Have you ever been betrayed? Has someone revealed a secret confidence of yours? Perhaps the worse case of betrayal, which is far too common, is having an affair and betraying the trust and love of your partner. Such betrayal is a dagger in the heart, an earthquake that topples ones world into dust, often without recovery. For the anguished soul it is a dark, turbulent time for crying out to God in pain. Some of you have experienced such betrayal. But how would you treat the betrayer if you knew in advance that he or she would betray you? Jesus knew his betrayer beforehand.
John Piper wrote;
“The most spectacular sin that has ever been committed in the history of the world is the brutal murder of Jesus Christ, the morally perfect, infinitely worthy, divine Son of God. And probably the most despicable act in the process of this murder was the betrayal of Jesus by one of his closest friends, Judas Iscariot.”
Judas: The infamous name that will always be linked to betrayal and the highest treachery. The 22nd chapter opens with a look at this man named Judas.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread or Passover was approaching. This was one of the three feasts, Shavuot (or Pentecost) and Sukkoth (or Tents) being the others, that required pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate as stated in Deut.16:16;
““Three times a year all males must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles.”
Passover, was a big deal. It was everyones ambition to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast at least once in their lifetime. Last week I spoke of just how magnificent, even other worldly was the splendor of the Temple and how befitting to actually be there to celebrate. There were extensive preparations made for the feast and to accommodate the crowds. Roads were repaved, bridges reinforced and gravestones whitewashed so pilgrims would see them and avoid accidentally touching them and become unclean. Weeks before the synagogues began teaching about the meaning of the Passover. Yet, how ironic that while celebrating the Passover, which was to celebrate their salvation from slavery, at the same time they are plotting to kill the Savior who brings salvation from slavery to sin.
“and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.”
A few people saw Jesus as the Messiah, most saw him as a prophet of God and they thronged about him to hear his teachings. After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead large crowds followed him during the “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem. The efforts of the religious leaders had not stopped him or diminished his popularity which threatened their positions and influence. In Jn.12:19 we hear their frustration;
“So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
So they plotted to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. But how? They feared that any public arrest would infuriate the people setting off a riot. Whenever there were feasts held in Jerusalem for pilgrims, Rome would fortify their presence by sending in more soldiers to maintain order. A riot would be meet with iron-fisted violence and ultimately the religious leaders would be held accountable before the Emperor, in this case the half-mad Nero. So arresting Jesus publicly was out of the question, but they needed to “get rid of him.” We then read that they receive some help in their diabolical scheme.
“Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.”
As we saw in the Job class, for those involved, Satan himself is under the sovereign rule of God. He cannot do whatever he wants. He had to have God’s permission to touch Job. Martin Luther said that God has Satan on a leash, allowing limited freedom but always under His control.
When we read, “Satan entered Judas,” most scholars feel it is reading too much into the words to label this as possession. However, we should not underplay that Satan had a strategic role which shows the cosmic implications of Jesus’ life and death. We also must understand that Judas had a to make a decision. Without delving too deeply into the complex subject, it seems that those who were possessed lived lives that opened them to the devil and ultimate possession. However, as Jesus went about and cast out demons from such people, He never held them accountable for their actions while they were possessed. He cast out the demon and restored the individual to family and community. He never took them to task for actions they committed while possessed. However, just a few verses down in v.22 at the Last Supper, Jesus says;
“The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!
Matthew adds the words: “It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
So Judas would be held accountable for his actions. At a minimum this indicates an openness, a cooperation and acceptance of Satan’s influence to do evil on Judas’ part.
Satan is a created being. First, as Lucifer, he was an angel, beautiful and powerful, referred to as Son of the morning. Because of pride he rebelled and was powerfully reminded that he was only a created being by His Creator who cast him out of heaven. As a created being, Satan may have a lot of knowledge but he does not know everything about the future, he is not omniscient. We saw this in the Job class. Satan challenges God to test Job’s faith by allowing Satan to bring major calamity on Job which would cause Job to curse God. Satan didn’t foresee that Job would remain faithful. Here, It appears He, and all the demons, probably held the same ideas as most of the Jews regarding Messiah. They were looking for a Messiah who would be king and cast out Rome and restore the Golden Age of Israel. It makes sense then, that Satan understood that belief but was not happy with it. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he offered Jesus the “kingdoms of this world,” that Jesus might be king without the cross, if he but worshipped Satan. If Satan acknowledged that that was the mission of Jesus, then what better thing to do than make sure he is killed and never able to assume the Kingship. Think about it, if Satan knew that killing Jesus would not keep Him dead, but He would arise on the third day successfully securing the salvation of all those He came to save and seal the fate of Satan and his cohorts to an eternity in hell, Satan would have done everything he could to keep Jesus alive! But it appears he didn’t know the future and was acting on the commonly held, but erroneous, belief that he came to be the earthly king, a position Satan lusted after.
So Judas in collaboration with Satan meet with the religious leaders to plan the betrayal. Money is exchanged. We know from Mt.26:14-15 the amount;
“Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.”
