Judas Bargains & Betrays
WEDNESDAY
Judas bargains with Jewish leaders
Judas betrays Jesus
Luke 22:3-6
Judas was the treasurer of the apostles. He was trusted with the budgeting and kept a ledger of all financial dealings. Judas gave no reason for the eleven to question his honesty, but if their eyes were focused, certain clues were revealed that he loved money, and they would eventually refer to him as the thief. While the chief priests and other Jewish leaders, along with the Chief Priest Caiaphas, met secretly to formulate a plan to kill Jesus after the festival, the scripture says “Satan entered into Judas” (Luke 22:3). Some bible commentators say Judas was possessed by Satan himself. Apparently, Satan entered into Judas a second time as well at the Last Supper,
27 After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” (John 13:27)
Other commentators express this as the open door that Satan can use our wicked hearts to bend toward evil deeds with a little more persuasion. The scripture does not point to the specific meaning, but what we do know is that Judas reveals himself to be a covetous man. He turns over Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. A man he had walked with for three years. He got to see the miracles and he witnessed the feeding of the five thousand. Judas was there when Jesus calmed the seas, and he saw with his own eyes Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead.
Judas got to hear the greatest teacher proclaim the most glorious sermons ever spoken. He was very much aware of the narrow way, the apostasy of the Pharisees, and the wide way that leads to hell and destruction. Judas had seen the greatest life ever lived up close, with a front-row view. He couldn’t have clearer evidence than the last three years side by side with the Son of God. However, something stood in the way. Iniquities had kept his heart filled. Judas never truly trusted in Jesus. Judas never fully believed Jesus was who He claimed to be.
Coming off the heels of getting exasperated at Jesus for “wasting” the alabaster oil that Mary anointed Him with, Judas sought after the chief priests to discuss how he could help them to capture Jesus. He pridefully lifted his voice and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him (Matt 26:15). Judas’ betrayal was set in motion and joyfully solidified with money. The agreement was made, money was exchanged, and now Judas “began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.” (Luke 22:6)
“From then on, he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.” (Matthew 26:16) The bargain had been struck and paid for as the Jewish leaders were able to turn one of His own. As Judas and the Jewish leaders parted different ways, both feeling accomplished about the demise of Jesus, Judas’ trust bought along with Jesus’ life, they felt confident in removing this man from their religious business. Ultimately, the ones planning should have recognized the Messiah that the scripture taught; however, they are now being used in God’s eternal plan of salvation.
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See, Judas had made a commitment to Jesus, and there was no reason to think he was anything but a gospel preacher, but he had some secret sin. Hidden in his heart, he never truly repented or genuinely believed Jesus to be the Messiah. Judas carried on as if this was another way to inflate his personal pocketbook. Jeremiah said in 17:9…
9
“The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9 (NASB)
Before we see Judas as a victim of Satan, let’s recognize that he began down the road of sin a long time ago. Letting his heart capture his sinful desires and feeding his very own corrupt mind. “Unconfessed sin always opens the door to Satan’s power.” —Colin Smith
As we open ourselves to sin, we give in to sin even more, giving more and more power to the darkness. Making decisions are based on what we feel and how it will benefit us with no concern for righteousness. Sin grabs a person, pulls them into things deeper than they ever imagined. Just like when you lie to cover up another lie, before you know it, you don’t even know how you got so far away from the truth! Sin operates the same way; it gives attention to the devils ways.
We give Satan too much credit when it’s our own desires that erupt sin in our lives. We didn’t need his help to mess up; he just took notice of the opportunity. The scriptures say “do not give the devil a foothold,” “do not leave room for the devil,” or “do not give the devil an opportunity” (Ephesians 4:27). Satan will capitalize on the opportunity when we leave ourselves vulnerable at decision time.
John 10:10 says
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;…
Judas was not a new traveler down this road of deceit; he had been deceiving the twelve over the years. This was just the moment in time Satan capitalized on his weakness, thrusting him into another evil scheme. He would become the man in history who turned the Messiah over to traitors. His open-door policy to sin made it all the more possible to help fulfill the terrible destruction of Jesus. Judas would forever go down in history as the betrayer of Jesus. The guilt didn't hit his heart but pierced his ears when Jesus said to him,
“24 The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good [a]for that man if he had not been born.”
