Betrayal

“When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, He said, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you will betray Me.’
“They were very sad and began to say to Him one after the other, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’” Matthew 26:20-22
Leading up to this, the Last Supper, Jesus had been telling His disciples that He would be handed over to the authorities, that He would be crucified, and that He would rise again. Now He drops another bombshell on them: He would be handed over by one of His own.
It’s interesting to note the disciples’ reaction to this announcement. They all suspected themselves. Nobody suspected Judas – they didn’t point the finger and say, ‘I bet it’s him.’ We read the gospel accounts in hindsight, since they were written in hindsight, and there Judas is often described as ‘Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him’ (Matt. 10:4, Mark 3:19, Luke 6:16, John 6:71, John 12:4). But at the time, the disciples did not know. In fact, perhaps even Judas did not fully know, although by the time the Last Supper came around, he had already made some arrangements with the chief priests to lead them to Jesus. Perhaps he did not realise what they intended to do with Him.
Rather, the disciples suspected themselves. The truth is, we could all be capable of betraying the Lord. We would like to think that we wouldn’t, but we know that such a moment of weakness could strike us at any time, especially when we are under pressure. But it’s in those situations that the Holy Spirit protects us and gives us the resolve to stand strong for the Lord. If we know Him and are known by Him, we don’t need to worry that we will betray Him.