DID JESUS KNOW Judas was a thief ?

ELISHA and Gehazi and the Leprosy of Naaman

This he [ Judas ] said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. John 12:6

 Q:  If the disciple John knew that Judas was a thief, then did The LORD JESUS  know it ? 

Judas, it seemed, did not believe that JESUS CHRIST  was the SON+ of GOD , in truth. 

Unlike Peter, Judas did not BELIEVE into HIM+. 

This must be the case with Judas --- regardless of his being an eye-witness to all the miracles of JESUS and being included in the Teachings of JESUS first-hand. 

If Judas WOULD have received the Witness to the FATHER that JESUS testified, then Judas would have known something else: 

Judas would have realized 

that he could never hide 

his sly and evil thieveries 

and his deadly, traitorous scheme 

WITHOUT The LORD 

knowing full well what Judas was doing.

   If Judas really would have believed that HE+ was the SON+ of GOD, Judas would have known the truth of Psalm 139 ... GOD knows our down-sitting and up-rising and every word on our tongues. 

But NO... Judas thought he was hidden.  He thought he was more clever that the others disciples. 

Judas thought GOD did not see what he was doing! 

Judas did not recall the Old Covenant Prophet Elisha and his servant Gehazi after Naaman the Syrian had been healed of leprosy. 

Naaman offered to pay Elisha for his "services" , but Elisha wisely refused to take payment. Gehazi, though, schemed to take advantage of the situation and procure those gifts ... for himself. 

Elisha asked Gehazi: 

"Where did you go ? " 

Gehazi promptly lied to the Prophet: 

"Thy servant went nowhere." 

Elisha said, " Went not mine heart wither when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee ? 

Is it a time to receive ? ... and Elisha listed even all Gehazi's hidden plans for temporal goods which Gehazi dreamed to obtain !

Now the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave unto thee and unto thy seed for ever." 

Naaman's leprosy attacked Gehazi who thought he could succeed in "fooling GOD." 

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CHURCH, we had better monitor ourselves.  We had better engage TOTAL HONESTY before we are placed on the balance scales of the unchanging, immutable, ever-present Word of GOD. 

NO secret yearnings. NO hidden schemes. NO "pet" sins. NO "godly" appearance, yet our heart is far from HIM+. NO pretense in our walk. 

If we say we "love our neighbor as ourself" then we had better do for them AND THINK of them in the same way we would want ourselves to be treated. 

Do we not yet realize GOD knows our thoughts ?

Are we not yet convinced that The LORD sees into our hearts DEEPER than we do ... or will acknowledge, even to ourselves ?

 

What kind of hidden pride exists in our bosom when we lift ourselves up over the people we know and think we are "better" than they are ? 

If we say we follow The LORD JESUS CHRIST, then we will be wrestling with our hearts until we DO His+ words... from our hearts. 

 All have sin. But now, we have an ADVOCATE+ Who+ is able to help us walk well-pleasing in His+ sight. 

Because HE+ has ENABLED us to do so, we had better DO RIGHT.  We have no more excuse. 

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LET US PRAY: 

O LORD, I have walked like a Judas and a Gehazi, thinking YOU+ did not know the thoughts of my heart.  

GOD, forgive me !  I am not fit to be Your+ friend nor Your+ servant.   

Shine the Light of Your+ holiness into the secret recesses of my being and help me to see WHAT YOU+ SEE.  I will look at it, without flinching. 

Cleanse me. Make me fully WHOLE... fully YOURS+. 

In the HOLY NAME of the only-Begotten SON+ of GOD, the LORD JESUS CHRIST I offer this my imperfect prayer. Amen.