Due to the unexpected and violent tornadoes in Dallas yesterday, my early morning flight was canceled. This resulted in me having one more day here. Unfortunately, my host had to work today, which means I got a whole day to myself. I had no car - just time and an empty house. This morning, on Facebook, a friend recommended a site that took you through a 15 - minute prayer exercise, which they have available for every day. I decided to check it out since I had more time than I knew what to do with.
This morning's meditation was on two things: a hymn that sang "My sweet Jesus, look with mercy on my soul" and the scripture from Matthew 26:14 - 16, where Judas agrees to betray Jesus.
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
In the given times of contemplation, there were two resounding thoughts that came to mind:
1. How much mercy it really takes to get to Heaven.
2. The question of whether or not I'm like Judas at all.
During my time here in Texas, I've had the chance to attend several church services. I continue to hear lots of messages of the gospel presented and followed with a statement or question that goes something like this: A lot you might think you're believers, but unless you're living it out and the Holy Spirit is inside of you - you're not. You may know a lot about Jesus, but do you actually know Him?
Such a great question. When immersed in a bible believing culture like Texas is, it would be easy to fall in to the cowpath of religious coattails without ever picking up the relationship with Jesus for yourself. As, I think about that in light of today's meditations, it seems that these two things go hand in hand with this notion.
For one, living as a feeble human here on earth, sin is inevitable. Not that we freely give way to it, but we ARE sinners, whether we try to be or not, we constantly fall short of what God calls us to. Because that's true, we are in full need at all times of mercy and grace. It must be in endless supply as we reach deeply into the well after both the most casual or most egregious cases of sin. Mercy allows us to know we can move beyond sin and onto the narrow path that God has called us to.
The second part of this morning's meditation that struck me was the final part of the given verses - "From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over". In some other translations, that is written - "and Judas watched for chances to betray Him". Those words just stick with me. Because, inasmuch as I'd like to have no identification with this passage, the truth is that I do. I might not be seeking out chances to sin, but I'm certainly guilty of selling Jesus out for the world rather frequently. At times, I can be frivolous in knowing I am welcome back to His loving embrace so I shortcut my love towards Him, towards my neighbor - all the while knowing that each is a betrayal of the great commandment.
This emphasizes the importance of my relationship with Him. The need for grace, for mercy, for truth, for love and then the need for these questions - Am I living out my faith in deed? Loving as I ought? Am I loving Jesus? Am I loving you? And, in doing so, giving way to his two greatest commandments? Holy Week and Easter just beg to be times of reflection and introspection. So, as I sit about to board my plane back to DC, these are the questions itching to be answered.
