3 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
Exodus 39:22-40:38
Matthew 26:6-25
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Matthew 26:20-22 (CSB): “When evening came, he was reclining at the table with the Twelve. While they were eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ Deeply distressed, each one began to say to him, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Sometimes, the joy of discovering what a Bible passage means comes to us when we put ourselves in the place of one of the characters.
So, imagine that you are one of Jesus’ 12 apostles and have never heard this story before. You were in the room when Jesus said one of us would betray him. Again, pretend you are experiencing this story in real-time and don’t know about Judas’ imminent betrayal. What would your first thought be when you heard Jesus say that?
We, the readers, are familiar with this story. We know that Judas is the one who betrayed Jesus. But if we had been in that room, we would have probably asked the same question they did: “Surely not I, Lord?”
We think they should have pointed a finger at Judas, but they didn’t. They thought that Jesus knew them better than they knew themselves. As a result, each disciple was concerned that he might be capable of betraying Jesus.
What does that tell us about Judas? It tells us that nothing about Him would cause them to think he was the betrayer. He dressed like them. He talked like them. He acted like them. Nothing about him made any of the other disciples think he was the one Jesus was talking about.
So, a betrayer was at the table, and no one could guess who it would be. But there was also someone else at the table who would deny Jesus three times. Within a very short time, Peter would insist that he didn’t know Jesus three separate times because he was afraid of losing his own life.
Friend, this brief account gives us reason to reflect on some very important principles:
- Anyone is capable of denying and rejecting the Lord, including us.
- We are not good judges of what people are capable of. The disciples couldn’t guess that Judas would betray Jesus. Peter would insist that he was incapable of denying Jesus. Yet, they did, and no one at the table saw it coming.
- So, we must refuse to live the Christian life in our own strength. We must cultivate personal discipline but ultimately rest in the Holy Spirit’s power to enable us to follow Jesus.
- It is also a good idea not to live the Christian life alone. There needs to be at least one other person with the right to ask us any question regarding our spiritual life and struggles with sin.
After all, if the disciples around that table could not imagine that Judas would betray Jesus and Peter would deny Him before the night was over, then we might be just as capable of doing things that hurt the cause of Christ. So, be honest and transparent about your struggles, refuse to depend upon your own strength to live for Jesus, and depend upon the Holy Spirit.
“Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in his strength alone;
the arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.”
From: “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus” by George Duffield
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, it’s easy to look at Judas’ betrayal and say I would never do such a thing. I can also look at Peter’s denial of You and assume I’m incapable of such cowardice. But so did Peter. So, help me realize that I need Your Holy Spirit to live my life. I am afraid of what I’m capable of in a weak moment. So, I will continue cultivating personal discipline while depending upon the Holy Spirit to protect me from myself. I pray this in Your Name, Amen.
Going Deeper
If you want to go deeper, check out this article by Got Questions: “Why did Judas betray Jesus?”
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com).
Matt’s Musings 