The Disciples - Part 9

Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:22-27 ESV). Thaddaeus, also known here as Judas, was another lesser-known disciple. There are two things we do know about him that are worthy of our study. First, Thaddaeus, or Judas, was not Iscariot. This is not the betrayer of Christ. The disciples here want this to be known to all readers. Not that it really mattered otherwise. Also, Thaddaeus is important for the question he asked. This was an important question Thaddaeus asked. Jesus probably would have answered even if the "other" Judas had asked it. The distinction between Judas Iscariot and Judas who was also Thaddaeus is made, because, since this passage was written after the betrayal, the writer wanted no one to confuse the two. Evidently Thaddaeus was a character whose reputation was worthy of protecting. Our reputation is very important. That reputation is a direct reflection of our character. When people hear your name they automatically associate it with the image they have been given of you either by their knowledge of you or what others have told them. A number of years ago the Douglas Aircraft Company was competing with Boeing to sell Eastern Airlines its first big jets. War hero Eddie Rickenbacker, the head of Eastern Airlines, reportedly told Donald Douglas that the specifications and claims made by Douglas’s company for the DC-8 were close to Boeing’s on everything except noise suppression. Rickenbacker then gave Douglas one last chance to out-promise Boeing on this feature. After consulting with his engineers, Douglas reported that he didn’t feel he could make that promise. Rickenbacker replied, “I know you can’t, I just wanted to see if you were still honest.” One of the greatest dangers to our reputation is not the idle gossip of others, but our own failure to keep our promises. In the sales industry that’s what is called “over-promising and under-delivering.” Honesty demands just the opposite: under-promise and over-deliver! How’s your character? When people talk about you, what can they say good about your character? These are important questions!