Don’t Hang Your Judas!
Have you ever been betrayed? I don’t mean some friend erred and let something you shared in confidence slip out. I mean stabbed in the back. They not only stabbed you but they twisted the knife and you could hear them chuckling as they did it! I have and I will admit to you that it is not fun!! I will also confess that I did not react in the way that I am about to preach to you, which is most likely why I have received the message. I have found that the best sermons step on the preacher’s toes first.
One big betrayal in a lifetime is enough. I have three that I remember well. One happened in 1969, one in 1985 and one in 1999. Like I said, one is one too many. Maybe you have had a few more and maybe I have had a few that I did not know about or remember, but how would you like to have two in the same day? How would you react? I reacted poorly to the first two, but I hope that I have reacted a bit better to the third. My goal is to react as Jesus did on the night of His double betrayal.
I carried a lot of bitterness with me for years over the first two and that caused me no end of problems. My present was spoiled by the past and my future was warped as well. To avoid that again I need to follow Jesus’ example.
Matt 26:21-25
21 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?
23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. (KJV)
He knew it was coming, but He did not lash out. He let Judas know that He knew what was happening and even encouraged him to get on with it. (John 13:27) What would you have done if you had seen your betrayal coming? I doubt that my response would have been as calm as His was and my actions would have been a tad bit more radical. My "soul" brother is Peter and I reckon ears would have been lopped! Jesus accepted the betrayal as part of His Father’s plan and accepted the suffering that would come because of this betrayal.
Gethsemane shows us that this was no death wish or blind acceptance as some teach. He was God incarnate and knew better than anyone what pain He would endure from the time of His arrest to He gave up His life on the Cross. I believe that He prayed for the cup to pass as an example to us to go to the Father in our darkest moments with the same sense of pain and yet submission to the Father’s will. This shows us that from the moment the darkness sets in God is with us until He brings us into Light no matter how long or painful the trial. Jesus’ trial ended in glory and so shall ours whether it is into eternal Glory or the glory of victory in this life.
Jesus had another one that was going to betray Him that night though He did not call it betrayal. Peter told Him that night,
Luke 22:33-34
33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. (KJV)
We usually think of betrayal as an act of aiding an enemy or being a traitor and Judas certainly fulfilled that definition. Judas aided Jesus’ earthly enemies as well as satan, his spiritual enemy. He was also a traitor to the kingdom of God. Another definition is to prove faithless to someone and Peter did just that. By His denial of Christ, he was faithless or disloyal to the one He had declared to be the Messiah. Judas was a companion, one of the twelve, but Peter was a friend and one of the inner circle. He had walked on water and stood with James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. How much more this betrayal had to have hurt the Lord.
How did Jesus deal with these men? He called one friend and prayed for another when betrayed.
Matt 26:46-50
46 Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. (KJV)
Judas had the gall to betray Jesus with a kiss!! He took a sign of friendship and turned it into what would become the ultimate sign of betrayal and death. Jesus responded to the act of friendship by calling him friend. I believe that even then had Judas repented of this treachery, he would have not been the son of perdition and would have been saved.
Peter did exactly what I would have done although I would have swung at Judas. Maybe Peter was swinging at Judas and missed. After all, he was a fisherman and not a soldier. It is a good thing that Peter did not have an automatic weapon. Jesus might have had to heal quite a few people as well as a few disciples.
31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Peter was prayed for before he even committed his betrayal by denial. In fact, he was not only prayed for, but he was commissioned to ministry in the same breath!!!! Imminent failure was near, but he was given a leadership position by prophecy and commandment. My brothers and sisters that have failed and failed miserably, this should be of great encouragement to you. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29) When Peter was selected/elected as a disciple, Jesus knew that Peter would fail miserably just as he knew Judas was a devil. (John 6:70) In this passage, knowing Peter would fall, but would return unto Him or be converted; Jesus could commission him for ministry!!
Some would teach that Peter was not saved yet and hence must be converted in the sense that we use the word in our day. I disagree! Peter had declared that Jesus was the Messiah. He had repented and accepted Christ. The Church did not start until Acts 2, so he was not Spirit indwelled until then, but he was a convert just as those who died after repenting at the message of John the Baptist were saved or converted if they died before they heard about Jesus. You must remember that in the Gospels, we are in transition from Old Testament "sainthood" to New Testament sainthood. As a good Jew, Peter was looking forward to the Messiah and he had found Him. He, like the other Jews, had not yet grasped the concept of a suffering, dying, and rising again Messiah, but He still accepted Jesus as Messiah.
