Do we accept what God says to us as truth or do we bend it to make ourselves comfortable?
John 13: 21-30
21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” 22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. 23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 So Simon Peter *gestured to him, and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus then *answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He *took and *gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. 29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. 30 So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
So, what is it that caused Jesus to become troubled in spirit? Was it that someone lifts his heel against him? Was it that in thinking that He who receives whomever He sends receives Him, knowing that not everyone will receive who He sends? Was it that not all of them were clean? We could speculate for hours, but I believe it is “all of the above.” Add in a dash of “you’re about to be mocked, shamed, scourged, and crucified by the very people you love and came here to help,” and yeah, I’d probably be troubled in spirit as well.
It’s interesting that the disciples were so intent on knowing who He was talking about, yet somehow were blind to the blatant answer. We read the story and after all the time that they spent with Jesus, after all the parables, revelations, and personal teaching, they still didn’t get it. Maybe they just didn’t want to believe that one from their intimate circle was going to betray not only Jesus, but their trust as well. Afterall, he did have the money purse. They trusted him with their money. Certainly, after all they had learned from Jesus, money shouldn’t have been a huge deal to them, but it was still important nonetheless.
This part of the story illustrates our choice in belief. Some might say that Jesus didn’t “reveal” to them that Judas was the betrayer, however He clearly demonstrated it and even spoke to Judas about the very betrayal. I keep thinking back to when Jesus was telling parables and he said, “he who has ears, let him hear.” This refers to those who are willing to hear the answer or the meaning, even if they don’t like it. In yearning for God’s truth, it isn’t about us liking what He has to say, it is accepting it as truth, the Word of God. Too often we skip of scripture or ignore it or find meaning in it that makes us feel good instead of trying to understand what it really says and means
Jesus doesn’t call us to be comfortable; He calls us to be honest. He doesn’t want us to create a shroud of fallacy around us, He wants us to understand and know His Truth. He doesn’t call us to interpret His Word to make a belief system that is cushy; He calls us to align our lives with His Will. How do you approach His Truth? Do you make it mean what you want it to mean so you can feel comfortable and justified?
