Jesus said in Revelation 2: 10 be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Betrayal has consequences. Jesus said in Matthew 26: 24; Mark 14: 21; Luke 22: 22 for the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born. Death awaits anyone who betrays him or pretends to love him.
Judas Iscariot
In Matthew 26: 14-16 Judas negotiated with the chief priests to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. In verse 48-50 he sold his plan to identify Jesus with a kiss in deception saying, “The one I will kiss is the man, arrest him.” At once he came up to Jesus and said, Greetings, Rabbi! and kissed him. Judas was influenced by his love for money. Many of us betray Jesus because of money.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:10 money is the root of all evil; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs. In the end Judas could not even use the money but said in Matthew 27: 4-5 “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”…Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.
It is not all monies which come from God. Some bring shame, death, illness or other woes. Money must not bait us to betray the lover of our souls, our savior and eternal judge. How does money influence our lives today? Are we slaves to money?
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate betrayed Jesus in his desire to retain his governorship. In Matthew 27: 2 when Jesus was arrested, he was first bound and handed over to Pilate. In verse 17 although he knew Jesus was not guilty and ought to be released, he lacked courage to do so. For fear of a riot which would jeopardize his governorship, in verse 24… he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Yet he failed to do what was right.
Although in Matthew 27: 58 Pilate ordered the release of Jesus’ body to Joseph of Arimathea for burial, that could not cure his betrayal just as Judas’s return of the pieces of silver did not cure his doom. In John 19: 1 Pilate rather flogged Jesus in order to please his constituents although he said in verse 6,… I find no case against him. In John 19: 7-8 Pilate pretended it was the first time of hearing that Jesus was the Son of God. In verse 12 was afraid of being labeled as an enemy of the Emperor against his job.
Pilate placed his governorship above the truth of God. Just like Judas, he considered his interest first. We are no different and thus mock God. Galatians 6: 7 says, do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. Betrayal invokes God’s due punishment. Jeremiah 31: 30 says but all shall die for their own sins. Ezekiel 18: 20 says the person who sins shall die. Are we guilty of betraying Jesus?
Israel’s disobedience
King Manasseh in 2 Kings 21: 21-11 did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, following the abominable practices of the nations that the LORD drove before the people of Israel. Although in 2 Kings 23: 1-17 King Josiah tried to reverse what Manasseh had done, God said in 2 Kings 23:27 I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel. Woe unto those who copy blindly against scripture.
In 2 Kings 23: 1-11 King Josiah burnt the vessels of Baal, etc. and for all the host of heaven; he disposed of the idolatrous priests who offered offerings to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and the host of the heavens. He broke down the houses of the male prostitutes, burnt the chariots of the sun with fire, defiled their high places, broke their pillars, cut down the sacred poles, and covered the sites with human bones. In spite of this they went into captivity under King Nebuchadnezzar.
When we betray Jesus, we will go into spiritual bondage or captivity. Israel went into captivity for 70 years from 609-539 BCE. We read from Jeremiah 25: 11-12 the whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years... Captivity was the punishment for idolatry and disobedience to God. The horrors they encountered are summarized in Psalms 137: 1 by the rivers of Babylon– there we sat down and there we wept when he remembered Zion. Remember your blessings now before it becomes too late in captivity.
Don’t betray Christ Jesus our Lord
Christ Jesus came to placate all sins. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5: 14-15… one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. We will not betray Jesus if we live for him. He will make us anew in God. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5: 17, so if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! He will not betray us and we must not betray him.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, we are not ready to face the consequences of betraying you and we are sorry. We commit to you from this moment forward to live for you and not for ourselves any longer. Forgive us and make us anew in your holy name by your precious blood, Amen!!
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