He engaged in the normal “chit-chat” as his thumb caressed the silver coin in his pocket. He was a deep cover, double agent sitting across the table from the King, and no one in the room had a clue that he was there to bring the whole movement down.
Judas. His name has become a byword for selling someone out, for betraying a trust. Parents name their children Matthew and John and even some crazy names. But I don’t remember a single kid named Judas the whole time I was growing up. No one wants that name. Not actually, not figuratively. It appears there were two stages to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. The first stage was listening to the devil when he tempted Judas with this stupid plan. We see in Matthew 26 that Judas set the plan in motion and took the 30 silver coins before the last supper. As I re-read the account in Matthew, I see that it was Judas who went to the Priests and asked “how much will you give me to betray Jesus?” Wow. It would be easier to understand if they had approached him, but to see Judas actively looking for a way to sell out his own teacher boggles the mind.
Judas must have left some things behind to follow Jesus. Is that what was tempting him? Did the devil say to him “He’s going to die eventually anyway, you might as well recoup a little of what you have lost.” Did Judas receive word that someone in the family was desperately ill and needed money? Doubtful. Did he ask Jesus for something and Jesus turned him down, or rebuked him? Did that begin the descent into eternal torment?
Quick question before we address the second stage of the betrayal: “What amount would I agree to betray Jesus for”? How about you? Would you betray him for a month’s wage? Before you answer, consider that Peter did it for nothing. Hmmm.
The text says that “the devil entered into Judas” when he took the bread from Jesus’ hand. It seems to me like the devil already had a hold on Judas before this, so this must be some further possession. Maybe Judas moved from being tempted to do something bad to being possessed by something pure evil. No wonder he hangs himself after he realizes what he has done. There is some discussion about whether Judas repented or not. Throwing the coins into the temple seem to be a sign of contrition, but we don’t know the rest of the story (if there is more to tell). As we listen to the disciples speak of him later, it seems they were of the opinion that Judas was lost. I find it unlikely that he will be in heaven. Which brings up a teaching point: It is possible to follow Jesus for many years and still come up short in the end. Let me explain myself here:
It’s possible that Judas was never really a disciple at all. He might have been faking it the whole time. So if he was, then he and one other disciple were out working miracles, casting out demons and healing the sick. (Mark 6). That seems unlikely as well, so he probably was a true disciple who somehow became disenchanted or disillusioned with Jesus. It’s common to see Christians become impatient with the way (and the speed) at which God is working. Some of them begin to search for answers in other places because of their frustration. Some walk away from the church altogether. some simple begin to “cool” in their spiritual fervor. I think this was Judas. He began to cool off. Probably the next step was finding fault with what Jesus did. The woman dumping perfume all over Christ sent him right over the edge. He couldn’t take it any more. I’m sure Judas convinced himself that Jesus was an egomaniac who was misappropriating funds while he promised things He couldn’t deliver. How sad for Judas. And for anyone who is tempted by the devil down the same road.
The Bible says that the “wages of sin are death” and Judas is an example of that. God used this betrayal to bring glory to himself, but “woe to the person through whom it came”.
My prayer today (and every day) is that I will always be close enough to Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit that this will never happen to me. In humility I recognize that (like Peter) if the Holy Spirit isn’t with me all the time, my decisions will become suspect and I will stray away. “Lord, keep us close to you, every moment, every day, every thought and every way”
snuggling,
PR