The Bread of Betrayal

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After Jesus had said these things, he was deeply troubled and told his disciples, “I tell you for certain that one of you will betray me.”  They were confused about what he meant. And they just stared at each other.

Jesus' favorite disciple was sitting next to him at the meal,  and Simon motioned for this disciple to find out which one Jesus meant. So the disciple leaned toward Jesus and asked, “Lord, which one of us are you talking about?”

Jesus answered, “I will dip this piece of bread in the sauce and give it to the one I was talking about.”

Then Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.  Right then Satan took control of Judas.

Jesus said, “Judas, go quickly and do what you have to do.”  No one at the meal understood what Jesus meant.  But because Judas was in charge of the money, some of them thought that Jesus had told him to buy something they needed for the festival. Others thought that Jesus had told him to give some money to the poor. Judas took the piece of bread and went out.

It was already night.

John 13:21-30

The Betrayal of Jesus is difficult to understand. Why did it serve God's purpose to have one of the disciples turn Jesus over to those who would crucify Him? What purpose did that serve? Judas was not rewarded for fulfilling God's purpose. The Bible says it would have been better for him if he had never been born.

But God sees yesterday, today and tomorrow all the same. He can predict the future because He already knows what will happen. The prophecy of Psalm 41:9 which says "Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" is testimony to God's knowledge of what will happen in the future.

The warning for me in the story of what Judas did on that awful night is this: Being close to those who are intimate with The Lord does not mean that you have a relationship with Jesus yourself. Satan wants you and me to betray Jesus today. He speaks to our minds and gives us opportunities to join Judas in turning away from The Lord.

"Oh Lord, help me not to look at all those around me who are close to You and be satisfied with that. May I receive from You the Bread of Life and not the bread of betrayal like Judas did on the night before You went to the Cross. Draw me close to You Lord Jesus. Amen."