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. (Matthew 26:14-16)
Was the perfume incident the final straw for Judas? Judas had spent roughly three years walking with Jesus. Witnessing the lame walk, the blind receive sight, the mute speak. Watching demons shake in fear at the sight of Jesus and be cast out. Seeing nature bow to His every word. Seeing thousands of men, women, and children fed a meal on a few loaves of bread and a few fish. Judas seems so incensed by what he saw with the perfume that he got up, and of his own accord, found the chief priests to make a deal for Jesus’ arrest. Luke tells us in 22:3 that “the devil entered him.” Despite all that Judas had seen and heard from Jesus, he left room in his heart that the devil was all but happy to fill. We do know that Judas fulfilled prophecy (see Zechariah 11:12-13) however, this does not get him off the hook. Judas left his heart open.
Many lessons can be drawn from Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. Today as we continue our Lenten journey towards the cross, we must remember that as good as our disciplines or habits are this time of year, if our heart is not fully invested, there is room for the enemy. I struggle to figure out how Judas could witness all that he did and yet be lured away by what Matthew tells us is the price for a field (Matthew 27:6-10). However, how easy is it for me to be lured away from my Lord by far less than 30 pieces of silver? The few disciplines I have adopted during Lent have reaped great results already. In full confession though, it is not without stumbling. It is seldom that a day goes by without me seeing a little “short-cut” around my discipline. Sometimes I avoid them, sometimes I do not.
As shocked as I may be at Judas and his actions, I do not believe the situation with the perfume was the final straw necessarily. Obviously, in the timeline of events, it certainly was. However, it was not going to take much. Judas had a heart disconnected from the Master. Judas’ faith was not in the one who could heal, the one who walked on water, the one casting out demons, or the one telling the wind and the rain to be quiet. Judas’ faith was not in the one declaring the Kingdom of God and the salvation of souls. Judas was in it for himself, and the time had run out. He was no longer satisfied with Jesus and decided that 30 pieces of silver was more appealing. Judas did not like the direction Jesus was headed and decided to work with the religious leaders to get end the charade. My prayer is that as we continue through this Lenten journey, as we engage in the disciplines God has called us to, we will meet Him. That he would be the source of all that we are doing and all that we are becoming. That Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior, would be all that we need.
In closing, I leave you with the hymn When I Survey The Wondrous Cross. Years ago as I prayed about what the Lord may want me to fast from during Lent it was this song that pierced my heart on that Ash Wednesday. Specifically, the line “All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.” What is your “30 pieces of silver?” Are you willing to lay it down for Him?