Today we are going to look at a word that we don’t use very often – and the word is “treachery”. Treachery is something that has happened to all of us. Treachery is when someone you trust deceives you or tricks you and then causes something bad to happen to you.
Treachery is like when someone tricks you to get what they want but in the end they steal or take something away from you. Treachery is something that friends or family do to you; they pretend to be nice but then they do something bad or evil to us.
Christians can be betrayed
Another word for treachery is betrayed. Someone is betrayed when someone else tells the police where they live; or in the case of a Christian, when someone tells the religious police or others where the Christians live and then the Christians are persecuted or even killed.
Jesus said that when someone becomes a Christian their own family will tell the police on them. At first the family members may smile and pretend to be okay because you have become a Christian; but then their smile will turn into sharp knives and they will betray you and tell on you.
Jesus said:
“A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed” – Matthew 10:21.
In Luke 12:51-53 Jesus said:
“Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.
‘Father will be divided against son
and son against father;
mother against daughter
and daughter against mother;
and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
This is the worst kind of trick; this is the worst kind of betrayal, when your own family turns you in and tells on you.
So as a Christian you have to be very careful who you decide to share your faith with. Jesus said: “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as wise as snakes and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16).
Jesus was betrayed
In Luke chapter 12 we read about how Judas, one of Jesus’ closest students, betrayed Him.
“Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.”
Jesus said:
“But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me. For it has been determined that the Son of Man must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him.”
“…a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. It says in Mark 14:44
“The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.”
With a kiss…
A kiss is supposed to be a sign of love and friendship between friends, or something more between a husband and a wife. And Judas chose what was supposed to be a kind and loving act to betray the Son of God – a kiss.
And so it was that after Judas kissed Jesus, Jesus was arrested. Treachery – a friend used his friendship to put his friend in prison. Betrayed – Jesus trusted Judas and shared many things with him – and Judas used that information to harm and hurt Jesus.
False Christians
Many times at Somali Christian Ministries we will get phone calls and emails from people who say:
“I am a Somali Christian and I would like to meet some other Somali Christians.”
Here is what our policy is at Somali Christian Ministries:
“Somali Christian Ministries will never give out personal information to anyone. Somali Christian Ministries will not introduce or tell anyone who or where a Somali Christian lives. This information is private and confidential and will not be shared with anyone. We will never share phone numbers or email addresses with anyone. All contact information is strictly confidential.”
So if a Somali Christian emails us or phones us we will not share that information with anyone. Even if a Somali emails or phones us and is interested in knowing Jesus Christ SCM will not share that information with anyone. That information will always remain secret, private and confidential.
But other people may not be so careful. And sometimes people contact us and want to know where Somali Christians are living and we tell them: “we do not give out any personal information. Ever.”
So sometimes a person will act like a Christian to try and get information from us; but we do not give out any information to anyone so it does not matter what they do or ask. We do not give out any information. It is important to be safe and very careful when you share your faith with someone, remember Jesus said: “be as wise as snakes and harmless as doves.”
Treachery is pretending
When someone wants to steal something from someone else they do not always come right out in the open to do it; sometimes they will do so in a secret way. Sometimes evil people come like a thief in the night. When everyone is sleeping the thief may try and break into a home so that they can steal things without anyone seeing them.
Sometimes the thieves will come in through the front door with knives and guns and demand that the owner hand over money and other things to the thieves.
Now, we have to be very aware that the devil will come to us and try to steal our joy and even our very souls if he can. And the devil will not always appear before us like a evil being, the Bible says that the devil will disguise “himself as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14. The devil will dress up like an angel and appear like someone good, but really the devil is just hiding his evil nature. The devil will appear to look good, and will even sound like he is saying good things, but he is filled with lies and is only wanting to harm and hurt us.
Here is what the teacher Paul tells us in the Bible about Jesus.
“This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.
All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.
May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.
Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.”
The message of the Lord was delivered to the world over 2,000 years ago. The message of Jesus Christ’s appearance on earth was proclaimed by the angels.
When Jesus appeared on earth in the body of a baby, when God took upon Himself human flesh and lived among us, the Bible says that angels were singing in heaven that Jesus the Messiah the Saviour of the world was born into this world.
“And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them.
“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Jesus is still the Savior of the world
So we see that the Message of the Lord was proclaimed over 2,000 years ago and the truth of Jesus has not changed. Jesus is still the Savior of the world. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. Jesus will never change and Jesus has never changed. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever – and this very God entered the human race by taking upon Himself the body of a baby boy; and then this baby boy was born into the world through a Virgin whose name was Mary.
The boy grew up into a man and was baptized in the river Jordan. Jesus was then tempted by the devil in the desert but Jesus did not give into the temptations of the devil.
Jesus then healed many people and proclaimed that He was the Messiah and that anyone who believed in Him would have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life. And that message is still true today.
Put your faith in Jesus and you will be saved
If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour then you will be saved. Jesus is alive and can hear your prayers. Jesus cares for you and loves you. So do not be fooled by anyone. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world and if you put your faith in Jesus then you too will be saved, your sins will be forgiven and you will receive eternal life.