The Betrayal

Luke 22: 1-6

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called The Passover, was approaching. 
The Chief Priests and the Scribes were looking for ways they might put Him to death, because they were aftraid of the people.
And Satan entered into Judas, who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the Twelve.
And he went away and discussed with the Chief Priests and officers how he might betray Him to them.
They were glad and agreed to give him money.
So he consented, and began to seek a good opportunity to betray Him away from the crowd.

The Jewish leaders were really fuming at how Jesus was becoming more popular with His miracles and teaching the people, and doing all the things the Messiah, the King of Israel would be doing. They envied Him and hated Him so much that they wanted to murder Him, but were afraid that the people would riot if they tried anything. 

Then when Judas approached them, this was their opportunity. He was an insider, who could turn Him over to them secretly, away from the crowds. So they negotiated and agreed to pay him the price of a slave, thirty pieces of silver (Exodus 21:32). 

That's when Judas started to look for the right time and place to give Him up to the Jewish leaders. 

(For a summary of the events of His last week, look at my blog entry, "From Supper To The Garden" on October 9, 2016.) 

Jesus knew that Judas was planning to betray Him, and He even told Him the right time to do it, during the Supper when He told him, What you are doing, do it now, quickly (John 13:27), as soon as He gave him the morsel of food. 

The other disciples didn't know what He was telling him to do, but he left them then, and wasn't with them when He made the appointment to meet with them in Galilee after He was risen (Matthew 26:32 and Mark 14:28), and for all the teaching He would give them on their way to the Garden (John 13:31-16:33), and His High Priestly Prayer (chapter 17).  

Then He went into the Garden, and was arrested there. In that private, protected space where He liked to go to pray. That only an insider would know about. 

O my Father, Jesus must have suffered so greatly with His betrayal by His friend, and the prospect of having to carry sin that was so repulsive to Him, and be separated from You, Father, for the first and only time in all Time, from Eternity Past though to Eternity Future. That must have wrenched His tender heart!

O Father, break our hearts for what breaks Yours! Draw us close into Your embrace; and strengthen us for the extreme hatred of the enemy against us because we are Yours. 

And help us to remember that Sunday is coming! 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!