Judas

Scripture: Matthew 26:14-16 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests 15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. (Matthew 26:14–16 NLT)

I’ve heard and read a lot of ideas about why Judas decided to betray Jesus. Some think it was because Judas was impatient with Jesus’ failure to militarize and mobilize his followers to rebel against Rome. This theory is that Judas thought he could force Jesus to declare himself against Roman rule. Another idea is that Judas was jealous of Peter who was promised the “Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” and of James and John who seemed to be #2 and #3 in Jesus’ list of best pals. And then, of course, there’s the possible motive of simple greed. Judas’ question to the leading priests sounds pretty much like negotiating a deal for the best offer. You could buy a slave for thirty pieces of silver!

Actually, we’re likely to never know exactly what was going on in Judas’ mind, what had happened in his heart, and how he felt about Jesus, his fellow disciples, and the Cause. We know what he did, but we don’t know for sure why he did it. We know that it accelerated the priests’ plans and gave them the opportunity they were looking for to get rid of Jesus. We know that later Judas was heartbroken that he’d done it!

This prompts me to ask myself some questions. 1) How am I doing with my commitment to Jesus my Master and to my fellow followers? Is there any frustration, envy of others’ roles or position, disappointment, or other attitude eating away at my soul? 2) Am I cutting myself off from honest give-and-take and dialog with others? Am I keeping secrets? 3) Am I greedy for gain, selfish with my stuff, envious of what others have? I just have to ask and probably you should, too! Let’s not let anything pull or push us over the line. Sorry if this sounds tough, but it’s really important!

Prayer:

Father, Please shine the light of truth on my heart, my mind, and my soul! I don’t want to let anything take root in me that would cause me to compromise my commitment to Jesus. Don’t let oily rags of resentment, disappointment, envy, or greed accumulate in my soul and cause a spontaneous combustion of betrayal! Create in me a clean heart, Oh God! And renew a right spirit within me! For Jesus’ sake, Amen!