A friend sent this to me as part of his preperation for Resurrection Sunday. It was something he read from another preacher in reflecting upon the events that led up to Jesus’ crucifixion. With today being Thursday… the night Jesus was betrayed by Judas… this is something we all need to consider.
Why consider it? Because there is the potential in all of us to be a Judas. As the old saying goes… “But for the grace of God, there go I.” Another reason to consider it is that it is good to contemplate all the dynamics that played into Christ’s willing sacrifice for our sin to be forgiven… to understand the emotional and spiritual grief Jesus endured for us and in our place. The piece is titled… “Let Judas Shake You.”
Judas left the fellowship of the twelve apostles after the anointing in Bethany and arranged to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:6-15 and John 12:3-8). But when they met again at the last supper, there he was! Near enough to dip in the Savior’s cup (John 13:21-27).
When our family read this for devotions last night I was angry at the absolute wickedness of Judas coming back to eat Passover with the one he had just sold. I said to my daughter, evidently with more emotion than she was used to, “That is utterly wicked!”
She said, “What is so wicked?” I said: “What if I went out tonight and arranged for a cruel man to kill you on the way to school tomorrow morning? That would be horrible. But then would it not be wicked to high heaven if I came home, after arranging for your murder, and had devotions with you and prayed with you?”
She was shaken.
Small wonder that Jesus said, “It would have been better for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).
Let us be shaken this week again and again…