What Will You Give Me?

The following is from a message by C. H. Spurgeon entitled, Judas: The Betrayer. 

"Let us notice the act itself.  He (Judas) sought out his own temptation.  He did not wait for the devil to come to him; he went after the devil.  He went to the chief priests and said, "What will ye give me?  Anything you like.  The Lord of life and glory sold at the buyer's own price.  What will ye give me?"  And another very prettily puts it, "What could they give him?  What did the man want?  He did not want food and raiment; he fared as well as his Master and the other disciples; he had enough; he had all that his needs could crave, and yet he said, What will ye give me?   What will ye give me?  What will ye give me?  Some people's religion is grounded on that one question - "What will you give me?"  Yes, they would go to church if there are any charities given away there, but if there were more to be got by not going they would do that.  "What will you give me?"  Some of these people are not even so wise as Judas.  There is a man over yonder who would sell the Lord for a crown, much more for ten pounds, as Judas did!  Why, there are some who will sell Christ for the smallest piece of sliver in our currency.  They are tempted to deny their Lord, tempted to act in an unhallowed way, though the gains are so paltry that a year's worth of them would not come to much.  No subject could be more dreadful than this, if we really would but look at it carefully.  This temptation happens to each of us.  Do not deny it.  We all like to gain it is but natural that we should; the propensity to acquire is in every mind, and under lawful restrictions it is not an improper propensity but when it comes into conflict with our allegiance to our Master, and in a world like this it often will, we must overcome it or perish.  There will arise occasions with some of you many times in a week in which it is "God - or gain"; Christ, or the thirty pieces of sliver"; and therefore I am the more urgent in pressing this on you."

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