Betrayal

In John 6, we find that Jesus was teaching hard truth, and that there were some of His followers who turned away. We have to be careful to cling to Him so that, by our actions, we do not betray or deny Him. We find these words in John chapter 6:
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"
71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

Peter nailed it in verse 68, when he asked, "Lord, to whom shall we go?"  Unfortunately, when the pressure that the world brings is intensified, we become, as the old hymn says, "prone to wander."  Under pressure, we have to make sure that we stay true to the Lord and not look to the world to meet our needs.  And, in those times in which we feel betrayed and experience those who would want to silence our voice, we can rely on the One who will never leave nor forsake us.

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The time had come - Jesus was in Jerusalem to observe the Passover, and the religious leaders believed this to be an opportune time to stop the advance of the ministry of Jesus. Luke 22 states:
1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.
2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.
3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.
4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.
5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.
6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

The Bible tells us for "thirty pieces of silver," Judas betrayed His Savior. 

It is a institution of higher learning, presumably a bastion of training young minds, to engage in critical thinking - but that didn't happen recently at Stanford University in California.  According to CBN.com, "a protest broke out at the law school during a recent appearance by Fifth U.S. Circuit Court Judge Kyle Duncan...He had been invited to give a lecture to the university's Federalist Society chapter."

The article notes that:

When Duncan appeared at the school to give his talk to the group of students who had invited him, he was shouted down by almost a hundred students who prevented him from giving his address in spite of Stanford's documented free speech policies published by the university's Office of Community Standards.

The protesters were angry with Duncan over a 2020 opinion in which he refused to use a transgender offender's preferred pronouns, according to several outlets.

The judge asked administrators in the room to quell the protesters, but none of them responded, even though they are directed to by school policy. Finally, the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tirien Steinbach stepped to the podium. But, as the article says, "Instead of admonishing the students, Steinbach proceeded to lecture the judge for several minutes from prepared remarks, accusing Duncan of causing 'harm' through his work on the appeals court."  The judge was not allowed to finish his speech, but there was a "hostile" Q&A time. 

Steinbach has been placed on leave and university officials have apologized. 

The Washington Free Beacon reported on an event at Yale University, sponsored by its Federalist Society, it...

...featured Monica Miller of the progressive American Humanist Association and Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative nonprofit that promotes religious liberty. Both groups had taken the same side in a 2021 Supreme Court case involving legal remedies for First Amendment violations. The purpose of the panel, a member of the Federalist Society said, was to illustrate that a liberal atheist and a conservative Christian could find common ground on free speech issues.

Over 100 students attended in order to protest, it was reported. The article says, "When a professor at the law school, Kate Stith, began to introduce Waggoner, the protesters, who outnumbered the audience members, rose in unison, holding signs that attacked ADF."  The Free Beacon reported:

Ellen Cosgrove, the associate dean of the law school, was present at the panel the entire time. Though the cacophony clearly violated Yale's free speech policies, she did not confront any of the protesters.

At times, things seemed in danger of getting physical. The protesters were blocking the only exit from the event, and two members of the Federalist Society said they were grabbed and jostled as they attempted to leave.

"It was disturbing to witness law students whipped into a mindless frenzy," Waggoner said. "I did not feel it was safe to get out of the room without security."

Waggoner and Miller, as Judge Duncan were escorted out of the building by law enforcement. In America.   Waggoner told Fox and Friends, according to the Fox News website:

"This wasn't a protest. This was physical intimidation and bullying that took place in the presence of Yale administration. … I just want to underscore the importance that Yale administrators shouldn't be cowering to mobs. They should be insisting on embracing a culture of free speech."

Free speech, according to the Constitution, is not a matter of shutting down opponents, but that seems to be the definition that these students at these universities were operating.  Peaceful protest is protected by the Constitution - silencing the opposition or perceived opposition is not. It's a betrayal of our American values and our fellow Americans.

The religious leaders in Jerusalem were fed up with this man claiming to be God. Jealous of His ability to draw crowds and offended by His teaching, they had to shut Him down. They hired a man who was willing to betray the Teacher he had followed for three years.  While it was a fulfillment of God's plan to save us, it also is a lesson to us of how jealousy and anger, driven by a rejection of God, can motivate us to do the unspeakable.

Jesus was an example of how to engage those who disagree with you, even those who were hostile - while the religious types were peppering Him with "gotcha" questions, He showed incredible restraint and would start a conversation, responding with a question in return.  He shared parables in order to illustrate His truth.  Even though there were those who did not have "ears to hear," He was diligent to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom.  

We have to recognize that shutting others down is not the way to win them to our Savior. That's not even a good way to win an argument.  But, while we are contending in the marketplace of ideas and can be convinced that Biblical ideas are best, we can present our ideas in a compelling way in the context of how we live our lives.