John 12:4-6 Heart Motive

But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people? " Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.

Observation

Judas was one of the elite 12 that followed Jesus. He knew the inner workings of Jesus's ministry and was in charge on the money box. Even though he was close to Christ and the Kingdom of God, he still couldn't see God. Judas had an expectation of Jesus and Jesus wasn't meeting that expectation.  Judas was looking for a Lion and Jesus came as a Lamb. Judas wasn't the only one that was disappointed, the religious leaders and others Jews were disappointed also, but Judas was the only one that was in Christ's inner circle that would miss what God was doing in a big way. Yet it was all apart of God's plan, that Jesus would be betrayed by one of His own.

Judas couldn't see the evil that was growing inside of him. He knew how to manipulate things to make himself look good, like he cared, like he fit. When John is writing this book later he can see the signs as he is looking back. I wonder if any of the disciples had an inkling of what was going on in Judas's heart before he betrayed Jesus?

Application

We all tend to look at our motives in benign ways. But Christ demands more, He asks us to surrender our hearts to Him and so that He can reveal and heal the ugly inside. It is tough to do. When we behave badly we blame it on others or circumstances, but when others behave badly we have no problem labeling it a character issue. The challenge is to pull the plank out of our eye before we pull the splinter out of someone else's. That is my challenge. I recognize that the flaws I see in others are many times the flaws that God is trying to address in me. I hope I never get to a place where I think God has nothing to work on in me.

Prayer

Father, I ask you to search my heart and reveal my hidden faults, cleanse me and lead me in Your path of righteousness.Search My Heart