Betrayer, betrayed....

Matthew 26 : 14 - 25

Is it I, Lord?

I wonder how many of us would dare to ask the Lord so frankly and with contrite hearts, whether we are the ones....the ones who betray him, even as we betray those around us. The disciples did and even Judas was very surprisingly, able to utter such words. Much has been written about the reasons what was going on in Judas' mind and heart, that caused him to fall so disastrously. We can never know for sure. But nonetheless, his tragedy can be seen as his refusal to accept Jesus as he was.

It is not easy to accept our Lord as he truly wants us to. Early on in our faith we form theological constructs about how he 'should' act in our lives and in the world around us. We pray according to how we want him to behave, and this is one of the reasons why we complain we cannot 'hear' him. It is fairly clear that Judas was not satisfied with how Jesus seemed to be responding to the external situation. So, he took matters into his own hands. How often we do this as well. Tired of waiting upon God - who seems not to 'show up' - we decide that we had better do something to correct the situation. This often leads to compromise, to committing sin, in exchange for........(each have their own reasons - be it money, pride, honor).

As I journey through Holy Week and look back over Lent this year, I am saddened by the many stories of betrayal I have heard - in churches, in families and in the wider world. As we draw near to Good Friday, we realize that we are both victims and perpetrators.....and appreciate more and more how he meets us - the betrayers and the betrayed. To the victims, he comes as the Wounded Healer who understands our wounds, as a fellow sufferer. To the perpetrators he comes as Redeemer who reminds us that we are 'free' to choose our course of action, and that we are always given the chance to turn back.

Is it I, Lord? Surely it is I, Lord - betrayed and in turn betraying......and I need You, Redeemer and Healer.