Maundy Thursday Part 2

And you are clean, but not every one of you." For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean." ... I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.' I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. - John 13.10b-11, 18-30

Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand." While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; seize him." And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. - Matt 26.45-50

This is the most heinous betrayal to be exercised on earth. No betrayal could have been more devious and evil than to betray the Son of God and sell him for a price. Judas' betrayal was as unthinkable as it was devious. It was so unthinkable, that as the disciples heard Christ in clear terms say that the betrayer was the one "whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it" and then they saw Him hand the bread he had dipped to Judas, they still only thought "Jesus was telling him, 'Buy what we need for the feast,' or that he should give something to the poor". This is how unthinkable an act betraying the Son of God was, so unthinkable that Judas' own companions, with the verbal account of Jesus, were still blind to the fact that Jesus would be betrayed. To show the corruption in his being, Judas' pointed out Christ with a kiss! Many of us I'm sure have heard the word picture of a man hugging someone while stabbing them in the back, this is just the example to fit such a phrase. To greet someone with a kiss, as the sign that they're the one you're betraying. Judas was content with betraying the Son of God for the price of 30 pieces of silver, and Christ knew this all along. This is one of the many times Jesus led by example when he spoke of loving our enemies. His words to Judas weren't hateful even though all Judas' words in scripture were drenched with venom, Jesus spoke to him gently, as if pitying him. Jesus described him saying that it would be better had he never been born. To know that a person was going to betray you, and then to still show them the love and service of washing their feet and break bread with them showing them nothing but kindness, this is our example. Knowing the one who betrayed Him with a kiss for 30 pieces of silver, and then to refer to him as "friend", this is our Christ. Loving his enemies even when they betrayed him. Now there's the matter of the betrayal. Judas loved his 30 pieces of silver more than he loved Jesus (if he had even the smallest affection for Jesus at all). His love for money was clear in scripture, since we know that he was a thief and stole from the treasury, which he was appointed treasurer by Christ (another message in itself). This love for money was big enough to sell out the Son of God to death, and even though this act cannot be duplicated, it brings up a practical question. Do we have anything we love more than Christ? This is something that requires personal reflection, but what do we love more than Christ, and are we willing to forsake Christ for it? If the answer is yes, then you need to come before God asking Him to change your heart before you sell out Christ for any other pleasure on this earth. We know from Judas' case that the money wasn't enough to satisfy since he saw death in suicide (ironically hung on a tree, the same as he sold Christ to be) as the only was to end his misery. That's the bitter truth of pleasures apart from Christ, they don't satisfy and they lead to death. Let us strive to find our pleasure in Christ, and let us, as Christ did, to love our enemies, even as they betray us.