Why did Jesus have to be betrayed by one of those closest to him as well as those in religious authority?
1. It was the fulfillment of scripture.
- Psalm 41:9 “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.” See also John 13:18 confirming fulfillment of the prophecy.
2. It was necessary so we could know that God understands and can sympathize with our situations, the betrayals we suffer at the hands of those closest to us and those in authority over us.
- Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
We have all been betrayed. Our inclination is to seek revenge or punishment for our betrayer. But Jesus was betrayed, and He did not defend Himself. Rather, He lived out the sovereign will of His Father, trusting that the Father would change the circumstances if He willed. Jesus understood that the will of the Father (God), is the primary focus for the Son (and for us as children of God).
3. It is clear evidence of the “religious’ heart of man apart from God.
The betrayal of Jesus by his own people, by the “religious” of his day, is a warning to us of what can happen when we allow our religion to become more important than our faith in and relationship with the Savior. Jesus warned the religious leaders, but they were unmoved. They had no heart for God.
Jesus was betrayed because that is our relationship with God apart from Christ. We are betrayers. We can’t keep the law. We can’t put the will of the Father before our own desires. He had to show us how. He had to make a way for us. Betrayal was the first part.
