Lent Day 38: The Judas in All of Us

Judas, the only non-Galilean among the disciples, has been condemned through the ages for selling Jesus out. We do well to recall his character and see if we possess any of the attributes that made him the kind of man who could betray a friend and Master. We recount the story where he was upset at the expensive oil Mary, the sister of Lazarus used to anoint Jesus. (John 12:1-6). We observe these qualities that contribute to the person of Judas:

• When we criticize those whose lives are defined by a visible love for Jesus and their fellow man based on our worldly wisdom and an attachment to our religious ordinances
• When we take pride in our religious practices being better than that of others, whereas it is only God who knows those who genuinely and outrageously love Him
• When we betray the trust placed in us with the public purse and divert it for personal use

From Luke 22:48:

• When we betray those who have been good to us with a hypocritical act of love and kindness
• When we betray Christ by persecuting holiness that makes us uncomfortable under the guise of religion

As we examine ourselves, we should also be alert to the traits of Judas in our Christian brethren. In John 6:70,  Jesus referred to Judas as a devil. Here is someone who as one of The Twelve Disciples,  had been given authority to perform miracles and cast out devils, yet he was actually one himself. This is a lesson we ought to keep in heart, that devils can be found among the workers and followers of Christ, using their faith as a cover as they ensnare innocent souls and plot wickedness on behalf of Satan. It is only an intimate connection to the Holy Spirit that can help us discern whether that ‘Man of God’ with his superior biblical knowledge and gift for lengthy prayers and praying in tongues is actually a sincere worker for God’s kingdom or an ambassador of the kingdom of darkness.

If there is one silver lining in the story of Judas, it is the acknowledgment that God is always in control; He can and will always turn the evil done by agents of wickedness into good.