The Treachery of Judas
Notes
Transcript
In the first half of John Chapter 13, we saw the gathering of the Lord with His disciples in the upper room at the supper table. We saw the Lord of Glory, descend from His throne of splendor, to take upon Himself the flesh and bone of humanity. If that were not enough, we saw Him lower Himself even more, bringing Himself to the position of the lowest of slaves. In a demonstration of great humility, our Lord knelt down, with a basin of water and a towel, where He washed each and every disciples feet. Jesus told the disciples they were clean- with one exception. He said, “You are not all clean”, and John tells us He was referring to His betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Picking up our exposition on these scripture, lets begin reading here in verse 18 of Chapter 13 in Johns Gospel.
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’ breast one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
24 Simon Peter therefore *gestured to him, and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”
25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ breast, *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus therefore *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 And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore *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 And so after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
Nearly all the NT references are to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, where the word is uniformly paradídōmi, “give over.” Judas’ act was more than that of giving a person up to the authorities; he did it under circumstances of treachery, which modified its character. As treasurer, Judas’ character would had to have been considered trustworthy. In this hideous act of betrayal Judas
(1) took advantage of his intimate relation with Jesus Christ as a disciple to put Him in the hands of His enemies;
(2) he did it stealthily by night; and
(3) he betrays Him with a kiss, an act that professed affection and friendliness;
(4) he did it for money;
(5)and he knew that our Lord was innocent of any crime, he KNEW it was a sham.
With this one hideous act of betrayal, Judas Iscariot is remembered as a traitor, a trickster, a deceiver who mislead others into trusting him.
Judas had heard the astounding teachings of our Lord Jesus, he saw the works of humility and compassion, he witnessed the miracles He performed, yet he did not truly believe.
Even though the Lord washed Judas’ feet, as He had washed the other disciples feet, He knew all along that Judas was not a true believer.
After washing the disciples feet, Jesus said, “I gave you an example, that you also should do to one another as I have done to you.” Then Jesus said “if you know these things, you are blessed in you do them.
Jesus is teaching that serving other people, will produce happiness within you. Putting others before ourselves is an act of humility, which is something that Judas Iscariot and others like him, who are self-seeking people, will NOT do.
Jesus wanted to make sure that the rest of the disciples understood when the betrayal and arrest took place that He was not at all surprised by the treachery of Judas, so He said to them...
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.’
The Lord clarifies His earlier declaration that the disciples were spiritually clean by saying... I do not speak of all of you, I now the ones I have chosen.
From our pulpits, it is often assumed that those who regularly attend church, whose names are on the membership rolls, those who have been baptised in water, are true believers. Therefore, we find ourselves addressing all attenders under the same roof, as if they are the redeemed. And we make broad sweeping statements that we are all going to heaven. Or, that when the rapture occurs, we will all be gone.
As disturbing as it may be, the truth is, there might be some among us, who are not of us! We know of many who were once among us that are no longer in church at all nor are they living as those who have been set free from the bondage of sin! While it is our great hope and prayer that all are genuine believers, we must be careful to remember that the Holy Spirit must convict and draw each one, individually, to Him. We must be careful to let godly sorrow do its work. Godly sorrow brings about true repentance from sin. A new birth, brings about a new individual, with a new purpose and a new outlook. As a result, the new born believer will gladly yield to and submit to Christ as Lord and Master of their life.
No one suspected of Judas, the treachery that he was about to exhibit against the Lord, except the Lord Himself. The Lord knew then and the Lord knows now, who are truly His.
He said… I know the ones I have chosen. Back in...
70 Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”
Later in this Gospel, Jesus makes this statement...
16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.
Those who are chosen are also appointed to “go and bear fruit, and your fruit should remain”
The fruit is telling, isn’t it?
The fruit reveals the species or type of tree, the quality of the tree, the health and wellness of the tree. And by extension, it tells the quality of the root system, the soil condition, the source of water, and sunlight, so on and so forth.
The fruit reveals the “life of the tree.”
So it is with our spiritual condition! The fruit one produces, reveals the “life of the individual.”
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.’
You should know that Jesus deliberately chose Judas, why? So that the Scripture my be fulfilled.
Which Scripture? Well...Jesus quoted out of a Psalm of David which points toward the Messiah’s future betrayal, where David himself laments his betrayal by a close friend....
9 Even my close friend, in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.
In modern vernacular, He is saying, “He who eats My bread has kicked Me when I was down.
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.
