Facing Betrayal

As followers of Jesus, betrayal should not surprise us. Remember Judas and how he turned Jesus over to those who would kill him? That’s a big part of our story. And yet we always feel so shocked when someone betrays us. Why is that?

In one of his last letters, as Paul is asking for the company of his dear friend Timothy, he acknowledges the impact of betrayal on his own life. He writes:

Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. - 2 Timothy 4:10

No wonder Paul is writing Timothy and asking him to come visit him - he’s feeling lonely. His friend and fellow Christian gave up on him. And you can hear the heat in his voice, can’t you? (“…because he loved this world…”). I hear some real blame in that, an obvious sign of hurt.

How about you - can you name the betrayals you’ve endured? For whatever reason, it seems to be part of just about everyone’s story, so it’s probably showing up somewhere in yours, too. And apparently it’s not something to hide from or deny. Instead, it’s better to name it, to get it out in the open. I suspect that doing so, ironically, helps us to risk again.

See if you can do some naming of betrayals today to Jesus. I think he’ll understand whatever feelings and thoughts come out of you as you do so.