“Ngunit kasalo ko rito ang magtataksil sa akin. Papanaw ang Anak ng Tao ayon sa itinakda ng Diyos, ngunit kakila-kilabot ang daranasin ng taong magkakanulo sa kanya.” 

Lucas 22:21–22

Noong 2020, nang nagsimula ang pandemya, and everyone was caught unprepared for the unexpected physical and emotional lockdowns, karamihan sa atin ay humanap ng paraan upang maaliw at magkaroon ng connection to the outside world. One of the ways people have been coping is by playing online games, like the popular Among Us. In this game set in space, players appear like colorful armless cartoon astronauts. Each player takes on one of two roles, either as a Crewmate or an Impostor. The goal of the Crewmates is to either identify and vote out the Impostors, or to complete all the tasks around the map. On the other hand, the goal of the Impostors is to secretly destroy the mission either by killing the Crewmates before they complete all their tasks or by causing a disaster. 

In the said game, the impostors’ appearance isn’t altered. Dahil pareho ang itsura nila with the rest of the players, mahirap mahulaan kung sino ang traydor. Katulad din ito sa tunay na buhay. May mga kasamahan tayong akala natin ay mapagkakatiwalaan, hindi pala. May mga nagpapanggap na kaibigan, pero may ibang agenda pala. Tulad ng impostor sa larong Among Us, the impostors in our lives are just going to use and betray us. How painful it is to realize that a person you consider as a friend will turn out to be the one who will spill your secrets, put you down with trash talk, or spread rumors against you.

Jesus was betrayed by Judas (Luke 22:21; Matthew 26:15) so He knows that being betrayed by a friend is heart-breaking. But thank God, He is a friend who remains loyal to us even when everyone else has deserted us. He never puts us down; instead, He lifts us up with encouraging words. He never does anything to cause us harm. He empowers us to complete our tasks and fulfills His purpose for us.