In our text this morning in John 13 deals with the issue of betrayal. With a kiss, Judas betrayed Jesus. The thing that makes betrayal so painful is that by its very nature it comes from someone you trust, someone you believe in and have confidence in. In fact, what I have learned is the closer you are to the person who betrays you the more painful it is. David wrote in Psalm 55:12-14 “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; if it was them then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me, who has exalted himself against me; because if it is was them, then I could hide from him. 13But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. 14. We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng.” The Revised Standard Version transforms it like this, that, we used to hold sweet converse together; within God’s house and we walked in fellowship together. It was you that I sat in Sunday school with, it was you that I song in the choir with, it was you that I partook in communion with that betrayed me.
?When deceit and betrayal hit you from an unexpected source it hurts a lot. Look at this, Jesus had invested Himself in Judas. Jesus had trusted Judas with the treasury. And Judas stabbed Him in the back and twisted the handle.
What I have learned is that it is not easy to walk through a betrayal without a scratch. And here’s a nugget. You can’t go through the press without some pain, some discomfort, some aching, some hurt, and some displeasures. Write this down, you cannot receive the anointing without going through some discomforts. You can’t show me an olive that has had oil extracted from it without the olive being bruised, broken, battered, shattered, smashed, damaged and destroyed. And some of you are wondering why you have been so hurt, upset, wounded, and injured, it because the only way that you can receive that type of oil on and in your life you must be betrayed, but not bitter for the greater used of what God has for you. The olive has been crushed, stepped on and damage, but not the oil that was on the inside, that is being used to pray for people, and anoint people. The olive might have been betrayed, but look at it now.
This morning we want to look at betrayal from two perspectives. First, we want to look into the life of Judas and gain some insight on what causes a person to betray. Possibly this can help us spot a potential problem before it develops in a relationship that you are in. This can help us guard our own hearts so that we do not become the one who betrays another.
Second, we want to look at Jesus’ response to Judas’ betrayal so that we can follow His example when this sort of thing happens to us. First, what was going on in Judas that led to this betrayal? What are some common dynamics that lead to such a betrayal. Judas most likely entered into this relationship with a Self-serving Agenda. John tells us that Judas was a thief. Here is a man who lived very close to Jesus. He ate with Jesus. He carried the moneybag for the team. He was trusted by everyone. No one seems to have questioned the decision to put Judas in charge of the money. Even later when Jesus talked about the pending betrayal, the disciples did not know it was Judas. They were asking the question, Lord is it I?
Did Jesus know that Judas was that kind of man when He chose him to be one of the disciples? That’s not an easy question to answer. Some would say, of course, Jesus is God. He knows everything. Certainly the Father knew Judas heart when he was chosen. Obviously, Judas’ problem with greed was well hidden for a long time. However, occasionally his bad side would manifest and show up at times. For example, when Mary lavished Jesus feet with the expensive ointment, Judas got upset and criticized her for wasting the money. Listen to how his reasoning sounded. John 12:5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor. In hindsight John later tells us in his gospel that Judas was not really saying this because he cared for the poor, but he said it because he was a thief, and would take part of the money for himself.
Judas is a man who saw the glory of God, like few people see it. Yet all the while he was hardening his heart against God and he was becoming a devil. Think about this for a moment. Judas saw Jesus heal the sick, cleanse lepers, open blind eyes, and even raise the dead. In fact, Judas himself was used of God in these type miracles. He is specifically listed in Matthew 10 as one of the twelve sent out by Jesus to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons, and to preach the kingdom of God. How can a person be used of God in that way and ultimately end up as a betrayer of Jesus? Now I don’t think it just happened overnight. I think there was a process involved. His theft probably started out small, and grew. Maybe at first he was just paying himself a little for doing the extra job others weren’t doing: keeping track of the money, giving him the benefit of doubt maybe he had some unexpected debts come in and he needed to borrow a few dollars and it just got out of hand, or maybe it was just because he was a thief and couldn’t help himself. Either or in the atmosphere of God he had every opportunity to confess his fault to Jesus and ask for forgiveness. Perhaps he came close to doing that.
But the fact is he never did. Instead of dealing with his problems, he justified it and it grew worst. Theft led to lies, and lies led to deception, and deception led to betrayal. I think most cases of betrayal follow a common pattern, and the first stage of that pattern is a self-serving agenda. The person enters the relationship thinking that the other person can be used to help further their agenda.
Like some of the other disciples, Judas wanted a place of power and influence. He saw Jesus as someone who could help him get that. Do you remember the request John and James’ mother made to Jesus? Matt 20:21 she said Grant that one of these two sons of mine sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom. The reaction of the twelve to that request gives us clear insight into their carnal desire for power. We have to guard our hearts carefully as we enter into a relationship. If we come into a relationship driven by what we can get out of it, we have already taken the first step toward betrayal.
Philippians 2:3 teaches us to do nothing out of selfish ambition. No one should marry another person to simply get what he or she thinks they can get from that other person. Many marriages are headed for divorce the day they tie the knot because the motive for the relationship is wrong to begin with.
In my opinion, Judas started following Jesus for all the wrong reasons, and never corrected his selfish agenda. Judas became disappointed and disillusioned, as the course of the
relationship did not follow his agenda. He makes his self-serving criticism of Mary for pouring the expensive oil on Jesus’ feet. And what happens? Jesus corrects him in front of everybody. His pride is wounded, and he resents the way Jesus handled the situation. And Matthew specifically ties that incident with the betrayal. For Judas and the other disciples, it is becoming more evident that Jesus is not going to come into a position of power the way they expected. In fact, Jesus is being sought by the authorities, and they plan to arrest Him. Jesus himself is talking more of a cross, than a crown. And where does this leave poor Judas? It leaves him frustrated and unfulfilled. In my dealings with people like this, I have noticed a pattern. At this point they will usually turn the course of the relationship in the direction of their original intent.
