Good Friday Sermon 2025. Loyalty & Betrayal Sermon
Text Sermon
Hi, welcome to Christ Unite. My name is Janice. Is being quite a while since I last preach. Today I am going to preach on Loyalty & Betrayal for this year 2025 Good Friday Sermon.
Before I start, let me pray.
Dearest Heavenly Father, enable me to speak your word well.
In your name, Jesus Christ I pray. Amen
Today, I will be covering quite a lot on Bible verses from different books Luke, Matthew, & John to talk about. In Luke Chapter 10:25-37, Jesus parable example to show what will happen to Him. In Matthew 26:1-5 Jesus said He will be killed, in Matthew 26:14-30 Judas Betrayal, in Matthew 26:31-35 Peter’s Denial, in Matthew 26:36-46 Jesus prayer to God the Father before His arrest, crucifixion, in Matthew 26:47-67 Jesus Arrest. In John 18:15-18 Peter’s 1st Denial of Jesus. In John 18:25-27 Peter’s 2nd & 3rd Denial of Jesus. In Matthew 26:75 Peter sorrow after his denial of Jesus. In John 19:25-27 The Only Disciple that was present at Jesus crucifixion.
Please turn your Bible to Luke Chapter 10:25. Let me read.
Luke 10:25-37
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
In this passage, God reminds us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
How many of you can truly do this? If you say I am doing it. Think about this again. Are you truly doing it?
Let’s look at Jesus parable example of a man being robbed, he was beaten up badly half dead with his clothes being stripped off naked. A priest came by saw him, he choose to ignore him & go another way. A Levite passed by & also go by the other side instead. Then came a Samaritan saw the victim & help him. He bandaged his wounds, pour oil & wine on him & took him to an inn paying for his stay.
We see in this parable the holy people are actually not holy. They didn’t obey God’s commandment to love others. They didn’t offer help. Priest & even the Levite mentioned likely to be assistant to priest as Levite was assigned to help the priests with worshipping God in the temple those days. Yet, a Samaritan who is considered not holy that time by Jews as they are not pure Jewish help this victim.
Why did Jesus tell this story? There are a few reasons why he told this parable. This parable is actually telling of what is going to happen to Jesus. He was beaten up very badly almost dead, his followers, disciples left him, Peter denied knowing him, ignore him. His disciples didn’t help him. Only 1 disciple out of the 12 disciples, only John follow Jesus throughout his ordeal and treated Jesus mother as his own mother taking care of her after Jesus crucifixion. John didn’t deny Jesus. John remain faithful & loyal to Jesus despite what happened to Jesus. In the parable, we also see that the victim was pour with oil & wine. Jesus before his crucifixion was also pour with oil, fragrance perfume oil by a sinful Samaritan woman.
Jesus illusion shows us that even though many people claim to believe in God, Him yet they are not true faithful disciples. Even the most high priest abandon him. Are you a pastor, a Church leader? Do you consider yourself a true faithful loyal disciple of God? You might say I will never abandon Jesus but that may not be true.
I like to share with you my own experience illustration.
Last year after Good Friday in May, something happened to me. I was hit. I need help. I asked pastors, seminaries principal, vice principal, Christian friends, Church, relative for help for a temporary place to stay but they didn’t help. Some of them are very rich yet they choose to be silent & ignore me. Same for Church leaders, pastors, seminaries. Some have rooms available but they didn’t help me. Even the ones whom I thought are good Christian sisters didn’t help me. Only 1 friend my old school classmate helped me. She is the only Christian that offer me help so willingly immediately when she saw what happened to me. She used to go to Christian Churches but now she goes to Catholic Church. Pastors have been teaching us that Catholic are not truly Christian as they pray to Mary. To some pastors and Christian, she will be consider not Christian not pure as she goes to Catholic Church. But after my encounter, she is like the Samaritan woman mentioned in Jesus parable that help me. The Samaritan woman worship God too but yet the Jews don’t believe Samaritan are pure & worshipping God truly. Jesus accept this Samaritan woman. So with my ordeal, I believe Jesus also accept the Catholic too. Catholic are also Christian. The Christian community whom I know didn’t come and help me instead a Catholic Christian come & help me.
If someone you know who needs your help in times of trouble, will you help the person? Are you obeying God’s commandment ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Now let me continue with Matthew about Jesus prediction of his arrest, crucifixion & his disciples Judas & Peter betrayal. Turn your Bible to Matthew 26.
Matthew 26:1-5
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
Now let’s jump to verse 14
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 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. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
The Last Supper
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
“‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.
Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Jesus Arrested
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
55 In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. 58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward 61 and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”
“He is worthy of death,” they answered.
67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”
John 18:15-18
Peter’s First Denial
15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.
He replied, “I am not.”
18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
John 18:25-27
Peter’s Second and Third Denials
25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”
He denied it, saying, “I am not.”
26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
Matthew 26:75
Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
John 19:25-27
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home
Have you ever experience betrayal & denial from those you know? I have. It hurts isn’t it. Those you know, you love betray & deny you. It hurts deeply.
