Matthew 27:1-31; Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Job 6
Judas is an incredibly sad character. Part of me pities him—the pain he must have felt knowing that he killed his teacher and friend. But at the same time, I wonder, what did he expect? The priests hated Jesus: did he think they would just say some mean things and then let him go? And all of that for 30 pieces of silver—practically nothing. A little monetary wealth can motivate people do to almost anything, including betraying their Messiah and friend.
There seems to be a theme in these few verses: trade. Judas traded Jesus for money, the priest traded the money for a graveyard of sorts, and Jesus was traded for Barabbas. In today’s culture, there is so much to trade Jesus for, yet none of it is worthwhile. People have traded beautiful families for lust; they have traded comfortable living for doomed risks hoping for more; people have traded their faith for worthless idols. The trade is never beneficial. I noticed as I was running the other day just how much things (buildings, fences, bridges) are decaying, falling apart, aging. The one thing that is getting more healthy, stronger, richer, is my soul in a relationship with Jesus. The physical things of this world will not last—my body, my house, my bank account. The thing that is truly valuable can’t be seen—it is my relationship with Christ Jesus.
The difference between God’s justice and God’s love is staggering. It says in Deuteronomy that if people reject him he will punish their families for three for four generations. I thought, “wow, that’s a long time.” Then I continued reading. God says that if we obey his teachings and worship only him, he will bless our families...for THOUSANDS of generations. The incredibly dynamic between God’s justice, as stated here, and his love, demonstrates that while he is a God of justice, he is so much more a God of love. He WANTS to do good things in our lives. That is so beautiful!
It is interesting that when God was so close in Deuteronomy, the people wanted him further away. Today, people think God is distant and want him closer, but if we consider the Israelites response, God is a lot to handle.
God calls us to memorize his laws, tell them to our children, think about them and talk about them all the time in order that we might obey them. One thing I have noticed is that the more I think about scripture, read it, talk about it, the closer I feel to God. This last year and a half of me getting up early to read and write my thoughts and questions and to listen to God, have been the best part of my spiritual life. If you, dear reader and friend, want to grow closer to God, stop reading my blog and start reading scripture! I would rather no one reads my blog because they are all spending daily time in the word. That's really the point of all of this. Just getting closer to God by discovering his word.
Often times people call out to God when they are in dire need, hoping that he will hear and answer and take away their pain. It is less often that people remember God in their times of blessing. These verses in Deuteronomy are explaining to the Israelites that they are going to receive abundant blessings, and while they are enjoying those, they need to remember who gave those to them.
There is an important message in Job; in particular, he says “I am not strong as stone or bronze.” People don’t have to be tough or stoic or unbendable in times of trouble. It is ok to be upset, broken, hurting, desperate. But, what Job shows us is that in those times of brokenness and pain, we can still respect God.
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