Have you ever been betrayed?
And as they were eating, he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ Matthew 26:21
Faithful Lord,
Being betrayed makes our hearts sick.
When someone we confided in, believed in, trusted in—
a friend, a spouse, a co-worker, a sibling,
turns on us,
we want to make like a turtle
and pull our head and our heart into a hard shell.
We ache to think of how you were betrayed
by your disciples—
Judas, who sold you out;
Peter, who denied ever knowing you;
and probably most of the others too.
We are amazed that you submitted to such betrayal,
and you did so for us,
we who have betrayed you.
Lord, may the true story
of your betrayal on our behalf
radically transform us.
Make us willing to risk again,
to poke our heads and hearts out of that shell,
that we might live and love as you have led us to do.
In your faithful name. Amen.
Matthew 26:20-25; 30-35.
