BE CAREFUL TO THINK like Jesus, not like Judas.
On the threshold of His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus shared a Passover supper with the twelve. During the course of that meal, He demonstrated the depth and longevity of His love for them by washing their feet in humble service. During supper the devil had already suggested to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that this was the night to carry out his plan to betray Jesus (John 13:2, tlb).
Judas sat on the devilish suggestion like a mother robin sits on an egg. That night in the Upper Room, Life and death dined together. Jesus and Judas both had plans to carry out; Jesus had a plan for giving life, and Judas had a plan for taking it away. If Judas were to write a book, it might be called The Devil Driven Life.
After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him (John 14:5). Jesus was foot-washing; Judas was back-stabbing. Jesus washed dusty, stinky “world-think” from the feet of His disciples. I wonder if He scrubbed Judas extra hard?
What an amazing scene! The Creator washing the feet of His creation. What glory! What majesty! When did I get immunized to the shocking beauty of divine redemption?
I asked on Facebook what my friends thought of when they heard the words “Jesus and Judas,” and received a number of interesting answers. Good and bad. Sweet and sour. Life and death. Light and dark. Lover and deceiver. Grace and greed. Smart and dumber.
This account brings so many questions to my mind. When did Judas start thinking wrong? When did he start living wrong? Did he repent before he committed suicide? And then this question: Do I ever think like Judas? A lot or a little?
In response to my Jesus and Judas question, my friend Nita answered, “I think of the fight within each of us. I want to be more of Jesus, less of Judas.” Me too, because how you think determines how you live and how you die.
Life Challenge: Jesus and Judas demonstrated grace and greed. Monitor your thoughts today. Are you thinking like Jesus or Judas?
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