Processional Gospel: John 12:12-19
12The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15“Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” 16His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
4The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. 5The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. 6I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. 9a Behold, the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty?
Psalm 118:19-29
19Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter them; I will offer thanks to the Lord. 20“This is the gate of the Lord; he who is righteous may enter.” 21I will give thanks to you, for you answered me and have become my salvation. 22The same stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24On this day the Lord has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! Lord, send us now success. 26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord. 27God is the Lord; he has shined upon us; form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar. 28“You are my God, and I will thank you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.” 29Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his mercy endures forever.
Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11
5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel: Matthew 26:1-27:66
1When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” 6Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” 14Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. 17Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” 26Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. 36Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45Then he 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. 46Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” 47While 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. 48Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. 57Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 63But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” 69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
1When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. 3Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. 8Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.” 11Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” 12But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. 15Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” 20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified! 24So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. 27Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. 32As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. 45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 55There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. 57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
Betrayal
Les Parrott wrote, “Backstabbers specialize in saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person.” Back-stabbing, betrayal, these are words we neither want, or like, to hear, nor do we enjoy being the object of the act. Unfortunately, most of us are painfully aware of the betrayer’s sting. A friend promised to be there for you, but you haven’t seen them in months. A special person promised you they would stand beside you forever, but now they’re with someone else, possibly promising the same thing. Someone you thought was a confidant promised to keep your secret, but they didn’t. A close friend said they’d help you in your efforts to climb the corporate ladder only to betray you and used you for their own ambitious climb. Back-stabbing and betrayal is nothing new, it’s been going on since sin corrupted humankind.
In 480 BC, during the second Persian invasion of Greece, a small Greek force under the Spartan king Leonidas defended Greece against the southward advance of Xerxes’ Persian army. Leonidas’ troops held a critical pass for three days. The fighting was a stalemate until they were betrayed. The Persians, guided along another mountain pass by the Greek Ephialtes, (Ef-ee-al-tees) outflanked them. Sending the majority of his troops to safety, Leonidas remained to delay the Persians with 300 Spartans, all of whom died in battle. Although the Persians won the battle and conquered central Greece, they suffered considerable losses in the fighting. This battle became celebrated in history and literature as an example of heroic resistance against great odds. Ephialtes became known as the “Greek traitor.”
Traitors, betrayers, backstabbers; history is littered with their names. Ephialtes, Benedict Arnold, and Marcus Junius Brutus are among them. These traitors are infamous for their duplicitous actions. In early 2006, I was deployed to the Middle East for what would be the final deployment of my military career. Before I left, I was involved in discussions to help Shaw AFB out by outlining an agreement for the LANTIRN shop to repair the Air National Guard’s LANTIRN pods. Because this agreement involved both Active Air Force and National Guard assets, this agreement would need the approval of top base personnel.
Before I departed for my Temporary Duty assignment, I turned over all the paperwork, including the draft agreement, to the Section chief so that he could forward the paperwork up the chair of command for approval. For 6 months I was in the Middle East supervising Avionics repair actions on both F-15E and F-16C aircraft. In all that time, I never heard a word from my home-station about the progress of the agreement.
During my absence, my annual performance evaluation was due and as usual I sent information about the work I was doing while deployed. This information included being recognized as the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Month for the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. What’s important to note is that this annual evaluation would determine if I would be promoted to the highest enlisted grade in the Air Force or not. Nuances aside, promotion to the highest enlisted grade in any branch of the US military is very difficult, it’s extremely competitive.
By law, only 1% of enlisted personnel can hold the rank of E-9, so small things can make all the difference as to who is promoted and who isn’t. Long story short, the section chief who I entrusted with the paperwork lied and said I approved the agreement for repair actions to take place and told him to start repairing the Guard equipment as soon as possible. Because of this, my evaluation was signed at a lower level, making me ineligible for promotion.
