Jesus’
Last Days
Stephen
Terry
Commentary
for the June 18, 2016 Sabbath School Lesson
“When evening came, Jesus was reclining
at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell
you, one of you will betray me.’” Matthew 26:20-21, NIV
The sordid history of the human race has often been
punctuated by moments of betrayal. Perhaps this should not be surprising
considering it was Adam and Eve’s betrayal of trust that initiated the sequence
of events that brought us to the present day with its evil. Not long after this
initial fall, Cain met with his trusting brother in the field and slew him. It
seems it is a simple step to go from betrayal of trust to murder. Maybe this is
because it is hard to live with the knowledge of betrayal whenever you see the
one who has been betrayed.
The theme of betrayal has been a common one in
historical literature. Shakespeare wrote of the classic betrayal of Julius
Caesar on the Ides of March when his friend Brutus stabbed him to death in the
Roman Senate. It is impossible for an enemy to betray someone; it must be a
friend or at least someone feigning friendship by definition. Thus Caesar’s
shocked exclamation “Et tu Brutus?” He found it difficult to accept that such a
close friend would murder him. If we are to judge by Shakespeare, Brutus also
struggled with the idea that he would do such an act. Perhaps even though we
can see the path to betrayal and murder after the fact, the direction of the miscreant
is not so clear to him or her at the time. Somehow though, he comes to the
point where he is convinced that the benefits deriving from the betrayal are
more desirable than those to be gained by loyalty, even though it rarely works
out that way.
Interestingly, when we see these plot lines in
literature, or even with Cain and Able in the Bible, we never identify with the
betrayer. Instead we often see ourselves like the betrayed victim. This is
similar to the way we see ourselves in the story of the Pharisee and the Tax
Collector.[i] Again we see ourselves as
the humble Tax Collector, never as the proud Pharisee. But in reality, we are
always the Pharisee for we fail to recognize our pride. We also are always the
betrayer for we fail to recognize the many times we have placed our own selfish
interests above those of others. Every time we have done so, we have shown a
willingness to betray those we should love for gain. That gain may be financial
or it may be power and control over others. It is even possible to betray
others in the mistaken assumption that doing so will advance our place in the
Kingdom of God.
For example, it is not uncommon for friend to betray
friend in a struggle for church office. Usually this is for offices that come
with power and influence such as church elder, pastor, or administrator. Like
daggers plunged into backs, we share concerns or innuendos that tarnish the
character of an opponent in order to gain pre-eminence in the selection
process. We may even make it sound holy to do so. “We should pray for Brother
or Sister X. They are having such a struggle right now.” In a normally
functioning prayer fellowship this may be appropriate, but in the context of a
power struggle, such pronouncements can be devastating. It can take years to
heal from such a betrayal. Sometimes the healing never comes, especially if the
betrayer is rewarded with the position of power they sought. Little wonder when
such poisonous relationships are found in the church that so many wounded
hearts continue to be an ongoing reproach to the church in the community. Far
too many, who have been forced to submit to an unrighteous opponent in this
way, have chosen to leave the church rather than suffer such humiliation. One
might even wonder if we might be far more likely to find Christ-like souls
outside the fellowship rather than within where this evil atmosphere is allowed
to exist.
This is not the only way betrayal exists within the
household of faith however. It can also exist when we get confused about
priorities. While we are to love and serve those around us, we are not to place
those relationships above our relationship with God. Unfortunately, we too
often do. We tend to minimize the claims of the Bible on the lives of our
friends and family. If they hold some cherished belief that is biblically
incorrect, we insulate them from that knowledge by either avoiding the topic in
their presence or rising to their defense if broached by someone else. We
convince ourselves to do this out of a concern for their being offended should
they be exposed to biblical teaching at an inopportune time. However, in the
end, it often develops that there is never an opportune time, and the friend
who sought to protect them from being offended not only betrayed God who tried
to reach them through someone else, but they have also betrayed the friend who
should have been able to count on the one having knowledge of salvation sharing
it with them.
Sadly, the betrayer, so convinced of the correctness of
their betrayal never asks the question of himself, “What gives me the right to
decide when and where my friend should be exposed to these things? Why can’t I
trust God to work everything out for good?” Perhaps in the end then, the
betrayer demonstrates that just as they are not to be trusted with the
spiritual welfare of others, God also is not to be trusted. Otherwise why would
they fight so hard to keep Him from “offending” their friends with biblical
knowledge? We expect opposition to the Holy Spirit from those who have never
known God, but the shock of betrayal is so much bitterer when we find those who
claim to be brothers and sisters in Christ who stand against reaching others.
Perhaps this should come as no surprise. After all, the
greatest opposition to the ministry of Jesus came from the “church” of His day.
In most instances, those who claimed holiness or righteousness by virtue of
their affiliation with the temple and the priesthood were most often offended
and willing to oppose every bit of light that Jesus would shine into people’s
hearts. They did not see their own poverty of spirit, but instead considered
themselves to be loyal servants of God. Yet they were unable to recognize the
Messiah God had predicted through the prophets and now presented to them in the
flesh. When the people felt the moving of the Spirit and asked if this could be
the Messiah, these good church people assured them it was not. When Jesus
performed miracles, they stated to the people it was only through the Devil
that He was able to do so. Even though the scribes, Pharisees and priests could
perform no miracles themselves, nonetheless they refuted Jesus as an imposter
rather than who He claimed to be. Then when they became offended enough at His
words and could not shut Him up otherwise, they murdered Him. As Caesar was
murdered by his friends in the Senate, Jesus was murdered by those who should
have been His friends, those who were the ones performing the very services
each day in the temple that were intended to foreshadow His appearance and
ministry.
This was not the sum of His betrayal by the church
though. The ones He had called to be the nucleus of His church also betrayed
Him. Judas, the archetypical betrayer, sold the life of Jesus for thirty pieces
of silver that he never got to spend. Peter denied Jesus three times outside
the High Priest’s house. All the rest of the disciples fled when Jesus was
arrested in Gethsemane. One even left his clothes behind, he was in such a
hurry to abandon Jesus.[ii] Later, before Pilate, the
church leaders even incited the crowd to demand the death of Jesus. Some blame
the Romans for Jesus’ death. Some would instead blame the Jews, but the reality
was that it was the church who betrayed Him and the church who murdered Him. It
is the church that has now been given two thousand years to redeem itself just
like Peter did. Unfortunately, we have more often failed than succeeded in that
regard.
The church has supported slavery, even attempting to
justify it biblically because Paul did not demand Onesimus’ freedom in his
letter to Philemon. Instead he sent
him back into slavery and submission to his master’s desire, gracious or
perverse. It is the church that supports the rich in oppressing the poor, also
claiming biblical justification, demanding that no one who does not work should
be allowed to eat.[iii]
They overlook that the text speaks of willingness to work, not actually
working. Sadly, too many claim they even find justification for violence and
murder in the Bible as they walk around with weapons and intimidate their
brothers and sisters with their aggressiveness. They assure others that if they
felt themselves or their families threatened they would swiftly slay the one
threatening them and feel little regret about it, sweeping another soul beyond
the possibility of salvation by their blood-stained hands.
Maybe it is time we disassociated ourselves from all the
betrayers and become like Christ in His last days, who raised no hand against
those who betrayed Him. He exposed the evil and spoke against it, but did not
resist it when it chose to destroy Him. His mission was greater than the
destruction of those who opposed Him.[iv] He came to save the
world. Maybe it is time that became our mission also.
