Judas, It's 11:59 P.M.

Judas, sadly, never goes away.

Judas Iscariot was a person, but his name is also a metaphor for the presence of evil in the midst of ministry.

So Jesus said to the Twelve, "You don't want to go away too, do you?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!" Jesus replied, "Didn't I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?" (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for Judas, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.) (John 6:67-71)

In our interactions with other believers, every now and then we find that a person has committed themselves to the works of the devil. It is a strange juxtaposition- seeing faithfulness and consistency and results in ministry work, but also seeing an undercurrent of selfishness, greed, or other vices contrary to the heart of God.

What do we do in such cases?
What did Jesus do?

Well, we see that Jesus didn't fire Judas. Up to the bitter end of his life, Judas was counted among the Twelve, Jesus's hand-picked disciples who followed Him for three years. Simon Peter reminds us that Judas was not a "fake" disciple: "For he was counted as one of us and received a share in this ministry" (see Acts 1:17).

Judas had three years of opportunity to repent and fully commit himself to Jesus. And during that time, Jesus never publicly called out Judas as a problematic ministry partner. What grace was extended by our Lord!

I believe we are called to extend that same grace to fellow believers: not making slanderous judgements, but seeking to teach and instruct them in the ways of the Kingdom of God. Seeking to keep them in community so that there is ample opportunity for repentance.

Judas, we are praying for you. Please turn your heart to the Lord while there is time.