Easter 2025 - Day 2: Resurrection Ready Destroyers

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. Mt 26:14–16

Good people are Resurrection Ready. But Judas makes us wonder, what turns good men bad? The answer? There are no good men who have turned bad. Only bad men who have turned good and bad men who worsen (Mt 12:33/Ro 3:10-11). Judas is the latter. He has the distinction of bearing the name most commonly associated with evil, and for good reason. While Jesus went about preaching the Gospel, healing the sick and raising the dead, His disciples witnessed it all. And that was by design you know. Jesus was training up the men who by the power of the Holy Spirit would take the Gospel to the world (Ro 1:16/1Co 15:3). And while all twelve men heard and saw it all, eleven were transformed from bad men to good men and one was not. Why was the Gospel incredibly fruitful in the life of the eleven, while the same Gospel was unfruitful in the life of Judas? In a word, greed. While the Gospel was preached and signs preformed, Judas had his mind set on something else. It was always money; having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. (Jn 12:6). This was a regular occurrence. He helped himself… as if it was his for the taking. Judas was a man of enterprise and of opportunity… If there was money to had, he would have it. And that's why when he caught wind that Jesus was a "wanted man", the first thing he thought was how he could capitalize on what he knew. And although he was one of the twelve, he went to the chief priests and said, What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” What will you give me? What is He worth to you? You see the seed of the Gospel, the power of God for salvation, was never going to get into the soil of the heart of Judas because it there were just too many thorns already occupying it. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. (Mt 13:22). One thing Jesus does in the Parable of the Sower, is that He puts the responsibility for the condition of the heart, directly upon the individual. And we ought to understand that every time Jesus preached and ministered, Judas chose what to set his heart and mind upon. (Ro 8:6). And there is one thing in particular that turns a bad man into a worse man and that is exposure to the truth and the rejection of it. Jesus said the servant who knows his master's will, is worthy of a more severe beating because everyone to whom much is given, much will be required. (Lk 12:47-48).

Here is my encouragement to you. Get rid of the thorns that get in the way of the word of God. This week set out to be very intentional about putting away all filthiness and rampant wickedness so that you may receive with meekness the implanted word. Any and every weight and sin - put it away by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ's finished work. Be done with it, choosing to be good soil and enjoy the fruitful results. (Jas 1:21). Take some practical steps to get Resurrection Ready.