Judas and Us

Part of our problem in reviewing the biography of Judas is that we picture him as this little beady-eyed man who's always slinking around in the shadows.

He's isolated, he's friendless, scowling. A second grade Sunday school teacher was teaching this account as she asked her class, who betrayed Jesus? A little boy raised his hand and said, Judas the scariest.

That's how we picture him. Welcome to Wisdom for the Heart. Today, we're looking at one of the darkest moments in the Gospels. The betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. In Luke 22, we see Judas align himself with the religious leaders to conspire against Jesus.

But here's the sobering truth. Judas isn't the only one capable of betrayal. Each of us faces the temptation to prioritize our own desires, plans, and agendas over loyalty to Christ. What led Judas to this moment?

And what can we learn about the ways we may be tempted? Keep listening. The crucifixion now for our study is hours away. The conflict of the ages is reaching a crescendo here in Luke's account, and so I return your attention to that Gospel. We're now in chapter 22. It's a long chapter. It'll take more than one sermon.

71 verses long. Several scenes are going to be explored together, and the first scene Luke records for us sort of sets the stage for everything that follows. We are now what I'd like to call in the shadow of the cross.

We're not there yet. All of these events lead up to it. Now verse 1 gives us another time stamp that's critical to notice. Luke writes, now the feast of unleavened bread drew near, which is called the Passover. If you're older in the faith, you probably know that every Jewish male 12 years and older longed to go at least once in their lifetime, no matter where they lived, to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. This was the celebration of their forefathers' release from slavery in Egypt. Following the Passover meal of lamb, a lamb they would have either bought at the temple or brought from home, they would celebrate this seven-day feast of unleavened bread. Now this feast recalled their joy as they scrambled to pack and leave Egypt before Pharaoh could change his mind again.

They didn't have much time. The bread didn't have time to rise, so they would eat it on the road, so to speak, unleavened. So here, centuries later, all of these memories and all of these commemorations are all bundled up under this title, Passover. It's no coincidence that Jesus planned for this to be the time of his death. He's the final Passover lamb. He's going to be sacrificed for the sins, the spiritual liberty, freedom for those who believe.

For anyone who would take his blood and apply it to their hearts, they will be rescued from the wrath of God. Now we know, we've learned already the Jewish leaders want to kill Jesus. They want to capture him, but they want to wait until after the Passover, after all these tens of thousands of people that have swelled the ranks of Jerusalem, have finished and returned home. Luke writes here in verse 2, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death for they feared the people. So notice they're not deciding if they're going to kill him.

They're trying to figure out how to kill him without causing a riot. But keep in mind, Jesus already knows how, and he knows when. He knows all the details. He knows that his hands and feet will be pierced, Psalm 22 16. He knows that his death is in our place, our iniquities for which he will suffer, Isaiah 53 verse 12. He even knows that he'll be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, Zechariah 11 verse 12.

So at the outset, beloved, keep in mind we're not watching a series of accidents. We're watching a series of appointments planned by the triune God from eternity past. Now this first appointment, Luke records in rather blunt fashion, is between Satan and Judas. The last time we saw Satan specifically mentioned was at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, and now here he is again at the end. Luke writes in verse 3, then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. Now I don't believe for a moment that when Judas was chosen, when he decided to sign on that he had any intention of betraying the Lord. Although the Lord knew he would. Judas never came around to believing the gospel.

He was a consummate actor and his skill only developed over three and a half years. He's what we would call a professor of Christ, not a possessor of Christ. So Luke doesn't give us the details, but when he records here in verse 3, then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot. John's gospel tells us that this moment was when the disciples were eating the Passover meal with the Lord in the upper room.

It's what we call the Last Supper. Jesus announces that one of them will betray him. Part of our problem in reviewing the biography of Judas is that we picture him as this little beady-eyed man who's always slinking around in the shadows.

He's isolated, he's friendless, scowling. That's how we view him. A second grade Sunday school teacher was teaching this account and she asked her class, who betrayed Jesus? A little boy raised his hand and said, Judas the scariest.

