Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Some people have speculated that Judas (being a zealot who was looking for and longing for the revolution) simply got frustrated and was trying to force Jesus' hand. Somewhere around a million people were in Jerusalem for passover that year. Jesus was popular with the people. If the crowds got stirred up, something was bound to happen. So, the theory goes, Judas betrayed Jesus, not just for the money, but to force Jesus to defend Himself. If Jesus was arrested, He would have to defend Himself and the mass of people would rush to Jesus' side and the revolution would be under way.
It is possible that Judas thought these things. How sad. Either way -whether Judas betrayed Jesus for money or for politics, how sad. Sad because it is clear that although Judas knew all about Jesus, he did not know Jesus. Judas was one of the twelve. He traveled with Jesus, just like Peter and John and the rest. He listened to Jesus teach. He saw (and to some degree or another participated in) the miracles Jesus performed. He ate with Jesus. He heard the same parables. He heard the same prayers. He knew what Jesus liked to eat, what Jesus thought was funny, and what Jesus' favorite color was. These are things you learn about someone you live with. Judas knew all about Jesus. Yet, somehow, knowing all about Jesus, Judas had missed the most important thing -the actual relationship with Jesus. He knew all about Jesus, but, somehow did not actually know Jesus.
Unfortunately, I think that many of us who call ourselves by His name today have the same problem. We know His words. We know how Christians are supposed to think and act. We know how Christians are supposed to vote. We know all kinds of Christian things. We know all about Jesus, but we don't know Him. We don't have His heart. And without His heart, we cannot effectively be His hands, feet or voice.
Even though Jesus came and lived among, us, and died for our sins and rose from the dead and conquered sin and death forever -even though Satan has been defeated and authority has been stripped from him -even though there is now nothing (because of Jesus) that keeps us from the Father's love -the Church is largely ineffective because we know all about Him without actually knowing Him. And this is particularly sad because most Christians don't even know that we don't know Him. We assume that if we go to a building on Sunday mornings and put some money in the offering and sing the songs and affirm the sermon that we know Jesus. All the while, the lost remain lost; the brokenhearted remain brokenhearted; the sick remain sick; those in bondage remain in bondage. Something is wrong. We don't know Jesus.
Lord Jesus, help us. Help all who claim Your name to hear Your voice and understand Your heart. Help us to see others as You see them and to love others as You love them. We are tired of knowing all about You. Help us to know You. Amen.
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