JUDAS ISCARIOT
The name “Judas” has gone down in history as the name of a traitor and this is accurate. It will
forever be known as the name of the man who betrayed the Savior of the world for thirty pieces of
silver. Few parents would name their son Judas for fear of ridicule and rejection. Very few of us would
appreciate being named Judas by our parents. All this because Judas was a man who acted upon his
greed. If Judas were on trial for betraying Jesus, I can imagine nearly everyone would be willing to
have him placed in prison for life or even to be put to death. They would say (and rightly so) that “He
is the cause for the crucifixion of Jesus!” Or, “He betrayed an innocent man!” All would be quick to
condemn Judas and find him guilty as charged.
But sometimes I wonder--are we so different from Judas? I know, I know--many would immediate-
ly say, “No, we are not like Judas--at all!” I reckon if it makes your conscience feel better, you just go
ahead and think that way. But the sad, painful truth is, we are more like Judas than we are willing to
admit. We may not betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, but when we sin, we betray the Lord for our
own lusts and desires. In some cases it may be for more than thirty pieces of silver, but most of the time
it is for much less worth than that. How many times have we betrayed our Lord for: pride--greed--arro- gance--indifference or rebellion? If we are honest, it happens more times than we would like.
Brethren, don’t get me wrong! Judas Iscariot was wrong in his actions and committed a great evil.
He was not and is not (least ways he shouldn’t be) anyone’s hero. But before we get on our high horses
and look down on Judas--we need to look at our own imperfections. We may find that the distance be-
tween Judas and ourselves is not as great as we like to think it is! And many times that distance is not
as great as it should be!
We thank God that we can be saved from our sins through the blood of Jesus our Lord! Do you
know how to contact the blood of Jesus? Paul says we contact it when we are buried into His death by
means of baptism (Rom. 6:3-4). Say, have you done that?
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Life is fragile--handle with care!
Have a great week!
Love ya,
Jesse
forever be known as the name of the man who betrayed the Savior of the world for thirty pieces of
silver. Few parents would name their son Judas for fear of ridicule and rejection. Very few of us would
appreciate being named Judas by our parents. All this because Judas was a man who acted upon his
greed. If Judas were on trial for betraying Jesus, I can imagine nearly everyone would be willing to
have him placed in prison for life or even to be put to death. They would say (and rightly so) that “He
is the cause for the crucifixion of Jesus!” Or, “He betrayed an innocent man!” All would be quick to
condemn Judas and find him guilty as charged.
But sometimes I wonder--are we so different from Judas? I know, I know--many would immediate-
ly say, “No, we are not like Judas--at all!” I reckon if it makes your conscience feel better, you just go
ahead and think that way. But the sad, painful truth is, we are more like Judas than we are willing to
admit. We may not betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, but when we sin, we betray the Lord for our
own lusts and desires. In some cases it may be for more than thirty pieces of silver, but most of the time
it is for much less worth than that. How many times have we betrayed our Lord for: pride--greed--arro- gance--indifference or rebellion? If we are honest, it happens more times than we would like.
Brethren, don’t get me wrong! Judas Iscariot was wrong in his actions and committed a great evil.
He was not and is not (least ways he shouldn’t be) anyone’s hero. But before we get on our high horses
and look down on Judas--we need to look at our own imperfections. We may find that the distance be-
tween Judas and ourselves is not as great as we like to think it is! And many times that distance is not
as great as it should be!
We thank God that we can be saved from our sins through the blood of Jesus our Lord! Do you
know how to contact the blood of Jesus? Paul says we contact it when we are buried into His death by
means of baptism (Rom. 6:3-4). Say, have you done that?
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Life is fragile--handle with care!
Have a great week!
Love ya,
Jesse
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