Mark 14:10-11

Passage

Judas Iscariot, who was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, went to the chief priests in order to hand Him over to them.  When they heard it, they were pleased.  They offered him money in exchange for his service.  From that time forward Judas sought an opportunity to hand him over.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Mark doesn’t tell us much about Judas.  However, if we read Matthew 26:15 and John11:57 we can get the idea that Jesus’ actions during the lead-up to Passover had made Him a marked man.  Conflict was inevitable when the Son of God met the religious elite.  So Judas availed himself to the opportunity.  The religious authorities were looking for a way to deal with Jesus without having a revolt.  They got their wish through Judas.

Why do people in charge put prices on the heads for people?  Does this behavior make sense from a logic standpoint?  What were the possible goals of the religious leaders that putting a price on Jesus might accomplish?

Second Thought:

When reading this passage, I have to wonder about the motivation for Judas.  Why would Judas do this?  Had he not walked with Jesus, seen Him perform miracles, and seen how the crowd loved Him?  What could Judas be thinking?  Certainly it would not just be for a small amount of money.  Actually, we do know that Judas had a love for money.  But I personally do not think this is totally the case.  I believe Judas was a Zealot.  I believe he was looking for a Messiah that would take over the world and set things right.  I believe that Judas was attempting to force the hand of Christ.  Jesus didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to become the Messiah, so I believe Judas believed that he could make Jesus become the Messiah he anticipated by putting him in conflict with the religious leaders.  This view seems to be supported by the fact that the Gospel of Matthew tells us that Judas has enough remorse commit suicide after Jesus’ death.  I don’t believe this lets Judas off the hook.  But neither do I believe Judas was internally looking to get rid of Jesus.

Why does this story make Judas a truly tragic figure?  What can we learn from Judas with respect to obedience to what God is doing verses what we want to see happen?

Third Thought:

My last thought really doesn’t have much to do with the scripture.  But it is an important question.  Why would Jesus allow Judas to be so close if He knew that Judas would hand Him over in the end?  After all, Jesus is God, so certainly He must have known.  I don’t really know the answer.  But I have a few guesses and I’m willing bet truth lies in a healthy mix of these answer and probably some that I don’t mention.  First, someone had to do it.  It was God’s will that Jesus should die.  So ultimately, it could be a sign of obedience from the Son to the Father.  Second, God honors our free will.  Judas had the free will to follow; he also had the free will to choose to hand Jesus over.  Just because God has the power to assert Himself over our free will doesn’t mean that He does it.  Third, Jesus loved Judas.  Why wouldn’t Jesus want to show love to Judas even if it was going to end poorly?  Certainly Jesus loves those who may not deserve being loved.  I think the reason lies in a healthy mix of God’s will, free will, and a display of love.

How easy is it for you to be close to your enemies?  How easy is it for you to love those who ultimately seek to persecute you?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 14: 12-16