ACCEPTING OUR JUDAS

Accepting our Judas’
By Eddie Smith
 
Do you have a Judas in your life? Have you had a Judas, a friend who betrayed you? Almost all of us have been betrayed at one time or another by someone we trusted. Jesus had his, and we can rest assured that we will have ours. (See Hebrews 2:18.)
 
Jesus was tempted as we are. He suffered and we should expect to suffer with him. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him” (2 Timothy 2:12). Why are we betrayed from time to time?
 
We suffer betrayal in order to prove that our faith is genuine.
 
What is faith? Faith is not trusting in people, who we can see. Faith is “the evidence of things not seen” . . . God! Faith is trust in God alone. Read what Peter says. He understood betrayal.
 
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Christ Jesus is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6-7).
 
So Peter teaches us in this passage that fiery trials refine and purify our faith. To learn more about how God uses trials to purify our lives, read our book The Advocates: How to Plead the Case of Others in Prayer. (Available online at: www.prayerbookstore.com)
 
Our suffering is to result in praise, glory and honor to God.
 
It is, after all, the broken vessel that releases the precious perfume. If we have no trials, then we have no triumphs. The trials of life provide us with the opportunity to be overcomers. The outside world is unimpressed when we react like they would to suffering. But when we sincerely glorify God in the midst of adversity and pain, then the unredeemed take notice.
 
We are tested in order that we might develop perseverance and spiritual maturity.
 
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may become mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).
 
So how should we respond when we are betrayed? Peter and James tell us to rejoice. In order to rejoice, we must have the long-term view and not the short-term view of life. Let’s consider how Jesus dealt with his Judas.
 
1. When Jesus was betrayed, he didn't let his immediate pain distract him from his ultimate purpose.
 
His first concern was for the purposes of God. He took no thought of himself. In one sense, Jesus had effectively died in the Garden of Gethsemane when he surrendered his will to the will of the Father.
 
His death to self, through total commitment to the purposes of the Father, no doubt lessened the pain of his betrayal. And so will ours. Dying to self is a powerful weapon against Satan. (See Revelation 12:11.)
 
2. Jesus’ second concern was for his betrayer, Judas.
 
Even as Judas betrayed him, amazingly Jesus called Judas his friend (Matthew 26:50). Even when we betray Jesus, he still calls us his friends.
 
In some cases of wounded or broken relationships reconciliation is possible. In other cases, as it was with Jesus and Judas, reconciliation isn’t possible. But God’s grace to cope is still available to prevent our harboring unforgiveness, resentment and bitterness.
 
The test: Can a person who has betrayed me, and neither sought nor been willing to accept reconciliation, continue to be my friend? The answer should be yes. Is it easy to do this? No, but the most noble victories are achieved by behaving as Christ would behave.
 
3. Jesus’ third concern was for the High Priest’s servant.
 
Following his betrayal, unlike so many, Jesus didn't drop out of the ministry. He was still Jesus, the healer. At a time when he could have been bitter with his betrayer and angry at the prospects of his pending brutal death, Jesus compassionately stopped and restored the ear that an enraged Simon Peter had severed with a sword. (Luke 22:50-51; John 18:10) Unfortunately, in contrast, we have seen countless ministers who after being betrayed by those they loved, drop completely out of the ministry because of their pain.
 
It may be extremely difficult, but even while experiencing betrayal by someone we love, we can exercise genuine forgiveness and compassion. This is possible only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
 
How could Jesus act with such selflessness? He was able to do so because he wasn’t trusting Judas. Jesus’ trust was in his Father. In death, many of his closest friends abandoned him. Yet, he even loved his executioners while trusting God alone.
 
Right now, pause and thank God for your Judas.
 
You may be thinking, “Are you crazy?” The truth is this: Like Jesus, each of us needs a Judas to help us get to our cross—the cross on which we die to self. (See Matthew 16:24; Romans 6:11; Galatians 2:20.)
 
For as we die to self, then the resurrected Christ can reign in us. When Christ reigns in us, our relationships with others will be built with the tempered mortar of love.
------------------------------------