Well that's how we picture him. But not the disciples, don't miss that. Matthew's gospel records Jesus saying in that upper room, truly I say to you, one of you will betray me. Now, by the way, I believe this was for Judas.

This is an invitation for him to come clean. Satan is not yet possessing him, which means to dominate his mind and emotions and will. Satan will only do that because Judas is going to open the door through his defiance and unbelief. But now Judas hears Jesus announce, I know who you are. One of you will betray me. Jesus knows. Matthew says, he responds, is it I, Rabbi?

Is it me? He's imitating the surprise of the other disciples, imitating their shock at this idea. In fact, we know from Mark's gospel, chapter 14, that Judas has already had at least one meeting with religious leaders to map out the plans of betrayal. With that, we're told in other gospel accounts that Jesus hands Judas a morsel there at this meal.

That would be an act of honor by the host. I believe it's another invitation for Judas to repent, to stop. He doesn't have to board the vulture. He doesn't have to go there. There's still time, but he takes it. Luke says then, it's at that moment when his defiant heart is now an open door for the devil to do his worst.

He leaves. The other disciples evidently thought Judas had been sent on an errand relative to the Passover celebration. I think if they'd known it was Judas or anybody, I don't think they'd let the man leave this upper room alive.

And from what we're going to see Peter try to do in the garden with his sword, we know that Peter could use a little practice. Maybe he would have done it on Judas. When you consider the biography of this betrayer, it's clear he had opportunity after opportunity to repent, and yet over time his heart, just like Pharaoh before him, it grew hardened in unbelief. Still, there are some background clues to the defection of Judas and his betrayal.

Let me point out a few of them. First of all, Judas had an unrestrained attraction for money. In John chapter 12, I'll go very quickly there to review that scene you're familiar with if you're older in the faith. Mary came and anointed the feet of Jesus with very costly perfume.

The house is filled with a fragrance. And John chapter 12 says, Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, he who was about to betray him, said, Why was this ointment not sold and all that money given to the poor? How do you argue with that? Think of all the poor people out there. But Jesus no doubt caught the implication of this statement. Judas is rebuking him. How can you accept this costly gift with all those poor people out there?

This is pretty bold. Judas' opposition sounds so spiritual, doesn't it? Think of all those poor people out there, and I think probably some of the disciples are thinking, you know, that's a good point. John's Gospel adds this commentary in verse 6. He, Judas, said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. And having charge of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Don't miss this. At the end of three and a half years of ministry training, Judas was more dishonest than ever, more calloused than ever. On the outside, he was considered trustworthy, reliable, careful. In fact, the disciples had very little money.

They would receive donations as they traveled from village to village. He'd go in that money bag, and who better to administrate it than the most trusted among us, Judas. But Judas had a secret life. Silver had blinded his perception. You can take two quarters, and you can hold them up to your eyes, and you won't be able to see. And it only took 50 cents.

Luke writes here in chapter 22 in verse 4 that Judas went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. They were glad and agreed to give him money. He's not going to do it for free.

I want money. He's going to get at least 30 pieces of silver for wasting three and a half years of his life following this failed Messiah. In today's economy, this would be worth $10,000. Benedict Arnold wanted $2 million.

The British government cheated him and only gave him about a fourth of it. But for Judas, $10,000 to betray the Lord was enough. And we're told here by Luke that the Jewish leaders are glad. They're rejoicing.

Imagine the holiest of men celebrating, high-fiving each other over the betrayal of an innocent man. They're glad. In fact, this is going to change their timeline. They're going to move everything forward now. They're not going to wait until the end. When everybody goes home, they're going to do it now.

Why? Somebody on the inside, somebody who knows where Jesus is staying at night. Jesus doesn't have an address. So they strike this deal with Judas. In fact, the verb translated here in Luke's account, they agreed. It means that they paid him the silver then and there.

