A. THE MOST TRUSTWORTHY WAS NOT
1. Name, Judas is Latin, his birth name is Judah (means praise) the tribe from which Jesus was born. Iscariot means a northern portion of Jordan.
2. Importance? Always mentioned last among the twelve.
3. Trust. Judas was treasure, assuming trust by the eleven disciples (John 12:6, 13:29), yet Judah was chosen by Jesus. “Did I not choose you, and one of you is a devil” (John 6:70).
4. Judas a devil?
a. Judas was not the devil, but a tool of the devil.
b. Judas followed lust for money.
c. The devil put the scheme to betray in his heart.
d. Satan entered Judas (John 13:27).
e. Judas was a free moral agent, can never tell God, “You made me do it.”
5. Hypocritical. “Complained about wasting money on oil to anoint Jesus (John 12:1-8). “Why … oil not sold … a year’s wages … handled the money but … stole what was put in” (John 12:5-6, ELT).
6. Jesus gave Judas warnings at the Last Supper:
a. Early announcement. “One of you will betray Me” (John 6:70).
b. Not clean. “He that is washed … is clean … but not all” (John 13:10).
c. Bold. “One of you shall betray Me” (John 13:21).
d. John whispered, “Who is it?” “He … to whom shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it” (John 13:20). “He gave it to Judas” (John 13:26).
e. All asked, “Lord is it I” (Matthew 26:22). But Judas asked, “Master, is it I” (Matthew 26:25). Jesus told Judas “You have said it” (Matthew 26:25).
f. “Jesus said to him (Judas) ‘what you do, do quickly’” (John 13:27).
g. Prophetic. “He (Judas) went out immediately, and it was night” (John 13:30).
h. Satan entered Judas (Luke 22:3).
7. Symbols – Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15), betrayed Him with a kiss (Luke 22:48), and threw money at chief priest (Matthew 27:3-10).
8. Hanged himself (Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18).
B. TEN PRINCIPLES LEARNED FROM JUDAS
1. Don’t allow satan to use you, there are eternal consequences.
2. Judas’ repentance was sorrow for being caught, true repentance is sorrow to God for breaking His standards and sinning against God.
3. The Last/Lost Opportunity Principle. Jesus gave Judas several warnings at the Last Supper.
4. When your strength becomes your weakness. Judas was chosen treasure because he was good with money. But he betrayed Jesus for money.
5. One embryonic seed will influence your whole life and destroy you.
6. The principle of fooling some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool them all of the time. No one suspected Judas up until his betrayals.
7. The influence of your sin affects others. Jewish families stopped calling their babies Judas. Also, Judas not Iscariot, changed his name.
8. An unrepentant sin will run its course.
9. When examining a person’s character, look at the root not the fruit.
10. How did Judas become a disciple? He was a tool of satan. “Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, ‘Rabbi, is it I?’ He said to him, ‘You have said it’” (Matthew 26:25).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
Dr. Towns’ email is eltowns@liberty.edu.
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