all and walking with none. He even experienced, because of what He would go through on the cross, what he felt as the betrayal of His Father God. He tasted betrayal in its most heightened form and yet He was still able to remain in the mindset of fulfilling death, His death on the cross for all mankind.
BE ENCOURAGED: Jesus died so that you can receive healing from the hurt, pain, and wounds of betrayal. Accept the healing! Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will never leave you nor forsake you! He will never betray you! He will never leave you comfortless! He is always with you! Look to Him, He will always encourage you!
GOD LOVES US, GOD IS IN CONTROL, GOD KNOWS BETTER THAN WE DO!
