Is there a creator?

Judas the Traitor!

Luke chapter 12 verses 4 to 6:-   4 But Judas Is·car'i·ot, one of his disciples, who was about to betray him, said: 5 “Why was this perfumed oil not sold for 300 de·nar'i·i and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, though, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box and used to steal the money put in it.

The above scripture shows what was probably the catalyst that prompted Judas to betray him! 300 de·nar'i·i was close to a years wages for an unskilled worker, a huge amount of money! The Bible does not tell us the name of the woman who carried out this deed, but she was obviously a disciple of Jesus with a wealthy background!

Being a thief, Judas would have been very angry because he could not lay his greedy hands on the 300 de·nar'i·i, it was all that was needed to cause him to carry out his evil action! It has been said by some, that he had some sort of moral reason for doing what he did, but this is absolute rubbish, his motive was greed from start to finish!

Greed Destroyed Him!

Matthew chapter 26 verses 14 to 16:-   14 Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Is·car'i·ot, went to the chief priests 15 and said: “What will you give me to betray him to you?” They stipulated to him 30 silver pieces. 16 So from then on, he kept looking for a good opportunity to betray him.

Judas knew that the consequences of his actions could end in the death of Jesus, but he probably reasoned that this would not happen? Still the allure of money was to strong, so he followed his greedy desire for the money, and was comfortable in what he had done! But when he realised that Jesus had been condemned to death, he suddenly fully understood that he was responsible for having a righteous man put to death!

It was much to late to show remorse, the fatal damage was done and could not be reversed! Judas had been present on numerous occasions, he had seen the many miracles that the Holy Spirit had performed through Jesus. So in doing what he did, he sinned against the Holy Spirit, and this sin cannot be forgiven!

To Late For Remorse!

Matthew chapter 27 verses 3 to 5:-   3 Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, felt remorse and brought the 30 pieces of silver back to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying: “I sinned when I betrayed innocent blood.” They said: “What is that to us? You must see to it!” 5 So he threw the silver pieces into the temple and departed. Then he went off and hanged himself.

Judas is gone forever, and his destruction provides a real warning to anyone who puts acquiring wealth ahead of our service to our God! Nothing can be more important than a good honest relationship with Jehovah, and just as Jesus Christ gave his perfect life as a sacrifice for all faithful true Christians, we should never forget what it cost Jehovah and his Son to provide this way out from sin and death, without it we would have no hope!

Judas threw away his life for a few silver pieces, ask yourselves this - what is worth more, money or life? In this world money is a protection from starvation and it keeps a roof over our heads, so money is not in itself evil, but the single minded pursuit of money above all else can lead to the destruction of your spirituality, and the consequences are the loss of everlasting life?

Desire Causes Greed!

1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 10:-   10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.

Conclusion:   by all means work for the money to support you and your family, and if you make a little more than you need, there is nothing wrong with saving it for a rainy day! But be careful to never let it become the most important thing in your life! In the very near future, money will become absolutely useless, so don't allow a Judas like personality to ruin your relationship with Jehovah, remember that greed will not save you!

Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verses 11 and 12:-   11 Wisdom together with an inheritance is a good thing and an advantage to those who see the light of day. 12 For wisdom is a protection just as money is a protection, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

Don't Pursue Money!