Judas or Jesus: A Heart like his.

We are coming to the end of Passion Week and we would like to take a look at the backstory with all its twists and turns leading us up to the main event, Christ’s Resurrection. Sometimes we don’t pay enough attention to these backstories, and we miss out on some useful information that will help to grow our faith. Joshua 1:8 says “The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall mediate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.”

So, today we put our focus on Judas and Jesus.

In Mark 3:19 we see that Jesus had chosen Judas to be one of the twelve disciples. For three years Judas followed Jesus and learned, watched, and received from the Master. How he must have been in awe knowing that Jesus was the Messiah and that he, Judas, had been chosen to take part in God’s world changing plan. As he clung to the Savior’s every word you would think that his dedication, love, and devotion would grow strong, but for this one disciple a follower of Christ he would no longer be, but the world would forever know him as the betrayer.

It was six days before Passover when Jesus went to Bethany and had dinner with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. John 12:1-7 recounts that Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard and anointed Jesus’ feet and then wiped his feet with hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Then it was Judas who said why wasn’t this perfume sold for 300 denarii (which would be a year’s wages) and given to the poor? John says that this was not mentioned because of the fact that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief. You see, Judas oversaw their money, and he also would embezzle it. Jesus told him to leave Mary alone and that she was doing this anticipating the day of his burial. It is obvious that Judas’ heart did not reflect the heart of the Savior. He was truly more concerned about the money and his selfish desires than the act of reverence Mary was showing to Jesus as she spared no expense during this act of love. Matthew 26:14-16 states that Judas went to the chief priests and said “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” They paid him 30 pieces of sliver (roughly 4 months wages) and from that time on he looked for the opportunity to betray Jesus.

Now before the Passover Feast Jesus new His hour had come, and it was time for Him to leave this world and go back to the Father as written in John 13:1 -20. In this text we also see that the Father had put everything into Jesus’ hands, and he already knew that Judas would betray him. At this time, Jesus got up from the table took off his outer robe, took a servant’s towel, poured water into a basin, and began washing the disciples’ feet. Yes, Jesus washed the feet of Judas, his betrayer, the same as he did the other eleven disciples with humility and selfless love as only, He could do.

At the Passover meal as written in Matthew 26:20-25 Jesus tells them that one of them is going to hand him over to his enemies. The disciples were shocked and began to ask one after another “It isn’t me, is it Master?” Jesus answered the one who dipped his hand with me in the bowl is the one and better for him to never have been born than to do this. Then Judas said, “It isn’t me is it, Rabbi?” Jesus responded, “you have said it yourself.”

As we view Matthew 26:47-51, where Judas showed up with a large mob from the chief priests and elders of the people. Judas had told the mob that the one he kissed is Jesus, the one to arrest. So immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings Rabbi,” and kissed him in a deliberate act of betrayal. Jesus said, “Friend, do what you came for?” Jesus called Judas friend, even in the mists of being falsely betrayed. You see, Jesus’ heart never changed, He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

So here we find ourselves with a tale of two hearts, one who is compassionate, loving and kind, belonging to Jesus. The other sinful, greedy, and self-gratifying, belonging to Judas.

As we proceed to Resurrection Sunday lets all take some quite time to mediate on the Word and prayerfully enter, an honest conversation with our Savior and ask him to reveal the state of our hearts. Do we truly operate with a heart like His? Why not make it a point today to have a heart like Jesus, the Son of God, who loves you and died for you.

We want to encourage you to read the scriptures for yourself, you can find them in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. If you don’t have a Bible, you can download the YouVersion App on your smart phone. If you have never accepted Christ as your personal Savior and feel as though you are ready to you can pray and acknowledge that you are a sinner, ask God for forgiveness of your sins and accept Jesus as His only son and acknowledge that He lived, died, was buried and rose again so that you could have eternal life with the Father and begin your new journey as a Christ follower.

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