When they find that they cannot control the other person the way they want to. When they see that they can’t get what they were initially pursuing, they will begin to resent you. They will not be grateful for what the other person has done for them. They will become very critical of that other person. They will lie, and make false accusations that will drive them to the final stage of betrayal.
Here is the betrayal, Judas turned on Jesus, and sold him out for 30 pieces of silver, not a lot of money. But at that point Judas is trying to salvage what he can from all of this. A person in that state of mind can become very paranoid. Fear can become a driving force in their mind, because they began to attribute their own unholy motives to the other person. They began to positions themselves defensively to do unto others before they can do unto him. Fear and survival become an powerful thoughts in this type of situation. We don’t know what Judas said to the priests as he sold Jesus out. But most of the time when people reach this point of betrayal, they have a strong need to criticize the other person, and try to get allies for the possible conflicts that will arrive. Judas is a warning for each of us. That is one side of the issue. But handling the situation is the other side of the situation which is just as important. What did Jesus know and do that enabled him to not become offended by the betrayal. Because, after all Jesus could have become offended by this betrayal, but He didn’t, because He was human (fully human) and he felt the pain of Judas treachery.
My brothers and sisters please do not rob Jesus of his humanity as you read this story, because this betrayal was part of his sufferings. He understands the pain you have experienced through being betrayed. Add scripture Spies, Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet he was without sin. So, Pastor how are we to respond to betrayal? We must follow the examples of Jesus, and when you do there is a blessing in store for you. In John 2 we are told that the crowds were pursuing Jesus in mass. With the miracles he was doing, his popularity was off the charts. And then John makes an important comment. The KJV puts it this way. John 2:24, “But Jesus didn’t commit himself unto them, because he knew all man. But then the Living Bible says like this, that he didn’t trust them because he knew them to the core.
No one needed to tell him how changeable human nature is. As a general statement, ever since the fall of Adam and Eve people have been basically selfish. It takes an awesome work of the Holy Spirit to rid us of that self-centered mindset. And even Christians have it if they are walking in the flesh rather than in the Spirit. So how can I know, and at the same time, not become cynical, distrusting or suspicious? I have to say honestly, “It’s not easy.” We have to continually remind ourselves of God’s heart toward people and His redemptive plans for us all, and allow Him to pour out His love in our hearts. With that basic understanding about human nature, Jesus was not taken by surprise because of his unfaithfulness to Him. And more specifically when the right time came the Father showed Jesus exactly what was in the heart of Judas. As early as John 6:70 Jesus was saying to the disciples, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!" John specifically tells us He was talking about Judas when He said that. So Jesus recognized that Judas was moving toward betrayal. Jesus also recognized that regardless of what His betrayer and anybody else might do, God was ultimately in control of the events of His life. Judas made his own moral choices, and God never violated Judas’ free will. But at the same time in His wisdom God allowed that betrayal to come into Jesus’ life. That’s pretty easy for us to accept. But can you accept the fact that God also has allowed the betrayals that have come into your life? There have been a few times in my life when I slapped my forehead and said to myself, how could I have not seen that was coming. Or why, God, did you allow that to happen to me?
Have you had some of those experiences that left you asking why? The answer is simpler than you may think. God did not put us in this world to keep us from human experiences. But, he uses these experiences to shape us and prepare us for eternity. And here is God’s agenda for you in. Rom 8:28-29 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. But, the problem is, that we can very easily lose sight of that purpose and substitute our agenda for God’s agenda. Joseph’s life is a great study in responding to betrayal.
He was betrayed by his brothers because of envy. He was betrayed by Potifher’s wife and served an unjust jail sentence. The issue is not whether we will get betrayed. Jesus said in Luke 17:1 "It is impossible that no offenses should come. But what determines my future is how I respond to those offenses. How did Joseph respond? He responded with forgiveness and mercy. How could he do that? He understood the redemptive power of God in his life. Gen 50:20 “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Allow me to put it in hood language, what you meant for my bad God turned it around for my Good.
And this is same confidence of God that was in Jesus. Listen to how John counters Judas’ betrayal with Jesus confidence in the Father’s ability to bring His plan to pass. John 13:2-3 says that the evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus, and Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God. The devil was at work prompting Judas to betray. But above and beyond all, God was bringing His plan to pass.
Noticed that there was no retaliation, Jesus never retaliated to his betrayer in like kind. Even though he knew Judas was in the process of betraying him he kept reaching out to Judas in love. He kept showing kindness to Judas. He gave Judas every opportunity to change his mind and repent.
The bible says in 1st Peter 4:8 that charity which is Love covers a multitude of sins. Jesus could love His enemies because He was fully submitted to the Holy Spirit. And it is possible for you and me to love our enemies. It is impossible for us to do that in our own strength. But it is possible for the Holy Spirit to do that through us. Here is Judas in the upper room with Jesus. He has already bargained with the priests to betray Jesus. And Jesus, knowing all that, sits Judas in an honored place right next to himself. Every word Jesus says about His pending betrayal is an arrow of love into the hardened conscience of Judas, calling him to repentance. Jesus kept reaching out to Judas in love. In that final act of grace Jesus handed Judas the bread. It was an extension of friendship.
And Judas accepted of that without coming clean, so that tells me his intentions was his final decision to not repent. At that moment he used up all his opportunities and opened his soul to Satan fully. But Jesus didn’t get bitter, because the Lord what he had come to do. And that’s the lesson when you know what God has sent you to do, even though they have betrayed you, don’t get bitter just keep on moving in the spirit of God, because he will be your present help in the time of need.
How do you know Spies? (GO TO THE CROSS)
