Devilish Judas spirit

Judas before the Sanhedrin - by Alexandre Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 27:1-26

TO CHEW ON: "Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders."  Matthew 27:3

I have thought a lot about Judas. What drove him to betray Jesus? What inner need was he giving in to?

Our passage today implies (when it says "…seeing He had been condemned, was remorseful…") that he may have thought his actions of betrayal would force Jesus' hand. Perhaps he thought that Jesus would again slip out of the grasp of the scribes and Pharisees as He had at other times. And this time, He would assert Himself as Messiah and show Himself to be the human King of the Jews.

We know that the other disciples had co-ruler ambitions. The mother of James and John asked that her sons have special positions in Jesus' kingdom. How much more Judas, who handled the money and already dipped into their common purse for his own use? In other words. I believe Judas thought his relationship with Jesus was a means to improve his own fortunes.

Are we so different? Don't we also often think of ourselves as the privileged chosen who, because of our relationship with Jesus will escape sickness and money problems, will have good families and successful businesses? What happens when things don't turn out the way we expect? Might we also be tempted to try to manipulate Him to follow our agenda? (You didn't hold up your end of the bargain, so I'll turn my back on You. Pout, pout.)

But Jesus had told them that following Him would include more than blessing and well-being:

"'Assuredly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters of father or mother or wife or children or lands for My sake and the gospel's who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—house and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life'" - Mark 10:29,30 (emphasis added).

Let's be watchful over our own motivations, careful to recognize and deal with any selfish ambition that might, if left to grow, sabotage our loyalty to Him when His plans for us turn out to be entirely different than we had imagined.

(Jesus' description of Judas is strong: "…one of you is a devil" - John 6:70.)

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me to love and follow You, not for selfish gain but because You are truth and life (John 6:67,68). Amen.

MORE: Maundy Thursday

Today is Maundy Thursday, the church feast that commemorates the Last Supper Jesus celebrated with His disciples. Here is the Collect that begins the day's liturgy.

Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sinister entry

"Judas returns the money" - James Tissot

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 22:1-23

TO CHEW ON: “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains how he might betray Him to them." Luke 22:3-4

How chilling those words, “Then Satan entered Judas…” How sobering their continuation, “… (Judas) Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.” If a member of Jesus’ closest circle was not immune to Satan’s entrance how all the more must we be vigilant against it.

The tendency is to think of Satan’s entering and controlling someone as a bizarre paranormal thing, evidenced by spooky behaviors  or a cursed, sickly life (Luke 8:26-33, 1-3). But I believe it can be a lot subtler than that.

We need only think of our “besetting sin.” Do we struggle with anger, or find ourselves often covering our tracks with deceit, or letting bitterness cloud our outlook? There is a section in Ephesians which mentions specific sins Holy Spirit-controlled followers of Jesus are to “put away.”

These are common, run-of-the-mill sins that we all have no doubt been caught in at some time or other: lying, anger, stealing, corrupt talk, bitterness, wrath, clamor, evil speaking with malice. Right in the middle of that list (immediately after the reference to anger) are these words: “nor give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:24-32). Doesn’t this warning imply that we are at risk of giving Satan entrance when we cultivate these behaviors and attitudes?

How tiny it starts as the devil squeezes into that sliver-thin crack of our dissatisfaction, takes more territory as we augment our complaints with imaginings, then cements them in us when we voice them to others (compounding our sin as we influence them to join us on this destructive path). How big it eventually ends. In Judas’s case he betrayed his best friend. It earned him the very woe of Jesus (Luke 22:22).

We do well to follow Peter’s warning: "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

PRAYER: Dear God, I want no one but You in my life. Please sensitize my “spiritual antennae” to the presence of anything that would give Satan opportunity or entrance into my life. Amen.

MORE: What happened in Judas’ mind and heart to make him regret what he’d done (Matthew 27:3-10)? Once the betrayal was accomplished, did the devil’s strong influence leave him? Or had he rationalized that his action would force Jesus’ hand to reveal Himself as king and when that didn’t happen, he realized the immensity and gravity of what he’d done? What do you think?

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Prophecies so accurate they're spooky

Judas - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Zechariah 11:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, 'Throw it to the potter'—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter." Zechariah 11:12,13

Does today's focus verse remind you of another passage in the Bible that involves 30 pieces of silver, that silver thrown into the temple, and the money used for something to do with a potter?

What about the story of a traitorous disciple named Judas? Read the account in Matthew 27:3-19. There are identical elements in both passage, only Zechariah's was written about 400 years before Matthew's historical reporting of the story. The similarity almost gives one shivers!

Zechariah is full of such messianic prophecies. My Bible's introduction says:

"Zechariah is sometimes referred to as the most messianic of all the Old Testament books. Chapters 9-14 are the most quoted section of the prophets in the passion narratives of the Gospels. In the Revelation Zechariah is quoted more than any prophet except Ezekiel" - David Warren Shibley,  New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1248.

