Connecting the Dots: The Betrayal of Christ and Our Journey Through Lent (Episode 10)

Welcome to Proverbs 31 Wannabe where Alexis Heaslip, a stay at home mother of two and follower of Jesus, shares her personal walk with Christ. Her goal is to help women explore the Bible and walk with Jesus by being a Proverbs 31 Wannabe woman of faith. 

We are so excited to announce that we have JUST RELEASED our first ever Bible study! Our Suffering Servant: A Six Week Study in Isaiah 53 is now available for purchase on Amazon. 

Purchase Here: https://www.amazon.com/Our-Suffering-Servant-Study-Isaiah-ebook/dp/B0CNMBN55K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=282O5THJSWJO3&keywords=Alexis+Heaslip&qid=1700593086&sprefix=alexis+heaslip%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, like a root out of the dry ground. He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, nor beauty that we should desire Him.

Many women know that our Lord, Jesus, suffered and died for our sins, but have never stopped to ponder this suffering we hear in Isaiah 53. This powerful passage in Scripture can be a guide to meditate on the power of the cross.

In this 6-session study by Alexis Heaslip, gain insight and passion for our Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. Discover the connections between Leviticus sacrifice laws and our Lord and rest in His love for us. Dive into Scripture and see it in a new light so that you can see the LOVE our servant has for us.

Click the Amazon link to learn more and purchase!


Today we are going to be continuing our SIXTEEN week study into Messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament and how we can connect them to the New Testament. Not only will this series help you look at the Word through new lenses, but it will also help you discover how you can disciple your children to know and understand the Gospel.

Missed the first episode? Click the link to check it out! 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/proverbs-31-wannabe/id1656041568?i=1000633393461

Want to discover more about gentleness, one of the Fruits of the Spirt? Listen to this podcast episode below:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/proverbs-31-wannabe/id1656041568?i=1000621536924

What happened in Israel is devastating. If you want to support those in Israel, click the link below to donate: 

https://yasharlachayal.org/

https://jewsforjesus.org/blog/israel-in-crisis-how-we-can-help

https://fusionglobal.givingfuel.com/stand-with-israel

https://www.fidf.org/

Want to memorize  Bible passages?  Check out out www.seekfirst633.com where Alina Bolshakova has beautiful scripture cards for children and adults. This fabulous tool is a great way to help you in scripture memorization!


My Testimony: 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/proverbs-31-wannabe/id1656041568?i=1000592460736

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hi there and welcome to Proverbs 31, 1 and B, where we speak biblical truths to a world that is needing light for women of all walks of life. My name is Alexis Heaslip and I'm your host of the show, and today we are continuing our discussion on connecting the dots Messianic prophecies from Old to New Testament. But before we kick off our show, I just want to have a quick discussion about the he Sees Us Super Bowl commercial, and there's been a lot of controversy over the years with this organization, and this Super Bowl's ad was no other, but I appreciate that, on national television, during a football game that's watched by millions of people, that the name of Jesus was mentioned. This is, in this perspective, in this side of the coin, good, because a lot of people weren't familiar with Jesus washing the disciples feet, and this gives people the opportunity to open up the Bible and find this amazing part of scripture for themselves.

Speaker 1: 1:31

On the other side of the coin, though, this organization has some serious biblical issues. They promote people coming to Jesus as they are, but then not asking for change, and that's counter to what the gospel is. We need to come to Jesus, not because he's so cool and awesome and loves others and loves you no matter what. So that's part of it. The reason you're supposed to come to Jesus is because you realize that you're a sinner and that you realize you need a savior, and when you go to the website for he Sees Us. That's not the message that the website seems to portray. It makes the suggestion that you can come to Jesus wherever you are in life and he's going to love you no matter what you do, and that is not the gospel message, which is quite unfortunate, because this could have been a great opportunity for those who don't know Jesus to know Jesus the way the Bible says that Jesus is. So, although there was some aspect of good in this commercial, there is a lot of room for growth. There was an opportunity almost squandered because the website, if you go to it, gives a false narrative of who Jesus is.

