Judas Iscariot
Published by Stanley Pouw in 2012 · 11 November 2012
Let me invite you to turn to Matthew 10 as we progress through this gospel that tells us how Jesus trained His twelve disciples. And we have been noting their names and we have stopped to get to know them as much as possible. We're looking this evening at the last name in the list, the name Judas Iscariot.
The one thing that we have concluded in general about the eleven disciples is that they were all unqualified. But these first eleven men were really the key to the rest of human history. For had they failed there never would have been another generation and we would not be here today. Under the energy of the Spirit of God they brought about that which Christ had asked them to do, they built His church.
But one of them stands out against the others. He is isolated and his name is Judas Iscariot. Although there is much we know, there is also much mystery and darkness surrounding Judas that we'll never know. There are 40 verses in the New Testament in which there is a reference to the betrayal of our Lord and in each of them there is the implication of the incredible sin of this man Judas.
So let's examine what the Bible says about him. First of all, his name, Judas, is a common name. Lebbaeus, Thaddaeus in verse 3 is also called Judas. It is simply a form of Judah, the land of God's people. Some say the root of it means Jehovah leads but there never was one who was more obviously led by Satan than was Judas.
His name is not only Judas but also Iscariot. Basically it comes from two terms ish meaning man and Kerioth meaning town. He was a man of the town of Kerioth. Judas is identified geographically because he is the only non-Galilean. He is the only Jew from the southern section. He is the only Judean Jew and they felt themselves superior to the rural Jews of the north.
The call of Judas is not recorded in the Bible. We meet him the first time right here in this list and we don't know how he got in the group. We know he wanted to be involved but we don't know any of the circumstances. Apparently he was attracted to Jesus, and he followed Him. And he stayed with Him longer than many other false disciples who bailed out much earlier.
So Judas was definitely attracted to Jesus. But he was attracted on a selfish level; it was what Jesus could do for him that drew him. He saw the power of Jesus and he believed that this man would bring the Kingdom. And he was interested in the Kingdom for what he might gain from because he was on the inner circle.
But in another sense, from Christ's perspective, he was chosen to follow. So there you have the same paradox of human choice and divine sovereignty that you have in salvation. We come to Christ, we choose to believe in Christ and yet we are chosen before the foundation of the world by Him. That's a paradox, a theological problem ultimately solved only in the mind of God.
Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, and that is why He chose him. Jesus knew the plan because He was omniscient, He knew everything. Jesus said in John 6:70, "One of you is a devil." So, from the beginning He knew God’s plan and what the Old Testament also predicted that one of His own would betray Him.
For example, in Psalm 41:9, we read this and it has a Messianic significance, it says, " Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” The Psalmist by the Holy Spirit saw in the future, the Messiah being betrayed by His own familiar friend.
Look into the prophecy of Zechariah 11:12-13, “Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.” We will find out in a moment what that means.
Now look at John 17:12, Jesus is praying to the Father and He is praying about His twelve disciples. And He says, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
In other words, Jesus says to the Father - Judas is lost because it is the fulfilling of the Scripture. Jesus therefore chose him because He knew the plan written in Scripture, He chose him to be the fulfillment of that Scripture. That was the plan of God.
Here again is a paradox. If it is God’s plan then why is Judas responsible? How can God predetermine this, make all the prophecies and then make it happen and fit Judas in it and then hold Judas responsible? But that's exactly what God does. How He can do that I don't understand because the mind of God is far beyond me.
But I do understand clearly what the Bible says and for your own interest to resolve the problem listen to Luke 22:21-22, Jesus speaking in the Last Supper; "But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. 22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
In other words Jesus says: I am going into betrayal, I am going to get arrested; I am going to die as it was determined. The betrayal and the man was determined. But, and here it comes, "Woe to that man by whom He is betrayed.” You see? On the one hand it is determined, and on the other hand Judas is still responsible.
So it is in salvation. If you're saved it's because it was determined before the foundation of the world and if you are lost you are still responsible. And if you cannot resolve the paradox of those two don't feel bad, no one else whoever lived can either.
Now outwardly Judas didn't appear to have a defective character. In fact, he must have had good qualities and capacities. Three years he was with the disciples and when Jesus said in the upper room in John 13:21, "One of you will betray Me," all the disciples responded. Did they say - Is it Judas? No. Every one of them said - Is it I?
Why? They had no more reason to suspect Judas then they had reason to suspect themselves. Each one of them knew that they were sinful and Judas was just a great hypocrite. He was so good at it they elected him treasurer of the group. They put him in charge of the money, that's how much they trusted him.
Well, Judas must have had a rotten background if he was such a vile man that he would betray Christ. Yeah, but was it any worse than any other disciple? Was he worse than Matthew who extorted and stole and took bribes? Was he worse than Simon the Zealot who was an assassin? It's interesting that he never has a word to say until he complains about the waste of money in Bethany.
