Blood and Betrayal: Why the Cross Matters

“You did it again, didn’t you? I can’t believe it. You are such a loser! She quickly turned away and walked toward the back room. He drew in a breath as his chest tightened against his pounding heart. He felt the adrenaline rise along with the anger and hopelessness. He followed her into the bedroom. He tried to speak but was interrupted with cussing and soul-tearing accusations.

Defending himself against her fiery darts he had to take a stand, had to be heard. Bringing the back of his right hand down into his other palm he prefaced his statement. Loud and in staccato he said, “I was on the computer signing up for a group to help me with my ‘problem.’ That is why I am late.”

The call came the next day as he was pulling onto the home street. “You have one hour to take a suitcase and get out of the house. If you are not gone I will get a restraining order from the local women’s shelter.”

They sat in the office of the marriage counselor. She shouted, “I am done-done-done (more staccato) with this marriage.” She made it perfectly clear that she was not going to talk nor do any work toward healing and reconciliation.

He found the bills by accident: The plane ticket for two to Las Vegas returning to Los Angeles two days before the meeting with the marriage counselor, the restaurant bill for 300.00 two weeks after he was forced to leave the house.

Years later the marriage is over. The wounds have healed. The questions linger and doubt’s still stirred by a scene in a movie or a conversation with his kid.


Where do you go with that pain? Who can you talk to who will understand? How can you get out of bed to face another day in an unfair world?

Christ was betrayed by one of his close friends. Convicted in a kangaroo court and crucified for sins that were not His. The purest man killed in the foulest manner.

Talk to Christ. He understands betrayal and back-stabbing. Roll out of bed and put those feet on the ground. Give the evil of the day to Him who “suffered leaving you an example to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth; and while being reviled He did not revile in return; while suffering uttered no threats but kept entrusting himself to Him who judges righteously.”