Wednesday
• “Silent Wednesday” – Jesus and disciples remain in Bethany for last time of fellowship
• Judas returns alone to Jerusalem to make arrangements for the betrayal (Matt. 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11)
Judas, the Betrayer
There’s no recorded action for Jesus and his disciples during this day. The only time that activity is recorded is by one of the twelve apostles named Judas Iscariot. Judas followed Jesus around for 3 years in his ministry. He heard the teachings. He saw the miracles, yet none of these were able to “save” him. Judas had the look of a disciple of Christ, but he lacked the one thing that separates Christians from non-Christians: faith. Faith in Christ will change a person’s destiny forever. It distinguishes sinners from saints. Judas,one of the twelve, was lacking this faith.
If we measured Judas by our standard of faith, we would think that Judas was a pretty decent guy. He knew the Christian lingo. He comes to events. Heck, he even serves! What more proof do we need that he’s saved? It goes to show that saving faith cannot be measured by such things, but rather is displayed by what a person chooses to do with Jesus Christ. Judas had no qualms of giving Jesus over for 30 silver pieces (approx. 4 months wage). Money was more important to him than Jesus Christ, and he was willing to betray his master for it. We may never think that we could make the same mistake as Judas, but let’s face reality; there are many Judas’ inside of the church. People who look good on the outside, but would throw away their Master if the world gave them what they most wanted in life. We must not be so naive that we could never be like Judas. Instead, let us examine our hearts today and see if there is anything in this world that we love more than Jesus.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
1) Do I value anything more than Jesus Christ in my life?
2) Judas had a pattern of stealing (John 12:6), which ultimately led up to his betrayal. What sins do I need to repent of so that I don’t make the same mistake?
The Pruning 