Greed In Judas's Life

For a long time greed had been calcifying Judas' heart. Judas walked with the miracle worker to fulfill his unspoken expectations and hopes. His, and many others, hoped for a Messiah to break Roman oppression, restoring the glorious days of King David, a land of sweet provision. His expectations were of position and power in the new kingdom.

We are perplexed by Judas. Jesus appointed him to join the inner core of the 12, he sat eating meals with Jesus, agreed with his teaching, witnessed the miraculous feeding of thousands, the blind receiving sight, ears opens, limbs healed, even resurrection of the dead. Yet, all of this activity failed to effect his heart, in fact, he produced wicked manipulations. How can a man live with such duplicity

while in the presence of the embodiment of God?
His spiritual eyes could not recognize the Spirit of God, in his mind he chose not to disengage from the motivation of his own selfish thinking, therefore; his heart became bitter and hard, called wicked. He heard the truth and could convincingly repeat it, yet he continued to believe he was his own authority, and so, could justify any action.
This is the core of Self. It beats strong in every heart. Who can free us from such deep darkness? As the serpent in the Garden, the snake of Self is drawn to God-created innocence, to those seeking purity. This is why the Judases dwell among the churches, they want the purity they do not have, and, the position and power they can feed from. It is discernment that identifies them. In the beginning, Jesus identified Judas (#49) as the one to fill a place in the Father's plan. Later, the writing disciples reveal: to know if a rod is crooked, place a straight one next to it. Jesus holds the rod.
Is there a Judas in your life?