Sermon Lent Services Lake City UMC Date 04/13/2022
Sermon “Judas’s Never want to Help the Poor.”
John 13:21-30 The Message
21 After he said these things, Jesus became visibly upset, and then he told them why. “One of you is going to betray me.”
22-25 The disciples looked around at one another, wondering who on earth he was talking about. One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved dearly, was reclining against him, his head on his shoulder. Peter motioned to him to ask who Jesus might be talking about. So, being the closest, he said, “Master, who?”
26-27 Jesus said, “The one to whom I give this crust of bread after I’ve dipped it.” Then he dipped the crust and gave it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. As soon as the bread was in his hand, Satan entered him.
“What you must do,” said Jesus, “do. Do it and get it over with.”
28-29 No one around the supper table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that since Judas was their treasurer, Jesus was telling him to buy what they needed for the Feast, or that he should give something to the poor.
30 Judas, with the piece of bread, left. It was night.
The Scripture says basically That satin entered him, and Jesus Said Just Do it!
Wow, and then the text says the disciples thought Judas was concerned with the poor.
One of my favorite sermons that I have ever read is this title delivered by Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, President of Morehouse College. Mays offered a different interpretation of the role of Judas as not a villain or "betrayer" but as the fulfillment of the plan of redemption for the world; thus, we must be kind to Judas.
Other scholars assert that the role of Judas as "betrayer," especially from the Greek, was misinterpreted for "hand over." The claim that "Jesus made me do it" is, in effect, what an ancient document called the Gospel of Judas attempts to do for the great betrayer.
Consider our reading from John's gospel. It records an incident at the Last Supper where Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. And while they are all wondering who it can be, Jesus privately hands Judas a piece of bread, which he had said would signal the betrayer. John then tells us, "After [Judas] received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him." Luke also attributes Judas' action to the Devil, saying, "Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve" (Luke 22:3).
Matthew and Mark simply report Judas' action without laying it on Satan, but they clearly describe it as an act of betrayal.
But return a moment to John's statement that Satan entered into Judas. Throughout his gospel, John has been concerned to explain the life, ministry, and death of Jesus theologically, and not just reporting specific facts.
In other words, as far as John is concerned, the real opponents are not Jesus and Judas but Jesus and Satan. Or, to say it even more broadly, the struggle is between the most-holy God and the Prince of Darkness.
No, as John understands it, the devil made Judas do it.
However, what catches me in this text this year is something more subtle and hinted at with just a little more finesse when in the text, we see the idea that the other disciples, when they saw Judas leave, thought he was going to Help the Poor.
I’ve been working and fighting all year with Rev William Barber and Rev Liz Theo Harris, really for the past four years in a movement called the Poor Peoples Campaign. In this movement, I see a lot of similarities with the Revolution that Jesus was leading.
The PPC wants to Help folks with Heath Care, The PPC seeks to get folks healthy water and food and wants to change the poverty narrative and release the captives.
To me, this is much the same fight that Jesus was fighting so I have to say that the entire messianic movement was directed at changing the suffering of the poor from poverty to experiencing the Kingdom of God right here right now.
Jesus wants everyone to experience the Kingdom of God.
However, I’m not sure if that was Judas' desire.
1st While some of the disciples thought that Judas was going to give money to the poor, I have been in churches long enough and been around the political arena long enough to know that sometimes the folks that oversee the money don’t like to spend the money on the poor.
Judas was the treasurer in the Group and I’ve known some treasurers that didn’t want to spend money on anything, especially outreach and poverty.
I’ve known some treasurers that as soon as they become treasurer start acting like all the funds are their funds and that they have a special power to say who gets what when.
Just Look at this country our GDP, our proposed 2023 finically budget, we are the richest country in the world and yet we have homeless, poverty-stricken, and educationally deprived people in every community. We Spend More money on Warfare, the Welfare and more on weapons the schoolbooks.
Church be aware of the greedy Treasures.
Thus, although John had previously branded Judas as a thief who stole money from the common purse he carried for Jesus and the other disciples (John 12:6), John does not attribute the betrayal to Judas' greed but to Satan's invasion of his heart (John 13:2).
What's more, although the other three gospel writers tell us that Judas received money from the chief priests for his perfidy, John doesn't even mention the cash, effectively discounting the possibility that Judas was motivated by avarice.
2nd I also need to let you know the devil doesn’t care about the poor.
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.” You may remember that iconic quotation from the movie titled “The Usual Suspects” It is sometimes said today by an older church member that we just don’t hear enough preaching about sin anymore, the way we used to when we went to church. If that sentiment resonates with you at all, then this Lent Midday is your lucky day. Today's Sacred Scripture put evil and sin of systematic poverty and deceit at center stage.
Some churches preach what may be called a “health and wealth gospel,” claiming that God always rewards his people with prosperity in this world.
But in the Bible, wealth is no indication of God’s favor.
Neither is poverty an indication of God’s punishment. “[God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).
The devil wants you to think that the poor or not poor because of the system but they chose to be poor. No, the poor are poor because the selfish are greedy. The poor are poor because the history of systematic racism and discrimination has set them poor up to fail.
Let me see if you get this; there is a riddle that has been around for a long time, called the Paul Harvey riddle:
What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich don't need it, And if you eat it, you'll die? (Repeat) ok, I’ll give you a hint Romans 8:31-39
Ok, The answer to the riddle is "nothing." Nothing is greater than God.
Nothing is more eviler than the Devil. The poor have nothing.
The rich need nothing.
And if you eat nothing, you'll die.
That’s what Jesus knew, and sadly, that is what Judas missed. Judas should have affirmed his faith that Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love
3rd, and I’ll Let Yawl go home. Every helping hand isn’t a helping hand. Some Believed Judas was helping God by betraying Jesus. You need to get this God doesn’t need your help; God Allows You to Help. In other words, when you help someone, you are not doing God a favor; God is doing you a favor by using you.
You are not big enough to Box with God, You are not powerful enough to push God and God doesn’t need you, You need God.
I love you, but sometimes folks try and get out Infront of God. Don’t Let the Judas in you try and direct God; there is danger in trying to steer the Ark of the Covenant.
Judas, Jesus Knew what he was doing, Don’t let the devil Ride because he will want a cookie.
Huh, there is a story of a mouse that I love to tell my kids wrong all the time. It’s based on the story if you give a mouse a cookie; the entire story is told in the second person. A boy named Oliver gives a cookie to a mouse named Quinley. The mouse asks for a glass of milk. He then requests a straw (to drink the milk), a mirror (to avoid a milk mustache), nail scissors (to trim his hair in the mirror), and a broom (to sweep up his hair trimmings). Next, he wants to take a nap, have a story read to him, draw a picture, and hang the drawing on the refrigerator. Looking at the refrigerator makes him thirsty, so the mouse asks for a glass of milk. The circle is complete when he wants a cookie to go with it.
Hear this now if You give the devil a cookie, a ride, a room in your house, a desk at your job, a place in your family, a crust of bread at your table, the Enemy is going to want something more. Church Don’t Let the Judas in you feed the Devil this lent, this Holy Wednesday. You be and help the 140 million poor and impacted people in this the richest country in the world.
