What a brutal reminder of betrayal.
If Jesus can be betrayed so can we. One in 12 of Jesus’s disciples betrayed him. That’s an 8% default rate. Wow!
Zechariah 13:6 seems to point to the future that was to come. “I was wounded at the home of friends!”
Don’t miss the exclamation point. Appalling! Awful! Hurtful! Unthinkable! But yet betrayal lives on at the hands and home of friends! Nothing is more painful than falling under not so friendly fire. Betrayal is the worst.
Why should we be surprised when we are betrayed by a friend? If we haven’t been, we will be. It hurts. It is confusing. We are left wondering why. What did we do? What went wrong? We were so close. There must be some misunderstanding. In fact there is.
The cold blade of betrayal goes in quick but it is removed painfully slow. Healing from such a wound can take a life time.
Unless, unless we recognize we are warriors and in battle there are unfortunate casualties.
Not only will we be beat up and knocked down as we seek to defeat the enemy but we will lose friendships in our quest for victory.
Traitors are within every army. They hide within our closest of relationships undermining, back biting and wishing us less than our best.
Betrayal is rooted in self preservation and deep insecurity. Our strength and influence intimidate the weak. They only feel stronger when they are outside of our shadow. Unfortunately, they conclude that betrayal is the only way to escape their own inadequacies.
For the traitor they seek to eliminate the standard we represent and now live life on their own terms, according to their abilities and desires.
Although the unit is weaker as a whole, there is no remorse so long as the traitor remains king of the hill.
Yet, every day the traitor lives is a reminder that one like him waits among the ranks ready to act at the opportune time. Betrayal continues to thrive and he finds himself held prisoner by an enemy of his own making. The betrayer has been betrayed!
