The name Judas was common during the first century, and there are several others with the same name in the New Testament (Mark 6:3; John 6:71, 13:26, 14:22; Mark 6:3). The name 'Iscariot" is believed to refer to a town in southern Judea called 'Kerioth' which was translated into the Greek from Hebrew as 'iskiariotes,' so his name means Judas from Kerioth. The other 11 disciples were from Galilee which makes Judas a bit of an outsider from the start.
What is astounding about Judas is that he witnessed the miracles of Jesus' side by side with Him and listened to His profound and enlightening teaching for three years, yet he stole from, and ultimately betrayed, Him (John 12:6; Matt 26:13-15).
Judas is a perfect example of those "who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come" yet turn away and can never be "renewed again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt" (Heb 6:4-7 ESV).
It is assumed by many that because Judas was a hand-picked follower of Jesus who was given to Him by the Father that he was therefore Born-Again and was able to work signs and wonders in the name of Jesus just as the other disciples.
Jesus knew (i.e. omniscience) from the very beginning what Judas would do. He told His disciples, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!" (John 6:70 ESV).
Judas was not happy with what Jesus was doing and “went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him” (Matt 26:14-16 ESV).
At the Last Supper Jesus said to the Disciples, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean" (John 13:10-11 ESV).
Let's unpack those verses:
v10 "The one who has BATHED (Gk: louó = to wash for personal hygiene and ceremonially)
- "not need to WASH" (Gk: niptó = to cleanse the face, feet or hands)
- "and, except for his feet, but is completely CLEAN (Gk: katharos = clean, clear, pure in a Levitical sense of free
from corrupt desire).
- "And you are CLEAN (again Gk: katharos), but not every one of you."
v11 "For he knew who was to BETRAY (Gk: paradidómi = to give into the hands of another treacherously) - v11
"him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are CLEAN (again Gk: katharos)." (John 13:10-11 ESV)
Jesus emphasized the word 'clean' three times to let us know that Judas was not "clean" from his sins in the Levitical sense (John 13:10–11; Col 2:13).
The other disciples had no clue that Judas would turn on Jesus. When Jesus mentioned a betrayer in their midst, the other disciples worried if it could be them (John 13:22). Knowing of his betrayal "Jesus said, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it. So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot" (John 13:26 ESV).
No one suspected it was Judas even though Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly" (John 13:27 ESV). Judas immediately left the room and the other disciples apparently thought that he had probably been sent to buy more food or to give money to the poor as he was the designated treasurer of the ministry (vs 28–29).
I find it curious that even though Jesus revealed His divine omniscience regarding the action Judas would take, he still continued on with his betrayal. I think it might be because he was empowered by the devil to do what he did even though he was fully responsible for his actions (John 13:27).
It is surmised by some that the reason Judas betrayed Jesus was not just because he was greedy but to force the hand of Jesus to set up His Kingdom now and become the strong political leader that the people had been crying out for who would force the Roman oppressors to leave Israel.
After the supper, Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and took their blood money from the chief priests and then waited for an opportunity to betray Jesus (Matt 26:15-16).
"Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; seize him." And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.' (Matt 26:48-50 ESV)
What Judas did fulfilled Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah.
"Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me" (Ps 41:9 ESV).
After realizing that Jesus had been condemned to death, Judas "changed his mind" (Gk: metamelomai = to regret sorrowfully) and "brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself" (Matt 27:3-4 ESV).
"The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." (Matt 26:24 ESV).
Judas was so despondent over this that he "threw down the pieces of silver into the temple" (Matt 27:5). The chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money." So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. That fulfilled what had been spoken by the Prophet *Jeremiah, who said, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me" (Matt 27:6-10 – see Zech 11:12-13).
Judas left the chief priests and committed suicide by hanging himself (Acts 1:18-19). His body fell headlong out of his noose and landed in the very field the chief priests has purchased (Acts 1:18-19). That field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
[*NOTE: Lightfoot explains that the prophet Jeremiah had first place/position among all the prophets, and therefore he came to be mentioned above and before Zechariah]
DID JUDAS LOOSE HIS SALVATION?