Note these prophetic references to Messiah in Zechariah as he writes of:

• The Lord's servant the Branch - Zechariah 3:8, of man the Branch - Zechariah 6:12 and that Branch as ruler and priest - Zechariah 6:13.

• False shepherds - Zechariah 11:4-11. This brings to mind Jesus' words about good and bad shepherds in John 10:1-30.

• Messiah's triumphal entry into Jerusalem - Zechariah 9:9, compare Matthew 21:5 and Mark 11:7-10.

• Messiah's betrayal for the sum of 30 pieces of silver (noted above).

• His crucifixion - Zechariah 12:10.

• His suffering - Zechariah 13:7.

• His second coming - Zechariah 14:4.

The Bible's reputation and track record as a book of reliable prophecy is one of the reasons I trust its message in other categories as well, like its way of salvation and its ethical and moral principles. What an amazing library of books, authored by many individuals over centuries, yet with a consistent message throughout. I look back at how it has come true in the past, then look ahead with confidence that its predictions for the future will come true as well.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the amazing word I know as the Bible. Help it to stay fresh and powerful to me as I apply it to my life and obey it. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Our lives—a memorial

"Mary's Jar of Ointment" - James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 14:1-31

TO CHEW ON: "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." Mark 14:9

In the last few years I have been to several family gatherings and reunions. These often include a visit to the cemetery where our ancestors are buried. There is something fulfilling about going to the place where our parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins are memorialized, even though what is written on their gravestones may be unexceptional and generic.

That's one of the purposes of a memorial—to keep in remembrance a person or event.

We have two events in our reading today that characterize two people and become their memorials.

• Mary (named in John 12:2-8) pours perfume on Jesus' feet during a feast in Simon's house. When other guests criticize her action as wasteful, Jesus tells them that her lavish demonstration of love will become a memorial to her wherever the gospel is preached (Mark 14:9).

• Judas Iscariot, in the very next verse (Mark 14:10), makes a decision to betray Jesus. This leads to a course of action that becomes what he has been known for forever after.

I'm sure that neither Mary nor Judas were aware, when they were living the events, that they were doing something mementous. The incidents that came to memorialize their lives were, to them, part of everyday living.

Memorials left by other Bible characters open our minds to more possibilities.

• Dorcas (after her first death) was remembered by the collection of clothes she had made for the poor (Acts 9:37-39).

• Cornelius's memorial was prayers and alms, of which God Himself took note (Acts 10:4).

Which brings me to the question, what kind of a memorial am I leaving? What about you? Whatever it turns out to be, a distinguished event or the general impression of our lives, it's sobering to realize I am in the process of building and reinforcing it every day—and so are you.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I want my life to be a sweet-smelling memorial, like Mary's act of pouring perfume on Your feet. Help me to know how to translate who I am and what I have into such love for You. Amen.

MORE: "I Pour My Love On You" - Philips, Craig & Dean

Sinister entry

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 22:1-23

TO CHEW ON: “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains how he might betray Him to them. Luke 22:3-4

How chilling those words, “Then Satan entered Judas…” How sobering their continuation, “… (Judas) Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.” If a member of Jesus’ closest circle was not immune to Satan’s entrance how all the more must we be vigilant against it.

The tendency is to think of Satan’s entering and controlling someone as a bizarre paranormal thing, evidenced by spooky behaviors  or a cursed, sickly life. But I believe it can be a lot subtler than that.

We need only think of our “besetting sin.” Do we struggle with anger, or find ourselves often covering our tracks with deceit, or letting bitterness cloud our outlook? There is a section in Ephesians 4 which mentions specific sins Holy Spirit-controlled followers of Jesus are to “put away.” These are common, run-of-the-mill sins that we all have no doubt been caught in at some time or other: lying, anger, stealing, corrupt talk, bitterness, wrath, clamor, evil speaking with malice. Right in the middle of that list (immediately after the reference to anger) are these words: “nor give place to the devil.” Doesn’t this warning imply that we are at risk of giving Satan entrance when we cultivate these behaviors and attitudes?

How tiny it starts as the devil squeezes into that sliver-thin crack of our dissatisfaction, takes more territory as we augment our complaints with imaginings, then cements them in us when we voice them to others (compounding our sin as we influence them to join us on this destructive path). How big it eventually ends. In Judas’s case he betrayed his best friend. It earned him the very woe of Jesus.

We do well to follow Peter’s warning: "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

PRAYER: Dear God, I want no one but You in my life. Please sensitize my “spiritual antennae” to the presence of anything that would give Satan opportunity or entrance into my life. Amen.

MORE: What happened in Judas’ mind and heart to make him regret what he’d done? Once the betrayal was accomplished, did the devil’s strong influence leave him? Or had he rationalized that his action would force Jesus’ hand to reveal Himself as king and when that didn’t happen, he realized the immensity and gravity of what he’d done? What do you think?

“Judas Returns the Money” (1886-1894) by James Tissot

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