The Dramatic Betrayal
Christ's Suffering Through the Eyes of Matthew • Sermon • Submitted
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I don’t know about you, but I often have difficulty remembering the difference between affect and effect. So as I was considering our passage today, , eventually I googled affect vs. effect. (Google can have its benefits). This is what I found in simplified terms: affect is usually a verb, whereas effect is usually a noun. So affect has to do with an action taken, while effect has to do with the results of the action that was taken.
So, to put it in terms that are appropriate to me, I saw a lot of good food at the recent church potluck, and the affect was that I ate too much. The effect was that I gained weight!
We have been studying Matthew’s account of the Passion of Christ for several weeks now. We have looked at the varied perspectives of the necessity for Christ’s death, which included Judas’ deal with the chief priests to betray Jesus. We have looked at the Last Supper which included the institution of the Lord’ Supper. We have looked at the shocking announcement by Christ that all of the apostles would abandon Him, and run in fear of their lives. And we have, most recently, looked at the agony of Gethsemane.
Today’s passage picks up while Jesus and the eleven were still in the peaceful Garden of Gethsemane. While Jesus was in the process of rebuking Peter, James, and John for their inability to keep watch with Him, Judas showed up leading a large mob of people. As we go through this passage, we are going to attempt to look at the various characters in this plot in terms of affect and effect. First, let’s read our passage together.
While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people.
Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.”
Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.
And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.
Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.
Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”
At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me.
But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.
Let’s begin by looking briefly at the characters in this dramatic plot:
The Characters
The Characters
All of the characters are mentioned briefly in verse 47:
While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people.
In order, presented, the characters are:
Jesus — The Betrayed
The Eleven (implied) — The Reactors
Judas — The Betrayer
The Large Crowd — The Executors
We are not going to look at these in the order presented, because I would like to look at Jesus last, since He had a lot to say in the ending portion of our text. So let’s begin by looking at:
The Betrayer
The Betrayer
Notice how Matthew refers to the Betrayer:
Judas, one of the twelve,
This is one of the few, if not the only time in which Judas Iscariot was mentioned in the Gospels without the description of the betrayer being added to his name. Of course, that is because this is the account of his actual betrayal, so there was no need to mention it.
Instead of mentioning that he was the betrayer, Matthew simply said that he was one of the twelve. Up until this very moment, Matthew probably considered Judas to be one of his closest friends.
In terms of affect, Judas led an armed mob to where Jesus was so that He could be arrested. The effect was that Jesus was arrested, tried by a Kangaroo court, and executed as a criminal.
There is certainly a lot more to the story than what happened here.
Judas left his life behind to follow Christ
He witnessed all of Jesus’s miraculous works
He heard all of Jesus’s wondrous teaching
He believed that Jesus was the Messiah
If I get this affect vs. effect thing correct, then all of these things I have just mentioned are under the category of affect;(left, witnessed, heard, believed are all verbs).
But what was the effect of all of these things? Judas was an apostate, in the truest sense of the word. He was like the one Jesus described in the parable of the sower has having the seed of the gospel landing on rocky ground:
The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
As an apostate, he was under the condemnation of God.
Let’s move on from the betrayer to
The Executors
The Executors
When we think of the executive branch of government we most often think of The President of the United States who is the chief executive. But there is a lot more to the executive branch than just governors or presidents. Law enforcement officials are charged with executing the law. And it is in this way that I am referring to the large crowd as being the executors.
The Implements
The Implements
Swords indicate Roman Soldiers
Indicates Roman Soldiers
John refers to a Roman Cohort which was usually about 600 men
Clubs most likely were carried by the Temple Police
Most likely Temple Police
The Authority
The Authority
The Chief Priest was the authority under which the Temple Police worked
The Roman cohort was under the authority of Pilate
They were most likely lent out to the chief priests to guarantee that a riot would not break out
The Reprise of the Betrayer
The Reprise of the Betrayer
The Sign
The Sign
Notice the sign that Judas used to show which of the eleven was Jesus of Nazareth.
Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.”
The Elders of the people had no desire to arrest the disciples, just Jesus
The kiss of friendship amplifies that gravity of the treason being committed by Judas
Look at how things played out in verse 49.
Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
There may be more to this than just an indication of which one was Jesus. Let’s look at:
The Insult
The Insult
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Matthew 2. Jesus Arrested, 26:47–56
It is possible that we should see more than a greeting here. Moses Aberbach is cited in AB for the information that “in any group of teacher and disciples the disciple was never permitted to greet his teacher first, since this implied equality. Judas’ sign, therefore, was not only a final repudiation of his relationship with Jesus and a signal to the mob, but also a studied insult.”
The Reply
The Reply
I probably should wait until we get to the discussion of Jesus’ role in these events to mention this. But since it is in the context of Judas’ actions, I want to note the Lord’s reply to Judas: “Friend.” This term is not the most intimate of terms to address a friend. The term Jesus used of the eleven during the upper room discourse was to indicate the deep intimacy of their friendship, was:
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 5384 φίλος
φίλος [philos /fee·los/]
But of Judas, Jesus chose a different term:
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 2083 ἑταῖρος
ἑταῖρος [hetairos /het·ah·ee·ros/]
[hetairos /het·ah·ee·ros/]
Which refers to an associate, comrade, or perhaps even an acquaintance.
Rather it refers to an associate, comrade, or perhaps even an acquaintance.
Rather it refers to an associate, comrade, or perhaps even an acquaintance.
Not only had Judas distanced himself from Jesus, but Jesus distanced himself from Judas as well.
