I wanted to write this post around Easter because it fits this time of year! I have often thought about Judas and Jesus and wondered why this happened? Why did God allow this to happen? Why did Judas betray his best friend? Did Judas really have a choice or was it the destiny of Judas to fulfill scripture? Well, this is a very difficult issue to ponder about because it gives us all great perspective into our current lives! And, it leads back to the title of this post, how we may actually choose the very people who betray us!
Speaking from my own experience, I can tell you that I chose my betrayer! Without going into the personal details, I can only tell you that betrayal hurts very deeply. So deeply that it can “Pierce your very Soul”! And for any of you who have experienced a deep and personal betrayal of any kind, you know how difficult it is to OVERCOME! NO ONE EVER GETS AWAY WITH A BETRAYAL and leads a happy life afterwards! Judas ended up hanging himself!
Now, let us turn to what can be learned from a betrayal! First, you must gain the perspective that you are not alone. As it happened to Jesus, it can happen to you. Jesus chose his betrayer, and so can we! Second, God often allows a betrayal because his perspective is different then ours. The Bible tells us that “What was meant for evil, God can turn it into something good”. This a powerful perspective for us to learn and apply. If we take on the right perspective, we can look back and see how God actually gave us the “advantage”. Even though Judas betrayed Jesus, that wasn’t the end of the story! And some 2000 years later, the effects of Judas’s evil deed, is still saving us and giving us New Life today! Hence, the Easter message!
Now, how can you forgive your betrayer even if they never apologize to you? Well, the answer to this difficult situation lies in our ability to see our own sin before God! This is the single biggest obstacle to enjoying the Easter life and the Easter message. I have found that the only way I could forgive my betrayer, was to see my own betrayal before God. And God will show this to you if you are willing to accept it. This was an unmasking of myself and my own sin before God. And this is the challenge that each one of us has to go through for ourselves. When you can see your own sin before God and have accepted Jesus into your heart, it then becomes possible for you to truly forgive your betrayer. That was how I was able to forgive my friend who betrayed me and never apologized for it.
Now, why is it so difficult for people to see their own sin? Well, because this is very hard work and intense work. Our ego never wants us to see our own sin. Our ego and and the devil never want us to see our own sin. And as long as we can’t see our own sin, we are not truly living in God’s perfect will. We make up our own truth about what the Bible says how we should live.
As we approach Easter, let us remember that God is still in the miracle business! He is still talking and communicating to us! He is still asking us to confess our sins to him. He is still blessing us and asking us to be a blessing to others. And, he wants us to know that he can turn our “messes” into his “miracles”.
Happy Easter!
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