Betrayed!

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 Betrayed!

Scripture: Matthew 26:14-16 (NIV)

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.

Devotion:

            Our scripture passage for today is not one of the brightest and happiest moments in the scripture record. Indeed, except for the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus, this is probably the darkest moment recorded for us. The facts of the story are beyond all doubt as it is mentioned in Mark, and Luke gospel’s as well. All four gospels list Judas as the disciple who betrays Jesus. We wonder why someone who had been with Jesus during his three-year ministry would seek to betray him. We are never explicitly told why he would do this terrible deed.

            Some suggest that Judas was just greedy, so he did it for the money. While thirty pieces of silver is not a small sum. (It was the price that one would pay for a slave that had been injured. See Exodus 21:32) It was probably not enough to entice a greedy man to do such a deed. Some think that Judas was trying to force Jesus to use his miraculous powers to defeat the Romans and restore the kingdom of Israel. All these are but speculations. Whatever the precise motives, Judas’s actions led to the fulfilment of an Old Testament prophesy. (See Zechariah 11:12)

            The question for us is: What price would be necessary for us to betray Jesus in our own lives today? While our betrayal would not be as obvious as Judas’s was, we still in our own way may be guilty of selling out our Savior. For example, do we ever go along just to get along with others? We wink at some sin that we or another party commits because we do not want to be seen as a religious prude or killjoy. Jesus was willing to go to the cross to save us and yet we cannot even bear to be found supporting him when it is the least bit uncomfortable to do so.

            We need to remember the words of Jesus from Luke 17:33 (ESV) “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.” We, therefore, must be ready to die for Jesus. Whether is in big or small ways we must value our relationship to Jesus more than anything else. We must be willing to sacrifice our comfort and even our very lives for his sake. Let us pray for the courage to take our stand for Jesus.

Prayer:

            Lord, forgive us for forsaking and abandoning you with our thoughts, words, and actions. Empower us by the Holy Spirit to be willing to give our all for you and for your kingdom. May we be known as true Christians who stand up for Jesus regardless of the cost to us. Teach us how to disagree with sin and lawlessness without being disagreeable. Fill us with the same love that you had when you went to the cross and died for our sins. Amen.

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