Matthew 26:14-16

Matthew 26:14-16

Then after going out, one of the Twelve – the one who is called Judas Iscariot – said to the chief priests, “What do you desire to give to me and I will hand Him over to you all?”  And they set before him thirty pieces of silver.  And for that time on he was seeking a favorable opportunity in order that he should hand him over.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Judas makes several mistakes in this passage.  Judas’ biggest mistake is that he goes out on his own.  Here we have a great example of what happens when a person goes out on their own and intentionally avoids the counsel of God.  Judas didn’t go to God and discern this action.  He certainly didn’t get Jesus’ opinion, that’s for sure!  No, Judas goes out on his own and does what he thinks is best.  He ends up handing over His Lord to die.  But, isn’t that what we all do when we sin?  Didn’t Jesus die to bear all of our guilt?  Isn’t really sin going out and doing what we want without consulting God in the first place?  Yes.  When we sin, we are foolishly following the example of Judas.  Our sin is no better nor worse.  We should truly understand the dangers of going out on our own without God’s guidance as we look to Judas.

When are you guilty of going out without consulting God’s wisdom?  When you have done this in the past, where has it led you?

Second Thought:

Another mistake that Judas makes is in the company he keeps.  How many times in the last few chapters have we heard Jesus calling the religious elite “pretenders?”  Yet these are the very people to whom Judas goes!  When we seek bad company, we will do despicable things.  We should also learn this lesson from Judas.  Be mindful of the company you keep.

What company do you keep?  What is their influence upon you?

Third Thought:

The third mistake that Judas does is keeping his sin to himself.  He doesn’t tell anyone that he should trust about his plan.  In truth, outside of the bad company, he tells nobody.  There is no confession.  There is no continual discernment.  There is no second opinion.  He sets a course of action and stubbornly follows it to its end.  We should learn this third truth from Judas.  If we are not stubborn enough to keep completely private lives and let the trusted people around us help us to continually discern, there is always time for a course correction even after a mistake is made.

When have you made a mistake and been able to do a course correction?  Why is it better to make course corrections soon after mistakes rather than letting the mistake fade into the distance?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 26:17-19