I enjoy watching the old TV series, “Columbo.” Truth be known, in an attempt to find something decent to watch, I’ve probably watched every episode three or four times. This detective series was unique in that Columbo seemed to know immediately who the guilty party was, and the rest of the show was spent in finally trapping him. It was not a matter of who was guilty, but rather what motivated the guilty party to do what they did.

There’s no clearly defined reason in the Bible for what motivated Judas to betray Jesus. Was it greed? He did control the purse strings. Was it power? Had he been hoping for an important place in Jesus’ kingdom, thinking it was an earthly one, only to have those hopes and dreams dashed in the final moments? Some have speculated that Judas knew what Jesus had come to do and was trying to help bring it about. I think we can rule that last one out. All we know for sure is that something happened that caused Judas to reject Jesus and embrace Satan.

But it’s not what motivated Judas that I’m concerned with because that’s ancient history. I’m concerned about what motivates me. Why do I follow Jesus? Is it greed, personal ambition, a way to escape hell, or is my motivation based on love, compassion, and a longing to live my life in a manner that is pleasing to God? I think that’s a question we need to sit in front of a mirror from time to time and have a heart-to-heart conversation with the fella looking back at us. Today’s a good day to have that conversation.