“And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will say, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’” Zechariah 13:6 (NAS)
The worst kind of wound is the one given by a friend. The worst of the worst is betrayal. A friend turns against a friend and for something whose value cannot be sustained. If it were for principle, we might understand it or even justify it. But when betrayal is for self-motivated greed, it is repulsive to all, even the betrayer.
Betrayal is about trust – lost. It is about respect – lost. It is about influence – lost. It is about reputation – ruined. It births self-loathing. It forces the betrayer into exile because everyone refuses association with such a person. It always comes back to haunt the guilty party.
Perhaps this is why Jesus said, “The Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24 NAS).
Because of love for a friend, the betrayed will almost always forgive the friend. But the betrayer will almost always not forgive him/herself. In fact, he/she may never even ask the betrayed to forgive the betrayal. And that is a most unfortunate failure. To have forgiveness only a breath away and never make the request is even worse than the sins one has committed.
“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 KJV).
By his grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, he makes us whole in this life and the next.
Dear Father, thank you for Jesus Christ and the forgiveness you provide through him. Give us the humility to surrender all our sin, our faults, and our failures to your mercy and grace. This I pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Be encouraged today in the love of Jesus Christ,