Is There A LIttle Judas in All of Us?

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
We rarely talk about Judas other than referring to him as a traitor, or a scoundrel.  Of course he was all that and not a very good friend, but I wonder if there is not a little bit of Judas in all of us.  Okay you might stop reading now and say, "Not me how dare you compare me to him".  I understand that reaction, as betraying the only Son of God is a serious matter. It is not exactly  a good place to find yourself in the annals of history. 
One of the more incriminating pieces of evidence that make us want to demonize Judas is the small amount of money he took to be willing to "sell out" his friend Jesus.  Thirty pieces of silver would be worth approximately $600 today.  Not a very big price for betraying the Son of God.  And we remember after Judas realized what he had done, he went out and hung himself.  We wonder why Jesus would have picked such a man to be part of his circle of 12 disciples. Apparently it was part of the plan all along for one of his own to betray him.
My question today is at what price would we be willing to sell out Jesus?  When do we get more interested in what's in it for us, than being loyal to our Lord and Savior?  When does it become more important what I get from Jesus than I am willing give to him?  Before we throw Judas under the bus, didn't Peter also deny Jesus three times when his neck was on the line?  Fortunately Peter didn't do what Judas did, and Jesus restored him to be the chief apostle of the church.  Fortunately Jesus restores us when we betray him for an amount even less than thirty pieces of silver.   Like Peter even when we have denied Jesus many times, he gives us a chance to proclaim him.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why are you persecuting me!"  Paul thought he was serving the Lord, but he was persecuting him b
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in
Read more