1994 epistrepho (ep-ee-stref’-o); from 1909 and 4762; to revert (literally, figuratively or morally):
KJV-- come (go) again, convert, (re-) turn (about, again).
As you can see, the convert here means to come back to a place or a position. Where was Peter about to go? He was going to warm himself by the campfire of the enemy and deny Christ. He was going to change from the one whom boldly declared Jesus as Messiah into the man who would cower in fear and deny he even knew Him. Jesus looked ahead to John 21 and Acts 2, seeing the man who would come back to Him and then boldly proclaim Him as Messiah to a huge crowd. The man who cowered before three at night would convert, as we use the term, three thousand in the daylight.
Consider the source of the betrayal when dealing with a Judas. One difference between Peter and Judas was the heart. (Luke 6:45) These two men were vastly difference in the core of their being and their family ties. Judas’ father was the Devil. In John 6:70, Jesus said that of the twelve that He had chosen one was a devil. Judas never really heard and understood what Jesus was saying or added faith to his hearing. Hence, he was able to lie and, humanly speaking, by his betrayal murder Christ. (Hebrews 4:2;John 8:42-47)
Peter’s father was God. When he made his proclamation of Jesus being the Messiah, Jesus said that it was not flesh and blood that told him that, but Jesus’ Father, God. (Matt 16:17) We can know that Peter had God as Father because Jesus said in John 6:37, that all that the Father gave Him, would come unto Jesus and Peter did so.
By the way, I am quoting Jesus out of the divinely preserved, verbal-plenary inspired Word of God. All that is in red and all that is attributed to Him He said. I do not care what the Judas Seminar or Peter Jennings thinks. I said it correctly, Judas Seminar. Had it been truly a Jesus Seminar they would have found Him. Since they honored themselves above Jesus and the Father, as well as many scholars that they cannot hold a candle to they fall into the John 8:42-47 passage as well.
Their degrees must be made of toilet tissue for as much manure as they gathered and sadly spread across TV screens. At the very least, they are a prime example of professing themselves to be wise they became fools. (Romans 1:22) I do not know how many marbles they used in their silly game, but it was evident that they did not have them all when they started!
WOW! You say wasn’t that a bit harsh? No, not really. Jesus, Paul, and the prophets before them spoke far more harshly about scribes, lawyers, Pharisees, hypocrites, false prophets, and the like. Jesus publicly announced the betrayals of both Judas and Peter before the other apostles. I have merely pointed out the media Judas before my readers since we were speaking of Judas.
Now, back to the passage and let us consider the motive of betrayal. Judas betrayed Jesus because of greed. He had been angered over the cost of the ointment used on Jesus and may have been angry at Christ’s response to his criticism as well. (John 12:3-6).
Judas had lost confidence in Jesus. (Matt 26:7-16) Judas being the treasurer of the twelve probably expected a high paying position in the kingdom that Jesus had been declaring He would rule. In this passage, Jesus was predicting his burial and had spoken before of being crucified. His financial expectations would not be fulfilled in a crucified Messiah. He wanted a piece of the earthly kingdom, but had no use for the spiritual one. With that kind of heart or attitude, it was easy for satan to enter Judas’ heart and lead him to betray the Lord. He wanted to cut his losses and come out with a small profit of thirty pieces of silver.
That was the price of a common slave. That should speak to some of my Black brothers and to those that refer to Christ as the white man’s God. Jesus was literally sold as a slave, so He is able to minister to those whom have experienced slavery and He was not sold by or to a white man. I do not condone slavery, however, it is how many Black men found Christ, and they often sang spiritual songs in the fields. Indeed, they understood the Old Testament slavery of the Jews better than anyone and could sing with the heart, "When Israel was in Egypt’s land, let my people go!" They understood their freedom in Christ, though they were slaves to men better than any white man could understand that freedom. (1 Cor. 7:20-24) Men meant it for evil, but God used it for good leading many to a saving knowledge of His Son and produced men of science, preachers, and musicians that may well have died in heathenism otherwise. (Gen 50:19-21) I exhort you to allow God to nourish and comfort you as you see Him at work even in such a deplorable situation. Lay the past behind and look up for your future!
Peter betrayed Jesus because of fear and too much confidence in himself. We speak far too often of poor self-esteem in our day. I think what we often see as a poor self-esteem is actually grief or anger because the person does not live up to what he or she really thinks of himself/herself in the heart. The self-esteem is so high that when the person does not receive the success or admiration they feel they should deserve, they go into what we would call in the South, po’ mouth mode. They tell us how terrible they are which evokes sympathy, praise, and attention. Those things they truly believe they deserve anyway so, it is more likely a type of pride convoluted into the appearance of self-abasement.
