Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Al Campbell:
Luke 22:1-6 (NIV)
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
22 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.
Name the enemies of righteousness in the story in today’s reading.
Have you had to resist any of these enemies to doing what is right in your life?
If successful in resisting, what did God do to help you?
Lord, this story makes me very sad in a couple of ways. One is that Judas coveted money more than his relationship with You. He was not thinking of consequences, only greed, and selfishness. The second was that You were betrayed by a personal friend that You lived with and taught for 3 years. To be captured unjustly was bad enough, but to have a personal friend betray You that initiated the capture had to grieve Your heart with rejection. Lord, Jesus, I don’t want anything in my life to come between my relationship with You. Your grace, mercy, and love are more priceless than anything this world could ever offer. Help me never to be carelessly tempted by people, things and activities that interfere with my relationship with You. Lord, I pray that I consciously consider how my behavior affects those I love. I know that there will be times where I may hurt someone, but I ask that I recognize it and quickly remedy the situation. I also know that I have been and will be deeply hurt by others. You know what it feels like. I pray that You walk with me through those situations and help me to love and forgive as You did. In Your Gracious Name, Amen.