Reflection On Mathew 26: 14-25

Today’s Gospel offers us four brief meditations for our consideration. The first of those is on Greed. It’s not stated, but strongly implied, that Judas would not have betrayed Jesus had he not been paid. a piece of silver was a Jewish shekel, worth about 64 cents. The price placed on the head of Jesus amounted to something less than $20.00. The second has to do with mystery. There’s a “mystery man” in the Gospel passage we just heard or read. Mark and Luke say that this man would be carrying a pitcher of water. He’ll be easy to spot for women usually carried the water in those days. The disciples were to follow this man to some house. No address is given. The man with the pitcher remains one of the nameless friends of Jesus. Third, there is the matter of tension. Here was a divided table, a stress- filled supper. The disciples were distressed with the way Jesus was talking. The statement, “Better for him had he not been born”, only heighted the anxiety. Goodness and evil sat down to dine at the same table and finally, there was deception. Judas says to Jesus, “Surely, it is not I, Rabbi / Master?” about strike a deadly blow, he addresses Jesus with a title of respect and feigns his own innocence. It then grew dark.
This is what happened to Judas, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for everything.” The call of the Lord “follow me” slowly started fading from his mind. He became less and less thrilled about his friendship with Jesus. He could no longer prevent his mind from looking for personal gains. His was a classic case of failure to nourish a commitment that was to lead him to life. He never gave his heart fully to the invitation of the Lord to follow Him. He had other ideas and motives which he allowed to get in the way of his commitment to Jesus. It is very important to guard ourselves from this kind of temptation. There is a spiritual combat throughout our lives. When we forget the purpose of our lives and get absorbed by what happens around us, we will be destroying the very love that is carved in our hearts by the Creator.
Questions to ponder:
How is my life built up?
Do I have the right motive in my life?
Is my life carried on for personal gain?

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