THE WILL OF MAN

Matthew 26:15-16 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

The moment Judas set his heart on the price for betraying Jesus, the deed was already done. The Pharisees sealed this quickly by offering him an upfront payment so that even if he changed his mind, the anticipated reward was already in his hands to motivate him.

So we read that “from then on, he actively sought for an opportunity to betray him’. That was very literal, and not metaphorical. He begun to map out their itinerary: how best to hand him over, when and where to do so. He had to consider possible entrapments that could fast track this process and in a reasonable timescale.

This might seem like a lot to do, but it is so because “Judas was willing to betray Jesus”. His will, which fueled his choices, therefore had to be respected. Don’t be surprised, because the will of man, that free will which God gave him, is so powerful that within the context of executing this will, the man himself can even decide not to choose God, the giver of that gift. So betrayal seemed a small feat in comparison.

The will of any man has potential to override the will of God for the same man. In other words, you can will yourself even out of the will of God. This is why scripture recommends that the man brings his will into alignment with that of God, even recommending giving permission for the will of God to override our wills: ‘not my will, but yours be done’

The strength inherent in our will need to be brought under the control of the will of God-that is the definition of submission.

#sly