30 Pieces Of Silver — Do You Have A Price?

"'What are you willing to give me

if I hand Him over to you?'

So they counted out for him thirty silver coins."

Matthew 26:15 (NIV)

When the name Judas Iscariot is mentioned, we immediately think, "Ooooh, he was the traitor who betrayed Jesus for only thirty pieces of silver." We don't think, "Oh! He was one of Jesus' twelve disciples who had the honour to be one of His students." Judas got to walk beside, watch, listen to, and serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords for several years. We don't remember the good Judas must have accomplished being a disciple and servant of Jesus. Instead, we remember only the bad he did.

What about today? How many movie stars, singers, professional athletes, presidents of the United States, or even pastors or TV evangelists come to mind who are remembered for their evilness or sin and not for any of the good things they might have accomplished during their life before their evil sin was committed and made public?

People have the tendency to remember the evil others do far more than they remember the good, even long after those who committed the terrible sin have died.

Yes, Judas was willing to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. But how many of us would also sell Jesus out for a price? It may not necessarily be for money. It could be the temptation to have sexual relations outside of marriage, to accept a marriage proposal from a non-Christian mate, to fulfil a dream that will cause you to go against the holiness of God, to take illicit drugs, or to go to wild, alcohol-fueled parties.

It's easy to condem people like Judas, but we all need to be constantly on guard to not fall into the trap of trading Jesus for other things, which would ruin our relationship with God and our reputation as one of His servants, and cause us to be only remembered by others for our evil sins.