One of the twelve, called Judas, asked the chief priest, what would you give me if I give Him to you. And a covenant was made for thirty pieces of silver. All of us that hear of the covenant and the kiss that completed Judas’ part, are turned against him for the betrayal. The ones of us that call our faith Christ, we hold claim that Jesus is our Lord and King. So this betrayal is personal. We also feel that our sins are responsible for the need of the death of Jesus in the manner in which He died. We understand that, if all sin can be forgiven because of the life, death and life of Jesus, then all sin is responsible for the death. But we do not see or talk about Judas among us.
How, you would say, can Judas be among us? Jesus has been delivered to the priest. Judas died and was not raised from the dead. But if we can be part of the redemption, looking back at the event, why could we not also be part of the betrayal? If any claim to be of the Christ by the grace of God and of Jesus of Christ and take moneys or other trade from believers or from those looking and are not doing so for Christ, then we are taking our thirty pieces of silver. If any that claim a ministry and receive offerings and/or tithes and/or are selling wares and are not called of God and doing the works and will of God, we are taking our thirty pieces of silver.
If God puts a call on someone – if God has a message he needs conveyed by someone – if God has a work that is required of someone, they will perform the tasks. If they do not join their will to God’s, they may not understand what they do – they may not enjoy what they do – they may or may not profit from what they do, but it will be done. A man may say, “look at the Christians, they are fools and an easy mark. Let us take a portion of their wages and make ourselves rich.” And in doing so produce a ministry and preach, receive offerings and collect moneys to “give to the poor,” and keep a large share for themselves. But the fools are not the ones that give out of love, but those that do not know what they took out of greed is something they could have had in love.
When Judas betrayed Jesus, he did something that was required at the time. But it could have been done with God’s blessing and not as a betrayal. It was Judas’ attitude and the reason he identified Jesus that made it betrayal. If he had understood the message of Christ and loved God, he would have discussed with Jesus the need for his identification to the priest. The kiss would have been one of a friend saying goodbye, knowing of the journey that Jesus was about to take. In like manner, in ministry one can do the will of God, join God’s will to their own will or do it in their own way. It will get done. Remember Jonah and the great fish.
One could take their thirty pieces of silver and go the way of Judas and give up their life to death. Or, one could give their life truly to Christ and by way of the King of Christ, our Lord Jesus, give the life to God. One could say I am of Christ and take what is already theirs without understanding the will of God. One could walk with God or without God, part of the path may be the same, but the end of the journey will be different.
© 1999 Tim D. Coulter Sr.