Jesus Loved Even His Betrayer

What Did Jesus Do?

Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
John 13.21

Jesus had already revealed how his soul was troubled by the knowledge of his approaching death (see John 12.27). Now he expresses something that is troubling his spirit—he is soon to be betrayed by one whom he loves. And, do not be mistaken on this point, Jesus loved even his betrayer.

We might expect that, knowing what Judas is soon to do, the Lord would not include him on the “guest list” for this very intimate supper. But Judas is here, and not only is the betrayer present, he is located in a place of honor among the guests. Am I the only one who finds this astounding? Think about it. If you were going to hold an intimate dinner party, you'd only invite your friends, and likely only your very closest friends, to attend. Jesus did. But, he did so knowing that one of his intimates was about to betray him, and betray him unto death. Would you invite that “friend” to your dinner party? And would you seat him right next to you in a place of honor? I can't imagine myself doing such a thing, so if you can, I concede that you are a better Christian than I am. For loving deeply, even those friends who betray us, is a very Christ-like thing to do. It just may be the most Christ-like thing one can do. In fact, Jesus was soon to give a new commandment to his disciples which would forever make loving one another the very sign of discipleship (see John 13.34-35). And Jesus set the example for his followers by even loving his betrayer.

But if it had been me holding the little dinner party, instead of Jesus, I would have been sure not to send Judas an invitation to the supper. And Judas certainly would be crossed off my list of friends. Honoring him would never have entered my mind. And, if I were going to allow Judas to come to the dinner, and there hand him a morsel to eat, I would probably have first soaked it in arsenic. Love Judas? I can't imagine not hating him, can you? But, though it troubled his spirit, Jesus loved even his betrayer.

If there's one place where I consistently fall far short of the glory of God as manifest in the Son, it is in loving others, especially those who have given me good reason not to love them. It turns out that those who have little or no love for me are the very ones the Lord has called me most specifically to love, and love deeply, even sacrificially. It's easy to love our true friends, isn't it? But Jesus never calls us to take the easy way out, and in fact challenges us, if we would be children of the Father, to love those who are our enemies (see Matthew 5.43-48). That's what Jesus, who loved even his betrayer, did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4