Betrayal

He is despised and rejected by men, A man of sorrows aquainted with grief.  And we hid, as it were, our faces from him; He was despised, and we did not esteem him.  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon him, And by his stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53: 3-6 NKJV

Despite being written generations before the trial and death of Jesus, this passage in the book of Isaiah is a clear prediction of his death.  This is also a indication that the crucification of our Lord was predestined by our heavenly father long ago.  This will obviously bring up a string of questions.  If God knew beforehand that his creation would need a redeemer, why not just make things right from the begining?  Well, after seeing his new creation we get that answer.

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.  So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 1:31 NKJV

So, even after seeing all that he had created, including man, God proclaimed everything in his sight to be VERY GOOD.  After all, this was his masterpiece.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

There it is, "prepared by God beforehand."  Yes, God definately knew beforehand just what would occur to his beloved creation in the garden but, even then, I believe this was all part of his ultimate plan for us.  As a dear friend of mine observed recently, how would we know the difference between good and evil without first experiencing both?  The plan was set in motion.
By now we should be familiar with the story of the fall and the actions of Adam and Eve in the garden and the coming birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.  THAT brings us to our desperate need for a savior.  After all, Isaiah had predicted this years before right?  By His stripes we would be healed!

And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went away and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.
Luke 22: 2-5 NKJV

By this act of betrayal, Gods love for us was manifested through Jesus.  This would fulfill Gods plan for us that we were told of in back in Isaiah.  We had experienced the good and the evil.  Now, with the shedding of His innocent blood on the cross, Jesus would bear the iniquities of us all.  This man, who was wounded for our transgressions, fulfilled the promise that God had given so long ago.

~Scott~