Peter was a rough and tough guy. He was a commercial fisherman, which was a bit more grueling than spending the weekend on a bass boat. He was a bold lad and his shoot from the hip personality has surely resulted in many fights that he most likely won. Being such a person accustomed to rough work and trouble, he probably thought he could remain true to Jesus even if he stood alone. He may have even thought that he could stand imprisonment or death because of his strong belief in Jesus. He thought he had agape love for Christ. When that cock crowed, Peter had a major reality check. It was a blow to his pride, his manhood, and his self-image.
Jesus knew their hearts and motives. Judas, He turned over to the devil realizing that was where his heart was, but Peter He forgave and commissioned. We cannot know the motives of the ones who have betrayed us. The may be devils intent on hurting us or Peter’s who get into the heat of battle and fear overcomes them. Only God knows their motives.
This why we must give God the Glory! According to Romans 8:28, all things work together for our good, so even betrayals have their value. We are not to avenge ourselves. We want to, but we need to give it to God. He has the bigger stick.
Rom 12:19-21
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (KJV)
Since God knows the motives, He knows what needs to be done in the life of the betrayer. He knows which one is a Judas and which one is a Peter. We might abuse a Peter into never repenting and serving and just bring more problems by trying to punish a devil. Let God dish out the vengeance.
We are to overcome evil with love. By feeding our betrayer or enemy and quenching his thirst, guilt will drive the Peter closer to God and run the Judas back to his father in defeat. Sharing fire was a blessing and a neighborly thing to do. They carried it on their heads so by piling more coals on their head you gave them more abundant blessing. Remember, the old saying that "this will make you or break you?" Well, think about it. A heavy load on the head is either going to break the neck of the Judas by the weight of the guilt or break the stiffness of the neck of a Peter. Peter will repent and become your greatest friend. Judas will be so consumed with guilt that he will in one way or another get out of your life. He will not want to see you because to see you is to cause more guilt. So shovel on the love and let God take care of the neck.
God has bigger thoughts than we do.
Isa 55:7-8
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. (KJV)
We usually just want revenge because they hurt us. We suffered, so we want to them to suffer. Those things come from small thinking. God has the bigger picture. You see He knew Judas would not repent and would perish. In the big picture, Judas by his betrayal set in motion the things, which had to happen for Christ to die for us.
He was not foreordained by God to do this. Put a mouse in a room full of cats and you will not have to coerce them to kill and eat the mouse. They will just do what comes naturally. Put a devil in a place where he has opportunity to betray and kill and he will do it. Judas only did what was natural for him to do.
It is also a warning for those who hang out at the church and want the blessings of the church, but do not truly desire a living relationship with Christ. They are prime targets to be used and abused by the devil and then cast off when he is done with them. They are facing eternal death in Hell and may well end up like Judas in suicide.
Judas was sorry for what he had done, but if it had been a godly sorrow, he would have repented and I believe that he could have went to Jesus and been forgiven and saved. However, Jesus knew that he would not and he did not and he died lost. Many are in that same condition today and they will end up the same way because they trust in themselves or a system and not in the Savior.
He knew Peter would repent and preach. Peter blew it big time, but God knew his heart and his future. I wonder how many that would have been great saints of God have been beaten down into despair because we had to have our justice and revenge. How many generals did we drum out of the Corps or bust to privates forever because we would not forgive and seek to restore them to service? Oh, how horribly small our thoughts are and how sick and weakly is the Army of G0d because of them!!! Seek the mind of Christ and think big thoughts! Toss away the flyspeck thoughts of carnality! Let Christ reign and may the Church be triumphant according to His thoughts!!
Finally, we must seek the peace of God! Bitterness will rob you of peace.
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; (KJV)
Many Christians are bitter because someone betrayed them in the past. Some stay home and do not serve and miss the blessings of God. Some come to church regularly and do not hear the voice of God that would heal them. They would rather sit and fester and spread their bitterness throughout the church bringing pain to others and judgment upon themselves.
Give it up!!! I once carried a Judas around with me in my pocket. Every time that I had opportunity I would pull him out for display and cry, "See, what he did to me!!" It only hurt me more than it did him. He was several states away and as far as I knew, did not care. I was miserable and I made people around me miserable. It affected my ministry because I would preach to him and not to my audience and they were not fed properly.
