Watch Out For Straws – Matthew 26:15

Wake Up Call

What was the straw that broke the camel’s back for that betrayer, Judas Iscariot? What turned him from friend to foe of Jesus Christ? We don’t really know what was in his mind but we do have a clue in what happened right before he “went off to the chief priests, in order to betray Him to them.” (Mark 14:10)

Something about the woman who came and broke an alabaster vial of very costly perfume over Jesus’ head changed Judas. Certain disciples complained about the waste (we can assume Judas was one of them) but Jesus validated her actions and honored her for anointing ”My body beforehand for the burial.” (Mark 14:8) But why should that have been so offensive to Judas?

I think because he finally ‘got it’ that Jesus was not going to be the kind of Messiah Judas wanted and expected him to be. He wasn’t going to rule politically; he wasn’t after power in the temporal sense, and money per se meant absolutely nothing to him.

For Judas those were the things that obviously meant everything. Love of money and the power associated with it had somewhere along the line grasped the core of his being. Why do I assume that? Because when he went to the chief priests his question was “What are you willing to give me to deliver Him up to you?” (Matthew 26:15) Show me the money!

Would you betray Jesus? Maybe not for money but is there anything ungodly that has insidiously grasped your core? If so, better watch for straws ‘ they may pile up quicker than you think.

 

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