Daily Reading and Devotional from the Gospels
Matthew 26:14–25
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15 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. 16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
I heard someone say that one of the largest nuggets of gold ever found on the east coast had been propping open a door to a country store in NC and had done that for years. A geologist passing through saw the rock and bought it for next to nothing. I don’t know the validity of that story but I do know what it‘s like to sell something way too cheap and regret it later. My first car was a 1972 Chevy Chevelle Malibu. I traded it in on a real lemon, a 1990 Mercury Cougar. I think they allowed me three thousand on the trade. I’ve regretted that deal ever since. I tried to buy one like it but I didn’t have the fifteen grand the owner was asking. Come to think of it, I may be too stupid to write this blog! What was I thinking? Do you realize that sporting my bald head while driving an American muscle car would make me resemble the preacher version of Vin Diesel? Can you imagine how fast I could get to preaching engagements if I still had that car? If I had only recognized what I had. If I could have only accurately assessed the value of what I was getting in exchange. Oh well, I guess you live and learn.
Judas negotiated a deal to betray the Lord Jesus. When the bartering ended he came away with a mere thirty pieces of silver. Exodus 21:32 tells us that was the value assigned to a slave. Can you imagine that, selling the King of Kings for the price of a common slave? The truth is, no amount of money can compare to Christ, no possession compares to him. You can gain the world and lose your soul. Judas gained thirty pieces of silver. now that is a bad deal! Is there anything worth the life of God’s only begotten son? Can a good trade happen that would include Christ? Yes! To God the Father, Yes! You need to know that the Father thought you were worth the deal. He gave the life of his only begotten Son in exchange for you! (Jn 3:16) Jesus endured the cross, even though he despised the shame of it. Why? He considered you a joy worth the sacrifice (Heb. 12:2). If today, you have trusted him, rejoice! If you have not, then please don’t walk away from this deal. If you die and miss this offer, there is no live and learn. No, you will regret it like Judas, eternally.
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