Domes - Our Monthly Newsletter
Dunbar UCC
March 16, 2008
Matthew 26:69-75
Betrayal
- Governor Eliot Spitzer has been in the news. Today is his last day as the governor of New York. He resigned because the FBI has evidence that he was seeing a prostitute. Spitzer has a beautiful wife, Silda, and three daughters. Did he betray them? By his involvement with a prostitute, did he betray the people of New York, who elected him to serve them as their governor?
- To betray is to be disloyal or unfaithful to. When there’s a scandal in the news like the one in New York now, it’s so fascinating. It’s like watching a Shakespeare tragedy happen in real life. It’s like reading the Bible. There are so many betrayals in the Bible -- every one of the more than 60 books is filled with them. The Bible begins with a betrayal -- Adam and Eve disobeyed God and followed the devil. Abraham kicked his servant and the son he had with her out in the wilderness -- to die. Moses murdered a man. David killed a man so he could steal his wife. And on and on. The Bible is filled with people like us committing acts of betrayal.
- For Christians, the most famous acts of betrayal are the ones committed against Jesus. When he was arrested, all of the twelve disciples betrayed him -- all deserted him -- even Peter. When the servant girl told Peter that she was sure he was one of Jesus’ followers -- Peter told her, three times, “I swear, I don’t know that man.”
- A study guide we use in Bible Study says that each of us is like Peter and the other disciples. There are times when all of us desert Jesus and betray him. Any who point a finger at the soon-to-be ex-governor of New York, Eloit Spitzer, and condemn him are betraying Jesus. Jesus said “Judge not.” Jesus said we are not to condemn other people, but instead work on our own flaws of character. We betray Jesus when we make other things more important than following him: -- how many children aren’t coming to church because they have other activities, like sports, they’re doing? Isn’t that a betrayal of the child’s baptismal vows -- where the parents and godparents say that they will do all they can to ensure that their child will know and follow Jesus? We betray Jesus when we are more loyal to the country we live in than to the Gospel teachings of peace, compassion and love of everyone, even our enemies.
- What is the Bible telling us when it says that all of the people and their leaders condemned Jesus to death and chose to release a murderer rather than allow Jesus to live? Our Study Guide suggests that had we been there in Jerusalem 2000 years ago -- we would have denied Jesus, just like Peter did. We would have shouted “Crucify him,” just like locals did that day in Jerusalem.
- Eliot Spitzer is a sad but fascinating tragedy -- and I can’t wait to read the next chapter. But our scriptures warn us that we are all Eliot Spitzer -- we betray Jesus all the time. And Holy Week is a reminder to each of us to have compassion on all of those who fall from grace. We could be the next. Our prayer should be: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Our God will hear, and answer, that prayer.