Easter – Judas Iscariot
Scriptures: Mark 14:44-45; John 13:21-27; Matt. 10: 33; 27:3-5; Acts 1:16-17; 2 Tim. 2:11-13
Hebrews 6:4-6
Introduction:
During Bible study this past Thursday night I asked the class if they thought Judas went to heaven or hell. The responses from the group varied and led us into a lively discussion around what could send someone to hell. I think I was the only one who stated that I believed that he did in fact go to hell, but of course this is only my opinion and judgment. All we know about Judas for the most part is that he betrayed Christ. Many take that as enough to believe he went to hell and they need to know nothing else about the man. As I thought about my Easter message for this year, I asked myself what could have caused Judas to betray Jesus. This morning I want to attempt to share some information about Judas from a historical and biblical perspective to try and help us separate his last action (the betrayal) from his earlier ones. No matter where you read, Judas is only remembered for his last act but I want us to look at him as a person this morning. I want us to take a step back and not see him as some demon-possessed man who sold out Christ for thirty pieces of silver, but as a man period. This will not change his history, but hopefully will enable us to better look at ourselves. When I think of Judas I think that something led him to do what he did and while we may not know for certain what it was, I truly believe that Judas initially believed that Jesus was the Messiah and he was not walking with Him for his own personal gain. So let’s begin.
I. Judas Iscariot – The Person
Judas is widely known as the disciple who betrayed and enabled the arrest of his master, Jesus. All of the four gospels give us some insight into Judas but it is not possible with any certainty to draw very specific conclusions about his place among the twelve disciples. On lists in all three Synoptic Gospels (the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as Synoptic Gospels because they tell similar stories in similar order using similar wording versus the book of John) Judas name appears last with the epithet “who betrayed Him.” Judas was called “Iscariot” most likely because he was from Kerioth, a town in southern Judea, which would mean that he was the only non-Galilean among the twelve and therefore the “odd man out” as some has suggested. When you read the Scriptures pertaining to him he seems to have been essentially lonely and misunderstood according to some writers.
When John writes about Judas, he referred to him as a thief (John 12:6); betrayer (John 18:2, 5); possessed by the devil (John 13:27); or the son of perdition – someone lost in hell (John 17:12). John’s gospel was written fifty plus years after Christ’s death and resurrection and it seems as if he could not describe Judas as bad enough in retrospect. Think about this, if you have a good friend, someone you share a lot of your time with, while you are with them you have mostly good thoughts of them. However, after they betray you, your thoughts of the person are now filtered through a filter of betrayal. Everything the person did now becomes suspect because they hurt you through their betrayal so you forget the good that you initially saw within them. I am not saying that Judas did not deserve every name that John gave him but we should consider that as John was one of the closest disciples to Jesus he was extremely hurt by Judas actions. Also consider the fact that after Jesus was arrested, all of the disciples had at one time or another denied or deserted their master and maybe Judas’ ultimate betrayal made them feel less ashamed about their own denial of Him. If you think I am really off base here, consider this point. Jesus, Himself, is acknowledged to have been a clear reader of personality and He must have first called Judas and then appointed him as the treasurer or accountant of the group. Jesus is not likely to have given Judas the job if it was to be a source of temptation to him. Also, I do not think Judas would have joined a band of penniless preachers who traveled from place to place depending on the support of others if he was a greedy and petty pilferer prior to joining the group. What I am saying is that Jesus must have seen in Judas a potentially useful member of His team, and Judas must have seen in Jesus the potential fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. At some point and for some reason, Judas made a decision to betray Jesus.
There are several theories available as to the reason Judas betrayed Christ. One of the theories is that he did it for the money. Let’s consider this theory. Judas was paid thirty pieces of silver for his betrayal and that is equal to about ten dollars or the purchase-value of a foreign slave in Old Testament times. If Judas was greedy as is often supposed, he could have asked for far more from the high priests and would have received it. He did not get rich from the betrayal so it is possible that it was not about money. Also, once he realized what he did, he gave the money back. Judas, as some writers have noted, more than others seems to have misunderstood or disregarded Jesus’ interpretation of His own Messiahship. Faced with a slow and steady process of disillusionment and disappointment, at what so many of Jesus’ followers considered to be lost opportunities (John 6:15 says they wanted to make Him king), Judas’ impatience seems to have grown until he himself grasped the initiative. Again, this is one theory as to why he did it. Whether intending to force Jesus into declaring Himself Messiah at the height of the Passover feast or whether driven to a pathetic revenge for his deep personal disappointment and frustration, Judas acted the traitor. Three years’ of close acquaintance with Jesus may well have convinced Judas of Jesus Messiahship, but also of a genuine inability of Jesus to declare Himself as the One. Judas, by pushing Jesus at the tactical moment, may well have felt that he was acting for Jesus own good; for Judas’ ideal of Messiahship did not include Jesus actually allowing Himself to be killed. However, once the plot began, there was no stopping it. Let’s now examine the actual betrayal.
II. The Betrayal
All three of the Synoptic Gospels declare that Judas himself proactively approached the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them. He knew that they were seeking a way in which to kill Jesus and in order for the chief priests to have Him arrested they needed at least two witnesses. Since Judas was not present at the trial, it is believed that he must have given his testimony beforehand. The chief priests were glad to have Judas help and they agreed on thirty pieces of silver. Prior to his final meeting with the chief priests and his returning to the garden with the soldiers, Judas participated in Jesus’ Last Supper with the other disciples. During that meal Jesus’ spirit was troubled and He shared with the disciples what was about to happen. John 13:21-27 says “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.’ The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, ‘Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.’ He, leaning back thus on Jesus bosom, said to Him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.’ So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.” (John 13:21-27). Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him and yet at His last supper He gave Judas the place of honor in having him set right beside Him. When Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray Him, Peter asked the disciple closest to Jesus to find out who it was. Jesus told that disciple who it was that would betray Him. When Jesus gave Judas the morsel of bread, John states that Satan entered into him and he literally and figuratively entered into the dark. When he left Jesus’ presence it was dark outside but he also left the dark intentions – betraying his Master.
