The Betrayal of Jesus John 13:21-32 & Matthew 22:14-16
Introduction
video from sermon video’s called who is Jesus. if we were to have stopped Judas on the way to betray Jesus and asked him the question who was Jesus how would he have answered?
JUDAS WAS ATTRACTED TO THE POWER OF JESUS
Judas was attracked to the power of this man. He could heal and he could speak with authority and he could command the demonds. Remember that Jesus was living in a land that was occupied by the Romans. They had power of life and death. They determined what taxes were to be levied and where the roads were going to go. They set up the schools and they determined the content of those schools. In 1000’s of years the middle east has been a place where people do not like to be told by outsiders what they can and can’t do. It has been a place where they have been every resistent to foreign intervention. As far back as Isaiah and Jeremiah they did not like to be dominated.
Today many people are attracted to the power of Jesus. In fact the vineyard movement was founded on the idea that the most successful form of evanegelism is a power incounter with God. God heals and people will be attacked to the power. The Airport Vineyard has attacked large crowds with being slain in the spirit, with healings and with people who testify to the fact that their filings have been turned to gold. Power is addictive. Power corrupts and we know that power can be misused. Judas had an agenda for the power of God. he wanted jesus to get ride of the Romans.
Collin Thacher killed his wife. She had the nerve to leave him and he was a man who’s father was the primure of Sask. Collin was addicted to power. So he had her killed. Then he got Jesus because he thought that jesus would get him out of prison after all didn’t Jesus open the prisons for Paul. Why not him after all he was a very important and powerful man. Helmut Bauxbaum attempted to have his wife killed. He was the owner of many nursing homes and he was a leader in this church and he loved to be noticed. His wife was old and not very beautiful and she threaten to expose him as a cheat. No one could do that to Helmut. Helmut loved to have Youth into this home to show it off. His indoor pool was about the size of this church. His family room with a huge fire place was about half the size of this building. He liked power. I believe that most power people like Jesus because he offers then power and power leads to money. We today have the teachers who tell us that if we give 5 dollars to the Lord he will give us 500 in return. Never worked for me but lots of people are attarted to that kind of thing. Judas was not the only one some of you may be attacted to his power and if you are then you are in grave danger.
JUDAS WAS ATTRACTED TO THE POSSIBLITIES OF JESUS
To a man like Judas Jesus was full of possibilities. He got huge crowds listening to him. Crowds that could be turned into a mob or into an army. He got the men out of the house and to listening. They let their wives go to the Temple but they could not be bothered. Jesus got the men out and men make great fighters at that time. He never asked for money but they never lack for anything either. With just a little bit of work they could have millions flowing in all through the hands of Judas. There was the possiblity that the power and popularity of Jesus would trickle down to Judas. He would sought out as a way to get to Jesus. I wonder how many would pay for the privilege to have special access to Jesus. Judas loved the possiblities of Jesus.
So do a lot of people today. We see the possiblity of saying trust me I have special access to Jesus. Oral Robinson has been working that line for years now. Put your hands on the TV and pray with me. Let me put my hands on you and you will recieve the Holy spirit. Send me 10 and I will send you a holy cloth. Send me 100 and I will send you the secrets of the kingdom. Send me a 1000 and I will send you the bible study that will give you the same power that I have with Jesus. Millions of people want to get in on the possibilities of Jesus. Nothing has changed at all.
Many of us still want to use Jesus rather than serve him. We want to get the job or we want to get healed from cancer. We want to have good kids or better possibiliites for promotion. There are times that I do the same thing. I think if I work hard enough then Jesus will reward me with a better church or a bigger church or will give me the smarts to write a book. Well it has not worked out that way. Jesus has given me lots of opportunities to serve as he did. I am never going to be rich and I will not retire early. I will not spend the winters in Florida or better still in Azonia in stead I live in Hamilton and must be a jack of all trades and master of none. I will never see some things happen there is not enough time left. I am closer to the end than I was before. Life has no guarentee’s at all. Judas was thinking look at the possibilities of a leader who could go and touch a dead fighter and they would get up and fight again. Young people think what a great possiblity that I can live any way I want and Jesus will rescue me. Do drugs and be healed, has unprotected sex and not get pregnant or get and STD. Jesus still is the god of great possiblities. If that is why you follow him you are in trouble. You will eventually betray him for more.
