Have you ever been hurt by a friend? I will go ahead and answer for you – of course you have. We all have been hurt by friends and family, both intentionally and unintentionally, more times than we can count. However, have you ever been really, truly hurt and betrayed by someone who you would consider one of your closest friends? I have been there, and there is something that still cuts me to my core when I look back and think about the friend who I loved and trusted, one I spent countless hours with. We were the closest of friends until one day, she just decided she did not want to be part of my life anymore. Without even a conversation, she bailed. It quickly became clear how much of a problem she had with me by conversations she had with others, ones she refused to have with me. It gutted me. I cried about it for months. At that time, I could not focus on much else. I was so absorbed in the hurt and betrayal from this person. How could she do this? After the sadness faded, it quickly turned to anger. No longer was she my friend, but now a bitter enemy in my heart. I viewed her as the worst person I had ever known. I can look back on this now and realize I may have been a little dramatic. Clearly, I did not handle things in my heart and in my mind in a Christ-like way. I let bitterness grow where it should not have been, and I excused it away because the hurt was so tremendous. You may have a similar experience.
One thing that is so wonderful about our Savior is that He gave up the glory, honor, and wonders of Heaven to come and live life as a lowly servant here on Earth. God became flesh because of His great love for us. This was just all a part of God’s great plan, and while it was the best thing that could ever happen for us, it was usually not what we would call great for Jesus. When we look at His life, it was filled with hardships and hurt. Any time I start to fall into self-pity (“woe is me” type of moment), I quickly get a heart check as soon as I look at Jesus. My sufferings and trials pale in comparison, and yet I know that He sees every tear and understands the hurt. When it comes to the hurt and betrayal of a friend, He knows it better than anyone. All four Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) give an account of one of the biggest betrayals in history. Jesus was in the garden, praying to the Father while deeply overwhelmed with sorrow for what was about to happen. It was finally time for Him to lay His life down on a cross for the sins of the world. Not only was the most intense kind of physical pain about to come upon Him but worst of all, the separation from the Father was quickly approaching. A few of His disciples were with Him in the garden as well, though they did not offer much in terms of support as they lay sleeping. Matthew 26:45-47 records what happened next, “Then [Jesus] came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.’ While He was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.” For those of you who may not know, Judas was also one of Jesus’ disciples. He, along with the other eleven men, spent practically every waking hour with Jesus over the prior three years. They traveled together, ate together, listened and learned from Jesus, witnessed countless miracles, and even were given power and authority to do some miracles themselves. They gave up everything they had to follow Jesus. They were the inner circle to God in the flesh. They knew Jesus and Jesus knew them. Yet one of these men, Judas, would throw it all away in betrayal. Matthew 26:48-50 continues, “Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I will kiss is the man; seize Him.’ And he came up to Jesus at once and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ And he kissed Him. Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, do what you came to do.’ Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.” This was no minor betrayal. Judas literally handed Jesus over to be taken and killed. He did all this for 30 pieces of silver. I can only imagine how sad it must have been for Jesus to see this whole thing unfold, even though He knew how it would happen from the very beginning. He knew what Judas would do before he even existed, and yet He still chose him as a member of His inner circle. He knew Judas would betray Him and yet Jesus still placed him at the most prominent spot at the dinner table just hours before. Where most of us would look at this man with the utmost contempt and fury, Jesus loved Him and still called him a friend.
Just like Judas, I am guilty of betraying and sinning against the Lord every day. However, Jesus went to that cross to die for sinners just like me. He forgave me, wiped my dirty slate clean, and calls me a friend. Wow! Every time I think about His amazing love and forgiveness, I realize just how un-Christlike I can be. If He could forgive me, I should certainly be able to forgive those who have hurt me for much less. Whatever kind of hurt you may find yourself in right now, remember that Christ sees and knows your pain. Only through Him can we look upon those who hurt us with love and compassion, choosing to forgive them and maybe even still call them friends. I say this as much to myself as I do to you today. We have a choice to make. We need to go be like Jesus!