When Jesus walked the Earth, the Old Covenant was the Law of the land, and the children of Israel were known as God's servants. In the New Covenant, those who become Born-Again are the children of God. It was Jesus' death, resurrection, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, that ushered in the New Covenant in its fullness. Until those events happened, Judas, nor anyone other than 10 of the disciples, could be born from above.
After His resurrection, Jesus re-generated ten of the Apostles when, just as the Triune God did when He created Adam, He "breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (John 20:22-23 NIV - see also Gen 2:7; Job 33:4; Ps 33:6). At that moment, they were Born-Again because they received the Holy Spirit. However, they were not yet endued with power until the Day of Pentecost. For the 10, that was a separate and distinct experience.
The other 110 Disciples who were with them in the Upper Room were still not yet regenerated. They believed in Jesus as the promised Messiah, but they had yet to receive Him. Believing that Jesus is God is not the same as receiving Him. Even the "the demons believe that - and shudder" (James 2:19 NIV). This is also the case with the men of Samaria, the men at Ephesus, and those at Cornelius's house who were not yet Born-Again because they had not yet received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14; 10:44; 18:24).
After the resurrection, and before His return to Heaven, Jesus gave important instructions to His followers:
"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49 NIV)
The promise was the sending of the Holy Spirit, "the Counselor… from the Father" who would "testify" or prove, affirm and demonstrate that Jesus is Lord so that all those who would put their trust in Him would "receive power" to be His "witnesses…both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (John 15:26; Acts 1:8 NIV - see also Isa 28:11-12).
Jesus commanded the disciples to:
"not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:4-5 NIV)
When the Holy Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost, it was a confirmation that the New Covenant of grace - paid for by the shed blood of Jesus, and now written on the heart of every Christian - is more effectual than the Law given at Mt. Sinai that was written on stone (2 Cor 3:3-18). It also confirms that those who place their trust in Jesus find true deliverance and healing from the penalty of sin.
This event was so incredible that it affected the entire human race and their relationship to God. The Holy Spirit was given as a gift from the Father. This was the birthday of the Church universal. It began the ministry of the Holy Spirit, indwelling and sealing the Christian at the moment of salvation and the work of daily filling. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is responsible for preparing Christians for the coming of the Lord. It is He who "began a good work," and He "will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil 1:6 NIV).
Only after Jesus’ death and resurrection could a person receive Him as their Lord and Savior and be forgiven of all their sins and become a new creation acceptable to God as His righteousness in Christ (Eph 1:6-7; 2 Cor 5:17, 21). At the precise moment a person becomes Born-Again, the Holy Spirit seals them in Christ and comes to dwell within because they are the new Holy of Holies, God's dwelling place, and are now His children (1 Cor 3:16; Eph 1:6; 1 John 3:1).
These profound truths were never possible under the Old Covenant. The once-for-all forgiveness of the sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross is exclusive to the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit would fall on individuals for power to do works of service for God, but He never permanently dwelled within them until the New Covenant dispensation of grace.
Judas believed that Jesus could be the promised political Messiah, but he never received Jesus as the Messiah and became Born-Again. Jesus said the will of the Father was that He would "lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For it is My Father's will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:39-40 ESV).
It is God's will that all people be saved, but not will all be; He wants people to come to a knowledge of the truth, but not all do; He wants people to obey and love Him, but not all will (1 Tim 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9).
WHY DID JESUS CHOOSE JUDAS IN THE FIRST PLACE?
The Scriptures do not specifically say why Judas was chosen as one of the 12. It does seem evident that the Father gave Judas to Jesus to fulfill the Scripture which prophesied His betrayal (1 John 17:6; Ps 41:9).
"While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled." (John 17:12 ESV)
Judas never trusted Jesus because he was the "son of perdition" (Gk: apóleia = actively destroying, utter destruction; passively, a perishing, eternal ruin; the destruction resulting in the loss of eternal life).
"Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." (John 6:64, 65 ESV)
Let's unpack verse 64
- v64 The word "beginning" (Gk: arx?) means the initial starting point when He chose the disciples (See also
John 16:4, 15:27; 2 John 1:5).
- v64 The word "believe" (Gk: pisteuo – a verb) means to entrust to another; be persuaded of; to credit, place confidence in.
Jesus said to the 12 disciples, "Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil [Gk: diabolos = slanderer, false accuser] (John 6:70 ESV).
Judas was clearly not one of Jesus' sheep. Jesus explicitly said He never knew those sheep who didn't follow Him.
"26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one." (John 10:25-30 ESV)
Let's unpack these verses:
- v26 "among" (Gk: ek or ex = from out of the origin, source, cause)
- v27 "know" them (Gk: Ginosko = to know intimately)
- v27 "and they follow" (Gk: akoloutheo = a particle of union, to be in the same way with, i.e., to accompany,
specifically as a disciple or companion in union with Jesus)
- v28 "I give them eternal life, and they will never (Gk: o mee = emphatic never; not at all, anymore, at all, by no
means, by any means, neither, never, in no case, nor ever)
- v28 "perish" (Gk: apollumi = to utterly destroy to put out of the way entirely, put an end to, to lose eternal
salvation)
- v29 “no one” (Gk: tis = any one, some one, a certain one or thing)
- v29 "snatch" (Gk: harpazó = to take away, seize, carry off by force)
WHY DID JESUS GIVE JUDAS AUTHORITY TO PERFORM MIRACLES?
Jesus gave authority to Judas to do works of miracles but nowhere in Scripture does it say that Judas cast out demons or healed every kind of sickness and disease. However, the Bible does say that the 72 Jesus sent out did (Luke 10:17).
There were times in the Bible when unbelievers were used by God to manifest supernatural gifts such as Balaam, the false prophet in the Old Testament (Num 24:2; Jude 11; 2 Peter 2:15; Rev 2:14). Jesus said that that the sons of the Pharisee's cast out demons (Matt 12:27; Luke 11:17-19).
The Bible also tells us that there were successful non-believing Jewish exorcists and that those who were demon-possessed could cast out demons as well (Matt 12:27; Luke 11:15; Acts 19:13-16). The historian Flavius Josephus claimed that Jews were able to expel demons (Antiquities of the Jews. 8.2, 5). It is noted in the Graece Magicae Papyri documents that Jewish Rabbis rebuked other Jews for using the name of Jesus to cast out demons.
Someone who is not Born-Again can cast out demons, but their authority is limited, and the cure is temporary, as shown by the demons who turned on and attacked some Jewish exorcists and the sons of Sceva (see Acts 19:13-16).
The demons in hell are believers in Jesus as the Lord of the universe, but they aren't Born-Again. The Disciples cast out demons in the name of Jesus, but 110 of them weren't Born-Again until Pentecost, and one of them was always (Gk: arche = origin; the very beginning) of the devil (John 6:64).
Jesus taught that "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I NEVER knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matt 7:22–23 ESV - emphasis mine)
The word "never" (Gk: oudepote) is emphatic, which means Jesus NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER knew them because they were NEVER ever His in the first place. They are not the good trees that can only produce good fruit which are those things that accompany salvation; they are the bad trees, who can only produce bad fruit, and whom Jesus will again say to them "I NEVER knew you, depart from me" (Matt 7:17-23 - emphasis mine).
When a person becomes Born-Again, their spirit, mind, and body become the Holy of Holies, God's eternal dwelling place, to whom He said He would not cast out, never (there's that pesky little word again) leave or forsake because they are a good tree that can only produce good fruit that accompanies salvation such as listening and following Him. Those who habitually practice lawlessness are bad trees and don't do the things that accompany salvation (Matt 7:17-19; also Heb 6:9).
Judas was not a believer who lost his salvation because he was never a receiver by becoming Born-Again.
