Still as of old -
Men by themselves are priced -
For thirty pieces Judas sold
- Himself, not Christ.
By Hester H. Cholmondeley
They say that if you really want to know where a person’s true values lie, just take a look at his/her check book. In the 21st and 22nd chapters of Luke we get to do just that. One shows a debit of two mites while the other reveals a credit of thirty silver coins. Both are very telling.
The poor widow in chapter 21 placed her two copper coins in the Temple Treasury just like everyone else. However, while others gave out of the overflow of their abundance, she, out of the depth of her poverty gave all the living that she had. What appeared to be a small offering would most likely cost her a meal or two that otherwise might have dulled her gnawing hunger pains, a few more sticks of firewood to keep her warm a couple of hours longer, or “the car fare,” to save her a few extra miles walk that week. The rich men’s larger gifts would cost them nothing – the expense wouldn’t alter their lifestyle in the least. (And you can be sure they were going to claim it as a tax-deductible donation at the end of their fiscal year).
The rich men gave in such a way as to call attention to their “generosity,” while it was the widow, attempting to remain anonymous, who unwittingly attracted the attention of Jesus, his disciples and a great multitude of the heavenly host (no doubt). It wasn’t so much what they gave, but how and why they gave it, that made God notice and revealed what they truly valued. The woman, in giving, gave of herself to the Lord. The others kept back the very thing that God treasured most – their hearts. One was an offering to the Lord, the other was practically an insult to Him.
In the next chapter, we read the story of Judas Iscariot, one of the Lord’s disciples and close friends. Interestingly, most of the passages referring to him have some connection with money. Now when it comes to “givers and takers,” he definitely would fit best in the taker category – a trait that he carefully nurtured over time until it drove him to commit the unthinkable. He was the one who was in charge of the group’s finances and had possession of the money bag, from which he evidently helped himself from time to time. At the feast held to honor Jesus for raising Lazarus from the dead, it was Judas who voiced his objection when Mary broke the alabaster box of precious ointment and poured it out on Jesus as an act of selfless worship.
“Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor?” (Jn. 12:5,6) thus proving again that he “knew the cost of everything, but the value of nothing.” At the Last Supper, upon leaving, the disciples assumed that he was going to give some money to the poor as they were accustomed to doing. By all outward appearances, Judas was a responsible and trustworthy steward of the Lord’s resources. However, Jesus knew better.
I’ve often wondered how Judas got away with stealing from the apostles’ purse. I imagine the first time he did it, he must have been very nervous around Jesus, but for some reason, Jesus never mentioned it. It became easier the next time… and the next. Jesus’ teaching against greed and the love of money was very plain. Judas surely knew what he was doing was wrong, but since he was never called out on it, he concluded that it couldn’t be that bad after all. When the word of God is clear, conviction isn’t necessary - the Lord expects us to obey. Little by little, Judas became less interested in the inward rule of God’s Kingdom, and more and more obsessed with natural deliverance from the Romans and the material benefits he could look forward to as one of Christ’s “conquering Apostles.” Constant yielding to the flesh has a subtle way of warping our priorities and twisting our values. Remember, it’s often the little foxes that spoil the vine.
What is it that we seem to be getting away with at the present? God may be blessing and using us in His service, but still there are areas in our lives where we need to repent. Don’t ignore them or underestimate their significance. Learn to act on the Word of God, not your feelings. The flesh is always looking to take over. Only a life fully surrendered to Jesus is safe from the strongholds Satan wants to establish in our lives. When we, like the widow, give what we can out of our love for God, we can be sure that God, out of His love for us, will surely do the same.
Prayer: Omniscient Father, You know us better than we know ourselves. Help us, first of all, to give You our hearts, and then to give out of love for You.
