This blog post was prompted by a thought I posted on Facebook this morning:

I’m considering the beauty of Maundy Thursday, Christ’s final hours in His human experience. The Last Supper, the Passover meal. Washing of the feet. Communion. “Final” thoughts and commandments (“maundy” is Latin for “commandment”). Seeking ways to honor these thoughts, and to be present with the miracle.

I am personally dealing with a small matter of betrayal by a colleague.  At first, it felt almost sacrilege to compare my feelings of betrayal to Judas’ actions, the grandest betrayal of all.

But then I realized what I should be doing is comparing my reactions to Christ’s reactions to betrayal.

According to Scripture, Jesus did not focus on the person of Judas.  Instead, He saw the bigger picture.  He saw the consequences, dreaded them, asked God to “take this cup” from Him, and then pressed into purpose with courage and selflessness.

And in His final breath of His human experience, he asked that his betrayers and killers be forgiven “for they know not what they do.”

And so, as I said in my status update above, I am seeking ways to be present with this miracle.  In so doing, I too have considered throwing in the towel.

But now I am considering the bigger picture.  As is so often the case in matters of betrayal, the betrayer is acting out of a place of transference (meaning that psychologically they react to me as a representative of another person in their life, having nothing really to do with me at all [this is the “they-know-not-what-they-do” part]), and from a place of jealousy and competition.

Christ’s example of looking for the bigger picture is extremely powerful and important in this human experience.  Surely we don’t have time for the petty.

Instead, let us press into purpose with courage and selflessness.

And forgiveness.

Even when we don’t want to.