(Matthew 26:24)
In some ways, I can see myself in Judas. And if we are honest with ourselves, all of us can see similarities. We think “how could that guy betray Jesus after being there for the entire ministry of Jesus?” We say we could have never turned that wicked while being beside with the Son of God. But do we always do what we profess? Do we have some doublemindedness about us as Judas did? Do we make commitments and totally abandon Jesus when the pressure comes or sinful desires are too strong?
Just like Jeremiah said the human heart is beyond understanding, and how can someone abandon Jesus when they were raised in a godly family, in a healthy church? These people were taught the truth of the scriptures from an even early age and can even recite memory verses from the Bible. They can tell you Bible stories and even recite the Lord’s prayer, but 70% quit the faith after they graduate high school yet still call themselves a Christian.
As teachers and parents we ask ourselves…
Where did we go wrong?
What more could we have done?
Did we fail in our teaching?
Did we fail in our example?
Did we provide the right environment?
“With Judas’s eyes, he saw the clearest evidence. With his ears, he heard the finest teaching. With his feet, he followed the greatest example. And yet this man still betrayed Jesus.”-Colin Smith
Unfortunately, we embrace the outcome we have chosen. Whatever justification we need to flesh out to make it right in our own minds is what we do. Judas followed his feelings into the wickedness of his own heart, the path he had chosen. When you get exposed to Jesus and have the privilege to be alongside Him, only one of two things is going to happen: you either jump all in and become 100% wholly His. Following Him, desiring Him, putting your feelings aside to gain His perspective on decisions in your personal life. Or you become distant, more detached, or separate from the Messiah. Maybe it’s a political view or certain sexual orientation guidelines that God establishes that drives a wedge between you and the Savior. But make no mistake about it, the only ones who are indifferent are those who have never heard of Jesus.
Right now, everyone listening to this is either headed down a path of full devotion to Jesus or running away from Him, finding every excuse to do life your own way.
Statistics show only 30% will remain after HS, and in that, the life of Judas serves us a great warning. Believers must reach out to those who may be walking away from the faith and grasp ahold of those who need discipling. To those who are walking the path of destruction away from Christ, I implore you to reconsider and change your path back to the only One who can give you life.
So to the person thinking about walking away from Jesus, I say no one will love you as much as Jesus. No one had ever loved Judas like Jesus did. As Judas realized this, trying to return the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priest in remorse, they said to him, “What is that to us? See to that yourself! (Matt 27:4)” They could have cared less about him; their greed had darkened their hearts. But even as Judas was about to betray Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus in His compassion was still extending His love to Judas.
48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48)
Jesus giving Judas another chance to take his stand with the Messiah, urging him to rethink this evil moment.
It is much better to rethink and contend life & death with the One who will never leave you.
Hebrews 13:5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
“…for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”
And who else can say…
28 “Come to Me, all [a]who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
The biggest mistake of life would be to walk away from the greatest love you can ever know. Why walk away from that? You gain absolutely nothing from dismissing and turning away from the only One who can save you. The only One who can show you the greatest love you will ever enjoy, Jesus Christ.
Judas experienced all these things, yet he gave in to earthly desires, and after the betrayal was over, he felt deep remorse. He tried to give the money back, but the chief priest said it was blood money and would not take it back. Dealing with the sin in his heart and turning Jesus over to the hands of death, the guilt drove him to suicide. He sided with evil rather than good. He followed the habit of sin and deceit, which led him to his death; he hung himself. (Matt 27:5)
The ultimate story of Judas reminds us that nothing good can come from giving up on Jesus Christ. Jesus is of the utmost supreme value in this life and the life to come. The Bible shows us it may be hard, but following Jesus is worth any cost, even death, to defend your faith in the Son of God.
Therefore, as an ambassador of Christ, I reach out to you at this moment. I implore you to seek Jesus and His salvation. As Jude 23 instructs believers…
“save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” (Jude 23)
Jesus will be the only joy and satisfaction in your life. You will never experience a greater love. Jesus Christ came to Earth for Resurrection Sunday. Jesus took the wrath of God on the cross for your sins and mine. But we will never enjoy His free gift of salvation from sin if we do not surrender to Him. Repenting and turning away from the sin and wickedness in our lives to seek His way of living. His example will give us true peace and true joy. Jesus overcame the grave and death to show He can be trusted with our lives and deaths. Jesus is worthy to be praised and worshiped. Please seek forgiveness and turn to the only One who can love you that much today, Jesus the Son of God.