Judas Iscariot went to church with Jesus of Nazareth. He sat on the pews and heard the messages that Jesus taught. But Judas had difficulty paying attention. He had no interest in the Bible stories Jesus told, nor in the Law of Moses, nor in the miracles that Jesus performed in front of Judas's eyes. Loving thy neighbor and praying for thy enemy did not appeal to him.
At the Sermon on the Mount, Judas sat on a rock and looked at the blue sky, dreaming about the day when he would own a beachfront condo on the Mediterranean, travel to Paris and eat French cuisine, or take a cruise ship on the big ocean to all the exotic places he had read about in travel brochures, and even of the time when he would become rich and famous.
In church, however, Judas looked like the other disciples. He dressed like them, walked with them, and even sat in the Amen Corner. Gospel music did nothing to ring his bell, for he preferred that more contemporary sound, or even ho-hum chamber music when he could dose off and take a nap. What he enjoyed most of all was the free coffee and doughnuts before the doors closed for people to pray and to welcome visitors.
For in everything else, Judas was bored. He was not comfortable with Christians. Talking about Christ was not his favorite topic even though he went to church with Jesus for more than three years. Knowing about things past, things present, or things future were not on his radar, for Judas was self-serving.
In his beginning of days, Judas had had a troubled childhood. His parents never loved him. They ignored him, more or less, leaving Judas alone to tend to himself, and he became anti-social and a loner.
Playing sandlot baseball with other kids had no appeal to Judas, either. He did not desire to mix with others at school, nor participate in student activities such as attending the sock hop in the gym after Friday night football games. Joining the Boy Scouts was nonsense, too: going camping with other boys and their fathers was stupid since he never had a meaningful relationship with his own dad. Dating girls or getting married was also out of the question because he had never experienced an understanding of communication with females as his mother treated him as if he was an accident, or unwanted, and nothing but a pain in the neck. Or maybe he never knew his biological mother, and perhaps his dad was never a father.
Judas never had a day of happiness. His face bore the scars of anguish and pain of never knowing love. He never smiled, he never laughed, and even a funny joke was not funny to Judas. He lived a lonely, secluded life, shielding himself from people. He never spoke up for anything, never spoke against anything. He never stood up for anything, never stood against anything. He never offered his opinion about government, or about religion. He never talked about the things he liked, or the things he disliked, and he never spoke about his childhood days of miserable memories. Compelling him to answer simple questions was like asking him to undergo a root canal and to enjoy it.
Judas Iscariot was the perfect pawn in the hand of Satan, for the only aroma that opened the nostrils of Judas was the smell of money, for his only interest was in advancing himself, and money became his golden calf. He saw how the Romans spent money. He saw how the corrupted priests of the Jewish temple lived lavish lifestyles in fancy houses and with servants. And Judas liked what he saw.
With money, he could buy a house, keep it clean, mow the grass, and trim the hedge.
With money, he could buy a car and keep it shiny and always looking new.
With money, he could buy new clothes, though nothing flashy or fancy, because he had to maintain his low profile.
With money, he could join a country club and rub shoulders with the bankers and lawyers and anyone else who thought they were big cheese, for Judas wanted to believe that he was big cheese.
With money, he could afford a membership in the local church where he would go and kneel and lip sync the words of songs---even though he cared not for Christ, nor for the Bible he owned but never read---while deceiving others in church to believe that he was a Christian because he dressed like them, sat on pews, and bowed his head.
Though Judas Iscariot was in the neighborhood, people never really knew him. They never knew his heart. They never knew of his secret life, his secret past, nor his secret desire. Even the other disciples of Christ were deceived by Judas, the one who carried the disciples' money bag.
In the lifetime of Judas Iscariot, the only person who ever loved him was Jesus of Nazareth. The only person who ever cared for him was Jesus of Nazareth. The only person who knew that Judas could be far more than Judas believed that Judas could be was Jesus of Nazareth.
Earlier, Judas heard Jesus speak these words:
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8: 36-37)
But these words meant nothing in the life of Judas, for at the end of his days he turned his back against Jesus of Nazareth as he also turned his face against the love of God: choosing instead to sell his soul to the Devil for thirty pieces of silver, to get rich quick and to get out of town.
The heart of Judas Iscariot was filled with rejection, unwanted and unloved. His heart was filled with bitterness, frustration, and anger. His heart was filled with envy, jealousy, and greed. Above all else, his heart was filled with loneliness and he sealed himself away in himself from other people. He turned his heart against the only person who ever called him "friend", and he died a lonely life with no one or no family to mourn for him, nor to bury his body in a private grave, after he endured the loneliness of suicide.
The story of Judas Iscariot is a sad story. It is a story that has been left behind by millions of people who have loved this world more than they could have loved God. It is also a story that is being lived by people even now in communities across America and around the world.
As Christians, all we can do is pray for people, and pray for the Holy Spirit to open their minds to the knowledge of Christ before their end of days.
In closing, let me tell you that had it not been for the love and grace and mercy of God, there was a time in my life when I could have become a Judas Iscariot in the neighborhood---and you would have never known that my heart was deceitfully wicked.
