Putting up a Front

Jesus was with the disciples in the Upper Room getting ready to tell them he is ready leave them while he ate with them. It was their last supper together.He tells them that one of you are going to betray or rat him out to be arrested.

“Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!”
John 13:21 NLT

The disciples were curious, afraid, even panicking. “Is it me Lord?” etc.

Have you ever had somebody turn against you? They acted like your best friend, your best coworker. Maybe your living with the person underneath the same roof. Politicians or shenanigan salespersons always put up a ‘good front’. Unable to deliver on their promises made to you. Religious people or church going people, including pastors can act one way living for Christ or God, but be something else. Perhaps as you are reading this you may be putting up a front!

Judas Iscariot lived a fake double life while walking and following Jesus for the past few years during Jesus public ministry for about three years. He had no relationship at all with Christ or even the disciples as friends.

Judas lived a lie and a life of hypocrisy. He was a wanna be somebody, full of himself, yet empty. A greedy person as well. His personality traits appears to have been gullible, yet naive. Somewhat of a ‘drama mentality’.

“I am not saying these things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfills the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me. I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I Am the Messiah”.
“When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” John 13:18-19; 27.

Judas’s biggest problem was that he never really knew Jesus in a personal relationship as Savior. He went through the motions. There is a high price and cost to have a commitment with Jesus as Lord and Savior. “Jesus said, to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a manif he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” Luke 9:23-25

Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price on the cross and gave a a new covenant of God’s grace. To share communion and an intimate relationship with Him. Unforgiveness or hypocrisy, stops the flow of experiencing His presence. But making our heart and life transparent and honest with dealing with sin with God; by confessing our sin will restore that relationship with God and perhaps with others. This works both in a vertical alignment and then horizontal alignment with others.

“For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
1 Corinthians 11:23‭-‬30 NLT

God is holy and full of mercy and grace. He wants the best for you in this life. Think of the price Jesus paid for you my friend during this holy week.

Jesus Paid it All
All to Him I owe.
Sin has left his crimson stain,
He washes white as snow”