Gospel of John Theme of Betrayal

In case you didn't catch it the zillion times it's mentioned, Judas betrays Jesus big time in the Gospel of John. But he's not alone—there are a bunch of little betrayals along the way, you can be sure of that. Peter fails Jesus when he denies that he knows him and Jesus's own people turn him over to Rome to be executed. But without these betrayals, the Gospel has no story. Each little act of disloyalty brings Jesus closer to the cross and closer to achieving God's plan for saving the world. Should we be thanking Judas?

1. Jesus accuses the people in the crowds of only liking him because they heard he could do amazing things. Is their adoration for him genuine or do they just want front row seats for the miracles?
2. How do the different betrayals of Jesus move the story forward? Without being betrayed by those closest to him, could Jesus have fulfilled God's plan?
3. Do you think the other disciples were surprised by Judas's betrayal? Given that he was also stealing from them and couldn't care less about the poor, did they suspect that he was up to no good?
4. What do you think was going through Peter's mind as he denied Jesus? Did he realize what he had done? Did he do it because he was scared? Confused? Distraught?