When I returned, I talked with my supervisor about the situation. Despite me having documentation proving I followed all protocols, the damage was done. The evaluation was part of my official record, and the promotion board had met and made their decision. Because of this I retired as an E-8 instead of serving 2 more years at the highest grade of E-9. Betrayal is something we’ve all experienced, it’s nothing new.
Now what’s worth noting in this story is that the individual that lied, the one who stabbed me in the back, was denied the opportunity to re-enlist and was forced to retire at an even lower grade. Once the truth was known, this individual was removed from his supervisory position and was no longer trusted to make any meaningful decisions. But of utmost importance for me sharing this with you is that God had a different plan in mind. You see, I had been attending Seminary for several years and all I needed was to complete my Lutheran year and internship for me to enter Word and Sacrament ministry. But I couldn’t do that and remain on Active Duty. The point is, God’s way isn’t our way, nor is God’s timing our timing.
I finished my active-duty requirements in July of 2007 and began my final year of Seminary classes in late August 2007. In the remaining 5 months of 2007, I was still receiving full pay and benefits from the military. I graduated, with very little debt, in May of 2008 and completed my internship requirement at the end of 2009 at which time I entered the call process. And you know the rest of the story. This wonderful congregation extended a call to me in February of 2010 and 16 liturgical years ago today, I preached my first sermon as your called pastor. What started out as back-stabbing and betrayal became God’s path for the future. What we sometimes see as a damaging, history changing, event, God can turn into life changing result. Today, we have yet another example of backstabbing and betrayal in our Gospel readings.
In our reading from St. John’s gospel, we recalled the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Jesus, knowing that He was riding into Jerusalem for His final time, before His passion and crucifixion, was greeted by cheering crowds. Our gospel writer records for us the shouts of those gathered; “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel” (John 12:13). A large crowd, that had come to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, greeted Jesus with shouts of praise and laid their clothing and palm branches in His path as a sign of respect, honor, and greeting. But not everyone in the crowd was happy to welcome Jesus to town. St. John also records the reaction of the Religious Leaders, out of jealousy and hatred they exclaim, “Look, the world has gone after him” (vs. 19b).
So, the Religious Leaders go and plot even more earnestly, looking for a way to be rid of this crowd drawing, healer, prophet, and teacher. But they couldn’t seem to find a way to rid themselves of this preacher from Nazareth. They needed someone on the inside. Someone willing to sell Jesus out for their own personal gain. They needed a person willing to stab Jesus in the back; they needed someone to betray Him. And this brings us to another well-known name. A name synonymous with treachery and disloyalty, Judas Iscariot.
Perhaps the most well-known, even to those outside the church, betrayer is Judas Iscariot. His name has become synonymous with deceit, treachery, greed, and betrayal. This name becomes especially prominent during this Lenten season, as we visit a very difficult time in Jesus’ ministry. We know the story well. Jesus was betrayed by one of His chosen twelve; one of the men He had selected, trained, and walked with for the past 3 years.
Judas had built up the trust of his fellow disciples even to the point of him being placed in charge of the common purse. He was the treasurer of the group. When an offering was taken up or received, it was Judas that was entrusted with the deposits. When a bill needed to be paid, it was Judas’ responsibility to ensure the group’s financial obligations were satisfied. Judas had cozied up to the group so well that no one, except Jesus of course, realized that he was not only two-faced, but he was also a thief. And it was greed that drove Judas to make the decision to betray Jesus. Again, we know the story, Judas goes to the Religious Leaders to sell Jesus out. And as we’ve learned from the gospel writers, all it took was 30 pieces of silver.
Depending on how you determine the value of the silver coins that Judas was paid, generously speaking, Judas sold Jesus out for about $300. Even when you consider that each of these coins represented 4 days wage for the average worker, that was less than 4-months wage. I could go on with the comparisons, but I think you get the point. Judas stabbed Jesus in the back for pennies. And how does Jesus respond? What does He do? It’s an account that speaks to us in real ways, too, as we begin our Holy Week journey.
