This random thought came across my mind when I was having lunch

with my colleagues. My senior was sharing about Efficient Market

Hypothesis (EMH) add link here, a popular economic theory that
believes it is not possible to outperform the market since the market
has incorporated every single information available. He further
elaborated on the biggest flaw of that theory which assumes
humans are rational. Interestingly, he illustrated this using Judas as
an example. For those of who are unfamiliar with the event leading
to Jesus crucifixion, Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. You
might be thinking that this worth a lot since Judas was infamous for
being so greedy and a lover of money. Yet, according to ESV Study
Bible, it is equivalent to about US$7500 today, which is about 3 or 4month pay of an average people in many countries!!!!! Even in
developing countries, this probably amounts to 10 to 11-month pay.
We usually learn from many Blockbuster movies, a hostage is
usually valued millions of USD.
Mat 24:14-16
14
Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests15 and said, What will you give me if
I deliver him over to you? And they paid himthirty pieces of
silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to
betray him.
I am sure all of us have heard about this story so many times, for at
least once a year during Easter. Admittedly, I never bothered to find
out why. Why Judas is so irrational considering that all the Pharisees
and priests wanted Him so much? Why would Judas, who
complained when Mary wasted the expensive perfume (John 12),
ask only for 30 pieces of silver? What came to my mind then was
about this idea human irrationality. Going back to economy, human
irrationality has spawned a lot of new economic discussions. The
recent financial crisis has brought criticism to many culprits who
often choose to overlook this inherent bias in human being. The
increasing popularity of behavioral economy or finance is a good
testament to this irrational decision-making. Okay, now we know
that we are irrational. Then, what?
My senior also explained to us another flaw of EMH; sin. Again, I was
amazed by this response since I dont think any of our economics or
finance professors will ever teach this in class. Yet, this seemingly
trivial fact is at the heart of Christianity. We dont talk about it as
much as we are supposed to when sin has sparked more challenges
to Christianity. We often forget that we are sinful.
Rom 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
The sin in our hearts that we often neglect has made us irrational,
has corrupted our hearts and minds, and thus has distracted us from
God. Lets get back to Judas. If we look at Judas, we might be

condemning him for valuing Jesus with such a low value. I am not
gonna talk about why Judas betrayed Jesus and why its only for 30
pieces of silver. For those who are interested (I strongly encourage
you to find out why), you can visit
http://www.gotquestions.org/thirty-pieces-of-silver.html and
http://www.gotquestions.org/Judas-betray-Jesus.html for more
discussion on this.
What I am more interested in is that we are very much like Judas.
We tend to sell God with all the earthly desires that are much
cheaper than Gods glory. We often trade the joy of dwelling in His
Words, with our friends, study, personal achievement and even
sleep. Is God that cheap in our eyes and hearts? Is God is so low
that our sleep is more important Him? We are very creative in giving
excuses for not to spend time with Jesus. Lots of assignments
become the reason for not doing our quiet time regularly. We believe
that its our duty as a student that God has called us to be. Really?
Are you for real that God calls us to be something that does not
even have time to be with Him? What I believe is that whatever God
wants us to be, He also wants us to depend on Him more. We often
sell God for all the short-lived pleasures. Again, is Gods grace
worth that low in our hearts? Paul doesnt stop at Rom 3:23, he
further writes
Rom3:24
and all are freely justified by His grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
We need to constantly be reminded that God gives His grace freely
through the sacrifice of His beloved son on the cross. Yet, we let sin
takes over our hearts, engulfs our hearts and draws us away even
further from Gods love. We are just being irrational here. If we say
that we believe God has saved us, has died on the cross for us and
most importantly, has resurrected from death, why are we still
putting Him second, third, and so on and so forth in our list of
priorities? This is the epidemic disease that plagues Christians all
over the world. Sin has made us irrational. Letting sin to continue
dwell in us is even more irrational. Or maybe, we have not really felt
His love or appreciated or thanked Him enough. James 4:14 & 17
clearly says that our faith is not real if our lives do not correspond
with what we believe.
James 4:14 & 17
14
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has
faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
17
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
If we have not lived out our faith, I think its damn important to sit
down and examine our lives. If we are still giving excuses for not
studying the Bible or not doing our quiet time or not going to church
or not going for fellowship, we should examine our hearts. If we
dont love others just as God loves them, if we dont care about their

salvation or their spiritual growth, do sit down and pray to God and
repent. Ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, to clean and renew
our hearts so that we can enjoy Gods presence and can spread His
love. Have we really studied it delightfully like what the Psalmist did.
Psalm 1:2
but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on his law he
meditates day and night.
When we dont understand what we read, do we bother to spend the
extra mile to google the commentary or ask our pastors? Why are
we so irrational that we value our Bible and prayer with such a low
priority? Again, let us not procrastinate and bow down to God to ask
for His mercies. Always ask from Him for His guidance and wisdom
so that we can be more like Him. Always love Him and delight in the
struggles that we have to bear for following and knowing Him.
1 John 1:9
9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
To conclude, my prayer is that we wont be like Judas, who followed
Jesus but didnt really believe in Him as God and purposefully traded
Him with other insignificant and worthless pleasures. Hope that we
can humble ourselves and bow before Him everyday, admitting how
sinful we are. And asking His mercy and grace to renew us to be
more like Him through the work of the Holy Spirit. Lastly, I want to
end this with
Isaiah 55:6
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while
He is near
Dont wait until God leaves us.