In these passages I just read, we see Jesus knew that Judas & Peter will betray him. Peter will deny him. Jesus knew he will be betray by Judas, get arrested, beaten up, crucify & die. Jesus cried at Gethsemane. He felt sorrowful & troubled. He prayed to God the Father if he can don’t go through this ordeal and pray not as I will, but as your will.
Jesus suffer emotional & physically. He knew what is like being betray & denied. If you are suffering right now, I like to let you know Jesus knows and understand what you are going through. Jesus has experience people lying about him making false statements, accusation against him.
The sins of the people those who claim to love Jesus & follow him yet later deny him & left him. Actually all of us including Christian have sins, we have deny him, betray him. We have put Jesus to the Cross. We do not love our neighbor as ourself, we are self-centred thinking of our own interest. In times, of trouble we ran, we avoid, we don’t want to be associate with people who are in trouble. Very few will want to help genuinely. We chose who we want to be with, who we want to help. Some help not because they are genuinely want to help. They help because they want to be know they have help others. They want to be famous, known that they have done good deeds.
It is really painful to see people failing especially those you thought are holy people. People sins and our sins. It is really painful to experience both physical & emotional pain.
Jesus experience all the human pains. Yet Jesus agrees to God the Father’s will for his suffering so that Jesus sacrifice can atone for human sins.
In life, you might wonder why am I going through this suffering? Why is God not helping me? God has His reasons why somethings happen, we don’t know the reasons. God knows. In time to come, you may know the reasons why you are going through this. Just like what I am going through. To experience what is like betrayal, denial, lying, forsaken.
For those who did these, one day they will realize their mistakes & be sorrowful just like Peter & Judas.
Jesus despite what Peter has done still accept him as His disciple & appear before him during his resurrection. He still ask Peter to be His shepherd taking care of His sheep. Jesus forgive sinners who truly repent.
Will you forgive those who have hurt you deeply? It can be really hard difficult. You might still be suffering physical and emotional pain. Learn to let go, leave it to God to handle the situation. Trust in God. Pray to God. Talk to God to find comfort, peace. When no one is there for you, there is still God.
I like to share with you something special during my suffering. When I move to my friend’s place, a yellow bird flew to my bedroom window looking at me as though checking on me. It came almost everyday to check on me since I moved to my friend’s place. I asked my friend has this kind of yellow bird ever appear at her place before. She said never. During my stay at her place, there are many occasions rain fell immediately as I left her place. When I had to move to another place, it rain too. I had moved 3 times & all 3 places at different location, I keep seeing the yellow bird that keep appearing and check on me. The rain represent God understand what I am going through and is sad too. The yellow bird that keep appearing to check on me is a reminder of God’s presence. He sent the bird to check on me. When I am better, the yellow bird stop coming and check on me. The yellow bird appears when I am down.
I hope this encourages you that there is God & He knows what is going on in our life. He is omnipresent, always there. He will never forsake you.
Even though I am still suffering, I am a lot better now. My suffering is like Paul’s thorns always there to torment me. I have prayed to God to remove the pain but the pain is still there. Recently the pain caused me to lose my sense of balance. I felt dizzy in every movement I do, turn my head, neck, body, walk, bend down basically any movement. Even sitting down also dizzy. Every movement I can’t control the dizziness. There is also 1 occasion, I totally cannot control my head, my neck, my left hand from shaking uncontrollably. I went to see Drs, they couldn’t understand why I am suffering this. I told them is because of my injuries. They didn’t believe in me that can lead to my dizziness. Even some who are senior consultant specialist don’t believe that is the cause. I had to be admitted to hospital because of my dizziness & 1 Dr suspect I might be having stroke. At the hospital, gone through many test & the specialist said I have vertigo. The hospital specialist also didn’t believe is related to my injuries. I don’t agree. After my discharge when I am better after the Dr gave me non dizziness medicine, my main Dr refer me to a very senior Dr. After almost a year seeing various specialist Drs, finally one Dr this senior Dr understand what I am going through and prescribe anesthetic cream to numb the area of my pain. Pain is slightly better now when the area is numb. Is not completely gone. Is temporary relief.
This shows that even though I am telling the truth, yet many others don’t believe in me. They think they have many years experience, knowledge. They don’t think is related to my injuries. Why am I sharing with you this, is an illusion example of what Jesus is going through. Jesus told the truth, He is son of God. King of the Jews yet many pharisees priests didn’t believe in Him. Many doubted Jesus even his followers, disciples when Jesus got persecuted, crucify. Only John believe in Jesus and stayed with Him.
For Jesus, his injuries were worst than me. Yet He endured it. He was doing God the Father’s will. Paul also endured his suffering & continue to preach God’s word. Despite my pain, suffering, God still wants me to preach.
Are you the one who cause others to suffer? May this sermon speaks to you and you repent of your sins. Are you going through suffering now? Remember this, you are not alone. God is there for you.
Allow me to close. Let me pray.
Thank you for being with me for the past 1 year, my experiences encounters to prepare me to share your word for this year Good Friday sermon. Will you please comfort those who are suffering now and help them in their situation. Let them find peace, healing, comfort through you. May you be there for us, always there for us helping in times of trouble. You will never forsake us. For those who have sin, may they feel remorseful and repent of their sins. No more lies. No more false accusations, false statements. No more bullying. No more physical and emotional hurt. May the truth prevail. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
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