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Christ’s 12 disciples, Jesus spent a lot of time with Judas Iscariot. He followed Jesus, fellowshipped with Him and shared the Last Supper with Him. So, how could it be that, after spending so much time in proximity with our Savior, Judas could even think to betray Him with a kiss?
No one can say for sure, of course, but Judas would have likely stayed loyal to Jesus had 30 pieces of silver not been offered by the priests (Matthew 26:14-16). But before and after this betrayal, Jesus, having served, loved and performed miracles on others, was vilified (Isaiah 5:23). And Judas’ guilt consumed him when it was all said and done (Deuteronomy 27:25; Ezekiel 22:12-15).
This isn’t to say Jesus’ crucifixion would have never happened, had Judas not been offered silver in exchange for leading the Romans to Jesus. God sent His Son here to rebuild our connection to Him. To give us another chance for salvation. But Judas knew Christ. He spent time with Him. He learned from Him. He watched Him. He broke bread with Him. And the only explanation for his betrayal is bribery.
“A bribe blinds the discerning,” it says above in Exodus 23:8. What’s clear and unconscionable without the presence of a bribe becomes unrecognizable once it’s placed in front of your eyes.
Let us use Judas’ actions as a lesson. Even when we know the truth, once we entertain a bribe, our eyes will no longer see it. At that point, we are blinded by greed.
They say the way to someone’s soul is through the eyes. It is not a coincidence that, once your eyes are clouded, so then is the heart, followed by the ability to discern what’s right and what’s wrong (Ecclesiastes 7:7).
Our Heavenly Father loves us so much, that He sacrificed his Son for us to be able to receive eternal life. All of us, without exception. For He is just (2 Chronicles 19:7). We were bought at a price. Our ultimate duty here on earth is to serve Him, to love Him, and to follow Him… with our hearts, simply because we desire to do so without coercion. He did not bribe us with anything for the cause. He did not bribe us to love Him. Instead, He chose to give His Son… so that we could make the choice for ourselves; the choice to accept eternal life (Proverbs 15:27) and forever drink from the fountain (Isaiah 33:15-16).
God is pure and righteous. We cannot bargain with Him (Deuteronomy 10:17). May we follow the Father’s example. When we move for a cause, we won’t taint our words with the action of bribing others who are already unwilling, even if the cause is good. We won’t marry honesty with dishonesty. And may we serve freely. No stipulations. No conditions. No bribes. Because Jesus paid it all.
