Betrayed by a Friend
Devotional by Louis Miori
Read Psalm 41:9; John 13:1-5, 12-26; Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 26:14-16
Psalm 41:9
Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
John 13:1-5, 12-26
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
One of You Will Betray Me
21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
Zechariah 11:12-13
12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter.
Matthew 26:14-16
14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
Devotional
Today’s devotional focuses on the betrayal of Jesus by His friend and disciple, Judas Iscariot, as foreshadowed in the Old Testament.
Psalm 41:9 was first written by David, who experienced betrayal from a trusted advisor. But this verse also points ahead to Jesus, who was betrayed by one of His closest followers—Judas Iscariot. In ancient times, sharing a meal was a sign of friendship and trust. The act of eating together was more than just a physical necessity; it established bonds of loyalty. To turn against someone after breaking bread together was one of the deepest betrayals imaginable.
Centuries later, in John 13:18, after Jesus and His disciples had shared the Passover meal—the Last Supper—and He had washed their feet, Jesus quotes this very passage, saying: “The one who eats my bread has raised his heel against me.”
Jesus knew what was coming. He wasn’t caught off guard by Judas’ betrayal; instead, He saw it as part of God’s plan. The phrase “raised his heel” suggests a deep act of treachery—like someone preparing to strike. Yet, even knowing what Judas would do, Jesus still washed his feet and shared a meal with him. This moment shows Jesus’ incredible love and obedience to God’s plan, even in the face of betrayal.
Zechariah foretells the exact price for which Jesus would be betrayed—thirty pieces of silver. This detail is directly connected to the moment in Matthew’s Gospel when Judas makes his fateful decision, unknowingly fulfilling what had been written centuries earlier. Even more striking, the prophecy describes the silver being thrown into the temple and used to buy a potter’s field—precisely what happens after Judas, overcome with regret, returns the money (Matthew 27:3-5).
The betrayal of Jesus by a trusted friend set into motion a series of events—rejection, false accusations, humiliation, and unimaginable suffering. Yet through it all, Jesus remained resolute, fully committed to His mission: to bring salvation to the world through His death, burial, and resurrection.
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Father,
Hear our pleas for forgiveness as we walk through life today. Help us stand against the schemes of the devil.
LORD Jesus, shine through our words and actions.
Holy Spirit fill us completely.
Now, let’s be going and doing and working for the kingdom.
For we lift this prayer by and through the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen
PRAISE THE LORD AND AMEN!!📖🕊✝🙏
A prime example of how we see that when God speaks something, even if the results aren’t instant… they happen. Thank you Abba for sending your son to pay the debt I owed! He suffered and endured so much in order to bring salvation to the world. I can’t imagine how much it must’ve hurt Jesus so much to know that Judas was going to betray him. But it was written and that’s how it was done… wow!!
Blessed be the Name of our Lord! May we walk in His path for the rest of our lives! As Pastor Jarrett preached yesterday may we walk in his fullness as Team Jesus with unity and maturity! May our daily walk and talk each day be a reminder of what our Lord and Savior has done for each of us, and may our Team Jesus actions be in His fullness!
I’ve read this story many times, and yet, I always forget about the depth of it. Judas was Jesus’ friend. Someone who walked with Jesus. Someone who did life with Jesus. Because Jesus was both God and human, I know this must’ve broken his human heart. Even still, he followed God’s plan. The act of betrayal was just the first step – then he was tortured, beaten, spit on, humiliated and hung on a cross for everyone to see…. Jesus knew what was coming. Jesus knew what this act of betrayal meant for the rest of his time on Earth. And he still washed Judas’ feet. Wow. How am I treating those who do wrong to me? Am I washing their feet? Or am I mirroring a raised heel?
Jesus live according to what his preach love one another and love do no harm to other and forgive. love your enemy and pray for them so as we live our life, if we looking around and looking at ourselves we will fall. But if we look at Jesus we do what Jesus do. His love covers all.
Thank you Jesus Christ for living life example.
And our next question is was Judas forgiven and could he be in heaven now?
This morning, I’m thankful for the faithfulness and commitment of Jesus. Despite rejection and betrayal, He was able to model love and service to and among His followers as well as to the world.
Lord, give me that kind of resolute faithfulness, rooted in your Word and my identity in you. Amen!
Thank you lord for your ultimate price that you paid for my soul and my life. God’s love is so much more than anyone can comprehend or understand with our minds and spirits.
It is always amazing…and very comforting…to see how God’s Word and Plan has been carried down through the very beginning of time.