In Hebrew culture, from Ex.21:23 we learn that thirty pieces of silver was not a lot of money and was the exact price paid to the master of a slave if and when his slave was gored by an ox and died.
Of interest is the Old Testament prophecy of Zachariah in ch.11. God is dealing with the “worthless shepherds” and God asks them to give Him His pay, what they think He is worth, and they give Him 30 pieces of silver. Sarcastically God responds;
“And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.”
This prophecy finds its fulfillment with Judas’ actions.
Our account now continues as Jesus prepares for the Passover.
“Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”
9 “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.
10 He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”
13 They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.”
Notice how Jesus continues to fulfill the law, continues to fulfill righteousness. Remember in his conversation with John the Baptist in Mt.3:13-15;
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.”
It was imperative that all righteousness be fulfilled by Christ. It was by living a perfect, sinless life of complete obedience that Christ gain the reward of eternal life for all who would trust in Him. This is what theologians call Christ’s “active obedience.” Christ, as the Last Adam, by His perfect obedience to God’s requirements succeed in meeting the requirements of the Covenant of Works, where the first Adam failed. The first Adam, by his failure, plunged humanity and all of creation under corruption and, in Gen.3 we read God saying;
“He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden…”
R.C. Sproul notes;
“When Adam failed to keep the original covenant of works, God did not change His mind. Perfect obedience was still required for our salvation. Jesus came and kept the covenant of works, thereby earning salvation for us. By grace, we who are in Christ are counted righteous and granted the life Adam lost (1 Cor. 15:22). But this righteousness could not be granted if our Lord had not earned it.”
So by grace that perfect obedience of Christ is imputed or put to the account of every believe who are then viewed, through the righteousness of Christ alone, as having perfectly fulfilled all righteousness, the covenant of works. But Christ’s obedience even included the cross. The term used for that is “passive obedience.” By dying as the believers substitute, Christ endured the penalty for sin and failure, making forgiveness possible, and removing the barrier to eternal life. Christ, the last Adam, has opened the gates as Rev.22:14 Jesus states;
“that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”
So even though Christ work was nearly done, He still must observe the Law and the feast as part of His perfect active obedience just hours before He fulfills his perfect passive obedience upon the cross.
As preparations were made just as he had mentioned, Jesus opens his heart to his disciples;
“When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus “eagerly desired” to share this meal with his friends. The words express intense longing. Jesus knew it would be his last supper with his disciples. Perhaps we could liken it to a soldier’s last meal with his wife and family before heading overseas to battle. There was a great emotional attachment to this meal, not only spiritually for what the Passover represented, but emotionally because Christ was to be The Passover lamb who would soon be put to death.
“After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.[a] 21 But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” 23 They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.”
Now the first thing you might have noticed is that in this account Luke mentions two cups. The fact is that Luke, as a Gentile, is being a bit more Jewish than the other gospel writers. By the time of Jesus the Passover Seder tradition included 4 cups of red wine that are taken and 1 that is left untouched for Elijah. In V.17 it seems Jesus is speaking of the first cup, the Kiddush, which begins the Seder. The next cup Jesus drinks is probably the 3rd cup, the cup of Redemption, taken at the end of the meal.
It is important to notice what Jesus says about this cup.
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
What is the new covenant? Well, it’s not the Old covenant. Even the Old Covenant looked forward to the new. In Jer. 31:
““The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to[d] them,[e]”
declares the Lord.“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
And Ezek.11;
“ I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.”
The New Covenant, as Heb.8 states is a superior covenant that brings to fulfillment and closure of the old Mosaic covenant. Christ’s shed blood would confirm this new covenant and assure the salvation of all those brought under that blood by being regenerated or born again by the Holy Spirit. No more sacrifices would ever be needed, for in His one sacrifice sin is atoned for once for all time. No sacrifice could every be more efficient or more powerful.
If I might paraphrase what Christ was communicating that night it might be this; “By my sinless life of perfect obedience, I have met the requirements of the Covenant of works, the Law, and gained the reward of eternal life in your place. By my soon to be death, symbolized in this cup which represents my blood, I will take upon me your sins and failure at being perfectly obedient and become your substitute in death, that your guilt may be removed and your sins remembered no more.”
That is the grace of Christ we remember every time we gather about the Lord’s table.
Having started this section with Judas, we end with him as well.
“But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” 23 They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.”
Can you imagine what Judas was thinking? I can’t. According to John’s gospel, Jesus has washed the feet of his disciples, including Judas’. Such a humble act of service to one who would betray him is indeed divine! Judas thought his devious plan was hidden, but then Jesus shows he knows exactly what is going on. The betrayer’s hand is on the table with mine. John’s gospel adds Jesus saying;
““I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’
Jesus is quoting Ps.141:9;
“Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.”
Matthew records;
“And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?”
Judas must have been shocked realizing that Jesus was fully aware of his treacherous plan of betrayal. I always found it a bit unnerving to hear all the disciples ask, “Is it I?”