My anger and bitterness towards him ultimately turned against the Lord and His people in general. That was when satan had me and sifted me and all but my faith failed. My life was a wreck. My job stunk. My church stunk. My marriage stunk! I STUNK!! I nearly destroyed myself, but God, in His mercy unscrewed my head, stuck a Divine eggbeater on high speed in, and turned my brains to mush. He screwed the top back on and said, "What do you think now, Mr. Intelligent." I could only cry out and tell Him what a fool I was and pled for mercy!!! Praise His Name, He did show me mercy, but not only was I wounded, but the acid of my bitterness had burned many around me. Get rid of the bitterness, my Brethren! It must go if you would seek peace.
Peace comes with submission to Him!
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (KJV)
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world, ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (KJV)
The world’s concept of peace is no trials, no conflict and everybody is one big happy family. They want Barneyville. Well, in the Heaven that the world denies, it will be that way, but they will not be there. In this sin sick and fallen world, we shall have tribulations! When you submit to Him on that you can experience the peace that He gives.
The world wants peace from tribulations. He gives you peace in the tribulations because He has overcome the world! Those tribulations will include a Judas or two. No one feels good in the midst of a betrayal situation, but if you submit to Him, He will give you a peace that makes no sense by the world’s standards.
He stood before Pilate and Herod calm and at peace. It drove them both nuts! He did not fear them for He was about to conquer them through overcoming their greatest weapon, death! Every tyrant that has ever lived or will live has tyrannized people with death. In Christ, you have conquered that weapon and you are victorious! Once "for me to live and to die is gain" becomes a part of your soul what can men do to you? What can a Judas do? Betray you into a trip to Glory? Whoopee!
I heard the testimony of a Romanian pastor that told the guard that was interrogating him that if they killed him, he would defeat them. He thought him mad. The pastor said that there are tapes of my sermons all over this country. If you kill me, my blood will sanctify them and I will defeat you in my death. People will say that if he was willing to die for the messages on these tapes there must be something to them and even more people will hear and believe in God thus destroying your hold on them.
They released him and later someone told him that the word was out that no matter what happened the Communists would not kill him. If he preached with no fear of death before can you imagine what his sermons were like after that? Oh, that we would submit to God like this man and have the peace of God that comes from submission unto Him even unto death!!!!! He was willing to lay down his life and he received life. Is that Scriptural living or what? (Matt 16:25)
Finally, forgiveness has peace.
Matt 18:32-35
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (KJV)
We run to God constantly for the forgiveness of our sins and expect immediate cleansing, but we will not do the same for our fellow Christians or the lost. Every time we sin we are unfaithful and betray Him like Peter did. If you are honest, you will admit that you sin daily and maybe not 490 times a day, but you may be closer than you think when you count sins of omission and commission and secret sins of the heart. Not to mention the times, intentionally or not, you have been a Judas to another person or at best, a fearful, overconfident Peter that left them down and alone in a trying situation.
With all that, you cannot forgive another human being? You will haul him off to prison in your heart and then demand the God to whom you owe much more to allow you to go free! Oh, the audacity we have and sheer impudence! All glory to God that is by his mercies that we are not consumed and they are new every morning!!! If not for grace, none of us would make it. We do evil relying on our works that are best tainted by the flesh and filthy rags of vanity!!!! He saves us by the blood and mercy and yet we demand justice and the blood of our fellow man for their indiscretions!!!!
Until you forgive, He cannot use you! You cannot represent the God of mercy and love when you hold anger, grudges, and bitterness in your heart. Yes, we must call sin what it is and warn the sinner and sinning saint, but we better have the love of Christ for them and long as He does for their repentance and restoration. An Army that shoots its own and refuses to recruit and disciple cannot long stand and that is exactly what the Army of Christ has done for too long!!! We must cease and desist!
Forgive your Judas and set him and yourself free!!! Follow Jesus’ example. Let your Judas know that you know what he is up and announce it to the saints, if necessary. Consider that there might be another source and motive than the devil, but do not try to judge the motive! Leave that to God! Give Him the glory and allow Him to use the stick of His choice. Heap coals of love on their heads! Try to find God’s thoughts and see the big picture! Do not let bitterness rob you of the peace that comes from submission to Him and from forgiveness. Do this and you will find strength and maybe even a stronger friend than imaginable as God works in a Peter. You may see your Judas hang himself by his own actions since God takes the wicked in their own craftiness. Whichever way it goes, you will prosper and be in peace!
