1. Betrayed by One of His Own
Scripture: "And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him" (John 13:2 KJV).
Judas walked with Jesus, saw His miracles, and still sold Him out for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–16).
Truth: Sometimes, the people in your inner circle will turn against you for their own gain.
2. Denied by His Closest Ally
Scripture: "Then began he [Peter] to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man" (Matthew 26:74 KJV).
Peter had boldly claimed he would die for Jesus (Luke 22:33), yet when pressure came, he distanced himself completely.
Truth: Even those who publicly support you may privately disown you when your presence costs them something.
3. Deserted When He Needed Them Most
Scripture: "Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled" (Matthew 26:56 KJV).
In the hour of His arrest, not one disciple stayed. Loyalty vanished when danger showed up.
Truth: Popularity fades fast when trials arrive.
4. Misunderstood and Rebuked
Scripture: "Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee"(Matthew 16:22 KJV).
Peter tried to talk Jesus out of His God-given mission. Jesus responded, "Get thee behind me, Satan" (v. 23).
Truth: Some will oppose you thinking they are helping, because they cannot see God’s bigger plan for your life.
5. Skeptical and Slow to Believe
Scripture: "And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted" (Matthew 28:17 KJV).
Even after the resurrection, some disciples struggled to fully accept Him.
Truth: Not everyone will believe in you—even with undeniable proof.
Application: If Jesus Was Rejected, So Will You Be!
Scripture: "The servant is not greater than His lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20 KJV).
Truth: If the Son of God Himself faced betrayal, denial, desertion, opposition, and doubt from those closest to Him, (including His disciples) and those who walked with Him — we should not be surprised when people misunderstand, dislike, judge, misinterpret, talk about, use, abuse, misalign our message, or flat out reject us.
This is so true, I have experienced rejection, people don’t see me like Jesus sees me, which causes me to treated differently. My spirit of helps, giving, has allowed me to be taken advantage of ,It’s like being the black sheep. Those who I thought were close to me really didn’t like me, because they didn’t understand what Jesus was doing in my life. I didn’t understand it at first, in fact it took me a long time to understand it. Maybe because I didn’t see myself as Jesus sees me. But God, is changing my vision day by day causing me to see more clearly. If I have to walk alone meaning no true friends or family, it’s okay. Jesus is always with me, therefore I’m never alone. For that I say thank You Jesus !! I’m grateful and blessed in Jesus name