Becoming Judas

Today's passage:  John 6: 52-71
     "Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?  He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon:  for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve."
     I tend to be very naive.  I think living in the city has definitely helped me be less so, but there are many times that God thumps me with something that I did not see coming at all.  I try to be aware, I try to be on the lookout, but I can't always dodge and duck before getting smacked in the face.  I wonder sometimes if I am too trusting of people.  I have always been a person who gives someone the benefit of the doubt (maybe to the extreme).  I know we are all sinners, but I just want to believe the best about people.  I have a hard time believing the worst until I have no choice.  This must be the reason God gave me a policeman husband who only sees the worst in humanity and has to give me a healthy dose of it now and then.  I've certainly learned to trust his instincts.  Am I living in my own little la-la land?  I don't think of myself as flighty or clueless.  Gullible, yes, but not an airhead.
     I wonder this because if I were one of the disciples, I would assume that everyone would be there because they would want to follow this God Man.  I would assume that everyone would pitch in and help, do the right thing, support Him as best they knew how.  I would be absolutely stunned when Jesus pointed out there was a traitor among us.  I would be stunned, hurt, disappointed, angry.  Why would someone be like that?  Why would someone hurt our Lord?  Even if he didn't believe he was God, this person should at least do what was asked of him or leave the group.  I don't understand why Jesus would choose someone He knew would betray Him.  I have always wondered why God's plan included Judas.  Jesus never had to make him one of the twelve.  He could have easily chosen someone who had the right heart.  Maybe Jesus was trying to teach us something even in this.  Maybe He was trying to show us that there will always be traitors among us,  people who try to sabotage everything good taking place.

Judas Iscariot offers to betray Jesus to the Jewish Leaders--Taken from The Children's Friend (Part 5)
By Mrs. Adelaide Bee Evans
Review and Herald Publishing Company 1911, 1928

     Nobody sets out to be a Judas.  Judas didn't set out to be a Judas.  It started with a grumble here, a complaint there.  But he didn't join this group thinking to himself, "I'm going to betray Jesus someday."  Traitors rarely look at themselves in that light.  In Christian circles, they often think they are helping.  This is what God led me to do.  Baloney!  (And yes, I know that is not how the word is spelled).  God never leads us to try to make things better by bringing people down.  That is never God's way.  Remember how upset Judas was with the woman who broke her alabaster box and poured it on Jesus' feet?  Why was he so upset?  He felt that if that box had been given to their treasury it would be a much better use for it.  Jesus says no, let her be.  What upset Judas the most?  The money?  Maybe.  The woman's devotion?  Perhaps.  I think that Judas became a victim to his pride.  Jesus did not listen to his recommendation, Jesus did not take his suggestion.  That is what started to eat away at Judas.  He felt disregarded.  Why do we get so offended when others don't do things our way?  Why do we get so frustrated with people when they don't take our advice?  Is it so much because we wanted to help them, or is it more because we want the credit for helping them?  Pride is such a tricky monster.  He finds every crevice in our lives to sneak in. 
     There will be people who read this today, thinking that I intentionally decided to post about this.  I can promise you I did not.  I have been in John chapter 6 for the last three days, and it is a long chapter.  I've had to break it up, and these are the last verses of chapter 6.  I never post to help someone else learn something, although I'm glad if people do.  I always post with the intention of what am I supposed to learn today, Lord?  Am I immune from being a Judas?  None of us are.  If I always see a way to do things better, and get upset when my way is not chosen each time, I can easily become traitorous.  If I grumble and complain not only about the problems, but about why my advice wasn't listened to,  I can find myself wanting to force people to listen.  I'm always surprised to be confronted with a Judas. I just pray that I don't turn around and find someday it is me.