The scene was the last supper. After washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus was eating with them. Judas Iscariot had already made a pact with the Jewish religious leaders. He had already agreed to betray Jesus for fistful of silver coins. That night was his opportunity. The time had come. Jesus was aware of what was happening and He announced what was about to happen with these chilling words, “one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another in shock and disbelief. Jesus even made it clear who it was…the one who had dipped his hand into the bowl with me.
And although we don’t read what the disciples thought about Jesus’ words, we know what happened. Judas Iscariot leaves the group to embark on the road of betrayal. Within a matter of hours, he would deliver the betrayer’s kiss, and Jesus will be led away. We also know that Judas’ story is a sad one. We know that once he realized what was going on, he was filled with regret. Desperate to do something, he threw the money back at the religious leaders. And in harsh bluntness, St. Matthew records his end; “he went and hanged himself” (27:5).
This story is told each year, but usually from how Judas is viewed. But what about Jesus’ perspective? Because He is fully God, Jesus knew what was going on with Judas and what he’d done. He wasn’t surprised as we sometimes are, but I’m not sure that mitigated the sorrow or pain Jesus must’ve felt. Jesus probably felt a twinge of disappointment as He saw Judas coming with a band of soldiers. The betrayer’s kiss, no doubt, stung on His cheek. Jesus had, only hours before, washed Judas’ feet as an act of love and service. Judas had listened as Jesus said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:14-15). Despite Jesus’ servant like attitude, Judas sold Jesus out. Back-stabbing, betrayal, it isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s been going on since the fall of humankind.
Each of us probably knows what it’s like to be betrayed. When it happens, there can be, at first, a sense of surprise. Thoughts race through our minds. We wonder things like, how could they do that? I never thought they’d say that. Why? What are they doing? Betrayal doesn’t normally come from someone we don’t know. The saddest thing about betrayal is that it rarely comes from our enemies. Betrayal comes from those we know, or at least thought we knew. That’s what makes the sting even more painful and the hurt even more deep. And after the sense of surprise dissipates, a sense of anger can move in.
This is when thoughts of revenge and payback build up in our minds. It’s a natural, human impulse to want to strike back, to get even, or make the other person pay, in spades. We’ve all heard the expression, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” This expression comes from the French around 1800 and means that revenge is more satisfying when one has had time to prepare vengeance that is well-planned, long feared, or unexpected. We know, though, that this is not God’s way. St. Paul reminds of that in his letter to the Christians in Rome.
In Romans 12:19-21 St. Paul writes, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Paul made it clear how God wants us to deal with those who wound us with betrayal. We’re not to respond in kind, but kindly.
Responding kindly after a betrayal is easier said than done. It’s something that’s not hard to read or write, but incredibly hard to do. It can be devastating to see someone we know, and care about, do something so destructive and harmful. I often wonder what Jesus was thinking, and what the look on His face was, as Judas drew near to kiss Him. We don’t know. What we do know is what Jesus said. “Friend, do what you are here to do” (vs. 50). Did you catch that? Jesus called him, “Friend.”
How does Jesus’ response differ from our own when someone close to us stabs us in the back? Do we have thoughts of revenge. Do we have feelings of anger and entertain thoughts of hatred? God’s way is not our way, nor is God’s timing our timing. What started out as back-stabbing and betrayal became God’s path for our future. Despite what Judas might have thought, God’s plan to work though Judas’ and the Religious Leaders’ treachery brought salvation to the world.
On the road to the cross, Jesus looked into the face of His betrayer, not with anger, or rage, or hate, and He called him, “Friend.” Backstabbing and betrayal are things we all have, or will, experience; each of us will face betrayal. The question is, how do we respond? Vengefully, or kindly? When that day comes, instead of becoming angry and harboring thoughts of revenge, we can look to Jesus for the strength we need to overcome, knowing that He’s been down the same road.
Amen