Homily for March 28, 2018.
“What will
you give me if I deliver him to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of
silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.” Matthew
26:15-16.
It is one
thing to recognise the sin of Judas Iscariot but it is more important to
examine how we often commit the same sin of Judas in our own lives every day. There
are two ways we betray Jesus today; one making money by taking advantage of our
knowledge of /closeness to Jesus and secondly by denying our knowledge of Jesus
in the name of money.
Do you remember
a man called Gehazi in the Old Testament? He could rightly fit into the title
of the Judas Iscariot of the Old Testament. Gehazi was the servant of Elisha.
In the second book of Kings, we read of how Naaman the Syrian was cured of
leprosy by God after bathing seven times in the Jordan river following the instructions
of Elisha the prophet.
To prove
to Naaman that it was God who cured him, Elisha refused to accept any gifts
from Naaman. “’As the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will receive none.’ And he
urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Naaman said, ‘If not, I pray you,
let there be given to your servant two mules' burden of earth; for henceforth
your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the
LORD.’” 2 Kings 5:16-17
In verse 22,
we read of how Gehazi went after Naaman and lied in the name of Elisha saying “My
master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me from the hill
country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; pray, give them a
talent of silver and two festal garments.’”
Gehazi couldn’t
withstand how a rich man of Naaman’s calibre would just come to church and
receive healing without dropping a dime as thanksgiving. In the end, for
telling lies to obtain wealth by association with the man of God, God blessed
him with the same leprosy that Naaman washed off.
Peter refused
to accept money from Simon the magician who wanted to buy the ability to lay
hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit. (Read more in Acts 8:9-20). Today,
everything is for sale in the church! Even the very message we claim comes from
God is recorded and sold in various formats. Inspired music is for sale. Just name
it…
We ask
people to give tithes, seeds and offerings to God yet we use church money to
establish businesses in our own name such that the church itself does not benefit
from such businesses but our personal pockets. We literally sell God. We are no
better than Judas.
On the
other hand, when we deny our knowledge of Jesus by going against our
conscience, committing sin for the sake of making money, we also fall into the
category of Judas. If making money for you entails having to make people suffer
or even lose their lives, yet you claim to be a Christian, you are betraying
Jesus for money.
Recently, I
saw a short drama of a business man who wanted to obtain NAFDAC approval for a
drug he imported into the country. He was asked to wait for six months for the
drug to be tested but he said he couldn’t afford to wait for so long. He was
hoping he would be asked to pay a bribe but the only bribe demanded from him
was that he himself would have to take the drug for three days under doctor’s
supervision. Immediately, he took to his heels.
Dear
friends, it is easy to condemn Judas Iscariot but the truth is that money is a
god struggling for my worship and the truth is that I cannot serve two masters.
Matthew 6:24. I better examine my conscience today and repent lest I end up
like Judas.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, free me from greed that I may serve you alone
and not money. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of the Holy Week. Bible Study: Isaiah 50:4-9 and Matthew 26:14-25).
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