HE WENT OUT
“After receiving the morsel, he
immediately went out,
and it was night,” – John 13:30
The
story of the downfall of Judas is the most pitiful picture of unbelief in the
Gospels. His spiritual opportunities of knowing Christ were unsurpassed. He had
received a personal call to discipleship from Jesus Himself. He had been at the
side of the Master continually for three years, listening to all His teaching,
watching every miracle, and observing a life that portrayed the very character
of God. But he allowed sin gradually to take hold of him—the sin of avarice,
unholy ambition…
Jesus
knew what was happening in the heart and mind of Judas, but He loved him to the
end. He made appeal after appeal to Judas. Clearly, from the description in
this passage, Judas was seated directly on the left of Jesus, the place of
highest honor kept for the most intimate friend. We can almost hear Jesus say
to him, “Judas, come and sit beside me; I want to talk especially to you.” When
Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, he washed the feet of Judas also. And
for the host to offer the guest a morsel of food taken from his own dish was a
sign of special friendship.
But
Judas rejected all these overtures of love, and allowed Satan to enter and take
control of him. The story of Judas ends with these sad words: “He immediately
went out and it was night.” This was more than just the close of a day;
it was the close of a life. The darkness in the soul of Judas was far greater
than the darkness of the night.
A
person is always in the dark when he or she turns away from the light of the
Gospel and goes a different, selfish way. A person is always in the dark when
he or she spurns the love of Christ and turns to the hatred of the world.
Thought for the day: Sin turns the lights off, but Jesus
can turn them on again.
J.T. Seamands
“If we submit ourselves to Christ, we
walk in the light; if we turn our backs on Him, we go into the dark. The way of light and the way of darkness are
set before us. God give us wisdom to
choose aright - for in the dark a man always goes lost.” Wm. Barclay