Spotting a Judas: How to Identify Potentially Toxic Relationships.

Judas: Ju·das | \ ˈjü-dəs

A person who betrays a friend or comrade. A snitch and a traitor

Once upon a time, the man Jesus walked on the face of the Earth as a living, breathing miracle worker.

He commanded raging storms to keep quiet; he satisfactorily fed 5,000 hungry people with Five (5) loaves and 2 Fishes; he raised a 4-day-old dead stinking man. I mean, there was nothing the man Jesus didn't know or could not do.

Surprisingly, in his first assignment, he was to pick 12 men to work and walk with him and somehow Judas made the number.

I don't know about you, but I am amazed - is it likely by any remote possibility that Jesus made an error in Judgement?

Here's the first lesson:

Men will be men.

Liars will Lie
Cheaters will Cheat

On this side of eternity, no matter who you are, how careful you live, there would always be someone in your circle who is not there for the right reason.

You'd always have one person in your life who would not treat you right:

If you have ever been betrayed or used by someone you once loved, take heart, you are not alone.

Let's move on.

However, records show that Jesus had always known Judas was going to betray him. It is unlikely that Jesus knew from the go, but by relating with him, he could tell that Judas was susceptible to deception.

I mean, if you look at his track record, it was obvious his heart was never with Jesus.

Besides him being a traitor, here are other things he could pass for.

He was a thief: besides being a disciple, Judas was also the accountant, and the Bible records that he often stole money from the purse.

He was a self-centred, entitled man: He wanted Mary to give them the money instead of using it for what she felt led to.

A Cheap Liar: Every time Jesus spoke of a betrayal, he was one of the first to ask, is it me? Bros, na you and you know it.

A Greedy Man: why would you sell your friend for 30 pieces of silver?

What lessons can we glean from all these?

Betrayal is not sudden. People don't change overnight.

Although you might not suspect the first time people come into your life, with time you'll see (if you look) a track record.

You see, people don't just become bad overnight. They show you signs and symptoms of their issues. All you need to do is to look carefully.

That sudden fit of rage is a symptom of anger. That white lie suggests that she can't be trusted. That slip shows they are not loyal. If you would look a little deeper, you'd find that they have been bad all along.

Don't ignore those repeat little contradictions in character.

A Judas will always leave you with trails. Look deeper.