A River of Darkness, The Judas Iscariot Story. Who was Judas? Most people recognize Judas as the man who betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin. John 13:2, And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon ’s son, to betray him; To understand the son we must look at the father. Jesus said, “I do only that which I have seen my Father do.” Simon. Father of Judas Iscariot (Joh-6: 71; Joh-12: 4; Joh-13: 2; Joh-13: 26). Simon, the brother of Jesus. The only undoubted notice of this Simon occurs in Mat-13: 55; Mar-6: 3. Some writers have identified him, with Simon, the Canaanite, and, still more generally, with Symeon who became bishop of Jerusalem, after the death of James, A.D. 62. The former of these opinions rests on no evidence whatever, nor is the later without its difficulties.
Simon, the Canaanite, one of the twelve apostles, Mat-10: 4; Mar-3: 18, otherwise described as Simon Zelotes, Luk-6: 15; Act-1: 13. (A.D. 28). The latter term, which is peculiar to Luke, is the Greek equivalent for the Chaldee term preserved by Matthew and Mark.
Simon, Brother, i.e. cousin, of Jesus. A disciple, called also Niger Act-13: 1 (Mat-13: 55; Mar-6: 3). Probably the apostle Simeon Zelotes, "the zealot" (Luk-6: 15; Act-1: 13) for the honour of the law and the Israelite theocracy. Called "the Canaanite" (not the nation, but Kananaios, in Chaldee equivalent to the Greek Zeelotees; "zealot," Mat-10: 4; Mar-3: 18). Tenth among the twelve in Luke, but eleventh in Matthew and Mark. Eusebius from Hegesippus makes Simeon son of Clopas to succeed James in the bishopric of the Jerusalem church, which was removed to Pella. He was martyred in his 120th year, under Trajan, A.D. 107, as David’s descendant who might claim the throne and give trouble to the Romans. Simon belonged to the faction of the Zealots, who were conspicuous for their fierce advocacy of the Mosaic ritual. For the honor of the law (Mosaic) and the Israelite theocracy. (A government ruled by or subject to religious authority. Centering on God as the prime concern: a Theo centric cosmology.) So what we need to ask here, was Judas also taught this advocacy to the Mosaic ritual and if so was this part of his decision to betray Jesus, to maintain a Mosaic trust in Jerusalem? A part of that trust is that, “A man who has violated the Law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses.” The trust we are concerned with here is the retention of all Mosaic Laws and rituals. Holding to the letter of the Law without change. Was this a guiding principle to the decision of Judas to betray Jesus? Remember that Satan can only inhabit a man, when the man is receptive to him, already willing to accept change contrary to what he has seen and believes. The Upbringing of Judas may have played a great part in the acceptance of Satan into His heart. Covetness could also have played a large part in the deception, for Judas was the money keeper, and so being, when he found out that Jesus was occasionally speaking of His death, Judas might have became angry, for to be the money keeper of a few disciples was far short of being the treasurer of a great kingdom that he thought Jesus was to set up in Jerusalem. Think about it. Lets look a little closer at the event itself.
(The devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot) The word (PUT) is the word we want to understand. [To throw or introduce suddenly, to incite; to instigate; to urge by influence the devil planted the seed, but the soil of his heart was ready.] The devil has no power except where there is preparation for him. The covetous disposition of Judas had prepared the way.
Incite, instigate, influence, This is what Satan did, but remember that Judas had already made his deal with the Sanhedrin before Satan entered into Him, this makes the idea that, Judas was willing and ready to be led by Satan probable. Judas was partaker of all the spiritual gifts, including casting out of demons, but he was so preoccupied with his anger, he didn’t realize that Satan’s spirit had entered into him. For this proof read the following verses; Mat 26:14-16 then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. This action happened prior to Satan entering into Judas. Luke 22:3 then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
Foreknowledge of Jesus of the betrayal.
Zec 11:12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
The Betrayal;
Mat 26:25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
Mat 26:47 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.
Mat 27:3-5 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. According to scripture, Judas when confessing his sin to the Sanhedrin, did not say that he had betrayed, The Son of God, or even the messiah, but that he had betrayed innocent blood, could this have been because he did not believe, as Peter, and the other disciples, that Jesus was the Christ? And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. (See thou to that; repent of what you did yourself, it is none of our affair)
And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. Returning the blood money did not cleanse Judas of his sin, but it fulfilled prophecy. Psa 109:2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
Psa 109:3-8 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office
There are some churches today that are giving way to political pressure and false doctrine that will not allow communion to be given to certain political views. The Bible shows clearly that Jesus gave communion (aka, Last Supper) to Judas, knowing that He was not one of them in heart. Jesus Christ, in proof that Judas too partook of the Last Supper, a proof that John 6:54-56, cannot be understood of eating that supper, but of feeding on Him by living faith). Judas himself, in his despair, went out and hanged himself, Mat-27-5, at Aceldama, on the southern slope of the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, and in the act, he fell down a precipice and was dashed into pieces. (Old legend states, that Satan, after Judas hung himself, took his body and threw it to the sharp rocks and caused his bowels to appear) Acts-1:18. "And he went to his own place." Acts-1-25. "A guilty conscience must find either hell or pardon." The following verses state that, a man who sins willingly after knowing the truth of the gospel only has one sacrifice for sin, that was the original sacrifice that saved him in the beginning and that no other sacrifice will be accepted. We must return to Jesus and ask again to be renewed in His graces.
"For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned." (Hebrews 6:4-8 RSV) "if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt ... is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned." (Hebrews 6:6,8 RSV) "For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries. A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified, and outraged The Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:26-29 RSV) "For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog turns back to his own vomit, and the sow is washed only to wallow in the mire." (2 Peter 2:20-22 RSV) So there we have it, discuss these things among you and see the truth about Judas Iscariot. I hope this lesson was helpful in not only finding out the reason Judas betrayed Jesus but you found out about the man and his weakness. Ars.
