“As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified” (Matthew 26:2)
I remember it well. That time in 6th grade when I told my friend, Eddie, about the girl I liked in our class. Not too many days later a note was slowly passed across the classroom from a good friend of that girl, asking me to mark “yes” or “no” about whether I liked that special girl. How did she know?! There could only be one answer: Eddie!
Have you ever felt betrayed by someone? I don’t mean simple 6th grade romance betrayals, but something deeper than that: a friend turning away from you, private and damaging information shared with someone by a trusted confidante, a spouse cheating on you, an authority figure misusing their power, or something else?
Jesus’ Holy Week journey begins with betrayal. He says, “the Son of Man will be handed over” (Matthew 26:2). We know, as the story continues, that Jesus will be handed over by one of His own. Judas concocts a scheme to turn Jesus in. While Judas’ motivation for doing this may seem unclear, at rock bottom it is a basic human betrayal that cuts deep.
It is surprising to realize Jesus’ greatest work, the crucifixion and resurrection, begins with something as basic as this. He takes that everyday human experience of betrayal and walks inside it Himself. He steps inside real human experience. His reconciling work on our behalf begins with ruptured relationship.
What is astonishing about this simple, human betrayal is that it is one part of the way that Jesus takes all of human experience upon Himself, and thereby redeems all of it. There is no part of human existence which cannot be healed, saved, and redeemed because Jesus, the Healer, Savior, and Redeemer has lived it and returned it perfectly to God.
As we begin this journey of Holy Week, may we fix our eyes upon Jesus and bring all of who we are back to Him.
For reflection:
- When have you experienced betrayal, whether as the betrayed or the betrayer, in your life? Have you brought that to God for healing and forgiveness?
- When you think about Jesus’ journey from Palm Sunday to the Cross, what do you find most powerful about that for yourself?
by Matt Erickson
Week 6 Family Talk
Young Farouk and his family fled Syria, spent time in Jordan and eventually came to the United States. All of this happened while Farouk was suffering from cancer. It was difficult and costly to treat his illness in Jordan but his family found a skilled and free hospital in the US. He is now cancer-free, speaks English well and loves pizza!
Life is full of different circumstances; some are easy to manage and some are tough. Jesus was no stranger to challenging events and our scriptures for this week show us his choice to obey God as He willingly moves to the Cross. (Hebrews 12:2 in part says “He suffered there because of the joy he was looking forward to.”)
Jesus tells His disciples, “As you know, the Passover Feast is two days away. The Son of Man will be handed over to be nailed to a cross” (Matthew 26:2 NIrV). Jesus already knew what the outcome looked like—the Cross and death. He knew that the chief priests and elders of the people were scheming to arrest Him and kill Him. He knew that His friends didn’t understand why a woman was pouring very expensive oil over Him like a preparation for burial. Sadly, Judas began his journey to betray his friend for 30 pieces of silver. “From then on, Judas watched for the right time to hand Jesus over to them” (Matthew 26:16 NIrV).
What can we learn from Jesus as He goes through these very trying times of His life on this earth? We know that He knew God’s plan for Himself and for the rest of the world. We know that Jesus continued forward with God’s plan even when some obstacles came up like the evil conspiring of the chief priests and the judgments of His friends when they saw the expensive perfume being poured over Him. Jesus was fixed on obeying God, His Father, giving up His life to take on our sin on that Cross in order to provide a way to restore us back into the family of God. God may ask us to do things that are difficult. We can know that whatever happens that God has a safe place for us to live with Him forever.
For Discussion:
- What are some of life’s circumstances that each of you have gone through that were difficult but ended well?
- What ending in our lives does Jesus promise?
- How have you or do you respond to Jesus’ call for you to accept His gift of salvation?
- How can you continue to follow Jesus in your life so that you can know God’s plan for your life and be obedient just like Jesus?
by Dawn Schuessler
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