Betrayal

God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.  That night, while the hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared, and the grain began to grow, the thistles showed up, too.  Matthew 13:24-26

Not much in life hurts more and fills one with more anguish than an occasion when we feel as if we have been betrayed by a good friend or loved one.  It can come when you least expect it through gossip, disagreements, broken confidences, broken promises, jealousy, or other events in life.  Almost everyone has experienced betrayal.  At our house we like to call these folks, people who speak with a forked tongue.  We pray for them and for ourselves, ask forgiveness, and then, we dust the sand from our feet and move on.

Judas was a close disciple of Jesus, and for three years, they traveled together, lived together, and worked together.  Judas was treated as a confidential servant and friend.  Yet, in the end, Judas gave in to his temptation and committed the ultimate act of treachery – he sold out for money – what will you give me if I deliver Him to you?  Matt: 26:15  Rather than live and work for Christ, he betrayed our Lord for thirty pieces of silver, and he sealed it with a kiss.  The Judas kiss is described as an act appearing to show friendship which is actually harmful to the recipient.

Betrayal hurts in many ways, but the ones that seem to stand out are the ways that it can effect us emotionally.  It hurts our feelings as my Mama would say.  We can’t believe someone close to us would let us down. It is frustrating because in many cases there have been no outward signs or reasons for the betrayal.  It also makes us angry to realize that we have put our confidence in someone, and they don’t respect us enough to be deserving of our respect.

Many times we witness spiritual betrayal.  We see people desert the church, deceive other Christians, even deny Christ.  What should be our reaction to these who we see as betraying their faith?

Jesus used the parable of the wheat and the tares to deal with betrayal.  The farmhands asked,  ‘should we weed out the thistles?’  No, if you weed the thistles you’ll pull out the wheat too.  Let them grow together until harvest time.  Then, I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and bind them to be put in the fire.  The wheat will be harvested and put in the barn.  Matthew 13:29-30.  This says to me that God will deal with the betrayer in His own way and at His appointed time.  He won’t sacrifice the good to deal with the bad.

Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, yet He showed grace to him. When I remember Judas, I think of him as a man who was haunted by his decision of betrayal so much that he went and hanged himself.  He couldn’t live with his betrayal. There are betrayers among us, and God allows them to exist here until He chooses to deal with them.  We live among thistles and wheat, and it’s our job to show grace to both.  Just as there are betrayers among us, there are angels here also.  Let’s choose to concentrate on the angels.