Have you ever been betrayed by someone you thought was a true friend? Have you ever been stabbed in the back by someone that you trusted and were a part of your true circle of friends? You had walked with this person and spent much time with them even sharing your thoughts and secrets with him/her. Then you found out that the commitment that you felt the two of you shared to each other was not reciprocated on their part and they betrayed you. Can you remember or imagine the hurt; pain and possible anger that you felt? This is what happened to Jesus on the night that Judas betrayed Him. This was no accidental betrayal, but was premeditated and implemented flawlessly. Prior to Judas and the soldiers entering the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas had told them that he would identify the person they were seeking with a kiss. When they entered the garden, Judas approached Jesus and kissed Him. Mark 14:44-45 records “Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away under guard.’ After coming, Judas immediately went to Him, saying, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed Him.”
When the soldiers arrested Jesus, Judas must have thought that Jesus would immediately declare Himself the Messiah and become king (if that was his point of the betrayal). Think about it like this, if Judas was angry at Christ and wanted revenge, once they arrested Him he should have been happy. If he wanted Christ dead, then his betrayal of Him would possibly ensure this and he could go on with his life. When Judas realized the cost to Jesus for his betrayal, he attempted to undo his action. Matthew 27:3-5 records the following: “Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ But they said, ‘What is that to us? See to that yourself!’ And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.” Matthew’s account of Judas remorse and suicide is based upon the Old Testament prophesy in Zechariah (11:12, 13). According to Acts 1:18, his body fell to the ground and burst open spilling his intestines, which does not contradict what was recorded in Matthew. When he returned the money, the chief priests could not take it because it was in fact “blood money.” The chief priests took the “blood money” and purchased the field where Judas died and made it a cemetery for foreigners in Jerusalem.
There is one additional point that I want to share with you before I close out this message. Judas, while he walked with Jesus, was every bit as saved and every bit of a disciple as the other eleven. This understanding is why his betrayal of Jesus is viewed as the worst thing a person could ever do. The book of Acts records a statement that Peter made when he stood before the one hundred and twenty that was gathered in the upper room. He said “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.” (Acts 1:16-17) Peter testified that Judas was one of them and that he had received his full share of the ministry. In other words, whatever Jesus had the disciples doing, Judas was right there with them. Judas cast out devils and healed the sick. Judas ministered to the poor, the homeless and the hungry. Everything that the disciples did for the three years they walked with Jesus, Judas did also. He was a disciple who walked hand in hand with Christ. Imagine if you will, if you had been one of the people who had been touched by Judas’ ministry. What would your feelings be if Judas had been instrumental in your healing or had given you funds when you were in need? What would you think about him when you heard the news if he was the one who told you about Christ leading to your salvation? These were actual people who probably had these thoughts and may have had a different perspective on the Judas they knew. While they accepted that he had betrayed Christ, they might not have looked on him with total disgust because of the role he had played in their lives. Consider these people as I summarize.
Conclusion
When we read the gospel references of Judas, we do not get the full story of his life. We do not know the people he touched or led to Christ. We do not know his thinking or what motivated him to do what he did. We do not understand why he made the decision and when the thought took root within his heart. We do not know what changed his heart towards his Master. What we see in Judas is a man to whom ambition became a misguiding light, if he truly was attempting to get Jesus to declare His kingdom. He seen an opportunity and in his grasp for it, betrayed his Savior. What we see in Judas is a man with an immense power of self-deception. A man who deceived himself (possibly thinking what he was doing was the right thing for Jesus’ own good) and then acted on the deception. Someone said “No form of deception is more aggravated in its character and in its effect than self-deception. Our ability to deceive ourselves is one of the worst enemies of our character. What we see in Judas is a man with the real power of hiding his real self behind an impassive exterior as he grew to know his real self and keeping his secrets from everyone around him. (Judas did not decide on a whim or impulse to betray Jesus, it was something that was thought out and planned.)
What we see in Judas is a man with great ambition; immense power of self-deception; and a man having the power to hide his real self to others. What we see in Judas is OURSELVES! All of us have the potential to be become like Judas. If you’re setting here saying that you never could, your deceiving yourselves. We can betray Christ just as Judas did, but in a more subtle way. We can deny Him just as the other disciples did while still showing others that we are dedicated strong Christians. We can deceive ourselves into thinking that we are “not so bad” when we choose to sin against God because we know that grace is available for us. We can know what is truly in our hearts and hide it every day from those closest to us. Yes, all of us have the potential to be a Judas – not only as it relates to our walk with Christ, but especially as it relates to our walk with each other. As we discussed in Bible study on Thursday evening, we do not know what could push someone over the edge to betray their Lord and Savior, but it happens. If you do not think it could happen to you, be careful as self-deception could be lurking in your heart. This morning I am asking that you, before you thoroughly condemn Judas to hell as I have done in the past, look in the mirror. Do you see Judas looking back at you? I will leave you with the following Scriptures:
“But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33)
“It is a trustworthy statement: for if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13)
“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” (Hebrews 6:4-6)
I will continue with this Easter series next week. “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
