Betrayal and Conspiracy
From the night of Wednesday, we remember the conspiracy against Christ, and our betrayal of Him…
Do not think that Judas is the only one who betrayed Christ. Judas is the of the great and explicit betrayal, as he sold his Master and delivered Him to His enemies with a betrayal full of crookedness of heart: a kiss outwardly, with treachery and betrayal!!
Therefore, in protest against the kiss of Judas, we the kiss in the Church, from the night of Wednesday of Pascha until the end of Holy Week. In his kiss, Judas was like the leafy fig tree that Christ cursed: outwardly the kiss and the leaves, but no fruit inside…
Believe me, my brethren, that the Lord Christ did not leave Judas at all, because of His love. How many times did He warn him to turn him away from sin.
He said to the disciples, “One of you will betray Me,” so that Judas might be ashamed. And He said, “It would have been good for that man if he had not been born,” so that Judas might fear and turn away. And He said, “He who dips with Me in the dish,” to remind him that he is His friend who eats with Him bread and salt from one dish, so that he might repent and review himself.
And He rebuked him saying, “What you do, do more quickly,” to make him feel that He knows what he is planning, and to rebuke him. And until the last moment, when Judas came forward and kissed Him, the Lord said to him in reproach: “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48). Rather, He said to him even more: “Friend, why have you come?” (Matt. 26:50).
The Lord was able to prevent him from approaching Him and prevent him from kissing Him, while He knew of his betrayal… but He allowed him, saying “Friend,” instead of saying “Traitor…”
And the kiss at that time was on the mouth, as in the story of Simon the Pharisee.
We also notice that the Lord Christ, despite His prior knowledge of the character of Judas and his betrayal, this did not prevent Him from choosing him as an apostle among the twelve, but He also made the money box in his charge!! And the box remained with him, although he used to steal what was in it!
And with all this, Judas sold his Teacher, his spiritual father, his guide, and his friend, with whom he lived for three years, hearing His teachings, seeing His miracles, and even performing miracles in His name!! And eating and drinking with Him. And certainly, a person does not eat from the same dish with another unless he is very close to him…
Judas sold his Master, and sold Him for a very trivial price, for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave…
How cheap Christ is in the eyes of sinners!! They sometimes sell Him for much less than that!
There are those who want to get rid of Christ at any cost! even without compensation, but may even pay from their money, their life, and their health, to move away from Christ! It is betrayal…
The person who sells his enemy may find for himself an excuse that this enemy harmed him. But the one who sells his friend, his beloved, and his guide, is undoubtedly a traitor…
The person who knows love and faithfulness cannot betray his companion, no matter what happens.
Let us train ourselves to be faithful to one another, so that we may be able to be faithful toward God whom we do not see.
The apostle Peter denied Christ out of weakness and fear, but his heart loved Him within… أما Judas, there was not this love in his heart, nor was there an external danger frightening or threatening him. Rather, he himself sought, driven by desire, into betrayal…
The Jews also betrayed Christ and delivered Him to Pilate, and how much good Christ did for them.
They betrayed this Beloved who became incarnate for their salvation, and who went about among them doing good!
And yet those traitors who sold Christ to the Romans and said to Pilate, “Crucify Him, crucify Him,” these the Lord did not leave because of His love. And He prayed for them saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do”… and whoever among them believed, He accepted him, forgave his sins, and granted him salvation…
How amazing is the good heart of Christ, who loves without price, without return, and does not change in His love, but remains faithful, no matter how unfaithful we are…
The treacherous person betrays even his loved ones. But the Lord Christ, in His love, granted salvation even to His enemies who betrayed Him, and did not reject them when they returned to Him… how amazing is the heart of Christ! For it is difficult for a person to love one who has previously betrayed him…!
Betrayal is a disease in the heart, a deviation in the soul and thought, and a collapse in the spiritual and social level… therefore, the treacherous person despises himself from within. The one who betrays you, you do not need to rebuke or blame him; leave him to himself: his conscience will destroy him, and his heart will kill him, like Judas…
But perhaps the good dealings of Christ with Judas, and His saying to him at the time of his betrayal, “Friend, why have you come?” all this affected him, so he greatly regretted, returned the money, and said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And remorse overtook him, so he hanged himself. Judas despised himself and could not bear himself. Christ did not punish him, but his conscience punished him severely…
Let us ask ourselves: do we love Christ as He loves us? Or is the love one-sided? And do we sometimes sell Christ, for a great or small price?
And in Holy Week, let us remember the sufferings of Christ for our sake. And let us repay Him love with love, and let us suffer for Him as He suffered for us…
Your measure in the Kingdom of God is this: the amount of suffering you bear for Christ.
If you say that you want to love Him, but without suffering, you are like one who wants to reach Him through the wide gate, and like one who refuses the Cross of Christ.
And if you love yourself, or love the world, more than Christ, you are betraying Him… selling Him for a passing desire…!
It is astonishing to sell Christ, who purchased you with His blood, and gave Himself for you!!
It is astonishing in this betrayal that you forget your divine image, and descend to the level of poor Judas, who when his eyes were opened, could not look at his own image…
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – in El-Keraza Magazine – Year Eight (Issue Fourteen), 8-4-1977
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