Looking at Matthew 27:1-26

[Angela Doreen]

Today at work studing Matthew 27:1-27 I was looking at Judas and wondering how after being with the Master for three and half years day and night eating with Him, learning from Him laughing with Him that he could do what he did and still to the end did not realise who he actually sinned against. You know many people will say Judas repented and that is why he hanged himself, but the question is did he really repent personally I would say no.

You know in the Scripture it mention he repented and bring the money back to the priest and elders but not once did Judas think to say sorry to God, I mean I can't see what crime he committed against the priest and the elders so what exactly was he being remorseful to them for. If we do wrong and we reget it shouldn't it be the person we did wrong to that we say sorry to and is it not that person that we have wronged that we need to forgive us what is the point of regretting doing something to someone if the person you did the wrong never become aware that you regret your action or that you want to change, to recompense?

There is so much in these 27 verses even realising that to write everything would go on forever but you know I was thinking of the people you know they had a choice of choosing Christr or Barabbis and with all that was going on Barabbis really was the easier option, in fact the less painful option because to choose Christ could have meant some real hardship even death so what the people did really was to look for and opted for the easy option and even today most of us we have not change much from then because Barabbis really is a kind of representative of the world today which offers us the easy option , the easy way of life the here and now and it is far easier isnt it to make that choice because just as then we cant really see the promises that is in Christ it really requires faith to follow and accept the things that we really cant see, it is promise but where is it, the road to get it don't look too easy does it so still today how many of us are still choosing Barabbis instead of Christ.

[Dr Sarah Carrol]

When asked why I or others work in ministry, my standard answer is that most of us know how horrible we are and that the only hope that people like myself have is God. Now that doesn't necessarily mean we know what we are doing, I mean just because a person is in ministry does not mean that we have more answers than anyone else. We all came in differently. Some very broken and some came in because of a fire insurance sale or something?

Some come in because of the power and or authority they may have over others or the prestige or maybe because in ministry it can be politically motivated? Some like myself came in because there was no other option to speak of. It was a choice between the possibility of life or a certain death. Those that have been forgiven much love much. Those that have been broken love much as well. Who can say why Judas came in? Have to keep in mind that one could not be born again until Acts chapter 2 so Judas never did know what the infilling of the Holy Spirit was even like or about. Then again Jesus' half brothers knew that He was different, but I am not sure they knew exactly who Jesus was. It is difficult for us to imagine that Jesus' half brothers would be clueless, because after all we know more than Jesus half brothers did.

Jesus never judged, which really should be our example. He knew what was going on with Judas, but Jesus left it up to our Father to do whatever He was going to do with Judas or left it up to Judas to do something one way or the other. Jesus treated everyone for the most part equally. He did not get that in return often, but He never felt like the disciples were His, but His Fathers, which is probably why Jesus did what He did in regards to Judas.

It is like how many of us really will be faithful and what exactly does faithful mean? To many being faithful is simply believing that they are saved, when on the other hand some, very few actually really try to walk in Jesus foot steps? Many do not have a lot of pressure, while some are persecuted far beyond my comprehension, emotionally and physically.

Why would they choose Barabbis over Jesus? The world likes the world. The world understands the world and while many flocked to get something from Jesus, not many stuck around when the times were hard. Even Peter denied Jesus. Then all of a sudden after Acts chapter 2 there was a great change in the disciples. They now were connected by way of the Holy Spirit and even with that connection there was still argument, with one main difference which was Paul who never did meet Jesus while Jesus was walking around on earth. The object of all of this is do people meet us or do they meet Jesus in us? Have we really died to self so that we no longer live, but He that lives in us? To me that is really what Judas was about; self.

[Angela Doreen]

You know Sarah there are people who have been or who are still in christendom even today who are still choosing Barabbis even after their encounter with Jesus  Because they have not or did not realise that the race was not for the swift but for those that endure, the longsuffering that implies waiting and these people did not have the vision of what is to come yet they saw what the world had to offer.

It was really the same with the people who choose Barabbis, at that particular time all they could see that was on offer with Christ is hardship, the possibility death and persecution, they were operating in the flesh so they had no vision many of us today is still operating in the flesh unable to see the vision of the glorious hope that is to come in Christ.

[Dr Sarah Carrol]

That's very true that we often do not see what God really wants from us. We all relive Cain and Able for the most part, but often times we do not see it. Able gave a sacrifice that was pleasing to God and Cain gave God a sacrifice of his hands or workmanship.

Today we sacrifice in building buildings called churches, while God wants us to care for the people, but we do not often see it thinking that we have made something pleasing to God. The people chose Barabbis as he was of the world and something the people could understand. Today when we build all these buildings with the blessings of God I often wonder if we are making the same mistake in building things with our hands that is pleasing to the world instead of what is pleasing to God?

I wonder if we really appreciate how God really views the things we do and what we work on or what we are doing, thinking and believing we are doing something that pleases God or do we build things that really seek the appraisal of man? I mean who wants to go to a church that does not look pleasing to man and in doing so are we doing the same things that Cain did. Cain of course put Able to death while the people allowed Jesus to be put to death and we of course do what we do thinking it all lines up with our perception of what we think God wants as Cain and Barabbis did?

God cares about us building the body which goes way far beyond preaching and teaching and what is really called for is for us to actually love one another, building buildings is far easier. Our prayer is that we hope that God see's salvation as the way we want to see salvation, which is simply believing we are saved instead of working to destroy the works of the devil in ending starvation, homelessness, disease and caring for those sick or those in prison? I know many go to prisons to preach and teach where love is really what is called for?

We are in a particular time period where God is watching what we work to accomplish seeking out the faithful that care about the things that God cares about. After all if we have the heart of God then we will care about the things that God cares about more than the things of the world and those things in the world.

We all should be begging God for His mercy and perhaps repent going in a far better direction than we are going? Yes we see the people in Jesus time that accepted Barabbis instead of Jesus and wonder if we really see we may very well be doing the same thing?