The Judas Syndrome: Mark 14:10-11
“10) Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. 11) They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.” Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭10‬-‭11‬
Judas became a fulfillment of James 3:13-16. He was full of greed, selfish ambition and jealousy. After being exposed by Jesus because of his degrading of Mary’s act of worship in the previous few verses, Judas became angry and bitter and decided on a course of revenge. (Mark 14:3-9, John 12:1-11)
James warns; “15) This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16) For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” (James‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬-‭16‬) The life of Judas ended in demonic torment and suicide. Back to the story as recorded my Mark.
Immediately, Judas Iscariot left the gathering at the home of Simon the leper and went to the chief priests to make arrangements for betraying Jesus. In doing so, he calcified his wicked heart of hypocrisy.
Think about this, Judas rebuked Mary for worshipping Jesus with perfume worth 300 danarij, but then He betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. (See Matthew 26:6-16) the money was intended for self consumption. There was no thought or compassion for the poor.
But there is an ire twist to his story. According to Matthew 27:1-10, after returning the money in an attempt to sooth his inner agony, the priests took the money and bought the potters field as a burial place for strangers. In a sense, his blood money ended up going to the poor. God holds you to your words.
So what is the moral lesson we learn from the pitiful life of Judas? Be careful not to make money your god. It can corrupt your soul. Beware of what you become in the pursuit of what you want! He got his money, but in the process became a traitor. I call it “The Judas Syndrome.”
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
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