【双语灵修】犹大JUDAS

马太福音 26:14-16

当下，十二门徒里有一个称为加略人犹大的，去见祭司长，说：“我把他交给你们，你们愿意给我多少钱？”他们就给了他三十块钱。从那时候，他就找机会要把耶稣交给他们。

4月15日

犹大

“十二门徒里有一个称为加略人犹大的，去见祭司长……” -太 26:14

我喜欢看有关警察、律师、侦探和罪犯的电视节目。试图弄清一个人的犯罪动机很有意思。有时，即使你已经知道谁是坏人，但直到故事的末了，你还是不清楚他的犯罪动机是什么。

有时我在想，是什么促使犹大背叛了耶稣？是贪婪吗？是想争夺权力吗？他曾希望在耶稣的国度里占据重要地位，后来得知耶稣并不看重世俗权力，于是决定换边站，加入仇敌的阵营，好有机会获得权力吗？或者他的动机并无私心，比如他知道耶稣必须做的事——上十字架受死——然后他试图帮助耶稣完成使命？还是犹大根本就不喜欢耶稣和其他门徒，决定与他们一刀两断？我们不得而知。

有时我也会怀疑自己的动机。我为什么要跟随耶稣？我每天所做的一切，究竟是为什么？

时常审视自己的动机对我们每个人来说都很重要。我们需要审视我们所做的事情，确保我们是出于正确的动机去做的。以爱、关怀、同情或意义感为动机是好的，而出于贪婪、个人野心或仇恨的动机则不然。

你行事的动力是什么呢？

祷告

亲爱的神，请帮助我们分辨并理解自己的动机。帮助我们在所做的每一件事上都能以你的爱行事。阿们。

JUDAS

"One of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests. . . ." - Matthew 26:14

Sometimes I like watching TV shows about police, lawyers, investigators, and criminals. It can be intriguing to try to figure out a person’s motive for committing a crime. Sometimes, even long after you can tell who the villain is, the motive is unclear till the very end of the story.

I wonder sometimes what motivated Judas to betray Jesus. Was it greed? Was it power? Had he been hoping for an important place in Jesus’ kingdom, then learned that Jesus wasn’t about worldly power, and then decided to switch sides and join Jesus’ enemies for a chance at power instead? Or was his motive maybe altruistic, as in knowing what Jesus had to do—go to the cross and die—and then trying to help that along? Or did Judas perhaps simply not like Jesus and the other disciples and decide he was done with it all? We don’t really know.

Sometimes I wonder about my own motivations too. Why do I follow Jesus? Why do I do anything that I do on a daily basis?

It’s important for all of us to examine our motivations from time to time. We need to look at the things we do and make sure we are doing them for the right reasons. Being motivated by love, care, compassion, or purpose is good. Being motivated by greed, personal ambition, or hate is not.

What motivates you?

Dear God, help us to identify and understand our motives. Help us to act in line with your love in everything we do. Amen.