They gave him the cash then. More than likely to make sure that Judas can't change his mind. Now the average Sunday School lesson assumes that this betrayal meant that Judas was going to identify Jesus with a kiss in the garden and that was it.

That was actually the easiest part of the deal. The Sanhedrin already knew who Jesus was. They knew what he looked like. Perhaps for the benefit of the soldiers at night, Jesus will be identified by Judas with a kiss. Judas is agreeing here to fulfill a point of law for the Romans. A point of law necessary for the Jewish Sanhedrin to carry out the murder of Jesus. According to Roman law, a person could not be brought to trial until an indictment had been officially lodged against him, charging him with a crime. Today in our country, we would put it this way, somebody has to file charges.

And if they don't file charges, well, everything is forgotten. So according to Roman law, which is the basis of our law today, the person filing charges had to appear in court to give testimony against the accused for the prosecution. So Judas is agreeing to become a witness in court against Christ. It shows you the depth of his hatred now. His determination.

His disappointment. And that leads me to the next biographical clue. Not only did Judas have an unrestrained attraction to money, secondly he had a nationalistic obsession for Israel. Just like really the thousands of Jewish people living in and around Jerusalem.

They're thrilled to hear Jesus talk about this coming kingdom. Judas assumed that Jesus was going to overthrow Rome and return Israel to power and glory. Judas loved his country, his kinsmen, nothing wrong with that.

He was fiercely dedicated to his nation, his family, his kindred. No doubt his synagogue. Judas would have been the man to never miss a meeting. He wasn't the kind of person who would slip into church and sit on the back row. No offense to you people back there.

Got here late. Over time Judas became disillusioned why Jesus is talking about dying, not reigning. He's talking about the temple being destroyed, not exalted. What kind of Messiah is that?

I've hitched my wagon to the wrong person. And his disillusionment and hatred will turn into betrayal. Following closely on the heels of that clue, here's a third Judas had a burning hatred for Rome. He's identified by the Gospel writers as Judas Iscariot.

Iscariot can be related to carry off, perhaps his own place. But it also is a word that relates to the Latin term sicarius, common in this day. This is a designation, by the way, of a radical Jewish group during the time of Christ.

They were called the sicarii in honor of the dagger called the sika. They would conceal it in their rubs and they would take the life of a Roman and a disloyal Jew. Listen, I've met a lot of people over the years who would be offended if I compared them to Judas. But they happen to be following Jesus because it looks like he's good for their agenda. Jesus is going to be good for their business. He's going to make them feel better about themselves, give them a better dose of self-esteem. He's going to give them that wonderful life they believe they deserve. Jesus will give me what I dream of having. I'll follow Jesus as long as he fits in my agenda.

How about you today? Is it your agenda or his? Well, the answer is clear to Judas. He knows that the end of Christ's life is on the horizon. He knows Jesus isn't going to escape the plans of the Sanhedrin. So he's going to get whatever money he can out of wasting his life.

Ten thousand dollars is good enough. The Bible informs us that Judas is later filled with regret. He returns the money. He says, I have betrayed an innocent man.

But don't mistake regret for repentance. He didn't betray an innocent man. He betrayed a Messiah. That's one thing to talk about Judas and leave here saying, you know, what a mess. What a terrible man. How could he do something like that? Well, I want to hold up the mirror of the Word of God and let us see our own reflection in the biography of this betrayer.

Here's the first. It's possible to appear to walk with Christ and yet conceal secret sin without any desire for repentance. You haven't betrayed him, but you have started stealing from the money bag.

Just a few things here and there. Nobody noticed. You stole from the government last month on your taxes. You're pretty sure you'll get away with it again. You're not going to include the Lord in your dating relationship. It's immoral.

And you're managing it. You won't allow him access to your business records. There's dishonesty there. You're not going to give him control of your computer.

There's pornography there. You're not going to ask him for career advice. In fact, nobody at work knows you belong to him. These are all betrayals of Jesus. See, the problem isn't just Judas. The problem is Judas and us. There's something else to consider in the mirror of the Word. It's possible to associate with Christians without ever accepting Christ.

