Tuesday, April 11

Judas

Read Matthew 26:14-25, 47-49 and 27:3-9

Reflection – 

We have seen the answered prayers. Maybe even a few of our own have been answered. We hear talk of hearing from God.  That one we wonder about.  We have witnessed the miracle of changed lives, darkness consumed by the Light.  We may have even let some of His light into one or two of our own dark corners, but only the ones we were ready to give up to Him anyway.

As I consider Judas it would be easy to conclude that he was just a bad person or that he was evil.  But Judas was me, he was you, just enough faith to keep going but not enough faith to trust God beyond our own plans for our lives. And I think that is the message of the failed disciple.  Judas had his own ideas of what Jesus would do…in his country, in his circle of friends, in his life.  But Jesus is not bound to our small plans.  Good thing, because His plans for you and me are so much bigger then we ever ask.  And that is why God generally reveals His plans for us slowly, so we do not turn and run in fear.

But we must believe that even in our biggest failure, God is there to pick us up, dust us off, tell us we are loved, show us where we can do better, and send us back out into the action.  And this is the saddest part of the Judas story for me.  He could not fathom a God who would still love him after he turned Jesus over to die.  Judas did not believe the extreme love Jesus had for him.     

And how many times today…or this week did we not believe Jesus?  Do we not believe in His extreme love or trust in His plans for us?  It only matters if we end up in a place of disbelief, just as Judas found himself.  It does not matter if we own our failures and continue to let God act in and change our lives.  That is called sanctification.

Prayer –

God, I love you.  I really want to believe more strongly in what you are doing in my life.  I want to give you the glory for the good things and draw even closer when things do not go well.  Give me wisdom to hear your calling upon my life and courage to act. Amen