JUDAS: YOU BETRAYER
JOHN 13 V18-30
I don’t know anyone who has called their child ‘Judas.’ That name is synonymous with betrayal and treachery. We sometimes hear people being called ‘Judas’ and it is not a term of endearment. Sometimes football fans will shout it at a former player or manager. Usually it means that a person is considered to have ‘sold out’ or ‘sold their principles’ for some earthly gain. So the name Judas will not be found high on the list of what to call a newborn son. However I want this morning as we come close to holy week and Easter to look a little more closely at Judas and his betrayal of Christ. Turn with me to John 13.
CONTEXT.
Let me set the context of our bible reading this morning. Jesus and his twelve disciples have been travelling around Galilee and Judea for 3 years. These 12 men are his closest companions. These 12 men had shared intimately his life for the past 3 years. They are now in an upper room and Christ has just finished washing their feet, much to their embarrassment. They are now reclining around the table. Each of the disciples is resting on their left side with their right hand free to lift food from the communal bowls of food. Please put out of your head any idea that the last supper is like the famous depiction by Leonardo de Vinci. From the account in John’s gospel we know that John was on Christ’s right side upon a close reading of the text it would appear that Judas was only an arms length away, probably on his left side.
VERSES 19-21 NO BIG SURPRISE.
They are all enjoying food and fellowship together when the atmosphere is pierced by the words of Christ in verse 18. Jesus quotes from Psalm 41.9. The phrase ‘lift his heel against me’ was in the ANE a sure sign of contempt and disrespect. Just as showing the sole of your feet is still considered an insult in the Middle East today. It reflects the unexpected and vicious kick of a horse. Jesus has shattered the peace of the evening again. His washing of their feet had embarrassed them. His rebuke at Simon’s refusal to have his feet washed had embarrassed him and them. Now he makes this statement – verse 18 and follows it in verse 19 by telling them that he is not taken by surprise by this turn of events. You know when you look back through John’s gospel you realise that Jesus had often warned his disciples about this very moment arriving – 6.71; 12.4; 13.2 and 13.10. He repeatedly warned them of the treachery amongst them. Stop there for a moment and realise what he is saying to them. 12 intimate friends amongst whom there is a traitor. They are in fact a mixed bunch. There is an ambiguity in their midst and they fail to see it. Only Christ can truly reveal the heart of those who claim to be his followers. We see from the passage that the other 11 disciples did not suspect Judas, hence Peter asking the ‘beloved disciple’ to ask Jesus who it is that he is speaking of. I want us all to note that this morning. Within the body of Christ there will always be a mixed multitude. There will always be those who appear genuine disciples who will in fact betray Christ. But I want you to note also this morning two things:
1. Jesus did not treat Judas any differently from the rest, and as we shall see gave him one last opportunity to repent.
2. Judas’ betrayal did not hinder the work of Christ or the purpose for which he had come.
Verse 21 – although Jesus is not surprised by what Judas is about to do he is ‘troubled in spirit’ by it. This phrase ‘troubled in spirit’ is exactly the same phrase used to describe Jesus’ reaction at the tomb of Lazarus. How fitting and appropriate because betrayal is in fact a death – the death of a relationship and it is equally as painful as death to Christ. Normally traitors are effective because they are unknown and go undetected. They go about in secret betraying that which they have been entrusted with. How different in the case of Judas. He is known to Christ. In fact one year earlier Jesus had predicted this very moment – John 6.70-71. What one year earlier seemed remote has now arrived but still Jesus reaches out to his betrayer.
VERSES 22-26 WHO IS IT?
Many of us love those ‘who done it’ programmes. CSI being the latest big hit in that area of TV programmes. John tells us that the disciples are disturbed by what they have just heard from the lips of their master, but intrigued o know who it is. There is stunned silence around the upper room. Even Peter is not as forthcoming as he normally is. We read in verse 24 that he asks ‘the beloved disciple’ (most likely John son of Zebedee) to ask who Jesus is speaking of. In verse 25 John leans back and resting his head in the chest of Christ he asks ‘who is it?’ Friends what a moment has arrived in this upper room. All eyes are fixed on Christ. All ears are attentive to what he is about to say and yet only John, Judas and Jesus hear and understand. Look at verse 26. Jesus leans over the table, dips a morsel of bread in wine and hands it to Judas. As he does so he tells John the significance of what he is doing. Now I want you to hear what I am about to say now because it is of eternal importance this morning. The manual act of taking a piece of bread at a meal, dipping it in wine and handing it to a guest was a sign of respect, courtesy and great honour in the society Christ. Think what Christ has just done for Judas Iscariot. John “Who is it master?” Judas’ heart begins to race and he fixes his eyes on Christ. Christ could have exposed Judas there and then but he protects him this one last time. He could have made it plain to the 11 it was Judas and we know there were two swords, at least, in that room and we know the reaction we could have expected from Simon Peter. Instead Jesus shows favour and honour to Judas by handing him the bread. The rest of the disciples fail to understand the significance of what has just been played out in front of them. The sad, eternal, thing is that it was not lost on John, Judas or Christ. John always refers in his gospel to Judas as the one who betrayed Christ.
