Digging Deeper – A Friend of Jesus

Avatar photo Chris Boggess on May 8, 2026

 

“When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

“While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.”

Matthew 26:20-25; 47-50 ESV

“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

Luke 6:36 (ESV)


A FRIEND OF JESUS

Most of us would be pretty familiar with the two scenes above. This passage is leading up to the climactic account of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Here, we have two scenes that serve as the final setup for the violence to follow.

Jesus knows Judas is going to betray Him, and He lets Judas know that He knows, but He does not make it abundantly obvious to the rest of the disciples. I picture this exchange being whispered between mouthfuls of bread as they recline among the other chatting disciples. I feel like if it were a louder exchange, the disciples might have had some questions for Judas.

That line, “You have said so,” gives me chills every time Jesus uses it. He says it again at the trial before the high priest:

“But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to Him, ‘I adjure You by the living God, tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven’” (Matthew 26:63–64, ESV).

It is Jesus’s way of saying, “You are speaking the truth in your own words.” In both cases, He is pointing out that they really know the truth, whether they say it directly or not. So Jesus knows that Judas is about to betray Him.

With that in mind, my friend Ryan Hoffer pointed out a word that is truly mind-blowing in the scene where they come to arrest Jesus. Jesus calls Judas “friend.” Jesus had every right to curse Judas, to push him away with disdain, but instead, He draws him in with the word “friend.”

It is astonishing, and it should fill us with hope.

If Jesus can call Judas a friend, then there is hope for us, too. Take a moment to come before Jesus in prayer. Tell Him honestly who you are and what you have done. Then, in a moment of silence, receive the mercy and forgiveness He offers as He calls you “friend.”

 

Chris Boggess is the Care + Family Pastor at NorthStar Church. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, and still cheers for the Mountaineers. He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children and one granddaughter.

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