Gracious God, be loving and gracious to this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Matthew 26: 14 That is when one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the cabal of high priests 15 and said, "What will you give me if I hand him over to you?" They settled on thirty silver pieces. 16 He began looking for just the right moment to hand him over. 23 Jesus answered, "The one who hands me over is someone I eat with daily, one who passes me food at the table. 24 In one sense the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures - no surprises here. In another sense that man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man - better never to have been born than do this!" 25 Then Judas, already turned traitor, said, "It isn't me, is it, Rabbi?" Jesus said, "Don't play games with me, Judas." 45 When he came back the next time, he said, "Are you going to sleep on and make a night of it? My time is up, the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the hands of sinners. 46 Get up! Let's get going! My betrayer is here." 47 The words were barely out of his mouth when Judas (the one from the Twelve) showed up, and with him a gang from the high priests and religious leaders brandishing swords and clubs. 48 The betrayer had worked out a sign with them: "The one I kiss, that's the one - seize him." 49 He went straight to Jesus, greeted him, "How are you, Rabbi?" and kissed him. 50 Jesus said, "Friend, why this charade?" (The Message).
Of all the drama that occurred this week in the life of Jesus, one of the most heartbreaking is the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. What makes it all the more terrible is that sometimes we too, are involved in such a betrayal of our Lord and/or His people. This particular version of the Bible uses the more common daily language of our day and we can see the treachery behind the fake sweetness of Judas. One has to wonder what made Judas agree to sell Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver? Some scholars have said that Judas, being a Zionist, wanted to "call Jesus' hand" and force Him to make a move such as the one many Zionists expected in that Jesus could begin the armed revolt against Rome. Interesting also, to think that Judas' cries during the triumphant entry into Jerusalem were truly ones of one who believed that this man could indeed be the real king of Israel in the political sense. By Thursday, Judas was convinced that Jesus would not act and someone had to force His hand, thus his betrayal. If that were the case then the money had no real significance other than for some things that Judas thought he could buy with it.
What does it cost us to betray Jesus? The right job? The right car? The right offer? The right person? What do we ultimately gain by selling out Jesus and all that He stands for, just for our pleasures and desires?
PRAYER: Loving God, it is me that sometimes betrays You, leaving behind the Truth of Your love to seek things that do not satisfy really. They are too numerous to list and too painful to recall. Forgive me for those times and let me know that I am forgiven and that I can move forward even with all that I should and do leave in the past. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
