“Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.”
Matthew 26:14-16 ESV
These 3 verses described the time when everything went wrong in Judas Iscariot’s life.
Firstly it was wrong associations. He went to the chief priest instead of faithfully stayed in the company of Jesus and the other disciples. He was in the wrong association. How many of us go the wrong way due to bad company? We need to be mindful of the company we associated with. On another note, it is the church’s responsibility as well to protect their members from getting into wrong company even within Christendom as there are those that promote false teachings and heresies especially in the end times. The Bible say says:
“Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.””
1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV
The second wrong was wrong motivation. It seemed that Jesus’ teaching on eternal values did not sink in to Judas Iscariot. He went for visible earthly gains. Do Christians today switch sides because of the want of earthly attractive gains?There are also branches of the Christian community that entice you just with that – for example, the prosperity gospel. They don’t teach discipleship and persecution as prophesied by Jesus but dwell on “feel-good” promises of wealth and health. Such enticing doctrine will be rampant preceding the end times – and beware, it is now!
Thirdly it was wrong occupation – what that filled Judah’s mind and life was to look out for opportunity to betray Jesus. His desire and purpose in life was not longer feeding the hungry and healing the sick as part of Jesus’ ministry. In the secret compartment of his heart was this drive to plot the betrayal. A man who lost his first love has the course of his life run awry. And it was the wrong course with no return. Stop and ask ourselves what is the main occupation in our earthly life. We may not plot to betray Jesus but an intentional nonchalance to Him and His word is a quiet form of betrayal.
Finally, it was the wrong moment. From the moment he received the bride money, his entire destiny changed from a righteous walk to an evil path. Moments are important – sometimes it decides life and death. Moments can also change destinies. People used to say “I did it in a moment of folly or anger” and mostly regret their action afterwards. Jesus had these moments when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. If He just gave way at that moment, the entire Messianic mission would have failed. Don’t give way to such moments!
Reflection Pointers:
- Evaluate your associations and determine which are the ones to develop further and which are ones to move a step back.
- While it is good to have aspirations and goals that you are passionate about to fulfil, it is always good to measure them against the yardstick of biblical principles and perspectives.
- Watch out for the moments that come and go. Some brings you delight on a good decision made while others may end up with regrets for the impulse actions taken during that moment.