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Lenten Devotion

April 4, 2023

All Day

Mark 14:43-49

43 Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” 45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 The men seized Jesus and arrested him. 47 Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.48 “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”

Betrayed with a Kiss

Why did one of Jesus’ closest friends decide to betray him? What went through his mind? Most likely, we will never know, but what we do know is the following:

According to Matthew 26:15, Judas received thirty silver coins for his betrayal. This roughly amounts to four months of wages at the time. Comparing it to the median wage of the Canton of Zurich, four months of work would equate to approximately CHF 32,000.

Within minutes Judas earned himself a large sum of money. Nevertheless, within hours he possibly realised the mistake he had made. And within days he felt so remorseful that he decided to end his life. Can we learn anything from the sad story of Judas’ betrayal?

Two things come to my mind when thinking about it. First of all, God is sovereign and so are his plans. Not even the most evil actions orchestrated by our corrupt minds could surprise him. In fact, he let the betrayal happen to rescue us. If you ask me, that must be the most humble and loving action ever recorded in human history. He who has it all, gave himself, so that we can have it all.

Second, it might be tempting to look down on Judas due to his lack of integrity. However, this would suggest that we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. No matter how good our reputation among our peers might be, we are all lost without Jesus. Neither the nicest person on earth nor the most wicked one can stand a chance before a perfect God. Certainly, that does not mean that we can rely on our own strength and not honour God with our lives. After all, Jesus himself shared with us the two greatest commandments. Therefore, let us humbly come before our Lord, thanking him for all he has done for us, and asking him to deliver us from all kinds of temptations and of unlovingly pointing fingers at others.

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for your sacrificial love and your amazing grace. Please, help us to love and to see people the way you do. May you, through sanctification, form us to become your ambassadors every new day you have gifted us with. We love you.  Amen.                                                                                                                 

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