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Here is the Audio of This Devotional: https://bit.ly/2VfsjNL
1 Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. 2 The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; 4 he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. 5 They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present. (Luke 22:1-6 NRSV)
It's Wednesday of Holy Week. It is believed that today was the day Judas Iscariot made the plans to betray Jesus. Friend, Judas was the treasurer of the group. What little money they had, it came to him and he paid all expenses of the group. Some televangelists through the years have all commented on the "wealth" that Jesus must have had thus needing a treasurer. Smarter people realize that Judas carried the coin purse.
It's interesting how Luke, noted physician and disciple of the Lord Jesus, knows the power of God's enemy, Satan, and in verse 3 shares the truth of the entire situation: "Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray Him (Jesus) to them." Sigh. The truth is that there was evil already at work in this setting. The men who were supposed to be the religious people of the day, were hard at work trying to find a way to put Jesus to death. Please forgive my sighs, but the very men entrusted by God to bring life to those in their flock found themselves troubled by this itinerant rabbi who was upstaging them with His words and works. It is so sad that the only remedy for them was to put Jesus to death.
Several theories have been shared about why Judas did what he did. The first is that Judas did it for the money. Other versions of this story say that the price for Jesus was thirty pieces of silver. In terms of that day's money, this was about five weeks salary and could make for a comfortable investment. The second is that Judas was trying to build a bridge between the Jewish authorities and Jesus. This was proposed in a 2019 book, Judas: Betrayer or Friend of Jesus? by William Klassen. Dr. Klassen believes that Jesus had full knowledge of what Judas was doing and was not opposed to it. The third is that Judas was a Zionist, a fanatical group advocating for the overthrow of Rome. He was one of the ones on Palm Sunday excited about this entry into Jerusalem because he truly believed that Jesus was going to be the political king of Israel who would lead a military revolt. After all, Judas had seen the power of Jesus to do amazing things. Judas was simply calling Jesus' hand by forcing Him to face the religious leaders and begin the revolt within the temple. Another theory is that Judas was just bad from the very beginning; and was chosen by Jesus to do precisely what needed to be done so that the crucifixion would happen. Perhaps you have your own theory about this man and would like to share it with us? In all fairness to Judas, later verses say that he repented of what he did and decided to end his life because of the remorse he felt about having betrayed the man who had had faith in him to call him to be one of the disciples. One thing is certain; among the twelve there was not one perfect person among the group. Some have even said "There's a little Judas in all of us," meaning there have been times we have been in the presence of Christ and yet go and do what we wanted to do all along. One thing I used to do on Maundy Thursday in the churches was to set up table with enough chairs to serve 12 people at a time. At each place setting there would be a card facedown with one of the disciples on the other. We had to make sure that the cards with Judas' image were marked so that little children would not draw those. The others had the images of the 12 with a brief description of what they were best known for. Sadly, the impact on some church members on drawing the Judas card was more than I had thought; some to this day will remind me that they drew the Judas card.
Please keep in mind that the high holy day of Passover was drawing near; a time to remember and celebrate the wonderful things that God had done for the nation of Israel in freeing them from slavery and sending the angel of death to pass over the houses marked with the sacrificial blood, thus the name Passover. And while this was going, Satan was very active, as he continues to be even in this day and age. I've joked that while in some churches he is not welcome or allowed in, he waits patiently outside and even reminds worshipers of something they heard or say or didn't sing so that the car ride home become more "interesting." It becomes easier in that setting to forget the powerful words of life shared in the worship experience. And the price we pay is anger or resentment or a commitment to not return back the next Sunday, or until the pastor is gone.
Friends, the price paid to Judas was thirty pieces of silver. The price Jesus paid for you and me was the ultimate sacrifice; His body and blood. What has Satan offered you to betray Jesus?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we pray You forgive us for the times we have betrayed You and most of those times for free or for frivolous things. During this time that we end our Lenten Journey, help us end our wandering ways that have led us away from You and Your service. Grant to us a new opportunity to serve. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! May your prayers today be which blesses someone away from evil and into the love of God!
Receive my blessings of comfort and joy,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
