On Wednesday of Holy Week, the story of God’s passion moves toward a disturbing reality of our lives: betrayal.
Today’s passage relates how, during the disciples’ final meal together, Jesus reveals that one of their group — Judas — will betray him.
Betrayal is ugly. Every one can remember a time we’ve been betrayed, usually in detail — how much it stings, how undone we are when someone we trusted and loved turns on us, and how long such perfidy lasts. Betrayal etches itself in memory and in our hearts. It wounds us. Forever.
As much as we remember when we’ve been betrayed, however, we often can’t even recall when we’ve been like Judas in our own stories. We rarely think about the times we’ve betrayed others.
Ugh. I don’t even want to consider that possibility. But learning to see Judas more empathically is a way of seeing ourselves more honestly — and understanding the sin of betrayal. If we have a sense of his motives and intent, we may learn a bit about ourselves and can make different choices about the direction of our lives.
Below is a photograph, a short clip from the film The Devil Wears Prada, the gospel text, a poem, and a prayer.
The Devil Wears Prada is a film where betrayal is a central aspect of the story. In this clip — the penultimate scene — Miranda (Meryl Streep), the wealthy and successful editor of a fashion magazine, has just publicly betrayed Nigel, her most faithful and loyal employee, at a celebratory lunch he thought was in his honor. In the car from the event back to their hotel, Andy (Anne Hathaway), her much-abused personal assistant, confronts Miranda about her behavior toward Nigel.
Miranda responds in a surprising — and even chilling — way. All you need to know is that a few weeks before this scene in the car, Andy had taken the spot of her rival employee — Emily — to accompany Miranda on this trip to Paris.
I invite you to think about being betrayed and realizing you’ve betrayed others as you watch this short clip. How does this scene speak to the gospel text? What do you think of Andy’s final choice?
We stumble and fall constantly even when we are most enlightened. But when we are in true spiritual darkness, we do not even know that we have fallen.
― Thomas Merton
Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’
— Luke 23:34
John 13:21-32
At supper with his friends, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples — the one whom Jesus loved — was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "Do quickly what you are going to do." Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the festival"; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once."
INSPIRATION
If you don't know the kind of person I am
and I don't know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
For there is many a small betrayal in the mind,
a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break
sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood
storming out to play through the broken dike.
And as elephants parade holding each elephant's tail,
but if one wanders the circus won't find the park,
I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty
to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.
And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,
a remote important region in all who talk:
though we could fool each other, we should consider —
lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.
For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give — yes or no, or maybe —
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.
— William Stafford, “A Ritual to Read to Each Other”
PRAYER
Lord, you let us convert you
into currency and commodity
so that you can pay the price
beyond all accounting:
may we offer our misused powers to you
knowing that you can transform them,
knowing that even this betrayal
is still a kiss;
through Jesus Christ, the passion of God.
Amen.
— Steven Shakespeare, “Prayers for an Inclusive Church”
Oh, my. Did Andy betray Miranda as well?
Who have I betrayed?
I feel like a new set of lyrics could be added to the song Both Sides Now. I feel like I have not only looked at both sides of betrayal, but lived both sides. Father forgive me/us all. Powerful reminder this week! Thank you.