Luke 22:1-6

Luke 22:1-6 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.

John 12:4-6 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Jesus loved Judas; He chose him as his disciple. He chose him to have eternal life with God. He chose Judas for good purposes, not bad. But Judas chose this world; he chose money. He was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. Judas betrayed himself when he betrayed Jesus. Because his mind was centered upon the cares of this world and not upon the kingdom of God, he traded away his birthright as a son of God for a bowl of porridge, a few silver coins. Sadly, at the end of Judas' life, we see that he loved Jesus too. When Judas realized that Jesus was condemned to death, he was so distraught that he killed himself. He probably did not believe they would carry out their threat to kill Jesus. Judas' manipulation, his hypocrisy, his desire for wealth, contaminated his allegiance and commitment to his Lord. What a sad ending for a man who was chosen by the Son of God for noble purposes.

Although Judas was called as a disciple his lack of integrity, his embezzlements, finally caught up to him, leaving him vulnerable to sin. By giving Jesus over to the world for money, for a perceived better life, Judas succumbed to his basic flaw of selfishness. Wealth was his betrayal threshold. Where is your threshold? Where will you cross over to the world and give up on following Jesus? Do you have a threshold where your allegiance to Jesus could end? Is there a place where you, too, will turn from Christ? Do you blame God for not answering certain prayers or do you feel anger over a time when you think He did not protect you when you thought He should have. Precious people in our lives sometimes die before their time, and as we watch their struggle with death, we wonder, "Where are you God, why don't you intervene?" Is that the situation where we will collect our thirty pieces of silver: live life as we desire, forgetting this Jesus thing? Some find the cares of this world pulling them towards this threshold of betrayal. In a desire to gain wealth, they cut corners in their dealings with men. Perhaps they consistently fail to tell the whole truth about items they buy or sell. Judas was a thief before and after he betrayed Jesus. Gaining wealth was a driving force in his life. Some people give up their birthright because of inordinate sexual desires that lead them to flirting, searching for illicit relationships. The scriptures show Judas stepping over the threshold of betrayal when he gave Jesus up for a few coins. What would cause you to give up Jesus?

The amazing aspect of the above scripture is that Satan entered Judas. Judas tasted of the best experiences with Jesus. He walked with Jesus, slept and ate with Jesus. He knew Jesus' heart, his environment, his life; yet, he allowed Satan to enter him. In his heart, he walked away from Jesus. The Bible warns Christians, It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. (Hebrew 6:4-6) Judas put Jesus on the cross as surely as if he pounded the nails. His act of betrayal was the first step to the crucifixion: putting Jesus to public disgrace. When we walk away from Christ in our lives, when we say we don't want anything to do with this Jesus, we place Jesus to an open shame. My friend, do not let anything come between you and Jesus. Don't let drugs, lust, bitterness, anger, hopelessness, self-deprecation, money, fame, relationships, loneliness, debauchery, or anything else come between Jesus and you. My dad always advised, "Hang on to Jesus, for He will never leave you nor forsake you."