STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS

STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS

"He was a thief, and he had the bag."  John 12:6

Was he given the bag because he was a thief? No, but because of his capacity in business matters. Undoubtedly everything was orderly in that little company of apostles. It may seem a small thing to say about Jesus, but He is the Author of order. The weakness of Judas lay in the realm of his power. His capac­ity was the reason of his appointment to the treasurer ship of the little band; and right at the heart of his power, or capacity, lay his weakness. This is always so. When the apostle declared in one of his letters in 2 Cor. 12:10. "When I am weak then am I strong," he declared a great truth which may be expressed in another way, Where I am strong there I am weak. Temptation always lies within the realm of capacity. Financial ability is fraudulent possibility—not fraudulent necessity! It is not necessary for a man with financial ability to be fraudulent, but the capacity creates the possibility. Here, in spite of the brilliant essayists of the past, and the no less brilliant novelists of modern time, Judas stands confronting a man mastered emotionally by covetousness, the weakness of his own power and capacity. Thus Judas was dishonest and a false disciple all along. His act of betrayal, in return for money, was fully in character. He had evidently gone along with the disciples, thinking he would profit when Jesus established His kingdom and overthrew the Romans. When he finally saw this was not going to happen, he decided to get what he could for his trouble and betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. The love of money ruled his heart.

So may in our government are placed in powerful positions due mainly to their strengths. Is it any wonder why we hear of some who are released after finding weakness that is their downfall. And many are not discovered. The same is true in our churches.