The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 26:46-52, “Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up, accompanied by a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I shall kiss, He is the one; seize Him.”

49 And immediately he went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

50 And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”

The temperament of individuals are often quite different. That leads to various expressions, such as love and

hate. Betrayal, too, takes various avenues. Judas Iscariot was known to have stolen money belonging to Jesus and His disciples (John 12:4-6). It was Judas, who arranged to deliver Jesus to the Jewish leaders for a price.

The signal he had designed for identifying Jesus in the growing darkness of night was a kiss. Kisses are normally an indication of love, but this one was an indication of deceit. The most momentous betrayal in history is masked by a deceitful indication of love. Judas ultimately came to understand the evil he had done and took his own life in despair.

Peter, by contrast with Judas, immediately drew his sword and swung it at those who were seizing Jesus. In the

process, he cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest. Yet, later on, Peter betrayed Jesus by denying that

he knew Him. “Sometimes silence is golden; sometimes silence is yellow.” Peter’s “cursing and swearing” were not the vulgar expressions that those words mean today. Rather, they were his avowing in the strongest terms that he did not know or affiliate with Jesus in any way. Peter came to understand what he had done, and he repented.

Are we like Judas or like Peter? That question depends upon where we are in our Christian life. Judas appeared to love Jesus by kissing him. Peter appeared to love Jesus by defending Him with the sword. But, truth be told,

neither behaved as he had ought. Our behavior often varies with the circumstances of the moment. We laugh at something impure and keep silent when we ought to speak up. How can we be what we ought to be? Stay in the Word daily! Read and absorb the meaning of Holy Scripture, the Bible. Pray about every circumstance! You need not always pray aloud; just talk to the Holy Spirit in the silence of your mind and follow His direction. You will know immediately whether you are living as He would have you to live. God bless you abundantly!

Lovingly and prayerfully yours,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”