Judas Iscariot
Pastor Leslie Chua
“Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd. ”
One of the most infamous names in the Bible is Judas Iscariot. Judas probably ranks as the worst of the worst among the villains. He betrayed the Son of God, and he did it cynically with a kiss.
Luke called Judas a traitor (Luke 6:16) while John called him a thief (john 12:6). Jesus labelled him as the “son of perdition,” meaning one who is doomed for destruction (John 17:12 – NKJV & NASB).
Judas had been dead for nearly two thousand years. Yet, he still speaks, and he speaks loudly. Judas is an example of what not to do and a warning to believers of how we ought not to live.
For about three years, Judas lived and travelled with Jesus. He was one of the twelve closest disciples of the Lord. Nevertheless, the light of Christ had no access into his life. His soul remained dark with self-deception and hypocrisy.
Judas had the opportunity to observe at close quarters how Jesus lived and ministered to people. He witnessed Christ’s power in His teaching and ministry.
Judas was there when Jesus fed the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fishes. He was on the boat when Jesus calmed the storm. He witnessed Jesus walking on water and raising Lazarus from the dead.
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The example of Judas shows that it is not sufficient to believe in Jesus. It is also not enough to follow Him.
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Despite all this and many more such encounters, Judas remained unconvinced and unconverted. None of Jesus’ words could pierce his hardened heart and move him to repent and acknowledge Christ’s lordship.
It is hard to imagine a person remaining untouched and unchanged after spending so much time with Jesus.
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A person might attend church regularly and participate in religious activities actively. These are necessary. But by themselves, these are not concrete signs of authentic faith. The fruit of authentic Christian faith is a surrendered and transformed life.
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The example of Judas shows that it is not sufficient to believe in Jesus. It is also not enough to follow Him.
A person might attend church regularly and participate in religious activities actively. These are necessary. But by themselves, these are not concrete signs of authentic faith. The fruit of authentic Christian faith is a surrendered and transformed life.
The apostle, Paul, made a statement that confounded many contemporary Christians – “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Why did Paul say that? Aren’t we saved by grace?
I often say that the grace of God cannot be without effect in our life. If the Spirit of God is in us and He is at work in us, we ought to produce fruit. We ought to exhibit Christian character and characteristics.
Didn’t Jesus say that a tree is known by its fruit? (Matthew 12:33; Luke 6:44)
Didn’t Jesus also say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”? (Matthew 6;21).
This is a serious warning.
Judas serves as a warning not to take God’s grace and love-kindness for granted.
The Problem with Judas
Why did Judas betray Jesus? What is the problem with him?
Some people might be tempted to blame Satan. After all, Dr Luke said that “Satan entered into Judas” (Luke 22:3). But the truth is Satan cannot just walk into anybody’s life unless there is an open door for him to exploit.
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Two common avenues through which demons can easily exploit are unrepented sins and unresolved negative emotions.
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That is the case with Judas. He had open doors in his life, which he failed to deal with.
Two common avenues through which demons can easily exploit are unrepented sins and unresolved negative emotions.
Greed
The first open door in Judas is greed.
The apostle, John, called him a thief. As the treasurer, he was in charge of the moneybag. Often, he “help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6). He stole from right under the nose of Jesus.
There was no fear of God in him at all. That is the frightening power of greed. It blinds. it causes a person to throw caution to the wind. It makes a smart person do stupid things. That is why the Scripture teaches that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:10).
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The love of money opens a big door for the demons to wreak havoc in your life.
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Judas personifies all that. He betrayed Jesus for a paltry sum of thirty pieces of silver. His love for money blinded his soul and motivated him to commit such an atrocious act.
Don’t be like the seeds that are sown among the thorns (referring to the deceitfulness of riches) in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower. The danger is not just limited to living an unfruitful Christian life. The love of money opens a big door for the demons to wreak havoc in your life.
Bitterness
The second open door in Judas is bitterness.
While it is not specifically mentioned in the Gospels, the disciples were deeply disappointed with the turn of events that culminated in Jesus’ crucifixion and death.
As they headed to Jerusalem, the disciples were brimming with anticipation for Jesus to be crowned as the Messiah-King. Their hope was further raised when Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on a donkey.
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As for Judas, his disappointment turned to anger and then quickly to bitterness against Jesus.
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But things turned downhill rapidly in the next five days. Instead of discussing how He planned to rule, Jesus spoke about His death. Suddenly, their hope of reigning with Him in glory was shattered.
The disciples were terribly disappointed. They had given up everything and invested three years of their lives in Jesus.
As for Judas, his disappointment turned to anger and then quickly to bitterness against Jesus. He blamed Jesus for three wasted years. He had bet on the wrong horse.
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Bitterness is a hidden sin. It may also seem like a small sin. However, I have seen first-hand how it wreaks havoc in the lives of many people. The most common reason for demonisation is bitterness. That is the open door through which most people got demonised.
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Judas was not going to wallow in his disappointment like the rest of the disciples. He would retaliate. He would do something, anything, to hurt Jesus.
That’s an open invitation for the devil to move in. Satan wasted no time and planted the idea of betrayal into Judas’ heart during the Last Supper (John 13:2). The rest is history.
Judas’ bitterness is the main reason for his betrayal of Jesus. It also explains his cynical kiss of betrayal.
Bitterness is a hidden sin. It may also seem like a small sin. However, I have seen first-hand how it wreaks havoc in the lives of many people. The most common reason for demonisation is bitterness. That is the open door through which most people got demonised.
Wrong Motives
The third open door in Judas is his wrong motive for following Jesus.
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Judas followed Jesus only for benefit.
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Judas followed Jesus for self-interest. He betted on Jesus to be the Messiah. Jesus was a charismatic and popular rabbi. Nobody taught with such great authority like Jesus. Nobody performed miracles, signs and wonders like Jesus. Jesus most definitely fit the bill of the Messiah. Otherwise, Judas would have given up on following Jesus long before.
Like James and John, Judas’ ambition was to sit on either Jesus’ right or left when He had come into His Kingdom. But unlike James and John, he had no love for the Lord. His relationship with Christ was merely transactional.
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Repeatedly, we read in the Synoptic Gospels that Jesus asked those who wanted to follow Him to count the cost. Instead, many modern Christians are only interested in seeing what benefits they can get out of their relationship with Jesus.
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Judas followed Jesus only for benefit. That is why he became intensely embittered when he realised that Jesus was not going to establish the Kingdom of God.
This is an area where we have to be careful. Repeatedly, we read in the Synoptic Gospels that Jesus asked those who wanted to follow Him to count the cost. Instead, many modern Christians are only interested in seeing what benefits they can get out of their relationship with Jesus.
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Be mindful of our motives in following Christ. Otherwise, we open up doors for the evil ones to tempt us and distract us from the will of God.
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Unfortunately, many preachers are guilty of abetting in this wrong focus.
Instead of emphasising the cost of following Christ, their preaching often focuses on how one can receive benefits and blessings from God.
Be mindful of our motives in following Christ. Otherwise, we open up doors for the evil ones to tempt us and distract us from the will of God.
If you notice, Judas’ sins and shortcomings are not particularly egregious. On the contrary, they are quite common. But it led to Him betraying Jesus. As the English proverb goes, a small leak can sink a great ship. Therefore, we must be careful to keep a short account of our sins and resolve any toxic emotions that are in us.