Day 13 — The Cash
Matthew 26:14-16
14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 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. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
The deal was struck, the cash was offered and the betrayal set in motion. What was Jesus’ life worth to Judas? Thirty coins. These are probably some of the most agonising verses in this story where Judas sets in motion Jesus’ arrest and execution. The catalyst? The woman with the jar of perfume. Judas had been stealing from the offering money and would have benefited fraudulently from the jar – so this worshipful act infuriated him. Cold cash paid for the Christ’s life. One of the subtle yet seismic ploys of the enemy is the temptation to make an agreement in our hearts that ultimately betrays what it means to follow Jesus.
And yet it can be so easy to do, something in our hearts agrees with a lie, a whisper, that has come from the dark side: ‘God has abandoned you because your earthly father did’, ‘God never speaks to you’, ‘You’re not good enough for God,’ and so on. Agreements that the father of lies uses to kill, steal and destroy God’s light and presence.
It’s been said, ‘anything worth having is worth fighting for’ and perhaps sometimes in these uncertain times we may find we need to fight a little bit (in a good way) to counteract agreements that stray outside of God’s purposes for us. To fight against an easy deal with the enemy that feels right at the time, yet undermines our witness for Christ.
What people see in us at this time could make all the difference in that witness. Honesty about our struggles, yes, but always a deeper hope underneath that sees not only the journey through the darkest hours but the promise of life ahead. A future beyond lagging supplies of toilet paper, beyond self-isolation, beyond Covid-19, to see the story of the cross and to discover a God who has struck a deal never to betray us.
One Prayer: This is how I fight my battles – through worship and prayer to the one, all-powerful, dynamic God of heaven and earth.
Nick & Ali Herbert