Ambushed Again

 

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss.  But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”  When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight?  We brought the swords!”  Luke 22:47b-49

If you’ve ever gotten ambushed by a friend you understand something of the sorrow Judas brought to the garden that night.  An ambush is when there exists an unfair advantage.  Because the discussion, skirmish, event, or whatever has been planned, without one side being given opportunity to consider and prepare, makes the playing field unlevel.

When betrayal is plied by the hand of a friend, it may be the harshest form of deception possible.  I have been blind-sided by betrayal before: 

     ·       A co-worker who smiled at me every day, but secretly spread rumors

     ·       A staff member’s wife who stoked those rumors

None of that is nearly like what the Son of God endured at the hands of those he came to save and befriend.

Wile E. Coyote has been trying to ambush the Road Runner for decades.  He never seems to get it, that his plans are doomed.  But that’s a cartoon, right?  That doesn’t happen in real life, does it?  Sometimes the bad guy wins, eh?

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to ask Judas.  Judas was planning to ambush Jesus for awhile.  He decided, researched, and executed his plan.  What Judas left out of his contingency plans was the God-thing.  Jesus knew what was in Judas’ heart. So it came as no surprise to Jesus that Judas was going to turn.  Whatever Judas hoped to achieve fell flatter than unleavened bread.

But, you’d say, didn’t Judas’ plan work? 

Didn’t they execute Jesus? 

Didn’t Judas get the price he asked? 

Of course it looked like Judas came out on top…at first. 

     ·       Jesus got taken away by soldiers, then out of the tomb by the resurrecting power of God.

     ·       Judas got the purse, then realized blood money stinks.

The plan worked…at first…just not in the way Judas expected.  It fell victim to the Wile E. Coyote syndrome…evil comes, but God overcomes.

For You Today

Being betrayed is hard to take. 

And, when a devotion ends with just that thought, you’re left to ponder what to do next on your own.  Kinda like betrayal’s aftermath.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©