What Will Ye Give Me?
“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.”Matthew 26:14–15 (KJV)
Judas walked up to the chief priests with a question. “What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.”
He had spent years with Jesus. He had heard him teach and seen him heal. And he asked what Jesus was worth to them, and took the answer. One of the twelve put a price on the Son of God.
It is easy to look down on Judas. But we do our own small versions of his trade. We set Jesus aside for comfort, for approval, for money, for a moment of pleasure. What will you give me? is a question our hearts ask more often than we like to admit.
Now look at the other side of the ledger. Judas asked what he could get for Jesus. God gave Jesus for us, freely. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Judas sold him. God gave him.
Count it yourself
Judas was one of the 12 (Matthew 26:14), and they covenanted with him for 30 pieces of silver (26:15).
What have you been tempted to trade Jesus for lately?
Father, you spared not your own Son. Forgive me for the times I have put a price on him. Keep my heart from selling what you gave freely. Amen.