When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. —Matthew 26:1-16 ESV
cannot thwart God’s plan
This loving act by the woman portrays the praise and worship that all should give for what he has done or us.
How does this challenge and inspire you in your praise and worship?
26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. —John 13:26-30 ESV
What happens when Jesus doesn’t live up to your
?
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He 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 12:4-6 ESV
Judas also may have had ideas about what his role was going to be in the “New Kingdom” he was sure that Jesus was going to be establishing.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. —Matthew 19:23-30 ESV
When the premise or
of our faith is wrong, we will eventually be
with God.
The condition of one’s heart will reveal itself in their
.
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. —Matthew 6:24 ESV
14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. —Matthew 26:14-16 ESV
We’d all like to think we’re nothing like Judas, who traded Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. An honest look at our hearts reveals, however, that we all have things we trade for Christ every day. Whether it’s comfort, power, control, or some other idol, we all make our exchanges. As we approach Easter, God is inviting us to repent and treasure Christ above every idol and temptation.
Today we harm Jesus’s
in our lives by letting money, combined with shallow faith, win out in our everyday lives. We cut out church, prayer, family time, community service, or other ways we meet with or honor God so we can do other things that seem more valuable—things such as business projects, kids’ sports, or even sleeping in or watching football.
None of those things is inherently bad, but if we are regularly trading them for communing with or following Jesus, then perhaps we’ve lost our way, as Judas did.
3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. —Matthew 27:3-7 ESV
What rich hope for those who want their lives to count for Christ, yet who are painfully aware of their inadequacy and failures.
What have you been
to trade Jesus for?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Are you a risk-taker or a “play it safe” kind of person? How does that affect your faith?
Have you ever felt disappointed with God? In what way did he not live up to your expectations?
Do you think God should reward the obedient and punish the disobedient? What sort of rewards would be appropriate?
Is wealth something that tempts you? If not wealth, what other things are a temptation to trade in exchange for Jesus?
Ask the Lord to reveal to you the places and things in your life where you have been all too quick to trade them Jesus. Then spend time in prayer or write out a prayer or repentance asking the Lord to again take his place on the throne of your life.