Read
And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
Matthew 26:16
Reflect
Dave got his driver’s license on his 16th birthday. A week later, he met Betsy, a cute girl who seemed to have a big crush on him. She didn’t live far from him, so when she asked if he could give her rides to and from school, he gladly accepted.
In the weeks that followed, Dave started “majoring” in Betsy. He spent too much of his time calling her and driving her around and not enough time studying. As a result, his grades started to fall. And yet he and Betsy never became “official,” because she said she wasn’t ready for a commitment.
One night, Dave went to the county fair with some friends, and it was there that he saw Betsy in the arms of another guy. It seemed the problem with commitment only applied to Dave. And then it dawned on him that at least part of the reason Betsy had been so sweet to him was that she liked the convenience of riding in his car.
I wish I could say Dave handled the discovery with maturity and grace.
He did not.
Hidden motives rarely belong to only one person. Betsy may have liked the convenience of riding in his car, but Dave liked the attention, the possibility and the feeling that he mattered to someone. When the arrangement fell apart, it exposed more than her motives. It exposed his, too.
Hidden motives may fool people for a while, but they never fool God. And sometimes the most painful moment is not when we discover someone else’s agenda, but when God shows us our own.
In the case of Judas, his hidden motives eventually came into the open. Scripture tells us he went to the chief priests and asked what they would give him if he delivered Jesus over to them. Their answer was 30 pieces of silver.
That was not Judas’ first encounter with greed. John tells us Judas had already been stealing from the disciples’ money bag, so the betrayal did not come from nowhere. It grew out of something that had already taken root in his heart.
Many have wondered whether Judas also expected Jesus to be a political revolutionary who would overthrow the Romans. Maybe he did. Maybe he thought forcing Jesus into a confrontation would make Him finally reveal His power. But Scripture is clear about this much: Judas saw an opportunity to profit, and from that moment, he looked for an opportunity to betray the Lord.
Unfortunately for Judas, his plan completely unraveled.
God’s plan did not.
The disciples who eventually stood up for the Gospel are remembered throughout the world. Churches, hospitals and schools bear their names. But those remembered for protecting themselves, advancing themselves or betraying the innocent — Judas, Pilate, Herod and Caiaphas — are remembered in a far different way. Their names became bywords. Their legacy became treachery.
That is why motives matter.
It is not enough to do the right thing outwardly if our hearts are quietly working a different angle. It is not enough to appear kind, generous, helpful or faithful if what we really want is attention, advantage, control, revenge or personal gain.
As you move forward each day, examine the motives behind each task you undertake and each relationship you enter. Ask the Lord to reveal the hidden places of your heart before they damage someone else — or you. Pray that He will keep your heart pure and help you live in such a way that your reputation is not one of manipulation or hidden agendas, but of honesty, humility and truth.
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
