Judas Iscariot’s price for betraying Jesus was thirty pieces of silver, or about six months’ wages (Matthew 26:14–15). How high do you set the price of betrayal? Most of us recoil at the question because there isn’t enough money in the world for us to betray Christ. We’ve read the book and know how that decision ends (Matthew 27:3–5).
Knowing history, we learn from it and can avoid making the same mistake Judas did. Or can we? Sure, we’d never accept money to walk away from Jesus. Still, we’re setting the price of betrayal every day and almost always multiple times each day. It’s a gut punch to think about, but the truth often feels that way.
How do we set the price of betrayal every day? Every time we choose our will over that of God’s will, we betray Him (Luke 6:46). We proclaim He isn’t who He says He is, because if He is the Lord of our life, we will not reject what He tells us to do (John 14:15). Somehow, Jesus’s lordship has become optional in the lives of His followers. Jesus said if we deny Him before men, He will deny us before the Father (Matthew 10:33). That’s black and white. There are no conditions or loopholes in there.
How cheap is the price we’re setting on our devotion to Christ? Is it the price of a movie we know we shouldn’t watch? A song that has no business infiltrating our minds (Philippians 4:8)? How about the free post on the internet or indulging in a little gossip in the (gasp!) foyer of the church? Perhaps Judas was far more devoted than us because he held out for such an incredible sum compared to what we demand to sell out Jesus.
Are you still thinking you’d never betray Jesus at any cost? Few of us can get through a single week without planting a figurative kiss on the cheek of Jesus (Luke 22:48). We mustn’t be flippant about this. Every time we say “yes” to sin, we are saying “no” to Jesus. To be blunt, we are rejecting Jesus and disregarding His sacrifice for us (Hebrews 10:26–29). I have to believe the only reason we sin is because we don’t understand how serious sin is in the eyes of God. If you continue to live in sin after giving your life to Christ, something isn’t adding up (Romans 6:1-2).
If we understand the price Jesus paid for our salvation, then there is no price of betrayal high enough to even tempt us (1 Peter 1:18-19). We demand so little to betray Jesus. How often do we scoff at the thick-headedness of the disciples without realizing we are far worse? No one names their child Judas anymore, but we all still imitate his wretchedness. Sin is never acceptable to God, so it must never be acceptable to us (Romans 6:12–13). There is no minor sin in the eyes of God (James 2:10). Every sin is an affront to His holiness and a betrayal of the sacrifice of His Son (Isaiah 53:5–6; Isaiah 59:2).
If we want to live like Jesus, we must understand the weight of every sin. The very thought of dishonoring the name of Christ should make us sick (Psalm 97:10). Stop treating sin as being less serious than it is (Romans 6:23). We must all repent and turn away from anything that dishonors God and brings shame to His holy name (Acts 3:19). Setting a price of betrayal is something that should never enter our minds. Jesus demands total devotion and He alone is worthy of that price (Revelation 5:12).