Let’s move on to consider:
The Reactors
The Reactors
The reactors are the apostles whose presence is not stated in our passage until verse 51. But seeing as how the narrative flows in a chronological fashion, we understand that the ones to whom Jesus was speaking, in 47, were the apostles. Most probably Peter, James and John, the so called inner circle.
There is a broad background which set the stage for the reaction by a certain member of the twelve.
Jesus instructed them to carry swords
And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.
For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.”
They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
Peter may have misunderstood the purpose for carrying a sword
But from this text it seems that Jesus had fulfillment of prophecy on His mind as He encouraged them to carry swords
Jesus’s warnings about the disciples abandoning Him may have contributed to Peter’s actions
Evoking the response from the apostles that they were all willing to die for Christ, if need be (another example of affect and effect?)
Notice the reaction of Peter:
At that moment one of those with Jesus reached out his hand and drew his sword. He struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his ear.
John tells us this was Peter
We probably could have guessed as much without him being named
From the standpoint of affect, Peter had been warned (the verbal affect) that he would not only fall away, but that he would even deny Christ. The effect was that Peter was in danger of being branded an insurrectionist against Rome because of his rash action.
So far we have looked at the betrayer, the executors, and the reactors. Now, finally let’s look at:
The Betrayed
The Betrayed
Most of us, at one time or another, have been betrayed in some way.
Betrayal comes from a close associate
A known enemy cannot be the betrayer
Betrayal usually comes as a surprise
But not for Jesus
He had warned the apostles multiple times that He was going to be betrayed
Being omniscient, there was not a single thing which surprised Jesus
As we look at the One who was Betrayed, we will look at two distinct addresses which Jesus made. One to Peter. The other to the crowds.
Jesus’s Address to Peter
Jesus’s Address to Peter
As Jesus addressed Peter, He basically brought forward three points:
Violence breeds more violence
I have the resources at my disposal to overpower any enemies — if I so chose to do so
The prophesies of Scripture must be fulfilled
Let’s notice first Jesus’ statement about violence breeding more violence in verse 52:
Violence breeds more violence
Let’s notice first Jesus’ statement about violence breeding more violence in verse 52:
Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.
Not pacifism
Jesus did not instruct Peter to lay down his sword, but to put it away
The idea being communicated is that violence breeds violence
Jesus did distance Himself from the Zealots who were wanting to take up arms against Rome
Jesus was protecting Peter and the rest
I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.
While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
Resources At His Disposal
Resources At His Disposal
I have the resources at my disposal to overpower any enemies — if I so chose to do so
Let’s look next at Jesus’s statement about having the resources needed to overpower any enemy in verse 53:
Let’s look next at verse 53:
Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
1 Legion = 6,000 troops
12 Legions (possibly one for Christ, and one for each of the faithful apostles) = 72,000 troops of angels
As a kid I remember singing a song that said:
He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free; He could have called ten thousand angels, but He died alone for you and me.
They sure got the number wrong in that song. They were off by at least 62,000!
The prophesies of Scripture must be fulfilled
The Necessity of Fulfilled Prophecy
The Necessity of Fulfilled Prophecy
Let’s note next at verse 54:
How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”
Jesus’s Address to the Crowds
Jesus’s Address to the Crowds
Now we turn to Jesus’s address to the crowds. In this address He asked a couple of questions, and then gave them the true answer to those questions:
I am not an insurrectionist, so why are you approaching me as such?
At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber?
At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me.
The term translated “robber” could be in reference to an insurrectionist or a terrorist of some kind
NIV translates it “as one leading a rebellion”
Carson points out that “The implication is that there is no need to arrest him secretly and violently, except for reasons in their own minds that reveal more about them than about him.”
Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 548). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
You had ample opportunity to arrest Me when I was teaching in the Temple, so why didn’t you do so?
Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me.
At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me.
New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
This was done to fulfill the Scriptures
Again we see both Jesus and Matthew’s insistence on the importance of the fulfillment of the Scriptures.
And then in fulfillment of the Scriptures we read that all the disciples left Him and fled.
I don’t think that words can accurately described the drama of the betrayal of the Lord of Glory. I can’t begin to describe to you how lonely Jesus must have felt at this point of time. Though He knew full well the impact of why He came to earth, He was about to experience something that He had never experienced through all of eternity. The lack of companionship and fellowship which had always existed between the members of the triune Godhead. He truly was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Even His own intimate followers hid their faces from Him. Yet He willingly bore their sins and the sorrows on the cruel cross.
What can we do in response to this dramatic betrayal?
We can be glad that we were not there in the Garden with Him on that fateful night — otherwise we would have abandoned Him as well (at least for a time)
We can recognize that there are many ways in which we, as believers, can be faithless to the Lord — and guard ourselves going down those roads
When we are faithless, we can cling to the truth that He will remain faithful
We can relish in the fact that Jesus willingly, and lovingly bore our sorrows, griefs, and sins on the cross — therefore we are now redeemed
We can proclaim His redeeming work to all who will hear us
In so doing, we join Him in bearing the cross
The hymn-writer wrote: (we will use this song for closing, so you can wait to put it on the screen until then).
Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for everyone,
And there’s a cross for me.
The consecrated cross I’ll bear
Till death shall set me free;
And then go home my crown to wear,
For there’s a crown for me.
Upon the crystal pavement down
At Jesus’ pierced feet,
Joyful I’ll cast my golden crown
And His dear Name repeat.
O precious cross! O glorious crown!
O resurrection day!
When Christ the Lord from heav’n comes down
And bears my soul away.
Let’s pray.
For a closing song we will repeat the song I just read. No. 673 for the instrumentalists.