Unexcused Absence.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)

As we read Matthew 28:16, we see that Jesus told the disciples to go to Galilee. In the narrative, though, we see that Matthew begins the verse with a significant head count: “Then the eleven disciples…”

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam encouraged us to reflect on a question: Who is missing, and why? Most people familiar with Christianity know that Jesus called twelve disciples, and that Judas Iscariot was the disciple who was missing from the head count. But, have we taken the time to really consider the “why” of Judas’s absence?

It is not simply that Judas had committed suicide after his betrayal of Jesus. Pastor Sam noted that, prior to the betrayal, Judas exhibited certain behaviors that indicated he was not exclusively devoted to our Lord. We were asked to remember the story of Mary’s offering in John 12:3-6. It says:

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Let’s consider three points that our pastor shared:

Judas loathed authentic worship. In the face of Mary’s offering, Judas responded not with praise of God, but with a harsh criticism of Mary’s worship: Why did she give to Jesus what could have been given to someone else?

Judas lied about his motivation. Though his mention of the needs of the poor seemed noble, Judas was using the plight of the poor as a cover for his own indiscretions.

Judas lived a life of compromise. Entrusted with the role of treasurer, Judas had grown comfortable with embezzlement. He maintained his position as a disciple while also being able to satisfy his desire for money.

Pastor Sam gave us an important warning (paraphrased here): Judas was a ranking disciple, and yet he was derailed by his unwillingness to renounce his love for monetary gain. And so we ask ourselves the hard questions:

v  Are we, at the risk of our soul’s salvation, modeling the way of Judas?

v  Is there something, or someone, that we have permitted to overtake our desire for Jesus?

v  Is there something, or someone, that we have decided to embrace even though we know our decision is in disobedience to the commands of Christ?

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.