Betraying Love

In October 1950, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin led a persecution against the people of the Russian city Leningrad. The political leadership of the city was disbanded, and around 2,000 people were exiled or imprisoned. This treatment by a leader against his own people was brutal, but it helped him consolidate his political position. The reasons for Stalin’s betrayal of Leningrad are varied and complex, dating back to a Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II and even before. But regardless of his motivations, the bottom line is that Stalin turned on his own people for his personal and political gain, without being provoked.

Betrayals are sometimes baffling, and they always lead to hardship for the person or people being betrayed. Betrayal involves the abuse of trust. If someone knows he will be betrayed, he normally would not enter into a position of trust with the would-be betrayer.

But Jesus Christ was no ordinary person. As the Son of God, He was in constant connection with the Holy Spirit and often knew the future before it came to pass. In order to fulfill the prophecies concerning Himself and to demonstrate God’s love for even the worst sinners, Christ chose Judas Iscariot to be one of His 12 disciples. Despite His knowledge that His association with Judas would result in death, He allowed Judas to learn the principles of heaven and salvation and treated Him with love and kindness for several years.

Like Judas, we all have a choice to accept Christ or reject Him, and Christ is willing to dwell with us and teach us even if He knows in advance that we will reject Him and betray His love for us. Today, let’s ask Jesus to come into our lives and prevent Satan from leading us astray.

Key Bible Texts

Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. (John 13:26 KJV)