ESOCS Devotional 20 March 2024 – Judas Iscariot, Greed and Covetousness
MEMORY VERSE: “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born.” Matthew 26:24
TEXT: MATTHEW 26:14-30
Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
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The opening verses of this passage leaves us in no doubt as to the motive of Judas Iscariots for betraying his master. The evangelist informs us that it was Judas that went to the Chief Priests, he initiated the bargain to sell Jesus to them. They neither lobbied nor intimidated him to betray the Lord. Of course, these learned priests would not have thought of approaching any of the twelve to bargain such a deal knowing that they were spiritually bonded together with the Lord. But among the twelve there was a very black leg, the man Judas Iscariot. Mark also corroborates Matthew’s thus: “And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad’’ (Mk. 14:10-11).
Hear his opening question at the bargain: “What will you give me and I will deliver him unto you?” It was all about money, it was greed, uncontrolled avarice and detestable covetousness driven by awful ingratitude. Judas was the treasurer of the Lord’s team. He collected and spent money; no body censured him nor ever called him to render account. John reports that he was a thief (Jn. 12:4-6). So, he bargained and agreed to sell the most precious man that ever lived on earth for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave. For all the privileges that Judas had in the Lord’s team, it is unthinkable that such base treachery could come from him.
Are there still some Judas in the church today? Yes! Those who help themselves from the church coffers, who for a plate of Adoption Thanksgiving Service rice would betray their Elder-in-Charge, etc. Covetousness is a deadly sin, a killer of the soul. By covetousness, Judas purchased for himself “a field with the reward of iniquity, and falling head long, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out” (Acts 1:18).
Let us learn that “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth” (Lk. 12:15). It pays nothing to own the whole world through greediness and lose your soul. For 30 shekels Judas, lost his soul. Don’t forget this: “We brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Tim. 6:7). Let us learn from Paul and imbibe the virtue of contentment, as it will save us from perdition: “… I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Philippians 4:11-12).
- Are you still under the yoke of covetousness and pilfering? Say this simple prayer.
- Lord, I confess and repent of my sins of greediness and covetousness. Teach me to be contented with your provisions, in Jesus’ name.
Further Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6-10
ESOCS Devotional 20 March 2024
