What Jesus Wants You To Know – Part 3

Jesus Wants You To Know That Evil Destroys

John 13:18–30 (NASB95) — 18 “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’ 19 “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. 20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” 21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” 22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. 23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” 25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. 29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. 30 So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.

 

Tragic characters dominate literature and popular culture. From Hamlet to Anakin Skywalker to Gollum, we understand that not all famous stories end well. The Bible contains several tragic figures. Lot, Moses, Samson, and Gideon stumbled. Sadly, one person stands out—Judas Iscariot.

We don’t know much about Judas. The Bible doesn’t tell us about his call to follow Jesus. There are different opinions about his name’s meaning. We first learn about him in Matthew 10:4. Whatever his background and calling, Scripture consistently mentions Judas’ betrayal of Christ.

Judas was present for the entirety of Jesus’ ministry. In Acts 1:21-22, Peter gives the requirements for Judas’ replacement. The new apostle had to be someone who “accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us.” Judas saw Jesus’ miracles, heard his sermons, and lived daily with the Savior. He saw Lazarus raised. He heard the Sermon on the Mount. He experienced the calming of the storm. Yet, he betrayed Christ. A tragic tale indeed.

After Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He explained that they should also serve one another humbly. Immediately after that explanation, Jesus pointed out that one of them would betray Him. Peter, ever the alpha male, motioned to John to ask Jesus the betrayer’s identity. Jesus identified Judas with a piece of food. Tragically, Satan then entered Judas. Jesus told him to follow through with his plan. Judas left, with the others not knowing why.

Matthew’s Gospel tells us that Judas felt remorse after betraying Jesus. In his guilt, he hanged himself. According to Acts 1:18-19, his body decayed, fell from the rope, and burst open. In a culture emphasizing proper burial, Judas’ body was desecrated.

We can take three lessons from Judas’ sad life.

First, we must not continually rebel against God’s Word. Judas spent over three years with Jesus. Jesus is the Word of God and His words are the Words of God. Judas heard these words every day. He heard the sermons and the parables. He heard the authority in Jesus’ voice when casting out demons or calming the storm. He was there when Jesus instructed the disciples not to take their money bags when preaching to the nation of Israel. Yet, Judas betrayed Jesus.

Second, we must stop any secret sin. John 12:6 tells us that Judas stole from the money box during Jesus’ ministry. The disciples only discovered this after his betrayal. On the outside, everything appeared normal. Yet, his secret actions telegraphed his later behavior.

Third, we must not pretend to be something we are not. The other disciples did not suspect Judas at all. He acted just as they did. Nothing appeared to be wrong. To play at being a follower of Christ is to defy the very God we claim to follow.

Judas chose to betray Christ. After years of being daily by the Lord’s side, his choices made him a tool of Satan. What a tragedy.