THE ANOINTING AND BETRAYAL OF JESUS

Today, Wednesday of Holy Week, we remember the betrayal of our Lord Jesus by Judas Iscariot. This invites us to reflect on faith and loyalty. Jesus and his disciples went to Bethany, a two-mile town east of the city of Jerusalem, and stayed in the house of Simon the leper. While they were there, a woman came and poured a very costly fragrant oil on Jesus' head as He sat at the table. When the disciples saw this, they got angry because they thought that it was a waste of money, for this fragrant oil could have been sold for as much as a year's wage and given to the poor. However, Jesus emphasized the significance of what the woman was doing. The pouring of oil on Jesus' head was the anointing of His body for burial. At this point, Jesus was preparing Himself to die on the cross. The disciples, however, did not understand what Jesus was saying because they still did not understand that Jesus came to die for the sins of the world. It was not long after this event took place that Judas Iscariot left Jesus and the apostles to meet with the religious leaders to conspire against Jesus. He agreed to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:6-16; Mark 14:3-11). 

All this time, Judas Iscariot had been following Jesus. He witnessed the miracles that Jesus had performed and heard His teachings; however, Judas Iscariot was very far from the truth. It is possible that a person can go to church, listen to the sermons, and witness the work of the power of God in people's lives, yet still not surrender to our Lord Jesus. The root problem of Judas Iscariot is his heart. He never fully surrendered his heart to our Lord Jesus. As a result, he was never loyal to Jesus. Luke 22:3 gives us a glimpse of what is going on in Judas Iscariot's life. It says that Satan entered into him. One of the ways to interpret this is that Judas Iscariot allowed himself to be influenced by Satan. Judas Iscariot was living a double life. Eventually, his sin consumed his life, which led to his death. In the end, he ended up killing himself because of the guilt and shame for betraying Jesus. 

Let us examine our hearts today and determine where we stand in our relationship with our Lord Jesus. Let us not allow Satan to influence our hearts and minds so that we may not sin.

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Do I truly believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior? Am I allowing Satan to influence my life? What should I do to protect myself from the influence of Satan?  

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, it is sad to know what happened to Judas Iscariot. Thank you for reminding me today of the importance of not allowing Satan to influence my heart and mind so that I may not live a double life. Please continue to renew my mind and give me a repentant heart so that I will continue to grow and get stronger in my relationship with you. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.