Weekly Bible Study

Eleven of the twelve disciples of Jesus remained; only one was lost ... why?
Eleven of Jesus' disciples continued to serve Him, only one betrayed Him ... why?

Did Jesus treat all His disciples the same? ... Yes, He did...!
Did they all have the same opportunities and favor with Jesus? ... Yes, they did...!
Did they all prosper and were they all blessed the same? ... Yes, they were...!
Did only some make mistakes and sin, and others not? ... No, they all did...!

Why then did one of THEM betray Jesus?

If it is not about opportunities and blessings, or sin and mistakes that came in the way, then...
... what caused Judas to reject Jesus?
Jesus said ...
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God
and mammon. --- Matt 6:24

Could it be that mammon or money caused Judas to betray Jesus?
And does being prosperous not mean to have money, and lots of it?

... Having money is only a small part of being prosperous and in any case, having money is not serving mammon...!

Prosperity is having money, and more...!
Mammon is money having you, and worse...!

Judas betrayed Jesus...! Why...? What was wrong...?
... When we look at Judas' life, we soon see that he was dishonest and greedy for money ...
... but did he understand prosperity, and could he handle prosperity...?

In Mark's Gospel, the incident of Jesus' anointing just before His crucifixion is related as follows...

And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat,
there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard
very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said,
Why was this waste of the ointment made? --- Mark 14:3-4

Amongst those who were indignant was Judas, in fact he was so upset about this incident, that it was the last straw
for him, and we find this happening right afterwards ...

And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray
him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to
give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
--- Mark 14:10-11

Although Judas had walked with Jesus for 3 years, and although he was there when Jesus fed 4000 and again 5000 people
out of one or two baskets of food, where there was more left over than before they started, and he helped carry those baskets
filled with the overflow ... Judas did not understand prosperity.
To Judas, having money was being prosperous and therefore Mammon or the love of money, was prosperity in Judas' eyes.
Although Judas was in the presence of the One who is prosperity, the One who supplies our every need, all he saw was the
supply, the money and not the Supplier, Jesus ...!
Mammon gives you a worped perspective of prosperity...
... because it only emphasizes financial wealth...
... because its reliance is on wealth itself and fear (the fear of loss) is its motivator...

In Mark 14:3-4 we read how that Jesus allowed the woman to pour all that precious ointment on His head.
Was He not allowing that ointment to be wasted?
No! Jesus was not being wasteful, but He was being honored as the Savior, as the Son of God...!
... and if you know the Son of God, you know He is prosperity, and you know your every need is supplied...!
That is prosperity... and that is also what Jesus taught us ...

... I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it
more abundantly. --- John 10:10
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in
glory by Christ Jesus. --- Phil 4:19

Money is part of prosperity ... but prosperity is much more than money ...!