Day 26 John 13:19-38

Scripture:

John 13:19-38.

Observation:

John 13 continues from yesterday with Jesus telling his disciples that He knows that one of His own will betray Him.  Betrayal is such a painful experience.   It’s painful because it comes from people whom you have loved and trusted.  Betrayal catches a person completely off guard. It happens when you trust someone, you think they feel the same way about you and then…BAM!! You find out they have done something against you. Maybe they lied to you? Or perhaps they slandered your name?   Betrayal is finding out the person you love is actually not looking out for your best interest. They have been “faking it” in your relationship.  In Jesus case, Judas pretended to love him yet  turned on Jesus as the first opportunity to make a quick dollar.

Question: If you have ever experienced betrayal, what was your response to that person?  I know for me, it makes me leery to trust again. Just this past week I had a difficult situation with a coworker. I feel like withdrawing and pulling back, I feel hurt and all of a sudden i  begin to question people’s motives and wonder if they are sincere in their comments. Over the years I’ve had friends that seemed close and like they really cared about me and then a misunderstanding occurred and boom, just like that, the friendship terminated.  It was painful because I thought the friendship was worth giving the person the benefit of the doubt and believing the best in them. If the situation would have been reversed, I would have given them grace, I would have seen their heart and not rejected them as a person. I thought the friendship was worth something to them, but this obviously wasn’t the way they saw it.   Yep, I can say that betrayal stings.

Question:  Have you been able to forgive the person who betrayed you?

Jesus again tells His disciples to love one another. ‘This will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”  I think this is extremely important—Jesus has just been betrayed by Judas, He knows that Peter is going to deny Him 3 times—He knows he is going to the cross, —yet…He tells us to love.

Love.

Application:

I want to love well. I would encourage readers to pop over to 1 Corinthians 13 and read it slowly. Let it sink it.  I especially like the Message translation, you can find it online.  This is love. This is how others will know we are His disciples.

Prayer:

I desire to be a disciple whose life resembles 1Corinthians 13.  I can’t do that on my own, dearest Lord, help me to love, even when I don’t feel like it. Help me to forgive others, I never want my actions to hurt others. Please help me to  be wise in my words, actions and deeds.

~joni