Day Six: Betrayed

The one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (Matthew 26:14-16 NIV)

In yesterday’s reading, we saw how Jesus warned us that money is a powerful lord. Today we see that lord at work and just how powerful money can really be.

First, it’s important to understand Judas’s motivation. It wasn’t that he hated Jesus and wanted to see Him murdered. What he saw was an opportunity to gain wealth. He saw a chance to get rich.

This motive is apparent in his question to the chief priests, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him over to you?” He didn’t go to the ruling class and tell them he was done with Jesus and would hand Him over. He went to them seeking a bargain that would make him a wealthy man.

Money was the force that betrayed Jesus. And like always, it misled its victim to believe it would deliver an outcome that would be to Judas’s advantage. But it didn’t.

And that’s the second thing to learn from this story. Money will always falsely lead us to make choices that lead to compromise. Here is how this played out in Judas’s life:

Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:1-5 NIV)

It’s easy for us to condemn Judas for what he did. But if we are honest, we allow money to influence us – to compromise as well – as we make gaining wealth and the status that comes with that our priority.

So here is the really challenging question: Does your relationship to money cause you to betray Jesus and His place in your life?