“Friendships” In The Easter Story

The Easter story has three different types of “friendships”. It’s Palm Sunday and the whole day I’ve been reflecting on and pondering the stark difference between that day compared to Jesus’ scourging and crucifixion not even a week later. Maybe it’s because , lately, I’ve had a fair amount of hurt from people I looked up to and were close with. 

Amongst the crowd of those paying their respects to the Messiah were the jealous and scheming Pharisees. If you looked into the crowd, you probably wouldn’t be able to identify them because they blended in like foundation to a blemish. 

John 12:12-19 

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna![a]”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 
“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”[c]
At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

But even worse than blending into a crowd of followers is doing so within a seemingly tight-knit group. Judas Iscariot was one of  the 12 disciples. He betrayed Jesus with a kiss in the Garden Of Gethsemane handing him over to a mob of men with hate and demise etched into their eyes.

All for 30 pieces of silver ! 

Matthew 26: 23-25 & 47-49

Jesus replied, “ The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me [..] Then Judas , the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me Rabbi?” . Jesus answered, “ You have said so”[...] While he was still speaking, Judas one of Twelve arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chord priests and elders of the people. Now the betrayer  had arranged a signal with them

“ The one I kiss is the man; arrest him” 

Going at once to  Jesus, Judas said, “Greeting Rabbi!”, and kissed him.

Then there was betrayal by Peter who - when faced with seemingly insurmountable pressure - denied his kinship with Jesus three times. Peter was more interested in saving face than standing beside a friend who he knew was who he said he was; who committed no wrongdoing. 

Matthew 26: 69

Now  Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him.

 “ You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

But he denied it before them all. 

“ I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said 

Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 

He  denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” . Those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”. Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Be wise with your encounters. Not everyone has your best interest at heart - even if they seem to- and some will turn their back on you when you need them the most. But the good news is that no hurt is new to Jesus. Give it over to Him to help you make sense of it all! 

And, above all else, know that while the people of this world will forsake you, Jesus NEVER will !

Psalm 55:21 His words are as smooth as butter, but in his heart is war. His words are as soothing as lotion, but underneath are daggers!

“So as you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but CHOSEN and PRICELELESS in God’s sight!” 
- 1 Peter 2:4

Written by Feleica Langdon