The Cause of Betrayal: Impatience
“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
Today we wrap up the three key components that can cause betrayal in your relationship with God. We have been looking at the story of Judas and how he is more like us than we often want to admit. Judas did not set out in the beginning to betray God, as Jesus had entrusted him with important responsibilities. However, Judas would betray Jesus as a result of three major problems. Judas’ betrayal was a result of unmet expectations, a conditional faith and relationship with Jesus, and finally, impatience.
Judas did not only have specific desires, but he had his own timeline for when he believed they needed to be done. Because Jesus was not working as fast as Judas believed he should, he grew impatient. He wanted the promises of God, but he did not like the process. Judas believed in the grand vision of liberation and freedom that was characterized by ushering in a new kingdom. The problem is that Judas had not calculated the process required to achieve his expected outcome.
He believed the Messiah was just going to show up, and that would be it. He thought the outcome he wanted would be much easier to realize. He thought the Messiah would come and bring easy victories and quick success. Little did he know that the road to greatness is paved with hard work, difficult days, and let downs every now and then. This challenged Judas because when the road got rough, and the going got tough, Judas began to wonder whether it was really worth all of this to follow Jesus.
Have you ever found yourself in this position? Maybe you have a desire or dream you want to live out in your life. You envision it and visualize the details, all the high points and excitement, “fun” that can come as a result of your desire. But do you think about what it is going to take to get there? Or what you will have to go through or sacrifice to get that desire? Often times what you want most, is not always easy. Most people give up and make the mistake of believing Jesus never wanted to give them that desire or dream. Often times though, it’s not that Jesus says “no” but instead we say no, first, and never even give him a chance.
- Luke 22:21-22
Today we wrap up the three key components that can cause betrayal in your relationship with God. We have been looking at the story of Judas and how he is more like us than we often want to admit. Judas did not set out in the beginning to betray God, as Jesus had entrusted him with important responsibilities. However, Judas would betray Jesus as a result of three major problems. Judas’ betrayal was a result of unmet expectations, a conditional faith and relationship with Jesus, and finally, impatience.
Judas did not only have specific desires, but he had his own timeline for when he believed they needed to be done. Because Jesus was not working as fast as Judas believed he should, he grew impatient. He wanted the promises of God, but he did not like the process. Judas believed in the grand vision of liberation and freedom that was characterized by ushering in a new kingdom. The problem is that Judas had not calculated the process required to achieve his expected outcome.
He believed the Messiah was just going to show up, and that would be it. He thought the outcome he wanted would be much easier to realize. He thought the Messiah would come and bring easy victories and quick success. Little did he know that the road to greatness is paved with hard work, difficult days, and let downs every now and then. This challenged Judas because when the road got rough, and the going got tough, Judas began to wonder whether it was really worth all of this to follow Jesus.
Have you ever found yourself in this position? Maybe you have a desire or dream you want to live out in your life. You envision it and visualize the details, all the high points and excitement, “fun” that can come as a result of your desire. But do you think about what it is going to take to get there? Or what you will have to go through or sacrifice to get that desire? Often times what you want most, is not always easy. Most people give up and make the mistake of believing Jesus never wanted to give them that desire or dream. Often times though, it’s not that Jesus says “no” but instead we say no, first, and never even give him a chance.
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