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A Bitter Blow

A Bitter Blow

Wednesday March 28 2018

 

Continuing our series of reflections for Holy Week, the Rev Richard Baxter reflects on Jesus' announcement that a friend would betray him (John 13 v21)

 

Can you trust your friends?

Jesus didn’t just face the hostility of his enemies, but also the unreliability of his friends. Perhaps that was the hardest part of facing what lay ahead.

So was Jesus a pessimist or a realist? He announces that a friend sharing his table will deliver him to his enemies. Is that just a negative thought at a low moment, an honest assessment of the people around him, or the expression of a painful truth he has long known?

It could be any of those things. But certainly a friend’s willingness to betray him was a bitter blow. If the loyalty of those who journeyed, ate and spoke with him daily was uncertain, what hope was there for his message of the kingdom?

But the people Jesus comes for include the weak, the indecisive and the cowardly. He comes for people like Judas who make terrible misjudgements. He comes for people who fail him, let him down and need to start all over again.

Realistically, Jesus recognises that even those who know him, love him and genuinely want to follow will sometimes get things horribly wrong. There’s no hiding from the pain and disappointment of that. But Jesus still shared his meal with Judas, even knowing what he was about to do. Our own failings and weaknesses are not the reason for him to abandon us – they are the reason he came in the first place.


The Rev Richard Baxter is minister of Fort William: Duncansburgh MacIntosh linked with Kilmonivaig

Yesterday: Gratitude, Grace and Betrayal

Tomorrow: The Very Rev Dr James Simpson reflects on Jesus washing the disciples' feet