Wednesday, April 8^th

What was happening on Wednesday of Holy Week?

The major event was Judas’ decision to betray Jesus.

One Of You Will Betray Me, Matthew 26:14-16

Then one of the twelve disciples—the one named Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?” They counted out thirty silver coins and gave them to him. From then on Judas was looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them.

Based on the median income for a full-time wage or salary worker in 2019, the equivalent amount would be approximately $5,460—not nearly as much as we might have thought!

Someone once said, “Knowing what NOT to do is just as good as knowing what TO do.” So, what can we learn from Judas? At least two things…

1 For three-and-a-half years Jesus, the only perfect person who ever lived, provided the ultimate environment for incubating a dynamic faith, yet Judas still went sideways. Parents of prodigals, or pastors, or employers who have experienced loved ones making poor choices, walking away from the faith they were raised in, or employees not living up to their potential and needing to be let go can be overwhelmed with a strong sense of shame and guilt.

(It should be noted that there is legitimate shame and guilt that humbly acknowledges our failures and points us to the cross of Christ. Legitimate shame exposes our depravity. We should feel shame when we hurt someone because we violate our relationship with them and the Lord. Take care not to justify or deny your wrongdoing. Let legitimate shame do its work. If the Spirit of God lives in you, you will be nudged into the light of His presence and seared by His penetrating eyes. It is God’s kindness to orchestrate the events of our life so that our heart will be tested and then humbled.[1])

Certainly, we must acknowledge and own what we could have done differently—and apologize where necessary, yet in the end we cannot control the decisions of others.

Application: Own what you can own. Repent. Apologize wherever it is appropriate. Ask for the Holy Spirit to be released afresh on the person/people because God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

2 Seemingly “insignificant” and unconfessed sin can snowball into addictive, destructive, and lethal behaviors if not acknowledged and confessed. There are many kinds of addictions. There are ingestive addictions—like alcohol, drugs, nicotine, sugar, caffeine, and/or food. And there are also process addictions—things like illegitimate shame and guilt, a poor understanding of who we are in Christ, and other processes like pornography and masturbation, shopping, social media, binge watching digital content, religion, making money, and working out can even become an addiction—although most of us could use a little more time at the gym 🙂

Judas had been stealing from the collective money bag, and when he kept this sin secret, Satan gained more and more ground in his life. Judas made a deal with the chief priests and then sat down at our Lord’s table with known sins that he was unwilling to own and confess, and Satan entered even further into his life. Unconfessed sin always opens the door to Satan’s power in our lives.

John 13:27a: When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him…

Matthew 27:3-5: Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.

Application: Confess all know sin. Join a Community Group and seek out safe, challenging, and accountable relationships.

[1] Dan Allender. The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse, NavPress 1990: 63-66.