The Lord took great care to assure that the remaining disciples understood that the things that which befell Him, was for the strict fulfillment of what had long been recorded.
The fact that the LORD foreknew the events leading up to His crucifixion, and that it fit the Scriptures, serves as confirmation to the disciples, after the fact, to believe that Jesus is faithful, even to the end.
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.”
The disciple would be shocked by Jesus’ prediction that one of them would betray Him. The disciples have have believed that by one of them turning out to be a traitor, that it would destroy their credibility and end their mission.
But Jesus made this statement, in the middle of references to Judas, to reassure the eleven apostle that Judas’ treachery would not nullify their commission.
He was still sending them as His representatives into the world.
They must not doubt the commission given them as apostles.
Neither should the Christian today, doubt their mission as ambassadors for Christ. It is through us today, as ambassadors, that God makes an appeal through us; begging sinners, on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.
As citizens of heaven we do not represent ourselves. We as believers represent our King to a world of lost sinners, among whom we live today, “as aliens and as strangers.”
After reassuring His disciples of their commission, the Lord became severely troubled and a dark shadow falls upon Him, look at verse 21.
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.”
In this we see the proven reality of our Lord’s humanity.
Jesus loved Judas. He had been a constant companion with him for three years.
Here we see the bitter sorrow, great grief of seeing one of the apostles deliberately becoming an apostate.
Judas may have remained unmoved, but the Lord was not.
How could it be that Judas did not see the wondrous beauty in Christ after all he had heard and witnessed during years of closest contact with Him. He was unaffected by the LORD’s marvelous grace to sinners. He cared only for worthless gain, and self rule.
Judas was given the high honor to be an ambassador for Christ, yet he would be held accountable for delivering Christ into the hands of those who sought to kill Him.
Deeply troubled, the Lord testified, “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.
In Marks Gospel, Mark records that the disciples “began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?”
In Matthews Gospel, even “Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Judas maintained his deceitful hypocrisy to the end.
Still, at this point, no one suspected that it was Judas.
The disciples were perplexed, wondering who could it be.
Speaking of himself without mentioning of his own name, the beloved disciple, the Apostle John says...
23 There was reclining on Jesus’ breast one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
24 Simon Peter therefore *gestured to him, and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”
Simon Peter assumed that if anyone among them would know, it was John would know who the betrayer was.
But John did not know either…then verse 25 tells us....
25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ breast, *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”
John was reclining right next to Jesus in such a way that all he had to do was lean backward and whisper to Jesus, “Lord, who is it?”
Apparently with a whisper, that only John could hear....
26 Jesus therefore *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.
Can’t you just imagine. John was so close to Him, that John and our LORD could whisper so low that the other disciples were unable to hear.
He the LORD is about to unmask the betrayer to John.
Jesus says to Him, “Watch this!” The one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to, it is he.
This is the Lord’s final extension of grace to Judas. A host’s giving a morsel of bread to a guest was a sign of friendship and honor.
Jesus showed kindness to Judas right up to the bitter end. But Judas’ wretched heart was already hardened. He was unmoved or unaffected by the Lords love for him.
After dipping the bread, Jesus handed it to Judas Iscariot, revealing to John who the false disciple was.
Then one of the most terrible things in the Scriptures occured to Judas...
27 And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
Judas received the bread meant only for one who is a honorable friend.
And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him.
Judas received the morsel deceitfully, with the full intention of committing apostasy.
He became a willing instrument of Satan, whereas he might have been the free follower and messenger of the LORD.
At that final moment of defection, grace ended for Judas, he refused Christ and turned traitor.
Divine mercy gave way to divine judgment and Judas was given over to Satan.
The Lord was about to institute the Lord’s Supper and He was not going to have it marred by Judas or Satan.
Therefore, with the words, “what you do, do quickly,” Jesus dismissed the Satan possessed Judas and Satan himself from HIS presence.
28 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him.
Apparently only John heard how Jesus was going to point out the betrayer among them.
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.
With Judas being the treasurer, this dismissal might have sounded much like other directives that he might have received from Jesus.
30 And so after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
Judas knew that he needed to act quickly before the entire scheme collapsed.
So he went directly to the Sanhedrin to tell them where and when they would have the opportunity to take Jesus by force, when there would be no crowds around.
Judas knew, that after the meal, Jesus would retreat to the Mount of Olives, as was His custom.
It was night, there was darkness over Jerusalem, and there was darkness over Judas’ heart.
Judas is now under the power of Satan.