Encountering Jesus Part 4

Jesus and Judas

Main Idea: Jesus knows your intentions but He still invited you in.

Hey all!

Man what a week it has been!

If I can be honest with you all— I am pretty wiped this week!

With easter coming up and good Friday coming up on you guessed it Friday.

And then the Alive Conference!

I hope that you all are pretty pumped up about!

Deadline is tomorrow so get sign up! Seriously!

It is going to be epic!

And you will not want to miss out on this.

While I normally condemn FOMO--

In this case I want you to fear what you will be missing out on.

So get signed up!

And get your friends signed up as well.

Well we are going be wrapping up our series of Encountering Jesus tonight.

Which is awesome!

I enjoyed this series, I know it was like crazy busy during this time.

I think we had super bowl and surge and then a game night and a photo scavenger hunt as we did a 4 week series on this.

So pretty long series but I am hope that it has been impactful for you.

And tonight we are going to be talking about the encounter that Jesus had with Judas.

I find Judas to be a really interesting character in Jesus’ group.

Judas as we may know was a disciples who betrayed Jesus.

Me: A time where I was betrayed or I betrayed someone else.

Now before we go any further who here has been betrayed before.

By a brother, sister, friend, enemy, boyfriend or girlfriend, maybe a parent?

This one time I was over at my friends house and a bunch of us were hanging out I had to be in like 5th or 6th grade.

And my friend came up to me and told me I had to go home because everyone else was too.

And everyone left.

We all got on our bikes and left his house.

I headed to my grandparents house.

I waited there until my folks came and got me.

And as we were driving home we drove by my friends house.

And all of my friends were out there playing football.

And what happened was they all got on their bikes but they just went around the block and came up and kept playing.

They just didn’t want me there anymore.

And that is an awful feeling, no matter how old you are.

I am sure we all can tell a time where this has happened to us.

We: Has someone ever betrayed you so badly that you could never be in the same room with them?

Like we know that if someone betrays us they are like dead to us.

Or is that just me.

If you betray me like I’ll be kind to you but we will not be friends.

We get this we know what betrayal feels like.

I went to the internet for some help with betrayals of friendships.

"My 'best friend' and I worked together and were asked to give an important presentation to the board of executives. I worked my tail off preparing for it while my friend did nothing. She would go out partying while I would work for hours. The day before, my friend begged for my forgiveness and said she'd been really stressed, so I showed her the presentation. The day of the presentation arrived, and my best friend tells me the meeting had been pushed back to 4 p.m. instead of 2 p.m. I show up at 4 p.m. to find the meeting actually happened at 2 p.m., and my 'bestie' took credit for all my work."

OUCH!

"My whole friend group. They never really talked to me, unless they needed something like homework and etc. Took a while to realize, too long even, but, as much as it hurts, it was unfortunately the best option I had at the time."

My husband and I had a friend that we helped get back on his feet. We paid off some tickets he had, got his license reinstated, hooked him up with a solid connection for a reasonable, well-running car to replace his beater, AND gave him a place to live and a job (automotive repair)… He then decided it was a better choice to tell all our customers we were overcharging them and that he’d do the jobs cheaper if they’d bring it to him at his house (this was a short time after he moved out of our house, after never repaying anything he owed us. Not that we’d asked). Broke my heart…

Not a friend, but a sister. I had this enormous crush on this guy. I was too shy to talk to him and just adored him from afar. My sister told me to “be his secret admirer” so that he could get to know me. For a month, I put notes and cards in his car a few times a week. One weekend, my sister and I went out and I saw him. I pointed him out and told her that he was the guy I’m in love with. She told me she was going to go talk to him about me and get us hooked up. I waited for thirty minutes, but she never returned. I went inside the restaurant and found her making out with him. That was a devastating blow.

I could read these all night— but here is what I think or at least I hope reading some of these stories did.

It puts you in their shoes and you begin to be feel that betrayal.

And we have all be in places where we have been betrayed and also we have betrayed others.

It is awful stuff isn’t it.

And we all know how that feels.

The moment where we fight back tears and just try to be strong.

We don’t want our betrays to see us break.

It takes every ounce of you to not break-down right then and there.

And we also know what it is like to be toe to toe with someone we hurt.

