Betrayed and Bound

Being publicly arrested and dragged away by law enforcement officials is a humiliating experience, especially if one is innocent. Jesus was no criminal, but the religious leaders were so afraid of Him that they sent soldiers and officials carrying weapons to arrest Him, and that, too, in a private garden, in the middle of the night.

The Son of God offered no resistance. He was prepared and willing to be bound. He knew His time had come. He endured the insult of being treated like a law-breaker.

One of Jesus’ own disciples, Judas Iscariot betrayed Him. Judas was part of Jesus’ inner circle. But somewhere along the way he turned against Jesus. The Scripture does not explicitly state this, but it is not a stretch to assume that Jesus was hurt by His friend’s betrayal. Afraid of imprisonment and possibly death, the rest of Jesus’ disciples, too, deserted Him after His arrest.

Jesus was betrayed, abandoned, hurt, and insulted. When we think of Jesus’ death on the cross, we often reflect on His physical suffering. But Jesus also suffered the emotional cost of bearing our guilt and shame. The first punches of pain were thrown by His own friends, family, and followers.

When we follow Jesus with whole-hearted devotion, it is highly likely that we, too, will be wrongly accused by our family members, ridiculed by the community, or abandoned by friends. Physical and/or emotional persecution is the cost we pay for carrying the cross.

But we can rejoice in our persecution, recognizing that it is an honor and blessing to endure suffering for being a follower of the King. We can take heart in the promise that if we share in His suffering, we will also share in His glory.

Respond

• What does it mean to you to rejoice in your suffering?
• How will you pray for your persecutors? How will you pray for the persecuted Church?