September 17 - Prophecy: Betrayal

Promise: Psalm 41:9Fulfillment: Matthew 26:47-56

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. (Psalm 41:9 ESV)

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. (Matthew 26:49, 50 ESV)

Prophecy can be a tricky thing. Some people start to get really weird and strange when they talk about it. But the cool thing that Biblical prophecy does over and over again through both the Old and New Testament, is confirm that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be.

1,000 years before Jesus was born in a manger the Jewish king David prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed by a friend. Judas became the embodiment of that prophecy. Mere hours after having sat at the table with him for what theologians call The Last Supper, Judas showed up with a mob in the Garden to arrest Christ.

Have you ever been betrayed? Have you ever had a good friend just completely let you down? Probably. Life is messy, relationships are messy, and bad things happen. People are imperfect.

Jesus was, and is, perfection personified and he was still betrayed. He still felt the horrible hurt associated with rejection and betrayal. It helps me to know that my savior can identify with my problems. He isn't some aloof out of touch spirit that is disconnected from present reality. He walked the earth. He lived breathed, laughed, cried, and hurt. He identifies with my pain. And he went through pain of his own to help me through.