This section of Scripture reveals both the darkest recesses of an unimaginable evil as well as the breathtaking light of love at its sacrificial best. Let us first consider the darkness.
Although it has happened since New testament times, we recently have been handed a steady diet of popular entertainers who have “deconstructed” from the faith. In older terms one would say, they apostatized or were fallen from grace. Marty Sampson of Hillsong claims he no longer believes, as doe Jon Steingard of the Christian Rock band, Hawk Nelson, and the on-line comedians Rhett and Link, Rhett who has left Christianity for “openness and curiosity.” The problem goes well beyond their personal epiphany of disbelief. Because they are so popular they have a vast following of mostly younger people, nearly a half million views on You Tube, whom through the media they influence. We all know “Fans” tend to imitate their idols. So if their idol makes the case for jettisoning Christianity, they are very likely to follow.
At best we would hope and pray that such individuals are going through some spiritual desert, some dark night of the soul and in their despair have gone prodigal, hopefully for a short time. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. How do we explain it? We might ask, how do we explain Judas Iscariot? Here was a man, one of the twelve chosen by Christ. He lived with Christ and the others for three years. He heard the constant teachings of Christ, he witnessed the amazing miracles of feeding the five thousand, calming the storm, casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead first hand and he himself was involved in some miracles. Yet, he became the betrayer of the Son of God. How do we explain that? How close he was to Christ, yet he defected in the worst possible manner. We do have an indication recorded in Jn.12:5-6 when Judas complained about the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume.;
““Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”
Judas, and the other modern examples, should serve as a warning to every “Christian.” You can be so very close to Christ, but not even be a Christian. You can walk the walk, you can compose and sing doctrinally sound and devotionally stirring songs, you can publicly say the right things, but all the while your heart has never been circumcised by the Holy Spirit. Yes you can be that close, as close as Judas, yet you never experienced the new creation through true faith in Christ.
This is why the New Testament writers often called upon believers to examine themselves and their faith as to if it were true. In 2 Cor.13:5-6 Paul writes;
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 6 And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.”
This is NOT about losing one’s faith, it about seeing if you truly have faith, the faith that saves, faith that trusts in Christ alone. 1 Jn. 2:19 specifically states;
“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”
Like Judas, these modern individuals left the faith because they never had true faith to begin with. But it’s almost impossible to tell those with true faith from those who lack saving faith while professing to have it. The only true test of authentic faith is perseverance. The perseverance to not only run in the race but to finish the race! That is why Paul so often tells the Christians to examine themselves and their so-called professions of faith. Perhaps this is why all the Apostles asked Jesus, “Is it I?” But they were safe. As Jesus prayed to the Father he said;
“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”
The dark side of all this is sin.
At it most fundamental all sin is betrayal of God and others, hence we have all been guilty of betraying our Lord, for “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” As one commentator notes;
“This passage is not just a history lesson, but a study of human nature at its worst, revealing the form sin takes as it compounds itself in action. How often, for example, has a man or woman engaged in an affair without considering its devastating effect on their families, especially the children? What do such actions say about the integrity of our vows made before God? Sin usually does not limit its effect to a small sphere; it has a ripple effect that encompasses many others.”
That was the darkness, but there was also the light of sacrificial love. Jesus was and is the New Covenant. There was a holy uniqueness in the words; “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Of all the sacrifices in the Old Testament none involved human blood. The animal sacrifices could cover sins only. Only this one, acceptable sacrifice involved human blood, the precious blood of Christ, that could permanently remove sins. 1 Pet.1:18-19;
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
In Matthew’s gospel 26:27-28 we read the purpose of this blood;
“Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Having been forgiven our sins by the shed blood of Christ, all the blessings and promises of God are secured to us IN CHRIST through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said;
“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.”
He will lose none of those who are true believers. Of the Holy Spirit
Eph.1:13-14 proclaims;
“When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
Christ testifies that He will lose none of those the Father has given him to save. Here, the Holy Spirit seals our salvation, guaranteeing our inheritance as God’s possession. For the true believer it is impossible to “deconstruct” from faith, because it is the very Hand of God that holds and possesses you! Those who so-called “deconstructed” and left the faith, never had true faith to begin with and were self-deceived. What the blood of Christ covers cannot be undone!
The 19th C. Baptist minister, Robert Lowry, wrote a hymn that at once captured the simplicity and the profundity of the meaning of the shed blood. He wrote;
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing can for sin atone: O precious is the flow
nothing but the blood of Jesus. that makes me white as snow;
Naught of good that I have done: no other fount I know,
nothing but the blood of Jesus. nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Today, we will be doing communion differently. Due to NY health restrictions we will not be holding communion at this time, here in the building. Rather, I suggest that each family hold their own communion service at home. Perhaps just before lunch, Gather your family around the table, break the matzah or cracker and pour the juice. Then, read the passage from today’s sermon, Lk.22:14-20 and remember with gratitude Christ’s love for you. Pray, giving thanks for his broken body and shed blood. Then partake and close your service in a prayer of thanksgiving. May Christ richly bless you in service today.
