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Wednesday August 6 - Judas doesn't understand
The betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Mark 14:44
In the story ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ by CS Lewis, one of the children betrays Aslan, the great king Lion, and Aslan himself chooses to pay the penalty – death. The White Witch thinks she has triumphed by killing Aslan, but the next day the children find Aslan alive again! Aslan explains: “There is a deeper magic which [the witch] did not know... when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s place death itself would start working backwards.”
Anyone who has experienced any type of betrayal from a loved one – two-faced friendships, infidelity, abuse – will know that it is one of the most painful experiences a person can face. Jesus also lived it. One of his closest friends, Judas, betrayed him to the point of death. The extraordinary thing is that Jesus knew it was coming (John 13:21-30) and yet allowed it to happen! Why would he do that? Jesus, like Aslan, knew the ‘deeper magic’ – God’s great redemption plan – and saw life beyond the grave. He trusted that although the suffering would be immense, it would be nothing in comparison to the glory of his Father’s redemption.
If you have been betrayed, you need to know that Jesus walks with you. He shares your pain, but he also sees you beyond the betrayal and will restore your life.
Lord, please help me to trust your redemption plan as I journey through pain with you. Amen.
Thursday August 7 - Peter starts to understand
[Peter] swore to them, “I don’t know this man [Jesus] you’re talking about ... the rooster crowed the second time... & he broke down & wept. Mk 14:71-72
Today, we see Peter’s tragic denial of Jesus. He wounded Jesus so deeply, yet Jesus’ forgiveness and redemption (John 21:15-19) was even deeper – Peter goes on to become the rock that Jesus ‘builds his church upon’ (Matthew 16:18).
Recognising you have hurt someone you love is very painful, and forgiving yourself can seem impossible. I remember a time when my husband had to gently highlight that I had been overbearingly strict in telling off our 4-year-old daughter. I can try to excuse it as young-parent exhaustion but the truth is I had hurt her by losing my patience. I wept like Peter had done as I realised my sin. Fortunately, when I apologised our sweet daughter forgave me instantly and that moment is forever engraved in my mind – to remember to have more patience in my parenting!
Peter never forgot the weight of his sin nor the life-changing power of forgiveness – he would ever after honour Jesus as Lord and would go on to be martyred instead of denying Jesus. Forgiveness is key to releasing God’s redemption plan for us. Despite the weight of our sin, we cannot remain there, overwhelmed by despair – God has a future for all of us, no matter our past. Jesus’ forgiveness becomes the springboard to move on to God’s next chapter in our lives.
Lord, I am so aware of the mistakes I make. Help me to accept your forgiveness and move forwards. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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