Speaker 1: 3:23

I just wanted to share my thoughts with that and I feel like that's really sad because yet again it's a misrepresentation of what it means to follow Jesus, given out to the American public, to the world, to the average person. And you know, although the United States, statistically, a lot of people claim to be Christians, out of all the people who claim to be Christians. Only about 10% attend a church and out of that, only like 3% read their Bible consistently. So this ad, although it could stir some hearts to seek Jesus, could also do a lot of damage by giving people a version of Jesus that's not accurate. And I think it's important as parents, that we need to be aware of this so that we can talk to our children because they're going to come home from school and say my friends saw this ad on the Super Bowl and they think it's so amazing that Jesus is going to accept you if you're trans or if you're gay, and just love you where you are in life. And we need to be able to equip our children in the truth, in the message of the Gospel, about how, yes, jesus loves us. Jesus loved the tax collector, jesus loved the adulterous, but he expected change in their lives. And that's the whole reason why I do this podcast is so that women can come together, learn from one another and grow in their faith with Jesus, so that we can change our hearts and so that we can live a biblical way, so that other people, whether it's our husbands, our children, our coworkers, our neighbors, our friends, can see how we are living out the Gospel and then they can take that and seek change for their own lives. So I just I hope you enjoyed this little. I just wanted to. I really wanted to share this with you guys.

Speaker 1: 5:40

Now let's get into the meat, and this is why we need to know scripture, so that we can share the Gospel when it's presented for us to share, or when we see something that's inaccurate, we're able to speak up on it. So let's dive in now so that we can continue to learn in order to go out and tell others about our Messianic prophecies that were from the Old Testament and how Jesus fulfills them in the new. Let's dive on in y'all. If you guys remember from last week, we talked about how some of these Messianic prophecies start going from our Messiah is going to be a mighty counselor, prince of Peace, to the specifics of the physical aspects of what he's going to go through. And last week we talked about how Jesus' own family refused to recognize him at first. Now we're going to see how his own friends and others betrayed our Messiah leading up to his death on the cross. So there are four points that I'm going to go through today, and the first is this one.

Speaker 1: 7:09

Our Messiah was betrayed by a friend, and we see this in the Old Testament, excuse me, in the book of Psalms, if you'll turn with me to Psalm 41. And I'm going to read verses 7 through 9. And if someone of them comes to see me, he speaks falsely. He stores up evil in his heart. Then he goes out and chatters. All who hate me whisper together about me. They imagine the worst about me. Something evil was poured into him. He will not get up again from the place where he lies. And then verse 10 is the real humdinger. Even my own close friend, whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

Speaker 1: 8:12

And Jesus actually quotes the scripture directly during the Last Supper, about Judas, his disciple, one of his apostles, who betrays him. We see this again echoed in Psalm 55, verses 12 through 15, which tell us this Ruins are in her midst. Oppression and deceit never leave her square. For if it were an enemy taunting me, I could endure it. If my foe was exalting himself over me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like me, my companion and my close friend. Together we enjoyed great fellowship. We used to walk with the throng in the house of God. Isn't that so sad. And then 16, let desolation come upon them, let them go down alive into Sheol, for evil is in their dwelling, among them.

Speaker 1: 9:28

And some context Jesus was betrayed by a friend, but not just by any friend, but by one of his disciples, one of his apostles, one of the twelve, judas Ascariot. And not only was he just one of the twelve apostles, he was trusted so much by the other apostles that he had the responsibility of being in charge of Jesus's money, of the ministry. So he was so trusted by his friends, by the other apostles and by Jesus that he was put in charge of the finances of the ministry. So that just shows you the level of trust that everyone had for Judas. So the betrayal cut deep, and we see this throughout the New Testament. All the books of the by, all the gospels have accounts of Judas's betrayal. But I'm going to focus in on the book of Matthew Overall. I'm going to focus on the book of Matthew Overall. We are going to look at John for just a little bit, but I feel like the book of Matthew just makes it abundantly clear about how deep this cut.

Speaker 1: 11:09

If you'll turn with me to Matthew, chapter 26,. And we're going to be starting at verse 20. I know, matthew, matthew 26 is a long chapter and we're not going to read every single part of it. So let's go there Starting at verse 20. And this is during the Last Supper, this is before Good Friday. Jesus, they're reclining at the table. Let's start at verse 20.

