The Final Week of Jesus' Life: An 8-Day Holy Week Devotional SeriesSample

Thursday:Gethsemane–The Sting of Betrayal

The disciples began preparing for Passover—purchasing food, and securing a room where they would share their last meal. At that supper, several significant events happened. Jesus delivered his parting words, washed their feet, and instituted what we call today “the Lord’s Supper” as the new covenant of his blood. In the parallel passage in John 13, Jesus tells the disciples that he is “troubled in spirit.” We know why.

From there, Jesus’ followers sang a hymn and left for the Garden of Gethsemane, where they often prayed. There Jesus drew apart from the disciples and fell to the ground in agony as he prayed and was assaulted by every demon in hell. How the Evil One wanted him to refuse the “cup” his righteous father had given him to drink! That cup held every sin ever committed—it was filthy, unrighteousness, vile, everything that Jesus was not. To drink from that cup must have been revolting to him. Luke records his struggle: “his sweat became like great drops of blood” (Luke 22:44).

It was there in that Garden that Jesus met his betrayer, Judas, who approached him with an armed mob. Judas greeted Jesus with a kiss, calling him “Rabbi,” or “teacher”—often used as a term of affection. Amazingly, Jesus called Judas “friend.” Judas had objected to Mary of Bethany’s extravagant worship as she poured expensive oil on Jesus’ feet at a dinner in Bethany (John 12:1–8). And John records Judas’ snippy words, “Shouldn’t that money have been given to the poor?” John also mentions that Judas, being the treasurer, often pilfered money out of the treasury. Clearly money had more value to him than the life of Jesus.

Yet Peter, too, would betray his Lord. When confronted by a housemaid later that night, he vehemently denied that he knew Jesus. Still, John tells readers that Jesus “loved them to the end.”

Have you experienced the sting of betrayal? Scholars believe that Psalm 55:12–14 is a prophetic expression of the future thoughts of Jesus. The psalmist says, “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me, who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him. But if was you, a man, my equal, my companion and my acquaintance, We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in the throng.” The betrayal of a beloved friend is infinitely worse than the attack of an enemy. Here Christ was delivered, literally “handed over” into the hands of his enemies, by one of his own.

Prayer for Today: Lord Jesus, I have no right to condemn Judas or Peter for their betrayals. I’m no better than they. The words of this hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” are my prayer today.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it

Prone to leave the God I love

Here’s my heart, oh take and seal it

Seal it for thy courts above.

Photo credit: Unsplash, Stacey Franco, used with permission