HOLY WEEK - JUDAS

John 13: 21 - 30: "After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means." Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. 'What you are about to do, do quickly,' Jesus told him, but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night."

What is Jesus worth to you and I? You remember the line in the famous old hymn When I Survey the Wondrous Cross? "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all." While there has been much speculation about why Judas did what he did, the bottom line is simply this: He sold his Master out for thirty pieces of silver! Nothing can make that right except Jesus' love and forgiveness. The fact that Judas took his life for betraying Jesus indicates that he missed the whole point: Jesus died so we don't have to die in our sin. While Peter got the message, received forgiveness, and was called back into ministry, Judas could not see beyond his own horrible deed. He couldn't see the Lord's victory over death. He couldn't see the Lord's love for him. He couldn't see the possibility of forgiveness. He couldn't see beyond his own horrible failure. Incredibly, Jesus called one of his greatest opponents to be his missionary to the Gentiles when he confronted Saul on the road to Damascus. What a shame that Judas died as a traitor when he could have been welcomed back home as forgiven son.

Heavenly Father, I must confess that I am often tempted to hate Judas. What he did to your Son and my Saviuor is unreasonable. But in my heart, I find myself mourning for him today as I think you did. To be so close to the Saviuor and miss salvation, to be so close to the seat of mercy and die unreconciled, to see Jesus' compassion and kindness and yet bring such a cruel and self-inflicted fate is tragic. Help me to be an agent of your mercy so that those around me who have had horrible moments of failure can find their way back to Jesus, and to You!