"Set-Apart"

 "I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me." (John 13:18 KJV)

  "Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely; the one who shared my food, has turned against me." (Psalm 41:9 NLT)

 Have you ever felt as though you were called into something where you did not belong? Whatever it is, it could be some sort of ministry, or a special job; maybe even some kind of a relationship, where you were picked out to do something or be with someone, but constantly feel like you don't belong. Well, this is the type of meaning that is being put forth in this title, "Set-Apart." 

 Basically, the concept is one of feeling set or kept apart from others; independent, not united or joint; "a problem consisting of two separate issues"; "they went their separate ways"; "formed a separate church". In other words, there is something that is placed upon you, making you different from the group that you belong, which, in this particular case, Judas was the one in charge of the money, making him trusted to be the one, (somewhat ironic,) more than the others, to hold the purse. 

 The way my crazy mind works, I see Jesus placing him in charge of the money, for that specific reason, that he would feel special and trusted completely; as the Scripture say, "the one I trusted completely." Just to be clear, seeing that Jesus knew beforehand that Judas was the one to betray Him, He didn't really trust him at all, because He already knew what he would do; but Judas didn't know, and therefore felt as though he was trusted; even though, as we have previously seen, he did steal from the purse he was trusted with.

 Weird as that might be, it is also another way to examine what it means to be predestinated, as we are not at all privy to where we will be or what we might do, but God knows the beginning and the end. We are just living out what we are, even if we don't know what that will be. Almost as if there are two completely different time-domains or scenarios; the one that we are living out, and the one that God knows that we will live. 

 By the way, this part of what Jesus says, "hath lifted up his heel against me," is pretty much an indication of someone else: Satan, the liar, father of lies; the one that mimics and copies the things meant for God's glory and purposes, making himself an angel of light, a deceiver of the brethren and of the nations.  Yes, that's right, Jesus is the one who will be lifting up His heel, stomping the head of that serpent. As it says in the beginning...

"Then the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."" (Genesis 3:14-15 NLT)