We think of Judas as the ultimate evil. His name is virtually synonymous with betrayal. After all, he did betray the Son of God for 30 pieces of silver. But, why did he betray Jesus? It was probably more than just greed. When you unpack the story, he may not be that different from us. He had his own agenda, and he was trying to force Jesus’ hand. His agenda was to force Jesus to use power over people, the power to compel behavior by the use of force or threat or coercion, and inaugurate the Kingdom of God. But, Jesus had a different agenda: To inaugurate the Kingdom of God by dying for our sins and defeating Satan by the power of the cross, the power of love. But, we often get co-opted into the way of Judas instead of the way of Jesus. When we seek our own agenda and try to manipulate God into blessing it, we are following the way of Judas. Our call is to submit to God’s agenda and follow the way of Jesus. And we can only do that when we are empowered by his love and grace.