Pastor's Corner: The Judas in me

The Rev. Joshua W. Seymour

As human beings we have an intrinsic ability to find ourselves more important than fact would conclude we are. Ever masterful in our portrayal of our achievements, successes and state of being, bent on the increase of us at the expense of others. Within every one of us who would choose the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6), is a desire to see self elevated.

It is no small thing, to set out to be the greatest of anything. Though seeking to be the greatest was what the disciples wanted as well as all of humanity. Jesus declared the least to be the greatest (Matthew 18:4), and that those who would come after Him would have to deny themselves (Matt. 16:24). As followers of Jesus we have opportunity after opportunity in the world in which we live, to betray Jesus in the way that we live. Many Christians would never admit how they have resembled Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver.

Many times, we resemble him in how we live and how we respond to the message of Jesus, many times I allow the Judas in me to rise up. Christians tend to treat the story of Judas as an evil, standalone event, never before seen or identified in the earth. Here’s the problem: Judas was human, a disciple, successful, powerful and a standup guy who happened to betray Jesus to His death. Judas suffered from the kryptonite of all-mankind, self. When Judas was faced with the truth of Jesus Christ and His message He chose to follow Jesus. However, there became a moment when Judas couldn’t follow Jesus while not denying Himself any longer.

Judas wanted to enjoy both self-gratification and self-denial, but ultimately self-gratification was his aim. Jesus was popular, mysterious and powerful, and Judas was all about being a part of those gratifying pursuits as long they served His own purposes. I wonder how many of us have chosen to follow Jesus as long as we can live for ourselves in the process. There came a moment when Judas had to make a decision to surrender to Jesus the Christ and deny himself or live a life of self-gratification and promotion. Judas chose the latter, rejecting Christ and seeking to betray His savior for 30 pieces of silver. Those silver coins would purchase the field in which he died.

So it will be for us if we allow the Judas in us to win, the self-gratification to rob us of a glorious denial of self that leads to deep relationship and eternal life. As we trust Jesus to help us resist the gravitational pull of our hearts toward the betrayal of our Savior, we must seek to deny the Judas in us, the Judas in me, by saying yes to Christ who calls us to Himself ever so gently.