make the right choice

Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.” (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) (Acts 1:12-19)

A lot of times you just do not know what to do. In a time of stress, people will do all kinds of things, some constructive and some destructive.

The eleven apostles met together and prayed to relieve their stress. They were quite frankly scared and didn’t know what else to do. So they prayed.

Jesus had left them and they were, at least in their minds, without the presence of God, so they sought that presence in the best way they could: prayer.

Judas also felt abandoned. He of course had brought it on himself when he betrayed Jesus and brought the anger of the rest of the group on himself. He too was without the presence of God. So he did what he felt was necessary. He killed himself.

Both of these were adaptations to stress. But one sought God, the other sought death. One sought relief, the other release.

It would have been easy for the apostles to have felt abandoned. Jesus had told them to wait until they received power, but how long would that be? It could be days, it could be weeks, it could be months, years, decades. How long?

Judas was without God and felt abandoned. He saw no reason to live. He had lost all of his friends, his job, his support group, his own sense of self-image. He was a traitor and a betrayer, one who turned on his own friends and his own teacher. He was no good.

At least in his own mind.

But when it came down to it, he did no different than Peter, except that he got paid better. Peter denied Jesus for a temporary place at the fire. Judas got thirty pieces of silver. But the action was the same. Both denied Jesus. Both got paid. But one came back and the other didn’t.

You betrayed Jesus yourself, not long ago. You can do as Peter did and return, loving Jesus once again. Or you can do as Judas did and figure it is all hopeless and leave your life behind.

Make the right decision.