138. Friday after Second Sunday in Lent.
Lord Jesus, give us earnestness and vigilance. Amen.
Matthew 27, 3-10. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
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Judas had, surely, been in a fair way to become a chosen instrument for the Lord, and to shine in eternal glory among the hosts of the blest. He had been joined with the other disciples in preaching, healing, driving out devils, and glorifying the name of the Lord. But now we find him in the darkness of despair. Shortly afterwards he has a noose about his own neck, and goes to his own place as a son of perdition. This is most horrible. May it rouse us and fill our soul with earnestness. It was with this purpose in view that the Spirit of God caused the account to be written.
Every disciple of Jesus has his infirmities, his weak side; and this is especially true of the most highly gifted among them. The devil knows this, and lies in wait at the door; but God gives man the opportunity to obtain victory over himself, and to put the devil to shame. The great weakness of Judas, as of so many others, was covetousness. The Lord had entrusted to him the purse, the management of the common treasury; in the first place, because Judas had a special talent in that line, and was not of the kind who neither will nor can keep within their means; and in the next place, because all the disciples must be put to the proof, in order that they may be educated to gain the mastery over sin. Now if your special weakness, dear reader, is peevishness, for instance, or a domineering disposition, or vanity, or covetousness, God shapes your life in such a way that you have occasion to make use of the assistance of his grace against that particular temptation; and he gives you the necessary strength, that you may put off the old man day by day. Either he leads you among wicked men who stir up that which is evil in you, or among good men who make you to be ashamed. He gives you power and honor, and allows Satan to tempt you through these things, as in the case of Saul and David and Solomon; and the Spirit of God to humble you, as in the case of Jacob and David and Mary; or he sends you poverty and trouble, teaching you self-denial, humility, and trust in God alone, and giving you a distaste for the world, but longing after heaven. It shall not fail that the Holy Spirit will lead you wherever you go; that he will admonish, correct, comfort, and raise you up, thus enabling you to put on the new man, which is created after God. But do not grieve the Spirit, and do not forget that a little offence may easily bring on a greater, and then one yet greater. If you humor your evil desire, it gains strength; give the devil an inch, and he takes an ell. Bear in mind that with the growth of sin conscience is blunted, blindness increases, and the fear of God passes away. This was the case with Judas. He now hated the Lord and wished to be rid of him; at the same time he hoped to cheat the council out of the thirty pieces of silver. With devilish cunning he says: “Seize him and hold him fast.” However, the devil himself is more cunning still, and Judas falls into the pit himself had opened. Alas, many have started on the way to heaven, and have then again followed their sinful lusts, and have gone down to perdition. — Nevertheless, you must know that there is no necessity which compels any man to follow in the footsteps of Judas. The Lord can and will keep us.
Faithful God, we heartily beseech thee to grant us this grace. Save us from the way of perdition, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
O God of Bethel, by whose hand
Thy people still are fed;
Who through this weary pilgrimage
Hast all our fathers led:
Our vows, our prayers, we now present
Before thy throne of grace:
God of our fathers, be the God
Of their succeeding race.