With a kiss, Judas betrayed Jesus.

With a kiss or other intimate touch, some priests, pastors, and others with spiritual authority have betrayed the trust placed in them by those in their care.

Jesus knows what it is like to be betrayed. And abandoned. And abused.

What comfort had he when hanging on the cross, being mocked from below, bleeding and in agony?

Did he remember the words spoken by the Father at his baptism: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11) NIV?

Did he hold on to those words and replay them over in his mind to remember who he really was and not what a hostile crowd was telling him about his worthiness?

If you find yourself this Good Friday abandoned by a faith community, family, or some other person or group, because your wounds are too painful for them to look at, remember that Jesus is always available, through prayer, to listen to you.

You may be “struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:9) NIV

Let us live in hope that the power that raised Jesus from the dead will lift us all to remember how lovable and valuable we truly are – that we, too, are God’s children, in whom God is well pleased.