Matthew 25:31-46, 26:1-16; John 12:20-50, 1-11; Mark 14:1-11; Luke 22:1-6

Now we are seeing the true colors of Judas Iscariot. When Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus and used her hair to dry him, Judas was indignant. He sounded very caring when he said that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But John tells us old Judas’ intentions weren’t so pure. John calls him a thief and said Judas would have stolen the money and suggests the poor wouldn’t have seen a dime of it.

Now here is where Judas lost it. Jesus is telling them once again that he is going to die. He told them Mary’s act was to prepare him for burial. Remember the Jews were looking for a flesh and blood king in the Messiah. I can imagine Judas’ daydreams about the power and riches he thought he’d enjoy as a member of the inner circle of the new government. But now it’s becoming increasingly clear that those dreams aren’t coming true like he thought and one of two things happened:

One, he was mad and wanted to get even. If Jesus wasn’t going to give him what he wanted he’d see him dead.

Or two, (and I tend to think this is the case) Judas thought, ‘Ok, Jesus. If you aren’t ready to overturn the government I’m going to force your hand. Let’s see you take care of them when they arrest you. You’ll do something then and I’ll get to watch Rome crumble and be on the winning side!’

Purely an opinion because Scripture doesn’t tells us what he was thinking. It does say Satan entered Judas and we read the result of that.

Dear one, that’s what can happen when people follow Jesus for the wrong reasons. They get disappointed, their dreams don’t come true, their loved one dies. They might walk away from what belief that had and spend the rest of their lives angry at God or they might try to manipulate him into giving them what they want.

Jesus did not come to make us rich or healthy or powerful. He came to forgive us. His kingdom is not material, it’s spiritual.

Are you a follower of Jesus? I hope so. And I hope you are in it for the right reasons. I hope you serve him because you just can’t do anything else in response to his love and grace. I hope your prayers aren’t, “Lord, what can you do for me?” but rather, “Lord, how can I serve you today?”

Dear God, once again I ask that you help us check our motivation for following you. Forgive us if we concern ourselves with what’s in it for us. May we be people who willingly serve you out of grateful hearts, knowing that what you have already given us in redemption is so much more than anything this world affords. May we obey you today with every word, thought and deed and all for Jesus’ sake.