VERSES 27-30 GO QUICKLY
Verse 27 must rate as one of the most harrowing verses in all of Scripture. Immediately Judas took the bread from the hand of Christ Satan entered him. Is this not a frightening verse? Receiving something from Christ opens the door for Satan to enter the life of Judas. Let me explain. When Christ hands Judas the bread it is a moment of eternal choice and consequence for Judas. By reaching out physically in the giving of the bread Christ is reaching out to Judas to repent of what he has done so far, in making the deal with the Sanhedrin. Here is Judas’ one last opportunity to turn away from the path he has chosen and to turn to Christ for forgiveness. When Christ hands him the bread and looks in his heart he knows that Judas has chosen to reject his grace and love and to betray him, hence the remarks in verse 27. ‘Do it quickly’ Jesus says to Judas. Having chosen the path of betrayal Jesus knows that now Judas is beyond saving and that the hour is come for his death on the cross for the sins of the world. The other disciples fail to understand the significance of what has just happened (verses 28-29). Later they will understand but at this moment the silence of Jesus actually protects his betrayer. Judas leaves the presence of Christ, for all eternity.
Judas has turned his back on Christ Jesus, the light of the world. John portrays this vividly in the fact that Judas immediately leaves the presence of Christ, the light of the world and goes off into the night (verse 30). The contrast between light and darkness has been played out throughout John’s gospel – ever since the Prologue in chapter 1 where he stated that the ‘light of men had come into the world…and the darkness comprehended it not.’ How significant – to leave the light of the world to go off into the darkness of the night. This is a pictorial representation of the darkness of Judas’ soul and the eternal consequences of his choice. But friends listen to me here – John reveals here that ‘there is a road to hell at the very gates of heaven.’ John reveals that you can be in the very presence of Christ, you can receive from his very hands and yet turn from him and go out into the darkness to betray him.
I wonder how many of us have left Christ to go out into the night. You can be in the presence of Christ one moment receiving favour and honour from him and in your heart be turning to the darkness to betray him with a kiss. This was Judas’ experience but let us be honest it is also our experience. Ever since Adam and Eve betrayed God by disobedience we have all been doing the same thing. You know in Genesis 4.7 God tells Cain to be careful because sin is crouching at his door. The same is true for each of us here this morning. Sin is crouching at our door and we need to be aware of it and beware of it. Judas has one last opportunity to renounce treachery. He had a choice to turn back or to yield to sin. The Lord knew the appeal had failed and that Judas’ heart was set on treachery and betrayal, and for what? For 30 pieces of silver. For monetary gain Judas betrayed Christ. But let me ask you “For what have you betrayed Christ?” For a moments pleasure you betrayed Christ when you … you finish it. For another penny in your pocket you betrayed Christ when you…you finish it.
APPLICATION
You see the betrayal comes at crucial moments. It comes at the hand of one who is closest to Christ. It is not limited to those who do not know the experience of being in God’s presence. Judas was an intimate confidante of Christ. It enables our enemy, Satan, to go where he could not go on his own. Satan needed human hands to betray and kill Jesus. It enables him to do what he could not do on his own. He had lost his battle with Christ in the wilderness. Satan needed men to kill Jesus. It enables him to hurt deeper than he could on his own. Sin always brings more into the circle of pain than the individual involved realises or expects. Just ask the family torn apart by an affair, or murder or fraud. Friends betrayal of Christ does the work of Satan in our lives in the lives of others. We all need to hear that this morning. We all need to open our eyes to it this morning.
But most of all we all need to hear this: “Betrayal is not the end of the relationship with God in Christ.” Listen to that again: “Betrayal is not the end of the relationship with God in Christ.” Peter betrayed Christ by denying him but he was restored because he came and confessed his sin when Christ encountered him on the lake side. This morning there are some of you here and you have betrayed Christ Jesus in this past week and this morning he holds out his hands of grace, pierced for your sin of betrayal, and he offers you forgiveness and restoration. The choice is yours. You can receive his forgiveness or you can leave Jesus the light of the world and go out into the night of eternal darkness. Don’t listen to that lie in your heart this morning which tells you there is no way back. There is only one way back and it is called the Cross of Christ. For the betrayal of Judas Christ died. For your forgiveness he died. Your choice this morning.
Some of you need to listen to me now. This morning you are in the presence of Christ and he is offering you forgiveness, favour and honour and you desperately want to receive it but you know that you have a choice to make about your life, about a relationship, about your character or something else this week and you know what is the right and wrong choice. You are in the presence of Christ this morning and you can choose to leave him go out into the night, into the eternal darkness of Judas. Or you can choose to stay with Christ and not betray him. Your choice this morning.
For all of us I think the stark warning is that even in the very presence of Christ there is a road to hell. John Bunyan portrayed it in Pilgrim’s Progress:
Stark warning indeed that you can be in the presence of Christ and still leave him to step out into the darkness of a lost eternity. Your choice.
AMEN.