Jesus said,
You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.... (John 15: 16)
So I am thankful to God for choosing me!
At the Sermon on the Mount, Judas sat on a rock and looked at the blue sky, dreaming about the day when he would own a beachfront condo on the Mediterranean, travel to Paris and eat French cuisine, or take a cruise ship on the big ocean to all the exotic places he had read about in travel brochures, and even of the time when he would become rich and famous.
In church, however, Judas looked like the other disciples. He dressed like them, walked with them, and even sat in the Amen Corner. Gospel music did nothing to ring his bell, for he preferred that more contemporary sound, or even ho-hum chamber music when he could dose off and take a nap. What he enjoyed most of all was the free coffee and doughnuts before the doors closed for people to pray and to welcome visitors.
For in everything else, Judas was bored. He was not comfortable with Christians. Talking about Christ was not his favorite topic even though he went to church with Jesus for more than three years. Knowing about things past, things present, or things future were not on his radar, for Judas was self-serving.
In his beginning of days, Judas had had a troubled childhood. His parents never loved him. They ignored him, more or less, leaving Judas alone to tend to himself, and he became anti-social and a loner.
Playing sandlot baseball with other kids had no appeal to Judas, either. He did not desire to mix with others at school, nor participate in student activities such as attending the sock hop in the gym after Friday night football games. Joining the Boy Scouts was nonsense, too: going camping with other boys and their fathers was stupid since he never had a meaningful relationship with his own dad. Dating girls or getting married was also out of the question because he had never experienced an understanding of communication with females as his mother treated him as if he was an accident, or unwanted, and nothing but a pain in the neck. Or maybe he never knew his biological mother, and perhaps his dad was never a father.
Judas never had a day of happiness. His face bore the scars of anguish and pain of never knowing love. He never smiled, he never laughed, and even a funny joke was not funny to Judas. He lived a lonely, secluded life, shielding himself from people. He never spoke up for anything, never spoke against anything. He never stood up for anything, never stood against anything. He never offered his opinion about government, or about religion. He never talked about the things he liked, or the things he disliked, and he never spoke about his childhood days of miserable memories. Compelling him to answer simple questions was like asking him to undergo a root canal and to enjoy it.
Judas Iscariot was the perfect pawn in the hand of Satan, for the only aroma that opened the nostrils of Judas was the smell of money, for his only interest was in advancing himself, and money became his golden calf. He saw how the Romans spent money. He saw how the corrupted priests of the Jewish temple lived lavish lifestyles in fancy houses and with servants. And Judas liked what he saw.
With money, he could buy a house, keep it clean, mow the grass, and trim the hedge.
With money, he could buy a car and keep it shiny and always looking new.
With money, he could buy new clothes, though nothing flashy or fancy, because he had to maintain his low profile.
With money, he could join a country club and rub shoulders with the bankers and lawyers and anyone else who thought they were big cheese, for Judas wanted to believe that he was big cheese.
With money, he could afford a membership in the local church where he would go and kneel and lip sync the words of songs---even though he cared not for Christ, nor for the Bible he owned but never read---while deceiving others in church to believe that he was a Christian because he dressed like them, sat on pews, and bowed his head.
Though Judas Iscariot was in the neighborhood, people never really knew him. They never knew his heart. They never knew of his secret life, his secret past, nor his secret desire. Even the other disciples of Christ were deceived by Judas, the one who carried the disciples' money bag.
In the lifetime of Judas Iscariot, the only person who ever loved him was Jesus of Nazareth. The only person who ever cared for him was Jesus of Nazareth. The only person who knew that Judas could be far more than Judas believed that Judas could be was Jesus of Nazareth.
Earlier, Judas heard Jesus speak these words:
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8: 36-37)
But these words meant nothing in the life of Judas, for at the end of his days he turned his back against Jesus of Nazareth as he also turned his face against the love of God: choosing instead to sell his soul to the Devil for thirty pieces of silver, to get rich quick and to get out of town.
The heart of Judas Iscariot was filled with rejection, unwanted and unloved. His heart was filled with bitterness, frustration, and anger. His heart was filled with envy, jealousy, and greed. Above all else, his heart was filled with loneliness and he sealed himself away in himself from other people. He turned his heart against the only person who ever called him "friend", and he died a lonely life with no one or no family to mourn for him, nor to bury his body in a private grave, after he endured the loneliness of suicide.
The story of Judas Iscariot is a sad story. It is a story that has been left behind by millions of people who have loved this world more than they could have loved God. It is also a story that is being lived by people even now in communities across America and around the world.
As Christians, all we can do is pray for people, and pray for the Holy Spirit to open their minds to the knowledge of Christ before their end of days.
In closing, let me tell you that had it not been for the love and grace and mercy of God, there was a time in my life when I could have become a Judas Iscariot in the neighborhood---and you would have never known that my heart was deceitfully wicked.
Jesus said,
You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.... (John 15: 16)
So I am thankful to God for choosing me!
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