Thought for the Week

Today is National Day of Prayer. Hopefully, you will be able to attend some sort of prayer rally. Pray your life will be radically different from the life lived by Judas Iscariot. I said last week, “Mary’s attitude and the attitude of Judas Iscariot were diametrically opposed.” How did Judas get to where he was in the time frame we call Holy Week? We know little about him. We know he was chosen as a disciple of Jesus Christ. We know he was sent out with another disciple, two by two, to prepare people for visits from Jesus. We know he was used by God to heal, preach/teach, and even perhaps to cast out demons. We know Jesus treated him as well as He did the other disciples. We know Jesus desperately wanted to share the “Last Supper,” the last “Passover” with him and the other disciples. We know Jesus washed his feet in the Upper Room as part of that celebration. We know Jesus shared the new covenant with him, saying: “Take and eat this bread, it represents my body, broken for you. Take and drink from this cup which represents of the New Covenant in my blood.” Jesus even gave him the choice morsel of bread representing a special loving relationship. We know Jesus loved him. But, we also know Satan was working on the heart of Judas Iscariot and Judas was responding to Satan in a way he should not have responded. The Jewish leadership desperately desired to kill Jesus and destroy His teaching and ministry. We understand they were jealous of Jesus. They had agreed with the Chief Priest. He said, “It is better that One Man die than that we lose the status we now have.” They felt they could not kill Jesus during Passover time lest the people who held Jesus in such high esteem riot against them. But something/someone changed that. Judas came to them seeking to receive financial reward if he could betray Jesus into their hands at a time when there were no crowds around Him. They gladly agreed to pay him thirty pieces of silver if he would do this. How did Judas get to where he was? We know he was a thief and while he had control of the common purse of Jesus and His disciples, he took money from it. We can conclude Judas was greedy for financial gain. We know Jesus had rebuked him for criticizing Mary for her lavish gift of anointing Jesus with a pound of oil of spikenard. Some speculate Judas wanted Jesus to become king of Israel and lead a rebellion to overthrow Rome. They further speculate Judas was impatient for this to happen and he conspired with the Jewish leadership to force Jesus to do it now. Judas’ plan worked out. He led captors to the Garden where Jesus often went to pray. His agreed upon sign of Whom to take captive was a kiss. This he did. Jesus challenged him by asking, “Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” Judas came to realize what he had done. He attempted to undo it by returning the money saying, “I have betrayed innocent blood.” His co-conspirators rejected his plea. At this point, I believe had Judas truly repented with a sincere, godly repentance and made his confession to God, he could have been forgiven. But instead, Judas hanged himself, committing suicide. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Scriptures to Read

St. Matthew 26:1-5

St. Luke 22:1-6

St. Matthew 26:14-16

St. Luke 22:14-23

St. John 13:1-11

St. John 13:18-30

St. Luke 22:47-53