Cheaply betrayed

 

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. Matthew 26:14-16 ESV

            In the most profound undervaluation of history the God-man is sold for thirty pieces of silver. Infinite worth proclaimed by those who should have best appreciated it as worthless. Even by one who had followed the Lord the deal is acceptable. There is no sense in it.

            Another wonder, if we read up to this point in the gospels, we learn that Jesus saw the moment coming, and if we read on from here, we find that even after the deal is struck Judas is still allowed access. The Lord gave to the betrayer of betrayers the same as the faithful, He washed those feet, but Judas did not receive it. Though he was among the twelve closest to the Lord he remains just as blind as the priests who paid him his paltry sum. And here there is ample space for examination. Such is a work done by one with God in fear and trembling.

            Two things however we will draw out. Firstly, our Lord knows what it is to be unappreciated. Indeed, He suffers the same insult countless times. So, He is well able to empathize with us. More than this as our true value is only in Christ when we are under valued it is not an insult to us, but if we abide in Him and He in us, the true insult is to Him. Secondly, see how patiently our Lord deals even with the son of perdition. How patiently does He deal with us?

Prayer

            Our Father may we know well the worth of our Lord and Savior. To Your glory grant it. In the precious name of Jesus, the Christ we pray. Amen.

Songs

Judas’ kiss by Petra

Beneath the cross of Jesus

Who is this? So weak, and helpless

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Last Conversation with Grandad

  The Last Conversation with Granddad; A Eulogy for Marshall Helms             There is so much that needs to be done, and so precious little time. There are some here who need comfort, and some who need assurance, and some who need encouragement, and some who need to be admonished. Yes, there is much to do, and precious little time. So, let us pray. Father, the task before me is overwhelming, and I have no strength for it. Abide with me please that in my weakness Your strength might be perfectly evidence, and Your word might go forth today to accomplish all Your good and perfect will. I ask it for the sake of Your glory, In the name of Jesus. Amen.             It has been rightly said that it is not wrong to mourn. Indeed, in Matthew 5 our Lord says those who mourn are blessed for they will be comforted. We mourn death because it is unnatural. It discomforts us bec...
Read more

Against work addiction

  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2 ESV             When work becomes anxious toil, something has gone wrong. Something has gone wrong in our society when it comes to work. Several decades ago, Wayne Oats coined a new word, “Workaholic” to describe addiction to work.   The description Oats came up resonates with the psalmist describes. Anxious toiling, long hours, and little if any enjoyment of the work itself or the fruits of the toil. Addiction is another word for slavery, and it is easy to be enslaved by the anxiety over our work for it drives to work more, and that increases our anxiety while also burning through psychological energies.             Not only is workaholism addiction/slavery, it is idolatry for if we stop to think about it the workaholic ...
Read more

Up and ahead

              Sometimes we are blindsided by a sudden shift in life. We thought we were on stable ground, and then someone starts shouting at us in a routine meeting, or tells us we don’t have a job anymore on a Monday morning, or a loved one leaves on Friday evening with no plans to return. We are left with broken piece of something that once made a kind of sense to us. We knew, and now we do not know.             Where is God? We can’t see Him anymore. We cannot understand where He went to, or what he was thinking. We trusted Him, didn’t we? Now look where we are… It is the better part of wisdom to be quiet when these calamities come to visit and to wait. It is the one wise thing Job’s friend did, when first they saw the plight of the miserable man, they only wept with him.             When later they decided to...
Read more