Speaker 1: 11:47

Now, when it was evening, yeshua Jesus was reclining at the table with the 12. As they were eating, he said Amen, I tell you, one of you will betray me. And, being very sorrowful, they began, each one to say to him I'm not the one, am I master? And he replied the one who dipped his hand in the bowl with me, he is the one who will betray me. The Son of man, indeed, goes just as it is written about himself. But woe to that man who, the Son of man, is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born. And Judas, or Judah, the one who betrayed him, replied I am not the one, am I, rabbi? Yeshua said to him, you said it yourself. Jesus was giving Judas, or Judah, the Hebrew name of Judas, the opportunity to stop, the opportunity to repent, the opportunity to come clean. But he didn't.

Speaker 1: 13:09

But let's skip ahead now to verse 47, where things start getting spicy, and this is when the actual betrayal happens. While Jesus Yeshua was still speaking, here came Judah, judas, one of the 12, and with him a big crowd with swords and clubs from the ruling Priests, the Kohanim and elders of the people. Now his betrayer had given them a sign saying the one I kiss he's the one sees him. And immediately Judah drew near and Yeshua said. And to Yeshua he said Shalom, rabbi, and kissed him, friend. Yeshua said to him do what you've come to do. And the crowd came and threw up their hands on him and seized him. Now what's really sad is that this is like the ultimate Betrayal of a friend.

Speaker 1: 14:22

And before I give my thoughts on this, I want us quickly to look at John chapter 13, which gives even more context to how deep this betrayal is. John chapter 13, 18 to 21. The servants and officers were standing around a fire they had made because it was cold and they were warming themselves. Oh, I'm not the wrong. I'm not the wrong, I'm sorry, I was at Whoo see, I was reading the wrong chapter. So we're gonna read John chapter 13, 18 through 21. I was. I had that mixed up.

Speaker 1: 15:05

So let's start at verse 18, and this is again talking about how Jesus is gonna reveal his betrayer. I'm not speaking to all of you. I know who I have chosen, but so the scriptures may be fulfilled he who eats my bread has lifted up his heel against me. From now on, I'm telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I am Amen, amen. I tell you, he who receives the one I send receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. After he said these things, yeshua was agitated in the spirit and testified amen, amen. I tell you, one of you Will betray me.

Speaker 1: 16:00

The disciples began looking about perplexed. One of his disciples, who Jesus loved, was reclining at his side, and Simon Peter nodded to him and Says ask him, who is he talking about? Then he who leaned on Yeshua's chest said master, who is it? It's the one I will give this bit of matzah to after I dip it. And he dipped the matzah and he gives it to Judah, from Criot, the son of Simon, and with that bit, satan entered into him. Then Jesus tells him what you're about to do, do it quickly.

Speaker 1: 16:34

What's really heartbreaking about all of this is this idea of lifting up the heel, because culturally, this is extremely significant. So when you hear that, we, as the modern reader, might miss this. But when you lift lifting one's heel, it was considered in the time of Jesus a gesture of insult and the idea that you're preparing to kick someone or something. So Judas was ready to give this blow of Betrayal, but it has not happened yet and he was ready to strike and it really is heartbreaking.

Speaker 1: 17:25

I don't know about you, but we are all fallen and and and Messed up people and I'm sure that you've had the betrayal of a friend. I know I have. When I found out I was pregnant at 20 years old and I decided to Keep my baby because I believe that life begins at conception. You find out really quickly who your true friends are and it hurts the betrayal of people who you thought we were friends. But they Rejected you and made fun of you. And they made fun of me because I chose to keep my baby instead of offering up to the altar of abortion and child sacrifice. And I was told that by people who I thought were my friends that my life is gonna be over and they stopped being my friend, it was heartbreaking. So imagine Taking that feeling of heartbreak that I'm sure you've had as well.