JUDAS WAS ATTACTED TO HIS POPULARITY
Popularity is so fleeting. A famous person is famous for a short period of time and then we get bored. How many one hit wounders can you think of in the music world. Chris can think of hundreds without trying. A child stars in a TV show and then they disappear. Judas was attracted to Jesus because he had staying power. Remember the Beatles who people started out calling them a one hit wonder. Their hair was too long and they would never make it long term. We would forget about them in a few months. I remember articles and preachers saying that it was a passing fad. They hung in there. Jesus had that quality about him. Judas on his own did not have any popularity. He was a no buddy. He was a failure probably. He was a hanger on. He was what we would call today a groupie who to his surprise became an insider with the greatest show on earth.
Who am I no one. Take me out of the role of pastor and I am just another guy. I am 54 balding and gaining weight which describes a lot of men in this world. On my own I am a no buddy. But with Christ I am a pastor of a church. I have a voice to be invited to TV shows and I have your respect which I often think I don’t deserve. To this day popularity is an amazing drug that any of us can get addicted to. It may be the cruels of them all. Judas was sucked into all of them power possibility and popularity. you may be too.
JUDAS WAS FRUSTRATED BY HIS METHODOLOGY
So it will not take long to get frustrated by Jesus methodology for chaning the world. Judas wanted him to take on the Romans and to defeat them and control the world. Instead jesus talked about peace and non violence and he talked abotu the power of one person who puts their faith in him. he calls us to service not strength. Give up all that you have and give it tot he poor and follow him. Judas must have said to where. Quit talkign and produce. Some suggest that he sold Jesus to the Jews becasue he want Jesus’s hand to be forced into action and after it was all over Jesus woudl thank him for the kick start.
Lots of us are frustrated by jesus and his ways. He can end all this pain and suffering but he does not. He could heal cancer and wipe out the starvation of millions of children but he doesn’t. He could make all the religious wars go away but he doesn’t. When we lie he could strike us dead but he doesn’t. He could cripple us or take away our ability to talk if we gossip but he doesn’t. Talk about frustration with his methods. I know what that is like and so do you.
JUDAS GAVE IN TO HIS PERSONAL ADGENDA
When all that Judas thought would happen with Jesus did not happen he gave in to his personal adgenda. Which was make as much money as often as you can. His betrayal was an acceptance of what he was a greedy person. He went back to what he knew best adn did that.
When Jesus does not meet our expectations we end up going back to what is most important to us. For some of us it is sex. We stop being moral people or we leave our marriages to get as many sexual encounters as we can. Others it is like Judas it is money. God has failed so I will get as much money as I can. Micheal, was a young man in our church who married a beautiful women named Lydia she was blonde and a knock out. He wanted a son and she gave him daughters. Micheal had his own business and I got my first job in construction with him. When Micheal did not get what was important to him he reverted to wanting money and sex. He hit Lydia, he underpaid his workers and cheated those he worked for. He talked one women into taking off her copper eves and putting up aliumum ones at a time when copper was through the roof. He made more on the copper than he did on the job. She was elderly and he took advantage of that fact. He stilled went to church and he still looked the part but when Jesus did not do what he wanted him to do he reverted to his own personal adgenda.
Joe was the most promising preacher in our college. He was saved from a life of being a pimp and drugs and alcohol. He was tall and handsome. He could have been the supperstar of preachers. But he became frustrated by the methods of Jesus. Jesus was too slow for him. There was not enough progress. So Joe revert to his own personal adgenda and left the college for a life that lead to fast money and early death.
We come to Christ with broken lives we want them fixed. I came to jesus as a child who was abused and behind in school. I did not think that anyone loved me. I wanted to be accepted and I wanted all that now. Almost 40 years latter they are still coming from people around me. I every once in a while think that the BCOQ has no use for me and i go into a private pity party. Even now. There were many times that i too reverted to my personal adgenda only to hurt myself or to hurt others in ways that I never meant to. I learned that jesus methods were frustrating but when you stick with him they always end up solid. You not only grow but you find a new set of values that make the difference.
