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Dec 22, 2022 18:30pm

What Are Your Motives?

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As I sat with the student, the truth was becoming more and more clear. Classes hadn’t been going well and he was trying to figure out the best route he could take for easier classes and still get into medical school. But the problem wasn’t that he was just struggling with school.

“Tell me, what motivates you to be a doctor? Where do you see yourself in 15 years? What excites you most about this profession? Tell me about a time when you put others above yourself that maybe didn’t deserve it.”

These questions gave way to the truth: he wasn’t interested in medicine for the right reasons.

Why then? Why pursue such a demanding career with long hours and grueling preparation.

When all the questions had been answered and his motivation was evident, he sat with an arrogant look on his face. With a smirk he said, “so what?”

Money and power.

These were the two things driving him to one of the most trusted and respected professions.

So what? I began to share with him just how hard the MCAT was and if he didn’t do well in these classes, it was likely that he wouldn’t do well on the test.

So what? We spoke of the application to medical school and how they would see straight through his motivation and he probably wouldn’t be offered a seat in their class.

So what? I shared with him case scenarios and what would you do in this situation that would require the utmost care and compassion.

So what? This might not be the job for you.

In the end, he was there for the wrong reasons. And when he realized how much work and effort it was really going to take to get there, he decided another route like administration might be better suited for him.

Another man was in a group for the wrong reasons. And when the road became clear and tough to press forward, he sought another route to get what he desired.

“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.” (Matthew 26:14-16)

Many have asked why Judas would betray Jesus. He was one of His disciples, he walked closely with Jesus, he had given up his life to follow Him, and yet here, we see he decides to betray Him. And for what? 30 pieces of silver?

But it was much more than that. Judas was following Jesus for the wrong reasons. The Jews had been oppressed for years from Rome and they were tired of it. They had prayed for years for the Messiah that would come deliver them, and now, He was here! Jesus! But they expected Jesus to overthrow the government with His authority, to set each of the disciples up with prestigious jobs and power, and they would be the wealthiest and most recognized amongst all the Jewish people.

Jesus had just given praise to Mary for anointing his head with the expensive perfume. My commentary says it was the equivalent to about a year’s salary. The disciples saw it as waste, but Jesus didn’t.

Judas realized he was not going to get what he truly wanted by following this man any longer. His desire wasn’t Jesus, it was money and prestige. And he sought out a way to get it.

Meeting with the religious leaders, he gave them exactly what they wanted. Judas was an insider and they knew he could deliver. And in return, Judas may have thought this would give him great standing and reputation with the powerful, religious men.

So what? The truth came out about Judas and why he was really following Jesus. What about us? What are we in this for?

Is it a free ticket to heaven? Maybe a hope that life will be great with no worries or pain? Or maybe we think it looks good to others, it’s what we’re supposed to do. Or even, it’s okay to say I’m following Him but I really just do my own thing…

What are your motives? Why have you chosen to follow Jesus, and are you still choosing that path every day?