Speaker 1: 18:33

And Jesus felt this heartbreak because, yes, he was fully God, but he was also fully man and he felt every single type of emotion that we felt as well. And it's also heartbreaking for Judas Because he had an opportunity To repent. He could have repented. And it wasn't just Judas that betrayed Jesus, peter also betrayed Jesus by denying him three times. But the difference between Judas and Peter is that Peter asked for forgiveness and if Judas would have done the same, jesus would have forgiven him, but he didn't. And because Judas did not ask for forgiveness, he was emotionally destroyed. And we read what happened to him, because he couldn't recover from this betrayal and he felt like he couldn't ask for forgiveness. We read how it ate him up and he ultimately killed himself and hung himself.

Speaker 1: 19:51

And in the book of Acts we hear more of what happened to Judas, because Satan entered him and he betrayed our Messiah. We are told this in Acts, chapter 1, verses 16 through 18. Through 18, we are told brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Ruach Ha Kodesh, the Holy Spirit, foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judah, who had become a guide to those who seized Yeshua, for he was counted among us and now Received his share of his office. Now this man, judah. Judas, bought a field with the reward of his wickedness. Falling headfirst, he burst open in the middle and his intestines spattered out, and it became all to know. It became known to all of those living in Jerusalem. So in their own language the field was called a keldama, that is, field of blood. So Judas betrayed Jesus. Jesus was betrayed by a friend. The question then is how was he betrayed? And he was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, and we see this in the book of Zachariah in the Old Testament. This is clearly spelled out as to what is to come. So if you'll turn with me to Zachariah, chapter 11., let's start at verse 10.

Speaker 1: 21:39

So I took my staff, called favor and broke it to pieces in order to break my covenant that I made with all the people. It was broken on that day. The afflicted of the flocked were watching me and they knew it was the word of Adonai. Then I said to them If it seems good to you, pay me my wages, but if not, don't bother. So they weighed out my wages 30 pieces of silver. Then Adonai said to me, throw it to the potter, that exorbitant price at which they valued me. So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the house of Adonai to the potter.

Speaker 1: 22:23

And what's really interesting, to give context about 30 pieces of silver in Exodus, chapter 21, verse 32. You can see that this set amount, this price of 30 pieces of silver, is the price that somebody would pay for a slave, and Jesus, being our ultimate suffering servant, was handed over to atone for our sins, as our servant, as our slave, for 30 pieces of silver. And we read how this horrifying transaction went down in Matthew, chapter 26. So flip back with me, if you will, to Matthew 26, where we read in verses 14 and 15. Then one of the 12, the one called Judah of Criot, went to the ruling cohanim, which is the ruling priest, and said what are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you? And they weighed out 30 shekels of silver for him. From then on, judah began looking for a chance to hand him over. So we see this how he was taken over by Satan, went to the priest and sold off Jesus like a slave for 30 pieces of silver to be handed over, to be put to death. And this is where the guilt trip starts happening in his mind. Yes, he was handed over, but afterwards his price was thrown into the temple treasury, as we just read in Zachariah 1113. This prediction that it would be thrown back into the temple of Adonai and because of this guilt.

Speaker 1: 24:47

In Matthew 27, we read what Judas did in his remorse, one through 10. One daybreak came, the ruling Kohanim and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put him to death and they tied him up, led him away and handed him over to pilot the governor. Then Judah, his betrayer, saw that Yeshua had been condemned. Feeling remorse, he brought the 30 pieces of silver back to the ruling Kohanim and elders, saying I have sinned, betraying innocent blood. But they said what's that to us? See to it yourself. After tossing the silver off into the temple sanctuary, he left. Then he went off and hanged himself. But the ruling Kohanim took the silver pieces and said it's not permitted to put these in the treasury, since his blood money. So after they conferred, they brought with them the potter's field as a cemetery for strangers. For this reason the field has been called the field of blood to this day, then, was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah, the prophet, saying and they took 30 pieces the price of him, whom a price had been set by Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, just as Adonai had arranged it.

Speaker 1: 26:29

And this shows us the truly heartbreaking aspect of this whole thing. Yes, judas committed an awful sin and he betrayed the Son of man. But all he had to do was ask Jesus for forgiveness, and Jesus would have forgiven him. But instead he took his guilt, he took his shame and he let Satan come into his head and tell him that he wasn't worthy of forgiveness and he hung himself and killed himself. And that's the truly heartbreaking scenario. And not only did Judas betray Jesus in this horrific way, but his disciples did not stand up for him. They ran away, they forsook him, they left him high and dry because they had fear. This is predicted in Zechariah, chapter 13. The other eleven ran.

