4 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
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.
Mark 14:10 (CSB): “Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Three of the four Gospel writers tell us of the moment that Judas went to the Jewish chief priests with the proposition to betray Him (see Mark 14:10; Matthew 26:14-15; Luke 22:3-4).
What is interesting is what happened right before Judas stepped across the line to plan Jesus’ betrayal. Matthew, Mark, and John tell us that Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus’ head and feet with ointment. That fragrant perfume would have cost about a year’s wages of a common laborer at the time (John 12:5).
Listen to John’s account of what happened as the disciples watched in amazement.
John 12:4-6 (CSB): “Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.”
John is writing this after the fact. He’s looking back with 20/20 hindsight as the Holy Spirit led him to write his Gospel account. He pointed out that Mary broke the expensive vial of perfume, and then Judas broke the holy silence by humiliating Mary in front of everyone. His words also rebuked Jesus for allowing such a “waste” of precious resources.
When we watch Jesus in the Gospels, we see He loved and protected the dejected while going after the bullies. In this case, Mary was the dejected one, and Judas was the bully. Jesus wouldn’t remain silent. He looked at Judas, opened His mouth, and rebuked Judas in front of everyone.
John 12:7-8 (CSB): “Jesus answered, ‘Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.'”
I suspect Judas became furious! If I were to create an inner dialogue for Judas in this moment, it would be something like this:
“How dare Jesus rebuke me in front of everyone! I thought he was going to be the Messiah that would push out the Roman occupiers but he keeps talking about his coming death. I was going to cling to his cloak and rise to a position of prominence as I followed him to his rule as the Messiah. But it’s become abundantly clear that he is not who I thought he was. I believe he’s a fraud and I should have jumped ship long ago. I wasted three years of my life following him and I’ll make him pay for it.”
If you really think about it, Judas had no relationship with Jesus. He just wanted what Jesus had to offer. When Jesus didn’t deliver, Judas betrayed him.
Real question: Do you genuinely love the Lord Jesus, or do you simply want what He has to offer? And if you say that you love the Lord Jesus, describe how you actually do that.
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you see into your heart to understand if you are following Jesus because of your love for Him and His Word, or if you are simply going through the motions of religion because of what it provides for you.
- Ask God to enable you to cultivate a greater love for the Lord Jesus (Matthew 22:37-48) so that you follow Him not because of what He does for you but because of your love for Him.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into why Judas betrayed Jesus, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
Sharing
If this post has been helpful to you or if you think it could help others, please consider tapping one of the social media buttons below to share it on your favorite platform.
____________________
Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)
Matt’s Musings 