TO STAY OR TO RUN
Luke 22:20-22
Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. 21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. 22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"
It's been said that hunting is not shopping. Some people would rather shop than hunt. They would rather have a parade of bucks walk past opening morning and choose an easy trophy. Other hunters would rather spend every day of season hunting hard and fill their tag the last minutes of the hunt.
Over the years of guiding I've had people that gave up on me and some that even left before the hunt was complete. When these things have happened, my hope has always been that those that those still hunting are all successful as a show of their faithfulness. I've had other hunters that lost faith and lost interest. They quit hunting seriously and even napped on stand because they didn't expect anything good to happen.
Quite a few years back I had a hunter that had lost faith in the place I had him hunting. He asked to move for the last afternoon and even after encouraging him to stay, he was seeing 15 – 20 does every day and it was the peak of the breading season, I relented and moved him to another stand. That afternoon I had someone back in his area that was only hunting with a camera, he already had filled his tag, and that camera captured dozens of photos of a big buck and many other deer. He had lost faith and it cost him.
Just having come through Easter week, we remember the choices of Judas Iscariot. Judas was a man that came from nothing, like the rest of Jesus' disciples, yet he had been chosen to be one of twelve to serve with Christ. He had all eternity ahead of him and was side by side with God himself... yet he lost faith. The things of this world became better looking for a time.
I've known people that have walked away from a life in Christ. They've been drawn away by the attractive things of this world. Like Judas they've walked side by side with Jesus and somehow lost faith in Him. What they've forgotten is that they will never be loved by the world the way they are loved by Jesus.
Judas lost faith in Jesus... was anything really ever gonna happen? Was He really who He said He was? But Judas never had anyone love him, like Jesus loved Him. Even when Judas brought those to the garden to arrest Him. At the last supper, Jesus washed the feet of Judas, He fed him, prayed for him... yes, Jesus still showed Judas love. No matter how far or fast Judas ran, he would never outrun the love of Jesus.
Within a day both Judas and Peter both turned their back on Jesus. Peter's denial of Jesus isn't much different than what Judas did.... That comment might shock and anger some... but it's true. Both men turned their back on Jesus at a time when He wanted them the closest. The difference in the two men is what they did after turning away from Him. These two men responded in very different ways. Judas separated from Jesus and from the other disciples and gave up on faith in Christ completely. Peter chose a different and a better path. He asked for forgiveness and came back to Jesus.
We need to know the no matter how far we've run away from Jesus, we can never outrun His love for us? We will never be loved by anyone else how we are loved by Jesus. The world will draw us in but then it doesn't really care about us. The priests didn't care about Judas, they threw him away as soon as he kissed Jesus to identify Him. Jesus loves us unconditionally. Even as He was dying on the cross... in His last breaths He prayed "Father forgive them, they know not what they do" (Luke 23:32). The world, and our friends, will never do that for us.
Have you run from a close relationship with God? He's still right there waiting for you? Do you know someone else that has run? Remind them that they are loved and it's never too late.
As we look back on the celebration of what Jesus did on the cross and from the grave, remember that Jesus died and rose again so we have a hope and assurance that we can never outrun His love. He is longing for all of us to stay close to him or if we've run... to come back to Him.
Hebrews 13:5-6
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER ABANDON YOU," 6 so that we confidently say,
"THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?"
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