Boy, Father, my body is protesting my cleaning out our flower beds this past weekend! It is good to be able to sit down but even more so it is good to be able to sit down with You. Bless our time together. Amen.

Matthew 26:14 -16 (<<click to read the passage)

Judas. One of the twelve. Chosen by Jesus. Thief. Betrayer. Universally despised. Embodiment of evil.

I’m sure if you had asked any one of the remaining eleven about him they would have most assuredly spit his name out as if it were something putrid in their mouths. He would definitely not rank on anyone’s top 10 list of favorite Bible characters…but…

Was he a hopeless cause? …let me rephrase that… Is there anyone that is a hopeless cause? How did Jesus see him? He knew what he would do but did that affect the way he interacted with him?

Just think about it for a moment. When Jesus interacted with the teachers of the Law, he wasted no time in setting them straight. But here is someone who he knew was going to be the instrument through which his path to the cross would begin. Yet he never once directly confronted him, though He referred to His betrayer many times throughout their time in the upper room as they observed the Passover Meal.

Honestly, I don’t believe Jesus ever gave up on Judas. Judas gave up on himself. Judas ended his own life believing that he was beyond forgiveness. He alone believed his sin was unpardonable.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16 NKJV

Let me ask, is there any translation of the Bible that reads

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever – with the exception of Judas Iscariot – believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Nope. No one, not even the betrayer of Christ himself, was excluded from the possibility of forgiveness.

I truly believe that if Judas had not ended his own life but had instead found himself before Christ and if he had humbly bowed before Him, begging forgiveness for his horrific act that Jesus would have forgiven him.

We all, at one time or another, though chosen by Christ have betrayed Him. I, for one, am grateful that He extends his forgiveness to everyone and forgives all of our dastardly deeds. His mercy, though incomprehensible on so many levels, is truly wonderful! Praise His holy name!

Nov 5th, 2018, Mon, 4:47 pm