That may be you today. You know, it's as if Luke writes with a pen dipped in sorrow as he adds this little, almost throwaway line. He was one of the twelve. As if to say to his friend Theophilus to whom he's writing this account, Theophilus, if you can believe it, he was one of the twelve. One of the originals. One of the closest to Christ.

Another principle to consider is this. It's possible to withdraw from fellowship with God because of what God is withholding from you. He's not paying off. We can look around at other Christians and they seem to be getting their way.

Why not us? We know God can restore relationships. We know he can rescue. We know he can bring about conception. We know he can open that career door. We know he can protect our children. We know God can heal our diseases.

He can do all that with a little flick of his finger. So why does it seem like he's sitting on his divine hands when it relates to me? At this point we have two options. One, to follow Judas. The second option is to trust the Lord to walk by faith, not by sight. To believe his promise to not leave you or forsake you. To work everything out so that it fits finally and ultimately within his good purposes for your life.

Even though right now you can't read the fine print. The truth is we are all battling the biography of Judas. We can fail the Lord and betray him and deny him. And we can admit our sin, which he did not do, and take that sin to the one who died for it. In fact, as believers do that every day, like Martin Luther the reformer wrote 500 years ago, we make repentance a daily companion in life.

Maybe today there's something you need to come clean with before your Lord. Benedict Arnold would live, if you read his biography, with regret, bitterness. He would be unloved by both countries when he and his wife entered the opera in England. They would hiss at him. They had no respect for him.

That British spy who was captured was hung just a few days later. But his biography, which isn't as widely known, had a different ending. Major John Andres had been raised in England in a home with a believing, godly mother.

We know nothing of his father. His mother prayed for him for many years. All those years he rejected the gospel, lived a wicked life, essentially running from God.

She kept praying. Now captured, condemned to die, alone in his cell, the truth of his mother's messages came flooding back to his mind and heart. And his biographer writes that he knelt in his cell and with tears of repentance confessed and placed his faith in Christ. We're not told who it was, but someone gave him a copy of a poem that would later become a hymn, entitled Hiding Place.

It had been written four years earlier by Jehoiada Brewer. John Andres memorized that poem and began quoting it as he mounted the steps of the gallows. I couldn't help but think of Judas who committed a great crime but never repented. John Andres who committed a great crime, trusted in the grace of God.

Some of the lyrics go like this, and with this I close. Hail, sovereign love, which first began the scheme to rescue fallen man. Hail, matchless, free, eternal grace that gave my soul a hiding place. Against the God who built the sky I fought with hands uplifted high. Despised the mention of his grace, too proud to seek a hiding place. On Christ almighty vengeance fell, which must have sunk a world to hell. He bore it for a sinful race and thus became a hiding place. A few more setting suns at most shall land me on fair heavens coast, where I shall sing this song of grace and see my glorious hiding place. This is an invitation for those who don't believe to believe. You don't need more evidence, my friends. Judas had it all.

He'd seen it all. Simply ask the Spirit of God to place you within the family of God by trust in the Son of God. You aren't going to work for it. You don't turn over a new leaf to get it. You admit sin, helpless sin, and trust Him to save. If you've trusted Christ, the enemy's got some schemes. He has his own strategies. We're warned of him often. And maybe there's a foothold these days.

Maybe there's a little stealing going on here and there. You need to come clean, repent of that sin, and restore fellowship with your Savior. Judas' story reminds us of the power of choices, even in the face of grace. So let's guard our hearts and run to Christ for forgiveness.

That was Stephen Davey, and this is Wisdom for the Heart. Today's message was titled Judas and Us. Imagine having instant access to answers about the Bible straight from Stephen's teaching. You can type in any question and get a reliable, biblically sound answer in seconds. No more searching the internet for questionable information. Just go to wisdomonline.org forward slash ask or click the blue icon on any page. Then join us next time here on Wisdom for the Heart. .