Spy Wednesday: The Act of Betrayal and Its Consequences

There are moments in the Bible that reflect on our imperfections and tendency to sin, even though it can be uncomfortable for us to acknowledge that. The Betrayal of Judas is hard to understand for many Christians. Why would anyone betray one of their closest friends for a small amount of money? Many of us see Judas as a villain who chose money over his relationship with Jesus. At times, we choose to seek out earthly possessions over eternal life in Heaven. After sin, we feel guilty and regret putting our will before God’s. We turn to God and ask for forgiveness. However, sometimes, we are too scared to approach God when we have sinned. We trust in Him so little that we start believing we are beyond the point of redemption. Judas greatly sinned, but he could not see past his guilt and appeal to God’s infinite mercy. 

In Matthew 26:14-16, Judas decides to betray Jesus to the chief priests in exchange for thirty pieces of silver the day before the Last Supper. The pieces of silver represent Judas’ greed and show his willingness to betray Christ for a worldly reward. This proves how little he values Jesus as his teacher, friend, and Lord. He has aligned himself with the chief priests against Christ because of greed and lack of care. An important question to ask ourselves as we reflect on Christ’s Death and Resurrection is: When do we align ourselves against Jesus for our own gain? The earthly reward never outweighs the cost (harming our relationship with God).  

There are always consequences when we sin. In Matthew 27:3-4, Judas realizes that betraying Jesus was gravely wrong and goes to his cronies for guidance. The chief priests could not care less that Judas felt guilty; they got the information they wanted from him. This is the difference between use and true friendship. The chief priests did not really care about Judas, but Jesus certainly did. Jesus loves all people, including Judas. Jesus knew Judas would be the one to betray Him and would have forgiven Judas if he had truly repented. However, Judas did not feel true remorse for the betrayal but instead felt emotionally distressed. Guilt was weighing on his conscience, and as a result, Judas fell into despair. Sin leads to despair if we do not turn to Christ and appeal to His everlasting love. However, going to God when we are broken requires faith. Judas was too afraid to admit that his sin was wrong and chose death and eternal separation from Jesus. 

It is important to remember that sin is not the end. We must keep our eyes focused on eternal life, even when we falter. We cannot let ourselves fall into hopelessness and abandon our relationship with Christ. We must remember that Jesus is always reaching out to us and wants us to be in Heaven with Him. 

Let us not be like Judas and forget that the Lord loves us, even when we betray Him.

Prayer 
Lord, give me the strength to stand by Your side even when the world betrays You, 
Like Judas, I betray you at times, putting my will above Yours.
Guide me when I choose to betray you in thought, word, or deed back into Your heavenly grace. 
May I be your humble and faithful servant always and place you above all things.
May I remember Your loving sacrifice when the ways of the world call to me. 
May I reflect on the beauty of everything that You have given me in my life and be content.
May I recognize that earthly glories are merely temporary and keep my eyes focused on You.
When I betray others for my own desires or goals, help me to see the error in my ways and repent.
You know what is written on every human heart, Lord.
So, let my heart always be directed towards You. 
Amen

POETRY