Judas

Scripture: Luke 22:3-6

3 Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, 4 and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. 5 They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. 6 So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around. (Luke 22:3-6 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 because Peter was promised the “Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” and James and John seemed to be #2 and #3 in the list of Jesus’ best pals. And then, of course, there’s the possible motive of simple greed. 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 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 Christ-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  some questions and examine my heart 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!