A Deal with the Devil

The palms have been waved overhead, a Passover Meal was shared between friends, and then all hell broke loose… literally. As Holy Week unfolds, so does the opportunity for evil. It rears its ugly head, vomiting envy, greed, hatred and selfishness upon all in its path. Before turning the corner into the garden where Jesus’ tomb lay empty, we have to stop in a garden called Gethsemane were envy and greed showed up in a deal with the devil.
Just as one of Jesus’ followers turned from friend to foe, we can so easily get caught up in wanting others around us to do as we say or pay the consequences. Our eyes begin to rule our desires instead of our heart and we find ourselves making deals we might not otherwise make. Judas turned Jesus in to the religious authorities for a mere pouch of coins. From there, Jesus was captured, interrogated, tortured, and eventually murdered. I’m not sure Judas’ motive was about the money, but it certainly was about envy and greed. Judas wanted Jesus to rise up an army to defeat the power Rome had taken over the Jews. He had another opportunity to join the army Jesus was gathering, one spreading goodness and kindness. But that wasn’t enough for Judas, so he sold his own soul, and Jesus’ whereabouts, to the devil.
What is it about us wanting what we want, when we want, and how we want? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think we were spoiled. Oh wait. We are. As Americans, we have more resources available than more than 95% of the world’s population. We have clean water, wood or cement floors and a roof overhead, food in the cupboards and fridge, clothes in our closets and drawers, and education at our fingertips. Yet we still want more. We see what a neighbor or family member has and rather than celebrate their accomplishment, we often grumble under breath wondering why they got it instead of us. We actually think we have the right to determine who should have what, when and even why… like we’re God or something. We even envy other people’s height, hair, skin or muscle tone… like God possibly erred and was supposed to give it to us.
Amazingly, once we do get what we want, it never seems to be enough. “More please” turns to “Give it to me!” real fast. We have this sense of entitlement, it seems. I am always amazed how many people come to the church wanting community service hours but really don’t intend to do much to get them. I mean, they’re lazy. “Here, sign my sheet” but I never really see them do much to earn that signature.
I asked my congregation this week “How much is enough?” It’s a good question for all of us. If my closet is full, is that enough? Or do I need my basement full too? Or once the garage fills up, is that the mark of enough? How do we know? When we’re satisfied? Does that ever happen for humans? I mean, do we ever get fully satisfied? Is there a point of saturation or can we always fit, fill, or use more than we already have? Maybe I can answer that question when I get back from my storage unit. I have a few more boxes to drop off there…
Envy and greed took Jesus to the grave. Will it take us too? Or can we learn something here? Peace and patience, goodness and mercy, they are enough. Love, joy, kindness and self-control, they are enough as well. They are enough to keep us faithful, enough to help us love God and love neighbor, enough to change the world. Go ahead, enter the empty tomb… what you’ll find there will be more than enough. Happy Easter my dear friends. Happy Easter.