I owed a huge debt that I could never have paid. You paid a debt that I owed. You are the only One who could have paid my debt and DID pay the debt I owed.
I owe all to You and I thank you for sacrificing Yourself for me. You are my King and Lord of my life. Thank You Father for sending Jesus to same us. I love you Jesus for what only You did for us/me! Amen.
It’s hard to put words the overwhelming depths of these passages. Jesus’ perfect love , His loving obedience and humility, knowing what lay ahead to accomplish our salvation – we see a tiny glimpse into holy God’s all surpassing greatness and goodness and unfailing love .
Truly- How Great Thou Art !
“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive the full rights of sons. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son. And since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4: 4-7
It is amazing to see how Gods love never changes. He knew the betrayer but still showed kindness and service. What an awesome example to us of what real love is.
Thank you Jesus. I want to be more like you.
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper.
This passage hit me with awe and wonder this morning. 🙏🏾Jesus knew what was about to happen to him, betrayal and ultimately death by the hands of sinners. But He also knew what he must do because His choice was to obey His Father to the end.
Thank you Jesus for showing us the way to live our lives in honor and glory to our God.
Help us today to walk in obedience 🙏🏾
I know what it’s like to have a friend betray me. It hurt deeply but over time Jesus lovingly healed the wound left behind. Thank You Jesus for Your healing hand of mercy and forgiveness especially as early as yesterday. Thank You Jesus for saving my soul in 1971! Thank You Jesus for being my Savior and Lord!
Jesus’s love for us changes us from the inside out. His love is so amazing and so difficult to describe. He deserves all our love and all the glory and honor due Him. Help me to shine brightly for You, Lord!
Thank you Father for loving me in spite of my predisposition to not trust you. I trust you with this day, with my life, my wife, marriage and children. As I work today, I am aware that what I do is a form of worship, an offering of thanksgiving, to steward my day well, in Jesus’ name.
I thank God for the understanding that even Jesus suffered rejections on His time here on earth. We are so sorry because it’s hurt I pray for forgiveness sometimes I feel hurt and get mad and even hate the person who rejected me and my role as a mother.
We cannot imagine his incomprehensible love. Would any of us give such a sacrifice to those who both love and despise us?
Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver but we betray Christ by our sin .. If not for the cross all of us would be condemned to eternal death but through his sacrifice we are all saved !! Forgiveness , Grace and Mercy are the gifts by which we live !! Thank You Jesus !!!!
Betrayal can go different ways especially as singers since we betray Jesus through following our flesh and our plans instead of his. We can also experience betrayal through financial issues, different friendships and relationships especially with people we put our trust in, and even ourselves. However, trusting God first and realizing that Jesus will never betray us even with how much we betray him through sin shows that we should only put our full trust in him. Now there are some we can put our trust in, however we should only run to Jesus for any kind of issues and even the good times. Amen!
Matthew 26:16
Judas Iscariot began seeking to deliver Jesus in a premeditated and calculated approach driven by greed with a desire for payment, And for such a small amount, When you consider He was our Lord and Savior.
Judas was given 30 pieces of silver to betray JESUS (which is 4 months of wages); JESUS paid the ultimate price to deliver Judas from the penalty of sin & death. What a shame that Judas short changed himself, & didn’t fully trust JESUS to be Who HE said HE was, even after seeing all the miracles, & healings JESUS did. Judas casual failure was fatal. But because of the Cross my life is worth living, my sins are forgiven, & there is rest for my weary soul. 1 Corinthians 2:9 tells me “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM.” Good Friday means forgiveness, it means purpose, it means deliverance. Thank YOU JESUS, thank YOU!!!
To be in reference of King of Kings with Mark Hamill, it is in the same version on how it is like on that and that all of the stories are real. I mean that Jesus was feeling betrayed and that he asked for his father to forgive the people for they had not know on what their deeds are like. The bible commands us to forgive because part of the reason is that God wants us to forgive, and he wants to make us learn that he will not forgive our transgressions if we don’t forgive others.
Our Savior modeled life for us from beginning- of humble birth in a manger, yet a King and creator to death on the cross- a servant, King, and Savior. God could have done this “saving business” any other way, but He chose the simplest. The omniscient God showed us how to live. What is my/our excuse? Father, forgive me/us when we become the Judas in Your church, our homes, our community, our world, Your kingdom. I thank You for your faithfulness ; Your promise never to leave nor forsake Your children. What a joy that fills my heart to overflowing!!!