Luke says it was time for a week of celebration... the passover. In the midst of celebration there was a plot to have Jesus arrested by the authorities. Judas, one of the 12 closest to Jesus, met with the religious leadership and promised to assist in the arrest. Why did Judas betray Jesus? I think he really believed he was doing the right thing. I think that it cheapens the betrayal to suggest that Judas was so under the control of Satan that he had no choice. I think Judas was absolutely convinced he was doing the right thing. Why did he think it was the right thing to do? I don't know. But I think it hurt Jesus more to have Judas turn against him on his own than to have Satan force him to do it. Satan tried to convince Job to turn against God but failed. If Satan had forced Job to curse God it would have been meaningless. But if on the other hand Job cursed God because he thought it was the right thing to do given his terrible circumstances in life... well you get the picture.
The next thing I notice in this story is that Jesus remains calm. He knows that his life fits into a plan of some kind. Even with betrayal coming from among his closest 12 he holds his mud together. I wonder if there are circumstances in my personal pilgrimage when I forget that those who cause me harm may be fellow actors in some grand production. I cannot control all the events in my life where I may feel betrayed. Those who betray me probably feel justified in their actions...convinced they were doing the right thing at the time. I wish I could be more like Jesus. Confident that the unavoidable pains in relationships may somehow be a part of a bigger picture.
