Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, ¹⁵ And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

The reality of the circumstances that Jesus endured regarding His relationship with Judas is amazing. Jesus was nothing but good to Judas; He loved, mentored, blessed, fed, and cared for him. Jesus never rendered evil in response to the darkness advanced upon Himself by Judas. He simply continued to love him. Jesus is a difference maker Author and Finisher of the faith in which we believe.

From the outset Jesus knew who would betray him. Jesus said, “…To whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. ²⁷ And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. ²⁸ Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him” (John 13:26-28).

There are multiple applications for Christians to harness in reference to the Judas factor. If an innocent, perfect, loving, and divine Jesus had a betrayer of close proximity, truly as a mere and faulty mortals, you and I will have one or some. It is simply a lesson to learn and live through. Betrayal hurts on any level, but it must be put in perspective through the lens of Jesus. If Jesus was persecuted so will His elect.

There is no need to be overly suspicious or spiritually paranoid about your surrounding social contexts, just be prepared for betrayal and know that it is a normalized aspect of Christian living.

Despite the fact that Judas means praise, he offered a faulty, marred, and vain oblation to his Savior. The same happens today, all that verbally praise God are not offering it out of purity in reflection of His divinity. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Even Jesus the Christ had a Judas, so don’t be alarmed at the beloved hater(s) that might be in your midst. All that smile in your face do not smile behind your back. It only took 30 pieces of silver for Judas to betray his master teacher. Remember the importance of Love, Loyalty, and Longsuffering. You are the clay In The Potter’s Hands. God has paved a way to save you today!