Then Judas, which had betrayed him…brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. Matthew 27:3-4
All I have to do is mention the name Judas, and more than likely, it instantly conjures up an image of disgust in your mind. Judas was the coward who decided he would betray the most innocent man to ever walk the earth, Jesus Christ, for a measly thirty pieces of silver (thirty pieces of silver was the going price for a slave). As soon as the coins jingled together between his worthless palms, Judas felt the waves of guilt flood his soul like a tsunami, and he knew he had made a mistake. He took the money to the chief priests, his co-conspirators, and tried to make them take it back. They laughed in his face. It was he who had betrayed Jesus Christ. He had accepted the blood money. He was the guilty one. The chief priests had what they wanted, and they had no cares about how Judas felt. The waves of guilt pushed so hard upon the betrayer that he was forced to drop the money and retreat to a precipice where he prepared the rope from which his lifeless body would soon hang. His corpse was later discovered beneath the rope – broken in pieces – a symbol of the life that once lived inside it.
Sin is much like the chief priests, and the sinner like Judas. The devil’s sole interest is to get you to sin so he can continue to hurt God, his arch-enemy. He will use anything he can to accomplish that purpose. He might use alcohol, drugs, music, movies, television, or pornography to try to get you to fall. Quite frankly, he doesn’t care what device he must use if he can make you sin against God. Much like the chief priests bribed Judas with silver, the devil will bribe you with any sin that he can make look appealing. He will hold out his hands full of good pleasures to try to lure you toward his devices. When he finally has what he wants – your life in shambles – he will laugh in your face. You may beg for the results of sin to be reversed. You may plead for the chance to go back a few years and start over, but it will all be in vain. It was you who betrayed your Lord for a few days of pleasure. You fell for the lies and deception. You are the guilty one. Just as the chief priests were hardened toward Judas’ feelings of guilt, the devil has no care about what happens to you when you have followed him to destruction.
Heed the advice of your Bible and your pastor. Listen to the warnings they give you concerning the divisiveness of Satan. He is not looking out for you; he cares only about advancing his agenda in your life. In the end, you will be left holding the bag full of “blood money,” and he will be rejoicing that you have betrayed your Saviour for such a small sum.
Read also: Matthew 27:1-10
Quote of the day: "If you don’t want anyone to find out, don’t do it.” – Chinese Proverb