He had the same potential as any of the others. Christ could have transformed him if his heart had been willing. The same sun that melts wax also hardens clay and while the other men’s hearts melted and were molded, Judas heart was being hardened. He was probably young and patriotic, who hated the rule of the Romans. He believed this man was the Messiah and that He would set up a Kingdom and He would overthrow Rome.
Jesus chose Judas because of the plan yet Christ offered Judas every opportunity to not do it. Jesus gave the lesson of a man wasting his opportunity to Judas. He gave the lesson of the wedding garment to Judas. He gave the lessons of money and greed to Judas. He gave lessons of pride to Judas, “One of you is a devil”, to warn Judas, but he never listened and never applied anything. And he kept up his deceit.
Now they all believed that the Messiah had come and would bring an earthly Kingdom and would overthrow Rome. But the Lord began to tell them that before He was the lion of the tribe of Judah, He had to be the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And He talked about dying and about giving His life and about being lifted up on the cross. And you could just hear Judas saying - What is this?
And what just destroyed Judas was the triumphal entry into the city and people saying, "Hosanna to the son of David," and everybody acknowledging Him as the Messiah. Judas was thinking - this is it, it's going to happen today. But then Jesus gets off the donkey and says in John 12:24, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” I'll have to die. That was the last straw that Judas could handle. It wasn't going to happen.
Let's follow the sequence in John 12. We're moving to the cross, Judas is totally disillusioned. Then Mary, in verse 3, “took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” She used it on Jesus only and once it was used it would be gone forever and so in a sense she used it unwisely.
John 12:4-5, “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” What started as attraction and love and fascination for Jesus had turned to hate. Because Jesus didn't do what he expected he became frustrated until finally it was all hate, wasting that oil on Jesus.
John 12:6, "6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” He didn't become a thief, he always was one, all three years. He was a thief and he had the money bag and he pilfered what was put in it.
Some people said that his motive of giving to the poor was good, but that is not true for two reasons. One, Jesus said – “One of you is a devil”; two, before he betrayed Him Jesus said, "And Satan entered into him." There was nothing good about him. Immediately that night Judas left Bethany and had an interview with the chief priests.
And he began to negotiate with them for Jesus’ life, as said in Zechariah 11, for thirty pieces of silver. There is no middle ground, you either enthrone Him or you betray Him. You are either Mary who worships or you are Judas who hates. You either pour out your love to Him or you sell Him for whatever price you think is right.
In John 13 after having initiated the betrayal, our Lord is meeting in the upper room with His disciples. Judas now has comes back to the group and plays the role of the hypocrite even further. Jesus washed all their feet in the first part of the chapter. And then Jesus says in John 13:10-11, "you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
John 13:18: “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘I know the eleven who are saved, and He quotes Psalm 41:9: “He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.”
I am always drawn to John 13:21, “When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” Jesus was burdened because of the rejection of His love, the hypocrisy of Judas, knowing that hell was waiting Judas and the anticipation of the cross.
John 13:23-27 says, “23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. 25 Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
Nobody knew why He sent him away. They maybe thought He sent him to get some more food - Out, He said. It was over now. Satan entered Judas. It is one thing to be demon possessed, but it's something else to have the Devil himself get in there.
And so he would point Jesus out to them in a secret place in the dark of the night, so he said the sign will be the One I kiss. And that brings us to John 18:2 where a few nights later Jesus is in the garden, “Judas also, who betrayed Him, knew the place for Jesus often resorted there with His disciples.”
Judas not only profaned the Passover with blood money, he profaned the private place of devotion for our Lord. John 18:3-4, “Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?”
Jesus knew that Judas was going to come in and kiss Him. So Jesus asked them first. John 18:5, “They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” That act of Jesus eliminated the need for a kiss. But just to show you the evil in the heart of Judas, he kissed Him anyway. Even though it was no longer a kiss to point Him out, it was now a kiss to fake his own innocence.
Is this act of Judas unique? Not really. It may not be for silver or gold but thousands have betrayed Jesus for a godless friendship or a selfish aim, or in the name of science or for the seat of power or at the shrine of fortunes or for a few hours of pleasure. Judas sold Jesus to satisfy his greed.
You know what followed? Matthew 27:3 says, "Judas who had betrayed Him when he saw that he was condemned." How? By his conscience, "He repented," it says. But that's not the Greek word for repentance, that's the word for wanting to change your feelings, for regretting your actions.
So instead of going to God on a spiritual level, he went back to the chief priests on a physical level and he threw the money back thinking by that physical act he could relieve the spiritual conviction. But he couldn't and the Mattthew 27:5 says, "Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.”
In Acts 1:18 it says Judas died when he “burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.” And what did they do with the money that he threw in the house of the Lord? They said in Matthew 27:6-7, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” 7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.”
That is exactly what was said in Zechariah 11:12 that the thirty silver pieces would be given to the potter in the house of the Lord. And that plan was fulfilled. God is overruling the stupidity and the evil of men to fulfill His own word, Amen. Praise the Lord, let us pray.