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Introduction

 There are times that people feel betrayed by their close friends. This is not different from the experiences of Christ Jesus. This Newsletter discusses the betrayal of Jesus Christ by His close associate, as prophesied in the book of Psalms, and its fulfillment in the life of the Christ.

Betrayed by a Trusted Friend

David has prophesied in his Psalms and said,

“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them”(Psa 41:9-10).

We know that the above scripture points to Jesus Christ because Jesus said it when he mentioned that ” I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me” (Joh 13:18).

Peter, in his address to his fellow Apostles, emphasized that for the scriptures which the Holy Ghost spoke about Judas, one of the Apostles of Christ, and the man who partook of the ministry of Christ, to be fulfilled, he betrayed Jesus Christ, so that they crucified Him (Acts 1:16-17).

It is very disappointing and painful to be betrayed by a trusted friend. As David again writes, that if he had been betrayed by an enemy or a person who hated him, then he could have borne it, and that if betrayed by a person who magnified himself against him, then he could have avoided him, but it was his equal, his guide, and his acquaintance who has betrayed him (Psa 55:12-13). Jeremiah would say that your friends have set you on, and have prevailed against you and that your feet are stuck in the mire and they are turned away from you (Jer 38:22).

All people ought to comprehend that the pain one suffers as a result of the betrayal of trust, is aggravated, especially when it comes from a loved one such as a spouse or a close friend or associate. If a person reposes or entrust his or her confidence in you, you must try to maintain that trust to the end, it does not matter what disagreements ensue between you in the later years. In order to be prepared against betrayal by a friend, Paul authoritatively advices that man should “let God be true and every man a liar” (Rom 4:3).

It is important that you trust friends and people in your life, but be careful in doing so. According to scriptures, when Jesus did many miracles in Jerusalem, at the time of the Passover, many people believed in Him because of the miracles that he did. But because Jesus knew all men, He did not commit Himself to them, and there was no need for any person to testify of a man (Joh 2:23-25).

Conclusion

Judas was one of the Apostles of Christ. His mission of being part of them was to betray Jesus Christ to be crucified. This was done so that the scriptures might be fulfilled and that the Ministry of Christ would be complete and perfected.

Prayer: May God help us to be trustworthy members of our society and strengthen us not to betray the trust we repose in one another. In the name of Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN!

Introduction

The suffering of Christ is known by everyone who understands and believes in His salvific work. Suffering could not be divorced from His mission in the world. The prophecy of the Psalmist about the suffering of Christ and Christ´s perceived rejection by God is discussed.

The pleading cry of the Messiah

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent” (Psa 22:1-2).

Jesus, in His human nature, felt the pain of suffering and humiliation in His soul and felt that He had been rejected by the very God who sent Him into the world. Jesus´ cry of loneliness and abandonment, though not recorded in all the Gospels, it is recorded in Matthew. This was done so that everything that was written about the Messiah in the Holy Scriptures would be fulfilled.

The above scripture in Psalms was fulfilled at the crucifixion of Christ. Matthew records that:

“Now from the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mat 27:45-46).

The cry of the Messiah tells of His humanness as the Son of Man. Jesus could have easily fainted in His mind and abandoned his mission, or He could have yielded to the dictates and pleasures of this World, but He remained focused on the reason for His existence. He pleaded with God, His father, to strengthen Him as He prayed: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou” (Mat 26:29, 42, Mar 14:36, Luk 22:40, 42).

Jesus did not succeed because He was God while on earth. Paul writes that Jesus endured the cross and the contradictions against Him by despising the shame (Heb 12:2-3). It was His endurance and obedience to the one who called Him that made Him successful in His divine mandate.

Identifying with his suffering

As Christians, the only way to be like Christ is to identify with Him. We should not be scared of dying as we follow Christ and His steps. We must be willing and ready to die with Him for us to be raised and lived with Him (2Ti 2:11-12). It must be understood that our Savior also suffered even more than we do suffer today, so do not give up. He feels for us as we go through suffering. Paul wants believers to understand that we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities since Christ Himself was in all points tempted like us, yet He did not sin (Heb 4:15).

Conclusion

The Psalms, like the Prophets and the books of Moses, testifies about Jesus Christ. It was prophesied in Psalms many years before the incarnation of Christ, that Christ would feel lonely and forsaken, and that was fulfilled in the fullness of time.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to understand Scriptures black and white as they are written for our comprehension. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen!