No Changing Plans

Now, when Judas, the betrayer, saw that Jesus had been sentenced to death, remorse filled his heart. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and religious leaders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying an innocent man.” They replied, “Why are you bothering us? That’s your problem.”

— Matthew 27:3

This story speaks to me of manipulation. Judas had been with Jesus for three years. He saw and heard everything Jesus did. But he, like many of the followers of Jesus thought that when the Messiah came he would bring a new government on earth and take over the present one, freeing them from the harsh oppression they were under.

Jesus, the man, knew what they wanted, but he also knew that was not his mission at this time. He was bringing the internal Kingdom of God to earth, not the external one. Jesus did not come to do the will of man, but the will of his Father, so no changing plans.

How is it that Judas could live with Jesus and watch his every move and yet not know him? Jesus was loving, kind, caring, patient, laughing, healing the sick, bringing dead people back to life and bringing joy to those around him.  He was always solving problems. Where was Judas?  His body was there but where was his focus?

Sometimes we can be in the midst of a situation and yet not really see (experience) it. If our mind is on what we want or think we need, we miss what is really going on. This must be what happened to Judas. He seemed to understand that Jesus was the Messiah but he wanted him to come in as a militant and take over the awful situation under the Romans with their high taxes and unfair treatment of the Jewish people.

So he devised a plan that he thought would FORCEJesus to take some action. He saw and heard Jesus point out that he, Judas, was the one who was going to betray him. And even though the other disciples were oblivious to what was about to happen, he was not. When Jesus told him to go and do quickly what he had to do, Judas immediately got up and left. 

In his mind, this was the moment he had waited for. Surely Jesus would show his military power when confronted by the leaders now! How stupid to think that he could MAKE Jesus do anything just because he thought it was best. 

When Judas saw what happened to Jesus because of what he did, he was devastated. This was not the way it was supposed to happen! He realized he had made a wrong move and deeply regretted his betrayal. However, his next move shows that he didn’t know the real Jesus and that the focus was still on himself. If he had thought about who Jesus really was, he would have fallen on his face and repented and could have been forgiven. Jesus and his Father are love and forgiveness. 

What a horrible ending! We may never do anything to the extent that Judas did but we can decide in our minds what is best for us or someone else and we can go about trying to make it happen. When we do this, it is the opposite of trusting God. Our mind is finite and God’s mind is infinite. He knows the full picture. 

So how do we trust his way and not ours? We have to know his character – that he is always for us, wanting good, that He is always faithful and true, that he is working on our behalf. Then WE MUST NOT BE SWAYED by circumstances or feelings. This is what we must guard against. We can not afford to trust ourselves more than we trust Him.  

He loves you with a love that never changes. Hallelujah!! Let us learn from the life of Judas.

“He calls me Friend.”