SIN EXPLODES QUICKLY

Matthew 26:14-15 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.

Reading through today’s text, in Matthew 26, Proverbs chapter 6 jumped out at me and I realized two things:
1. Judas Iscariot met the first five of the seven criteria on that list, and
2. Jesus was on the receiving end of all that.

Here is the text of interest from Proverbs 6:16-19
“There are seven things that the Lord hates and cannot tolerate:

a. A proud look,
b. a lying tongue,
c. hands that kill innocent people,
d. a mind that thinks up wicked plans,
e. feet that hurry off to do evil,
f. a witness who tells one lie after another,
g. and someone who stirs up trouble among friends.”

Here was Judas’ checklist: the arrogance and pride to approach the Chief Priests asking for his reward before handing Jesus over,
The boldness to lie and ask Jesus “is it I”, knowing he had already sold him out
Handing over Jesus with his own hands through a kiss, conceiving in his heart strategies and opportunities to hand him over.

In case you want to be a judge of Judas, I dare to inform you that it doesn’t take a lot to begin journeying down this list. David raced down that list quite quickly in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba; and this was the man after God’s own heart. So guard your heart for from it arises all the issues of life.

#sly