Speaker 1: 27:48

Let's read Zechariah 13, verse 7, together Awake O sword against my shepherd, against the man who was my companion. It's a declaration of Adonai sa volt, strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. I will turn my head against the little ones. The flock of sheep of the good shepherd were going to run away scared. And that is exactly what happened in Matthew 26, verse 31. We read this After seeing they went out and then Yeshua said to them this night you will fall away because of me, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

Speaker 1: 28:52

And Peter had the audacity to say in verse 33, though I'll fall away because of you, I'll never fall away. And that's when Jesus said you're going to deny me three times. And Peter and the other disciples didn't believe him, did not believe him. They thought that their faith would be so strong that they would stick with Jesus through anything. But then we get to verse 55 of Matthew 26. And we read this At the hour Yeshua said to the crowds have you come out with swords and clubs to capture me, as you would?

Speaker 1: 29:26

A revolutionary? Every day I sat teaching in the temple and you didn't seize me. But all this happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled. Then all the disciples fled, abandoning him. So it's easy to sit back, because we know the full story, and it's easy for us to judge the disciples actions, and it's easy for us to have the audacity to say that we would never do the same thing. But my friends, these men were Jesus's closest friends and disciples. They walked with Jesus, they talked with Jesus, they ate with Jesus, they kept camp with Jesus, they lived life with Jesus for over three years and they still ran away scared when things got sticky. So we have no idea how we would react. We probably run away too, but that just shows us that we are fallen people and we make mistakes. But Jesus loved them and he forgave them and he used all of these disciples to spread the gospel throughout the world. So yes, sometimes we make mistakes and we run away from God, but God can still use us for his glory. And if the disciples can make this mistake and still be loved and accepted and forgiven by God, then we too can be loved, accepted and forgiven by God when we make big oopsies in our life.

Speaker 1: 31:31

And as a mom, this really hit me because I feel like sometimes, as a mom, I get frustrated, I get flustered when I'm telling my child over and over and over again about the same behavior problem. For example, my son's in kindergarten and he is a high-energy boy and he's still learning that there's a time to play and there's a time to learn. And, yes, sometimes I get really frustrated because he's just not getting that. When it's center time, with math manipulatives or reading time, it's not time to horse around and play. But instead of getting mad, getting frustrated or yelling at him in the heat of my emotions, I can look at the scripture and pray about it constantly and ask God for a spirit of kindness, gentleness, patience and self-control, like Jesus had for his disciples. Even though they all ran away and dispersed, he still showed mercy and compassion after he rose from the dead and offered forgiveness, even though, based on their attitudes, they didn't necessarily deserve it. I know I make mistakes and I thank God every day that I have a Savior who loves me despite myself. And as a mom, I need to be setting the example for my kids that I love them no matter what and I will always forgive them no matter what, and that we should be living the example that Jesus gave out. And I know it's not easy, it is so hard, but when we do that, we can bring a light to this world that so desperately needs it.

Speaker 1: 33:40

I I hope you guys learn a lot from the study today. I think this is where we're gonna stop for today, and next week things are gonna heat up even more. Thank you so much for listening you guys. I hope you really enjoyed our show. If you do enjoy what you're hearing, give us a like, give us a comment, give us a review. We would just love to hear from you guys.

Speaker 1: 34:08

Now we are entering one the Lenten season leading up to Easter, and this is the perfect time, as we go through this series, to be reflecting on all the suffering that our Messiah went through so that we can truly rejoice in the resurrection. And if you guys are looking for an in-depth study on reflecting on and praising God for the suffering that he went through, check out our six-week study on our suffering servant and end up six weeks six-week study on Isaiah 53. You can find it on Amazon. The link is in the show notes. We would love for you to use these next 40 days to come into a deeper understanding and a deeper all and admiration for the suffering that our Savior did on our behalf. Until next week. This is Alexis. He slip and I hope you guys have a joy filled week. God bless.