Series: Devotion

Once upon a time Judas was a faithful teacher and preacher and healer, like the rest of the twelve. If one of the apostles could end up this way, what hope is there for me?

No matter what kind of suffering we are having, He is there for us. He is paying attention, holding us up, getting us through it—even when we cannot sense His presence, and it feels like God doesn’t care

Judas was just like the rest of them. He had been hand-picked by Jesus, just as they were; he had worked hard in the ministry; he had even gone out as all the apostles did, to preach and heal and cast out demons. Only John seemed to realize there was a problem (see John 12:6).

John 17:20-24 makes clear. You are among those people Jesus loves. His suffering, death, and resurrection are highly personal—because He faced them for you.

But most important, they would also need to find a lamb and sacrifice it at the temple. Why? Because the lamb was a reminder of how God saved the Israelite children from death (see Exodus 12). It was also a foretaste of Jesus’ own sacrifice as the true Lamb of God, whose death saves us all.

There is no clearer word for what the chief priests and scribes did when they plotted to kill Jesus. Judas is guilty of this, too. He had days, maybe weeks, to change his mind.

Because of Jesus’ strength, we will never fall. Because of His love for us, we have become part of God’s house, God’s temple—where we are forever welcome, honored, and useful.

Jesus is grieved to the heart, yet He saved all people, through His death and resurrection. He did a wonderful exchange: we give Him rejection, and He gives us welcome. We give Him pain, and He heals us. We give Him death, and He gives us life—everlasting life.

He knew that it wasn’t just death coming to Him—it was resurrection and everlasting life. That was the gift that He would share with every one of us who trusts in Him. That would be His great joy.