30 Pieces Of Silver – The Wound Of Betrayal
Judas
What words did you think of when you read that name?
Betrayal
Disloyalty
Deception
Disappointment?
30 PIECES OF SILVER
Luke chapter 22:48 is the moment where Judas gave Jesus the ‘kiss of betrayal’
30 pieces of silver was all it took
To persuade a disciple to betray his friend
Greed is the shadow which betrayal stands in
30 pieces of silver was a fair price
To sell Jesus over to the chief priests
But Judas didn’t sell Jesus that day
In the end, it was himself that he sold
THE WOUND OF BETRAYAL
Every time I read Luke 22, I feel the ache in Jesus’ heart
Like Jesus, I too have felt the sting of betrayal by a close friend
Betrayal in its rawest state, is like a knife wound
It cuts deep, and you never think you’ll get over it
Over time it heals, until a scab is formed
But the wound of betrayal is still visible
And if picked, it can fester
Until its toxic poison oozes into every part of your life
The betrayer has long since gone, but your still face down, in the dirt
Wondering where your friendship turned a corner and unravelled right before your eyes
And like Jesus
While the false accusations were being hurled at me
I stood silent
Hoping that my integrity rose above the darkness that surrounded me
Trusting God to fight for me
Because I wasn’t going to fall into the trap of arguing my case
As I’ve walked through the emotions that go with betrayal
The sense of loss of the relationship, sadness and disappointment
I have come to realise
That it’s in those moments, that you must truly lean on God to pull you through
The betrayer may look like they’re ‘off the hook’ to you
But like Judas, they too have sold themselves for 30 pieces of silver
At the climax of the crucifixion story
Judas and Jesus are both hanging on a tree
Conquered
Crushed
Beaten…
One man looks at his accusers and betrayers and says,
“Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing”
Forgive?!?
It’s a word that will make you catch your breath
Like an antiseptic lotion, stinging the wound that betrayal has left
But God wants you to rise, dear friend
And you cannot rise until you’ve allowed God to heal your wound
I won’t lie to you, it’s a long process
Which feels unfair at times
Forgiving your betrayer will probably be the hardest thing God has asked you to do
But there is hope
Because Jesus has the power to slowly heal your wounded heart
Back to a place where you feel secure in His love
It will be in that moment, that you will realise just how much you’ve grown
Through the pain
And you will start to rise again
Because the One who was betrayed for just 30 pieces of silver
Knows your pain
And
He’s got your back
Wendy xo