Few things do as much damage as treason. In war, thousands of lives can be lost, and perhaps even the whole course of the war can be changed, by the act of one well-placed traitor. In romance, a lover's treachery can bring great sadness, depression, ruin, and even suicide. In business, someone sells a secret formula and the company can be destroyed.
The friend is in the best position to bring about someone's downfall. The friend has a stake in that person, but a shift of loyalty happens and now the stake is in that person's downfall. The friend has the knowledge, the experience, and the trust to accomplish what massive assaults by outsiders often can't. A stranger has less to gain.
Jesus was heading into the stretch run. The world would dump all sorts of evils on Him, piled on really thick and heavy. Torture; accusations; sudden rises and falls in popularity; being at the mercy of an enemy who has no mercy; and in the end, a barbarous execution. But it started with a kiss from a friend and follower, from the one entrusted with their money. It started, as it had to, with one most emotionally brutal thing : Jesus was betrayed.
For all the inner (and outer) destruction that betrayal can bring about, there was one thing it could not do. It could not stop Jesus. Jesus' way could not be blocked by being betrayed, or tortured, or even killed. Indeed, the deepest evils on earth would only be a road, a pathway Jesus would take to get to the most ultimate victory of all. But more about that on Easter. For now, just feel some part of the bitterness Jesus got, and know that we each did our part to bring it about.
Father, teach us not to be traitors to You. Show us how to work good things for others instead of backstabbing them. Thank You for being worthy of trust in a way that we are not. Amen.
There's also a downloadable Lent and Easter PDF file with lots of stuff about Lent, and Lent devotionals. Other downloads include PDFs on Holiness and on Prayer.