Judas’s story is one of the saddest you’ll ever read, a man so privileged, so graced to be counted among the disciples of Jesus Christ while He was physically on earth. Yet, he fell so low, from grace to the utter condemnation.
As someone who often reflects and spends much of her time in deep thought, I can’t help but wonder what was going through Judas’s mind, even though he regretted his actions almost immediately.
Matthew 27:3 says “When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse.”
I find this strange. It’s as though he didn’t fully consider the consequences of his betrayal. Did he not think Jesus would be condemned to death? What did he imagine would happen?
Didn’t he pay attention during the Passover when Jesus declared that someone would betray Him? Hadn’t he listened to everything Jesus had said about His impending death in the past?
Hadn’t he read the prophecies that foretold the coming of the Messiah and the manner of his death? Wasn’t he present when Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah, when Jesus asked them who they believed He was?
I mean, the very price of his betrayal was prophesied by Jeremiah: 30 pieces of silver, the exact amount Judas had received for handing Jesus over. Didn’t he connect the dots?
So many questions…
As I reflected on these things, I was reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 13:13-15: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become hardened…’”
It’s as if the god of this world and his pursuit of wealth had blinded Judas’s eyes, preventing him from seeing the light or grasping the full weight of his actions. His heart became hardened, and he was blind to the truth right in front of him.
After committing such a heinous sin, Judas’s eyes were finally opened, and he regretted what he had done. But the priests and the elders couldn’t have cared less. Their response “What do we care? That’s your problem” is reminder that many who lead others into sin, luring them with what the world, has to offer, are not concerned with their well-being, they only see people as tools to further their own destructive agendas.
The devil doesn’t really care if you’re impoverished, hungry, or in desperate need of money, marriage, children, or fame. He isn’t concerned with your well-being enough to meet your needs. His only goal is to claim your soul, and he’s willing to offer you your lusts; anything for your soul.
What do you think unfolded between Jesus and the devil in the wilderness when he offered Jesus the world, if only He would bow down and worship him? “Just bend the knee and take it all,” he tempted.
He tempted Jesus to take everything, the kingdoms, the riches, the power, but just give him His soul, His worship.
The reality is that humans often become more attached to these things than the devil himself, who holds dominion over the kingdoms of this world. For him, there’s no true attachment to them, after all, he is the god of this world. He offers them because they’re tools to a greater end: to draw people away from God.
Today’s message: Always look beyond what the world offers you.
I remember a dream I had some time ago about a person I had always felt uneasy around. Whenever we met, I couldn’t shake the discomfort, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. All I knew was that something about him didn’t sit right, even though outwardly, he appeared to be a perfect gentleman, a nice believer, seemingly full of the spirit. But full of what spirit? I couldn’t help but wonder.
In the dream, he offered me a large basin of food that looked fresh and beautiful. But for some reason, I felt compelled to look beneath the basin. To my horror, it was filled with black dirt and maggots.
I didn’t need any interpretation for that one; I knew exactly what it meant. It was a warning: to pick up my slippers, dust them off, and flee, like the African woman that I am.
The world often presents things that appear appealing on the surface, but we must always look deeper, for what’s beneath is usually the opposite.
The world will always take from you far more than it will give. In the end, 30 pieces of silver was the cost of Judas’s soul, just about $300 in our present day, no more than what you might earn in a day’s work. He sold himself so cheaply!
We sell ourselves cheap every time we compromise, every time we accept a bribe, every time we steal from our employers or pervert justice for a “little settlement.”
Jesus Christ asked, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Mark 8:36).
Who better to receive from than our God, whose blessings come without any sorrow attached? His gifts bring true joy and peace, unlike the empty pursuits of this world.
Don’t trade what is eternal for what is temporary. Your soul is far more valuable than the things that are here today and gone tomorrow. Those things perish.
We Have Been Bought With a Price: the Blood of Jesus Christ. This is our Price Tag, Our Value!
As believers, we have been bought with a price. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 also says concerning us: “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
