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Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him. (Matthew 26:14 – 16)

Have you ever been betrayed by someone you trust? Think about these betrayals....

  • A business man goes into a costly agreement with someone he trust and the other party does not perform their part of the promise.
  • A wife trusts her husband to be faithful only to find out he has been having an affair with who she thought was a friend.
  • A child is promised a play date with a parent, only to be told it will have to be some other time.
  • A friend tells what you said in confidence to someone who could care less. 

The list of betrayal scenarios can practically go on for eternity.  What had to be the ultimate betrayal of all time is recorded in Matthew 26:14 – 16, listed above.

This was no accident.  The traitor Judas actually went out of his way to go and ask the chief priest, “What are you willing to give me?” This is reminiscent of Proverbs 1:19, 

So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.

The fool Judas Iscariot had joined ranks of the hypocrites as described in 1 Timothy 4:2, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…

Showing no regard for his fate and lowering himself to betray his King, Judas continues to add insult to injury by settling for the sum of 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave.  

How little value the chief priest and this man placed on our Blessed Savior! 

Yet, how many of us have sold Jesus out for less than Judas Iscariot received?

Perhaps the time when we may have talked behind someone’s back, or smiled at someone’s unfortunate turn of events, or given a homeless person a sneer of contempt, or just shunned a family member. 

Imagine if you can, the times you have not done what is right in the eyes of the Lord, even after you had come to the knowledge of the truth. 

These are all betrayals of Jesus in the same way as Judas did. We can all fill in our own blank when it comes to our betrayal of Christ and to others, if we will only be honest.  Let us live lives that are faithful to Christ and what He expects of us. May our lives show our loyalty to the master and His Word.

Blessings, 
Tim Bailey