“When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’”
–Matthew 26:20-22
In today’s gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus is preparing to eat the Passover meal with his disciples and as usual the disciples are confused and “distressed.” Jesus has revealed that he will be betrayed by one of his closest, his inner circle, his beloved. There is outrage and one can imagine that almost immediately the eyes of the disciples start to dart around the room, each one wondering who will betray Jesus.
As followers of Jesus, the Christ, we are confronted daily with ways in which we can either follow Christ or betray Christ. The opportunities to show we are followers of Christ, or that we betray Christ show up in our professional, personal, social and public lives all of the time. There are myriad ways that we can choose betray Christ. We can betray Christ by words said, or left unsaid. We can betray Christ by making decisions that we know will hurt another. We can betray Christ by refusing to see the need in our midst or by refusing to recognize and use the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given us. We betray Christ when we let our anger, jealousy, or self-righteousness take control of our thoughts, words and deeds. We betray Christ when we belittle or take away someone else’s joy and happiness. The list could go on and on and on.
The real question, however–the one that matters most still remains: How will you live your life as an example to others of how you follow Jesus Christ and proclaim him as your Lord and Savior?
In Christ’s Name,
The Daily Cup 