O Lord, God of steadfast mercy, silent majesty, and sovereign love. You were betrayed not by strangers, but by one You called friend.
You received the kiss that would cost You everything and still, You did not resist.
You felt the chill of disloyalty long before the nails pierced Your flesh, and You walked toward it, eyes wide open.
“Even my close friend, someone I trusted, who shared my bread, has turned against me.” (Psalm 41:9)
On this Holy Wednesday, we remember the shadows before the storm. The dark corners of the Upper Room. The thirty silver coins clinking on temple floors. The steps of soldiers in the night. You knew what was coming. You saw the cross from a distance and You didn’t run.
Jesus took the cup in both hands, and trembling not, though He knew it was brimful of bitterness, He drank it at one tremendous draught of love.
And we confess, Lord,
we have not loved You with undivided hearts.
We have betrayed You, not with a kiss, but with compromise.
With silence when You called for witness.
With comfort when You called for the cross.
With distraction when You called for devotion.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” (Psalm 139:23)
Still, You love us.
Still, You choose us.
Still, You call us friends.
Even when we fail Him, Christ never fails us. His love is not dependent on our performance, but on His promise.
You were betrayed, Lord by Judas, yes,
but also by priests and powers,
by men who knew the Scriptures but missed the Savior. They chose their place in the temple over their place at Your feet.
And still, You did not condemn them with fire. You endured their schemes in silence,
knowing that behind their hatred was heaven’s plan unfolding.
“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
We confess, Lord, that we, too, build temples to our pride systems that elevate us, rituals that excuse our rebellion, religion without repentance. And when confronted, we often leave, rather than stay and be refined.
We abandon community when it gets hard,
even though You told us to be one.
It’s easier to quit the table than wash feet. But Jesus stayed, served, and broke bread with betrayal breathing down His neck.
Lord, You could have walked away.
You could have said, “Not worth it.”
But You stayed.
“Not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)
You held firm beneath the weight of human wickedness. You were wrongly accused, and You remained quiet. You were insulted, but did not retaliate. You trusted the justice of the Father, not the verdicts of men.
Christ did not die to make much of us. He died so that we might make much of Him forever. We, too, have been wronged.
Betrayed by those we’ve loved.
Abandoned by the very ones who vowed to stay. And our hearts want revenge.
But You call us higher. You show us the better way to entrust ourselves to the One who judges justly.
“When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23)
So help us, Jesus.
To forgive when it’s hardest.
To love when it costs everything.
To stay when walking away would feel easier.
To be faithful in the face of betrayal.
Lord, You stayed for us.
You bore the kiss of Judas, the sting of Peter’s denial, the cries of “Crucify!” from those You once healed.
And still You walked forward.
Still You bore the weight of sin.
Still You opened Your arms wide on that cross.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
You are the Friend who never leaves.
The Lamb who did not fight.
The King who laid down His crown for a cross.
And You ask us to follow.
To be the kind of people who endure betrayal with mercy, who remain when it’s hard, who choose faithfulness over fear.
Make us one, Lord.
Make us a people who do not betray with our apathy, our pride, our preferences.
Make us people of deep love and lasting loyalty.
Let our communion be real.
Let our sacrifice be sincere.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
We thank You, Jesus,
for Your suffering, Your silence, Your strength.
For the holy resolve that carried You to the cross.
We thank You that even betrayal could not shake Your love.
On this Holy Wednesday, we ask for hearts like Yours.
Faithful. Forgiving. Steadfast. Strong.
May we walk the narrow road with eyes fixed on the One who never betrays, never abandons, never changes.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
In Your precious name, Jesus, we pray
Amen.