Passover message for 2022

Over 2000 years ago in an upper room in Jerusalem, an itinerant rabbi/charismatic leader was breaking bread and drinking wine with his school of disciples at a Passover meal when he announced that someone in the room would betray him. Judas did just that for a measly 30 pieces of silver. Apparently, “the Devil made him do it,” or just maybe he was upset that their leader hadn’t yet met Judas’ expectations of rescuing their country and routing the army of soldiers and murderous politicians who had occupied and now ruled their country. In either case, Judas let his baser instincts and personal prejudices lead him away from following Christ.

As much as we in America and many other countries want the murderous Vladimir Putin and his army of killers and rapists to get out of Ukraine, we need to remember that Putin’s mother secretly baptized him as an infant – that he claims to be follower of Jesus Christ. Is the Devil making him betray Christ, or did he sell away his birthright with his personal training as a KGB agent? How we wish he would feel guilty and hang himself, like Judas did!  That probably will not happen. Instead, we need to pray for Putin just as we are praying for the Ukrainian people, just as Jesus teaches us to do.

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