Post by jazzlover on Mar 23, 2007 9:50:07 GMT -5
Judas Iscariot was the last of the original twelve disciples of Jesus of Nazareth, also called the Christ (Matt. 10:1-4). He accompanied Jesus throughout most of his earthly ministry. He was there, presumably, when Jesus walked on water, fed the five thousand, and raised Lazarus from the dead. He was certainly there when Mary anointed Jesus with perfume. We know this because John tells us that when Judas saw what she was doing, he said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:5). John also tells us why Judas said this: “not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6).
But what we remember most about Judas are the things that happened in the last days of his life: his secret meeting with the chief priests (Matt. 26:14); the bargaining price for his betrayal (Matt. 26:15); his early departure from the Last Supper (John 13:26-30); and his infamous kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:47-48). We also remember what happened afterwards. Filled with remorse, Judas told the chief priests that he had sinned by betraying innocent blood (Matt. 27:3-4). Then he went out and hanged himself (Matt. 27:5). Judas Iscariot was the villain who betrayed Jesus Christ unto death. Unfortunately the truth is that villains and evil people very rarely feel remorse. While I believe Judas was wrong for betraying Jesus we often forget Jesus had already declared he was who he was and was ready to be offered up. Jesus already knew Judas would betray him just like he knew Peter would deny Him, and the others would abandon Him in the end. I truly think Judas has become a kind of scapegoat for ALL of us, we ALL are Judas and Peter as well, at various times in every one of our lives we betray and deny Jesus Christ. When we remain silent on our jobs and don’t share our faith, when we live next door to people for years and never mention Jesus at all. We are just as guilty as Judas.
But what we remember most about Judas are the things that happened in the last days of his life: his secret meeting with the chief priests (Matt. 26:14); the bargaining price for his betrayal (Matt. 26:15); his early departure from the Last Supper (John 13:26-30); and his infamous kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:47-48). We also remember what happened afterwards. Filled with remorse, Judas told the chief priests that he had sinned by betraying innocent blood (Matt. 27:3-4). Then he went out and hanged himself (Matt. 27:5). Judas Iscariot was the villain who betrayed Jesus Christ unto death. Unfortunately the truth is that villains and evil people very rarely feel remorse. While I believe Judas was wrong for betraying Jesus we often forget Jesus had already declared he was who he was and was ready to be offered up. Jesus already knew Judas would betray him just like he knew Peter would deny Him, and the others would abandon Him in the end. I truly think Judas has become a kind of scapegoat for ALL of us, we ALL are Judas and Peter as well, at various times in every one of our lives we betray and deny Jesus Christ. When we remain silent on our jobs and don’t share our faith, when we live next door to people for years and never mention Jesus at all. We are just as guilty as Judas.