HIStory: A Six Week Study of the Gospel of JohnNäide

“The Pain of Betrayal"

This is such an emotional passage. Jesus knows he is going to be betrayed and is telling His disciples that He is going to leave them very soon. Even Jesus’ closest friend, Peter, pledges his dying support to the very end. It’s in this moment that Jesus predicts that Peter is going to even deny knowing him.

It is never easy to be betrayed. It is never easy to have a friend turn on you, or even worse, a family member. Yet, Jesus is our model of how to love in spite of being betrayed. Jesus declares his unconditional love, even knowing that He will be betrayed.

Have you ever been betrayed by someone close to you? How did it make you feel? Can you identify just a little with how hurt Jesus must have felt knowing his closest friends would betray Him?

Peter made a promise he could not keep—that he would lay down his life for Jesus. Have you ever made a promise to God that you did not keep? Even if you have, you can know that God’s love for you is unconditional. Receive His grace today and return to Him!