shamed: Sold for a Shekel and a Kiss
‘For here is the way God so loved the world—He gave His only unique Son as a gift.’ (John 3:16a, TPT)
April 13th, 2022
FOOL-ish, i.e. lacking judgement or sense; ill-considered; unwise; preposterous; thoughtless; reckless; absurd; idiotic.
1 Corinthians 1:18: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.’ (NKJV)
The sunbaked streets were clotted with dust and the grit of misinformation had to have tasted just as nasty. A heartbeat of vindication thrummed on the square and the pulse of righteous demands was palpable in the air. Each moment, another cry, ‘Crucify Him!’ was lifted like an anthem. It should have shocked the onlookers, but it felt like an ordinary day. It was less than a week since the same jesters had lain down a path of palms and everyone welcomed Jesus as He entered Jerusalem on the rear of a donkey. All people shouted ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Now they were jeering Him and plotting against Him, wishing Him dead. Anything can grow in fertile soil. Even fool-ishness can blossom, and once it takes root, it can spread like weeds where it chokes out life.
Satan had already taken up residency in the soul of Judas; plots and plans had been devised and a rendezvous occurred without a hiccup. A rooster’s crow would drown out the jeers and cries of mankind as they forgot what it was like for the soul to feel it’s worth. Before the sun could pour itself across the sky like juice from a bottle, the fool-ish decision that chose deceit over honor, sold grace out for a shekel, betrayed endless love with a kiss, would hang itself with a noose around its neck. The echo of endless love would resound for an eternity, giving up Its final breath.
I wonder if Pontius Pilate despised his title that day as he determined the fate of forever. It seems he almost caved, like maybe the soul’s lost cry heard its founder, praying to be seen and rescued. But public opinion often tips toward the masses as the pendulum swings, as it did the day Jesus died. The lashes grafted on His skin on my behalf, my shame tattooed on His body, all of it leaving scars for a lifetime and longer. Roman soldiers drew lots for His robe and crushed His brow with a crown of thorns, a fool-ish chant of ignorance, ‘King of the Jews’ drooling from their lips. And all the while, he stared through the crowd, looking for us, scripting a legacy of love He signed with His blood for you and me.
I wonder what the last thought was on the mind of Judas the night he hung himself. I wonder what albatross hung from Pilate’s conscience every time he closed his eyes. I wonder if the soldiers questioned what had transpired as they divvied up His possessions and if the memory of His eyes burned within them. I wonder if there was holiness thick in the atmosphere, perhaps absorbing all the air as God turned His back on His Only Son while mankind’s sin sat upon His shoulders, the shoulders that bore all my past, present and future fool-ishness and sin. I wonder if all He has done for me and for you will make an eternal difference in how we love ourselves and love others.
Luke 22:48, ‘Jesus looked at him with sorrow and said, “A kiss, Judas? Are you really going to betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”’ (TPT)
