“And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”
Zechariah 13:6
Do you know that the sting of a friend’s wound lingers far longer than an enemy’s blow? A few things cut deeper than betrayal from someone you once trusted? Jesus knew this pain so well. Judas wasn’t a stranger but a disciple, a companion, one who ate and walked with Him. Yet it was through Judas’ kiss that Jesus was betrayed.
Perhaps you’ve felt this too. How you were hurt by those you loved, or misunderstood by those you supported, or abandoned by those you stood by. But here’s the truth: even wounds have purpose. The scars Jesus bore became the very signs of redemption. What was meant for pain became proof of His love and victory.
God can turn the wounds inflicted by friends into wisdom, strength, and deeper dependence on Him. David once said, “It was not an enemy that reproached me… but it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.” Yet, in all these, he learned to trust God beyond human loyalty.
Charge: Don’t let the wound make you bitter. Let it make you better.
Further Study: Job 19:13-14,19; Psalm 55:12-14, 41:9; Proverbs 27:6; Micah 7:5-6; Luke 22:47-48; John 13:18; Romans 8:28.
