DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- AN ENIGMA

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – AN ENIGMA

"Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?' And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him." (Matthew 26:14-16)

Judas is an enigma. Winston Churchill is credited with the quotation: "A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." An enigma is "a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand." This certainly describes Judas Iscariot.

He is mysterious and puzzling. It is difficult to get inside His head and figure out what motivated him. How could a person who was so close to the Lord Jesus end up so terribly wrong?

Judas had been hand-chosen by the Savior. It was not an accident that Judas was selected. It was a part of God's divine purpose to fulfill Scripture and God's plan for salvation.

But there were things going on in Judas that were not apparent to the casual observer. From outward appearances, Judas was used in Spiritual ministry just like the other 11 disciples. But there was no real change in his heart. He put on a good show to cover his wicked heart. He came to Jesus with a love for money that never got transformed. As the disciple who had been given the oversight of the care of the disciples' bank account, He embezzled money from that common fund for his own purposes (John 12:6). So when he heard that the chief priests were offering a reward for the betrayal of Jesus, he saw an opportunity to make himself some money.

Scripture is true: The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (I Timothy 6:10). Judas never allowed his desire for money to get saved. Anything that I have not surrendered to Jesus can be my downfall.

When I look at the life of Judas, it is not surprising that he ended up the way he did, eventually committing suicide. The Love of Money is a dead-end street with no way out. Here I am, Lord God. Take all of me, even my pocketbook.  I surrender all.

Love, Dad