Welcome to our journey into a series we are calling "Healing Fractured Relationships". Together we are seeking the Lord's wisdom and guidance for our relationships: all relationships. Why? Because all relationships matter.

Whoever those people are that matter most to you, that's who we are talking about today and in the weeks to come. And most specifically, we are talking about relationships in our lives that are hurting.

Each week, as we talk about relationships, we will talk about specific tools that can help us. God's Word has truth for us, tools for us, regarding our relationships, especially those that are hurting.

Today, we focus on the topic of betrayal, and the damage it creates in our relationships.

Today we are talking about betrayal. So long as we engage in relationships here on earth, it’s likely we will encounter betrayal. But what is it?

Betrayal in its most simple definition is a broken or abused trust. All of us have experienced betrayal at some point in our lives.

But our response to betrayal is always a choice we make.

Today, we want to journey together to see Jesus’ response to betrayal, even when it came from one of his closest friends.

If we didn’t now what we know, it would have been fair to ask at that moment: Is that the end of Peter?

It's almost unimaginable: betraying Jesus as he was sentenced to his death.

But as we jump ahead to the conclusion of the story (John 21), we see how Jesus responds. After his death and then resurrection, how would Jesus respond to his betrayer?

When we experience betrayal, there are often two things we seek:
1. JUSTICE
-When someone we trust hurts us, we want justice. This is often why our instinct is to hurt someone back, because that appears to be just.
-We cannot seek restoration, because we want justice, we expect justice, and we won't be content until it happens.
2. REVENGE
-Revenge takes justice a step further: justice is you getting what I think you deserve, but revenge is me playing an active role in that.
-If thoughts of justice and revenge flood your mind when you think about these fractured relationships in your life, you're not alone. That is how the world around us lives and responds. But as we've been learning, we aren't called to live and respond how the world around us does.

The truth is, we are all just like Peter.
The Bible says that we all have fallen short of God's glory, and the truth is, at one point in our lives, we all betrayed the heart of God.
The Father understands betrayal far more than we could ever imagine.

And how did God respond?
Does the rest of the story of God outline his intentional plan to seek out revenge on those who betrayed Him?
Quite the opposite. From the moment of that first betrayal, God's plan of redemption began.

Verses for further study/reflection:
Matthew 27:3-4
Matthew 6:14-15
Mark 11:25
Mark 13:12
Luke 23:33-23
John 13:34-35
Ephesians 4:32