The Ultimate Faithful
David Francis
“I was, and always have been, a Faithful!”
The recent BBC TV reality series ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ has just finished and, too often, these parting words (“I was, and always have been, a Faithful!”) sent the remaining participants into deeper self-doubt and dismay - realising they had yet again voted incorrectly to banish the one they were so certain was a definitely a traitor.
It was fun watching this psychological game unfold over the days and weeks, and it was eagerly watched by thousands as fictitious murders and deceit played out.
For those familiar with the Bible, the world’s most infamous traitor is probably Judas:
The one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.
(Matthew 26: 14-15)
We see a glimpse of Judas’ character when he objected at Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume:
“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
(John 12: 5-6)
Mary’s ‘beautiful thing’ of anointing Jesus (Matthew 26:10) was an exuberant, prophetic, pre-burial anointing of Jesus. She understood a lot more, it seems, than anyone else in the room.
As Jesus told Judas to ‘leave her alone’ (John 12:7), it no doubt increased Judas’ silent anger, resentment, and justification at handing Jesus over to those who could pay him for it. Jesus knew – He told all in that room that one of them was a Traitor:
‘The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.
(Matthew 26:23)
The Greek word used here for the act of betraying is paradidōmi which means "to hand over, deliver up or betray". Interestingly it is used to describe God the Father handing over, delivering, and giving up Jesus to death on the cross:
This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge. (Acts 2:23)
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25)
He (God) who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all. (Romans 8:32)
But God is not a traitor!
He is the One who has the foresight and power to turn bad into good, not by deceit and cunning, but through His own steadfast, loyal love for mankind, accommodating so many vagaries and vagabonds along the tragic timeline of history. The ultimate Faithful had a plan all along.
In Genesis, when Joseph forgave his brothers for betraying him, he said: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives". (Genesis 50:20)
Joseph's comment about God’s mysterious providence applied then, as it does now.
“I was, and always have been, a Faithful!”
