Who Do I Relate To? Judas Iscariot?

I wasn't sure when and how to bring up the one apostle nobody likes or wants to talk about, Judas Iscariot. But last week we learned that we can be on the wrong path for the right reasons, and I have to wonder if Judas fell into this very thing. Only he choose not to change what his mind had already decided to do.

He thought he knew better than the voice of God speaking to him. Possibly, he thought that he was forcing Jesus to show his hand. To show others that he was the Messiah come to save his people from the wicked hand of the Romans.

Here's an awful thought...how many times do we do the same thing? How many times do we argue with the voice of the Holy Spirit? How many times do we think we know better than the warning friends or fellow church members give us?

Ouch. I know I can relate to this more than I want to think about.

But, here's where the difference comes in. Judas didn't do his deed out of the kindness of his heart; he took money to point out who Jesus was. In Matthew 26, he even asks how much the priests will pay him to deliver Jesus to them. John 12 mentions that Judas had control of the money box and that he would skim off some of the group's funds.

Even though Judas was in the daily presence of Jesus, walking and talking with him, this one weakness...money...opened him up to the influence of evil. He was even warned by Jesus (Mark 14, Matthew 26, John 13). But he did it anyway. (And, by the way, Jesus sent him on his way to do his dastardly deed.)

Once it was done the evil influence left him. We know this because we read how he came to his senses and realized what he'd done. (Matthew 27)

He tried to correct it, but it was too late.

As a result, he was so grief stricken that he took his own life. He fulfilled prophecy, and yet the ultimate responsibility of Jesus being tried and crucified fell on his shoulders. And, he knew it.

My hope, that I don't allow any weakness in me that opens up an influence of evil and unrighteousness. It is scary that it can happen to anyone, no matter how close they walk with Jesus.

Unlike the apostles we've spoken about in the past few weeks there is quite a bit written about Judas. You can read about him in: Psalm 41:9, 109:8; Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 10, 26, 27; Mark 3, 14; Luke 6, 22; John 6, 12, 13, 17, 18; Acts 1.