Today’s Reading: John 13:18-30
But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor – he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. – John 12:4-6
What happened to Judas? When Jesus invited him to be one of his disciples, Judas left everything to follow this man who could heal the sick and raise the dead. I often wonder if Judas was ever “all in” — did he ever fully believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah, or was he just there out of curiosity.
We know from John 12:6 that Judas often took money that belonged to the other disciples, evidence that he lacked integrity. When Mary poured expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus, Judas objected to her display of affection and called it wasteful. He could not wrap his mind around someone loving another person with that kind of extravagance. And here Jesus was, kneeling in front of Judas and washing his feet. Jesus was displaying his extravagant love for Judas, yet he missed the opportunity to reciprocate that love. While others were humbled by this gesture, Judas was seeking his own gain.
“Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’ I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” — John 13:16-21
The disciples were confused, so one of them leaned back against Jesus and asked him who would betray him. When Jesus dipped the piece of bread in the dish and then handed it to Judas, he revealed the heart of one who had been their brother for the last three years. Not only was Judas about to betray Jesus, he was betraying the friends who had done life with him. When Judas reached for the bread, he made the choice to walk away from the fellowship that had been available to him. Because his heart was not fully surrendered to Jesus, he was now available for Satan to enter and use (13:27).
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. – Matthew 26:14-16
Judas went out seeking an opportunity to gain financially and he found it. Judas had spent all of that time following without ever becoming an authentic follower of Jesus.
What is our response today to the extravagant love of Jesus? Are we fully surrendered and committed to follow Jesus wherever he might lead us, or are we seeking self-gain? When attending church becomes routine or a social opportunity, we begin to critique the church and its leadership. It makes it easy for us to jump from one church to another when we are attending for self-gain instead of looking for an authentic worship experience — not an experience where I am entertained, but one where my heart is fully focused on God. I want God to be pleased with my worship of Him. I want to love Him extravagantly, humbly worshipping him with a heart of integrity.
To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. — Psalm 18:25