The Ultimate Betrayal

Those of you who know me well (or have checked my profile) know that I love John LeCarre novels. I am a big fan of all types of spy vs. spy stories, real or invented and I am not fussy about what era they occur, as long as it's a riveting tale. I even like Bond stories, which is ironic, because John LeCarre apparently did not, and began writing his books as a response to what he felt were over-sexed, over-glamorized and downright silly representations of 'The Secret World'. The characters in John LeCarre's novels are decidedly not glamorous; his most beloved spy, George Smiley, is described as portly, stogy, fat...well, everything James Bond is not.

LeCarre fans will debate passionately about what they feel is his best work, but for me, it is 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy', a thinly disguised telling of the true story of Kim Philby, the infamous 'mole' in the British secret service. Like Philby, the fictional mole is a member of the privileged British class with an Oxbridge education. It was while he was in school in the thirties that he was recruited by the Soviet Union to become one of its most secret and devastating of agents. He is employed by what eventually became known as MI-5, the British version of our CIA. He rises to fairly high rank and it is well on to 30 years before he is discovered, after betraying all manner of secrets, including the names of some British agents working behind the Iron Curtain, one of whom gets a bullet in the back as a result of the mole's betrayal.

I just happened to be re-reading this right after Easter, and it put me in mind of Judas' betrayal and its aftermath. In LeCarre's story, everyone knows there is a mole, but no one knows who it is, so everybody suspects everybody else. After the mole is revealed, everyone's spirits are crushed. You see, he was one of them. They had offices next to one another, joked at the water cooler, went on 'business' trips together, knew each others' wives. Can you imagine if you discovered that someone in your office, school, church was a mole? And what, I wondered, were the disciples thinking when Jesus said one of them would betray Him? How disjointed and dispirited must they have been! And not only was one of their closest friends a betrayer, but then Jesus was immediately taken from them! The one person who could have made things better was ripped away from them as a result of the disciples' 'mole' and his betrayal.

Have you ever felt betrayed? Maybe on a grand scale, by a cheating spouse or abusive parent? Or on a smaller scale, by a friend who lies or a co-worker who steals from you? Betrayal hurts, no matter how big or small, no matter if it's public or private. It is a horrible feeling, a violation not just of rules but of trust itself. And it is one of the hardest things to recover from; once betrayed it is hard to ever trust again. Perhaps some of the disciples felt this way, too. What confusion, sadness, shock, guilt they must have endured during those three days!

Unlike the characters in LeCarre's story, it doesn't end there for us. We have the empty grave to look to, the power of healing and redemption and peace at our disposal. Jesus returned to His followers several times after His resurrection. He wanted them to know that the story did not end with betrayal and death.

Our stories of betrayal do not have to end there either. There is healing in Him; your pastor or counselor can help you find it. There is redemption in Him; the scriptures promise this to us over and over again. And there is peace in Him; the peace that comes through understanding and forgiveness.

May you find yourself blessed during this Eastertide.