I have completed some amazing Bible studies over the last few months, studies that have been really challenging me to be more like Christ. Last week a question was posed in one of the studies that really had me thinking about how I react to those around me. If you knew someone was going to betray you or your family, how would you treat that person?

As I pondered the question, I realized I have a tendency to react in one of two ways. Hide and retreat tends to be my first reaction because I absolutely hate confrontation. I just ignore and stay away from the person who is causing discomfort in my life. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, my second reaction is confrontation, usually an ugly confrontation that ends with me feeling like a big jerk.

Are either of those reactions Christ-like?

Let’s look at an example of Christ dealing with betrayal.

In the passage I want us to look at, Jesus has just eaten the Passover meal with His disciples. He begins to teach of what would be a new covenant with all of God’s people, a custom we know as communion. At the end of communion, Jesus makes a bold statement about what is about to occur. Read the following two verses carefully:

For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. Luke 22:22-23

Reread that last verse again. I have read Luke many times, but this verse stuck out to me the last time I read it. This verse was a little nugget of gold for me while I was rereading this passage. The disciples had no idea who would betray Jesus. But Jesus knew. He knew from the moment He laid eyes on Judas that he would one day fulfill scripture and betray Jesus.

But why didn’t the apostles know who would betray Jesus? Because Jesus treated Judas just like He treated everyone else. He never shunned Judas, ignored Judas, or spoke negative words about Judas to anyone. Jesus chose to love Judas even though He knew Judas did not love Him.

Jesus spent three years with Judas. They walked side-by-side, Judas was sent to preach to others and perform the same miracles Jesus performed (Luke 9:1-6), and they shared Jesus’ final earthly Passover meal together. Jesus even stooped so low to wash each of His disciples’ feet, taking the same care to wash Judas’ feet just as carefully as He did every other apostle. To some, they looked like close friends. But Judas’ heart was ruled by greed and He was easily enticed by Satan to betray Jesus and fulfill the prophecies of the prophets.

That is why the apostles were so confused by the betrayal. They couldn’t even imagine one of their own betraying Jesus after everything they had been through together and Jesus gave them no clues that Judas was the betrayer. Jesus may have been God, but He was also fully human. He had human emotions just like we do and I’m sure they often reared their ugly head in His mind. However, Jesus chose love over hate. Even when Judas was ready to give the kiss of betrayal, Jesus called Judas “friend” (Matthew 26:50).

How can we face our betrayals just as Jesus did? Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:39 that “if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Basically, Jesus tells us to forgive and move on. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that this person has to remain in your life, but for you to have peace of mind, we have to become like Jesus and learn to love others no matter what the situation.

And I get that is much easier said than done. I had a betrayal earlier this year that cut to the very core of my being. Although everything in me said to run and cut my losses, I chose to stay and fight. There have been many hard days where the betrayal rears its ugly face in my mind, but overall, with the help of God, I made the best decision for the situation I was facing. And God will continue to help me when Satan throws that betrayal back in my face.

Our ultimate goal is to become more like Jesus. If we aren’t striving for that every day, we aren’t living for Jesus or doing what God wants us to do. That means we have to face our betrayals just as Jesus did. Don’t conform to the world and continue to work on becoming more like Jesus every day.