Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. ~ Matthew 26:14-16

Have you ever noticed that the words some people say carry a lot more weight with you than words other people say?

If we bump into someone at the grocery store and a total stranger calls us an “idiot,” it means almost nothing to us. Sure, it may be frustrating at the moment, but by the time we leave the store, we’ve likely moved on.

But, if our best friend, favourite coworker, or closest family member says something hurtful to us, it can fester and hurt for days, weeks, or even months.

If someone broke your trust that you were close to, it would hurt. In this Lent devotion below, we’re taking a look at the curious truth that God’s good plan for saving the world included betrayal from a friend.

Written by Reclaim Today

Does anything hurt as bad as being stabbed in the back by someone close to you? Betrayal literally means to expose someone else. It’s when you’ve felt alone for SOOOO long, and then you finally meet someone who feels like they’ll be a great friend, until you overhear them make an ugly comment about your accent, or your skin color, or your experiences, or fill-in-the-blank. That person is drawing attention to—exposing—something that lifts them up, but tears you down.

Part of God fulfilling his promises included God experiencing betrayal. In an Old Testament book called Zechariah, there’s a passage about religious leaders abusing their power. It mentions these evil leaders paying 30 pieces of silver, and then the money being thrown back into the temple. Over time, this verse became a future-looking picture of Jesus’ own betrayal. Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ best buds, accepted 30 pieces of silver to stab Jesus in the back.

Part of God’s promise to fix brokenness in the world through Jesus included being betrayed by a close friend.

Why It Matters

Following Jesus today doesn’t mean we are immune to betrayal, but it means God knows what it’s like to be betrayed. This God invites you to bring your own experiences with betrayal to him. He gets it! Better yet, he promises to be faithful to you, even when no one else is.

A simple prayer like this can be all we need to get started connecting with God in our Lent journeys. To follow more of our journey through Lent and check out our other Lent devotions click here!

Original content by Reclaim Today. Reshared with permission.