Matthew 26:47-50
47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
After Jesus' lonely and agonizing night at Gethsemane, He is betrayed by one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot. The kiss of betrayal would rest upon the very face of God. Kissed with betrayal by one who seemed to be a devoted friend. Judas was never given hand-me-downs, or leftovers, but he was welcomed, treated and trusted just like everyone else. I believe that Judas had betrayed himself long before he betrayed Jesus. He betrayed himself with his thinking, that his physical closeness counted for Spiritual closeness. He had dreams of financial gain, and selfishly enjoying the pleasures of the day. Can you imagine the torture Judas was facing when it was revealed to him the depth of his betrayal? To know he had betrayed innocent blood and then not to be able to make it right. No matter how loud, how long he cried, or how sincere he was, he had completely crossed the line of no return and in this case when he died, he lifted up his eyes in hell.
For the sinner you may have been involved in all the church activities, been around church people all your life and even been baptized. But the story of Judas shows us just how close we can be and still miss it. Make sure that you are more than religious, but that you are saved by His grace.
For the Christian this story has a strong impact as well. You might be thinking, "I'm saved and I'm not going to hell." And that would be true, the saved will never have to face the torments of hell, but there are some sins that you can commit that you will never fully recover from. It's not that you cannot be forgiven or even have an opportunity to serve, but it will never be the same, you could loose a position that you will never regain, a shadow of guilt may follow you through life, a friendship could be broken, a testimony tainted, or even a relationship could be completely destroyed. Guard your heart and mind.
Pastor Todd McClain
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