The Cause of Betrayal: Expectation
“But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to the man who betrays him!”
- Luke 22:21-22
Over the next three days we are going to talk about three key components that lead to Judas’s betrayal of Jesus. The first was his expectation. A few days ago we discussed how the expectations of others can distract us from God’s purpose. Today we want to talk about how our own expectations can often drive us to manipulate circumstances in order to reach our desired outcome.
There are a lot of believers that are just like Judas. They are sincere when they come down the aisle to join the church. They are genuine in their belief that this will be the moment and the movement that changes their lives. They listen to the preaching and the praying, and esteem the message that comes from the pulpit with hopes that all of their expectations will come true. But when time goes by, and when what they hoped for does not happen, they get frustrated with Jesus, and the fire they once had goes away.
See, it’s easy to look down on Judas thinking that you’re not like him because he was a bad guy, but when we consider the fact that perhaps he betrayed Jesus because he got frustrated with Jesus, it invites us to consider the ways in which we are more like him than we might think. So ask yourself this: what is it that causes you to get frustrated with Jesus? What happens when you’ve been calling Jesus’ number and it seems like He isn’t home or He isn’t answering?
What causes you to feel frustrated with Jesus? Is there anything in your life you think Jesus is not paying enough attention to? Are there any ways you think He is holding out or not coming through for you the way you think he should? What sort of blessings do you expect Jesus to give you that He has not. See, Judas wasn’t a bad guy. He was a follower of Jesus who got frustrated when Jesus didn’t deliver what he wanted, when he wanted, and how he wanted. Be careful that you do not make the same mistake Judas did. It does not mean you’re a bad person, but if you are not careful, we all have the potential to get frustrated with Jesus and betray him.
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