WWJD is the embroidered acrostic worn as wristbands by millions of Christian teen-agers who have gone public with their faith. Outside the Upper Room where the disciples had gathered with Jesus for the Last Supper, a few Pharisees had the same acrostic, WWJD, written across their hearts. For them it meant, "What would Judas do?"
Forever etched in history as the turncoat treasurer with a bankrupt soul, Judas Iscariot was the apostolic chameleon who kissed the Savior one moment and backstabbed Him the next. His graphic collapse taught loudly that money and materialism are no antidotes for guilt. That greed mingled with grace is a spiritually lethal mix.
His death makes any Christian wonder about the strength of his or her own commitment. Would a bag full of silver have been sufficient enough booty for me to leverage my own loyalties to Jesus? Enough to persuade me to dip the morsel and take the plunge? It was for Judas.
With a stomach full of bread straight from the Only Begotten’s table and feet freshly bathed by the Ancient of Days’ own hands, Judas darted into the midnight air. He was the willing new recruit ready to service those who would falsely accuse Jesus later that night. The ally of blood-thirsty jackals. Scum who would just as soon cut your throat as cut you a deal.
Watching him leave the Last Supper, fully engulfed in the spirit of treason, you wonder how Jesus maintained an appetite for lost souls.
The events of Friday, Saturday and Sunday have become a celebrated blur for the two millenniums of the Christian church. But one thing is clear: There would have been no Calvary had it not been for Gethsemane. The two flow like tributaries into a single stream. They are synonymous with obedience. Every word in the English language for torture, pain and suffering has been ascribed to these hours of agonizing prayer and crucifixion. But often forgotten during our Easter pageants are the events of Saturday.
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