BY: Sarah Auger
DATE: Sunday 10 March 2024

‘BIBLE PASSAGES: Read online
John – Chapter 18, verses 1-11

EXCERPT:

When someone you trust lets you down, and betrays that trust, it can be one of the most devastating events in life. It is disorientating and gutwrenching. It’s one of the reasons why the TV series, The Traitors, has become so popular – it gets to the core of some of our most complex emotions, and painful experiences.

A few short words in the bible remind us that Jesus understands all about betrayal. As Jesus is praying one night in a garden, with a few of his closest friends nearby, we read the words, ‘So Judas came to the garden…’ (John 18:3). And with that, the rest is history. And yet, rather than resist the betrayal, he goes on to almost willing embrace it (John 18:11). In the same moment that Jesus identifies with our feelings of being betrayed, we catch a glimpse that betrayal doesn’t have to be the end of the story, after all.

 “When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.” (C.S.Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)

TRANSCRIPT:

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YOUTH RESOURCES:
Sorry, no youth resouces are available for this series. However, please do check out our Youth Page to see how you can connect and get involved. 

KIDS RESOURCES:
Details about all our church activities and resources for anyone aged under 11 can be found on our Kids Page. On this page you can also find the contact details for Sarah Thomson, our Head Of Children’s Ministry.

Each week there are TWO different sets of questions for you to use, whether you are exploring the Bible within your Life Group, in other group settings, or simply using them on your own.

A | DISCUSSION STARTERS
These are simple questions to provoke discussion together out of the talk (ideal if you are watching our Sunday Service online with others in your group):

1 | Was there anything that particularly helped you during the talk?

2 | Was there anything that you didn’t necessarily agree with, or found difficult to understand in the talk?

3 | As a result of the talk, what:

3a. Changes do you want to see?

3b. Truths do you need to remember?

3c. Actions do you need to take?

B | QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE
These are questions that are based on the talk and the surrounding themes:

Read:
John – Chapter 18, verses 1-11

1 | What words would you use to describe how being betrayed feels?

2 | Read John 18:1-11. What do you notice about the way that Jesus and Judas act?

3 | How does Judas’ betrayal of Jesus compare to other instances of betrayal in the Bible, such as the betrayal of Joseph by his brothers in Genesis 37?

4 | Read John 13:26. In her talk on Sunday, Sarah referenced this verse and described the power of what Jesus does. She quoted Craig Keener, ‘For the host to dip a piece of bread in the common bowl and hand it to someone was a sign of honour to the person who received it. Here Jesus offers Judas one final expression of love.’ How do you respond to betrayal? What might it take to respond with love, like Jesus?

5 | Sarah mentioned the following phrase, ‘Although we stand at the cross and look at Jesus as Judas did, it is because of the cross that we can stand and look at Judas as Jesus did’. How do you respond to this? How does Jesus’ death & resurrection change how we respond to betrayal?

6 | What do you think Judas’ motivations were? In what ways do the motivations behind Judas’ betrayal mirror common motivations for betrayal in our society, such as greed, ambition, or personal gain? What about for us?

7 | It is noticeable in v4 and v11 that Jesus is fully in control of what is happening. How does this impact how we see the events in this passage?

8 |  Sometimes, we wonder if choosing to forgive an act of betrayal might give the impression that we don’t really mind what happened, or that the events weren’t that serious. How is forgiveness different from simply saying that ‘it doesn’t matter’?

9 | Take some time to pray. As God for forgiveness for the way that we have sometimes treated him, and for the grace to be able to see others in the way that he does.

As you explore these questions pray for one another to deepen and develop your relationship with Jesus.

Coming Soon