We see it in their face.

We see the tears welting up in their eyes.

They brush it off and play it cool— but you know that you hurt them deeply and badly.

Man being betrayed may be one of the worst things out there.

As I was reading these stories so many of them you can tell still carry a weight with them.

They have never gotten over it and it haunts them.

And if I were to ask you, if you knew that you were going to be betrayed by so and so would you keep them around?

I think we all would answer no.

Nobody wants someone around who is going to hurt you.

Nobody wants that person.

And I hope that you don’t want to be that person.

But here’s the deal no matter who you are or what your intentions are Jesus still chooses you.

In todays passage we are going to learn that Jesus invited Judas to the table to eat and to wash his feet.

And He knew what was going to happen with Judas and he picked him anyway.

God: Jesus invited Judas to the table to eat and He wash his feet.

Let’s look at a couple of passages and at least set up Judas a bit.

Mark 3:16–19 ESV

He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

This is Jesus appointing and calling the 12 disciples to him.

And while it says here Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Mark and the other gospel writers knew that Judas would betray Jesus hence the name we often see around his name is the betrayer.

Jesus called Judas to him and Judas got a front row seat in seeing Jesus work and do ministry.

Judas is in it!

He is helping with them.

And of course hindsight is 20/20— they can look back and say— yeah he was going to betray Jesus because of his actions.

But in the moment the disciples had no idea.

And we see this as Jesus is with the disciples at the last supper.

And if you have your bibles let’s flip to John 13

John 13:1–5 ESV

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Jesus knew his time had come.

And we read how satan was going use Judas as a tool for his plan.

And Jesus knew this— But Jesus still invited him to the table and Jesus got down and washed his feet.

Knowing what these two men know about what their actions are going to do this night, one can only imagine how that room felt.

Judas knowing he was going to betray Jesus in just a couple of hours had to weigh on him.

And as Jesus made his way around the disciples and when we got to Judas, he could have skipped him or he could have called him out.

But Jesus does nothing— He just washes his feet.

Jesus chooses love even when he knows that He is going to be betrayed by one of the 12—one of his closest friend.

Jesus just hangs in there.

And as we skip down, Jesus is leading his disciples in the passover meal.

And in verse 21 is where we will pick back up.

John 13:21–30 ESV

After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

What strikes me in this passage is that the disciples had no idea someone would betray Jesus.

I mean look at their responses.

verse 22

John 13:22 ESV

The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.

I mean we have been in those situations with our friends when someone will come in and say someone here is going to do something really crazy tonight— we all have those friends that we can assume they will do something crazy!

they have a reputation of being someone who is a nut.

We know who that person would be

But no one knows who is going to betray Jesus this night.

No one was assuming it was Judas.

NOBODY!

Judas prior to this day was trustworthy and responsible.

But Judas began to put other things before God.

Judas put money before Jesus.

Even when Judas was invited to follow Christ— Jesus knew that he would betray Him.

But Jesus still said, Judas come and follow me.

I find that so amazing that Judas would have be welcomed in.

Because the next time Jesus see Judas it does not go well.Luke 22:47-53

Luke 22:47–53 ESV

While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

Judas lead a group of men to arrest Jesus.

And Judas is now this witness that Jesus is proclaiming He is God— Judas was going to testify against him.

Yet— in this moment Judas knew he made a mistake.

Jesus knew all of this would happen and Jesus still brought in Judas.

There is has been something that has been circulating the last two years and it is about the fact that Judas ate too.

And I would like to read this too you.

He goes into that room with His disciples. He knows He is going to be betrayed. He knows it is Judas who will turn against him. He knows that He has been sold out for a handful of silver. Stabbed in the back by one He poured His life into.

Yet in that room, hours before the death of Jesus, Judas ate too. Jesus fed Judas too. Jesus prayed for Judas too. Jesus washed Judas’ feet too.

I struggle to fathom that kind of love. A love that would feed the mouth that deceived you. A love that would wash the treasonous feet of the traitor. A love that could forgive even the vilest of betrayals.

I honestly struggle to comprehend it. And then I suddenly, I realize that I’m Judas. and in that moment I’m so thankful and altogether overwhelmed that Judas ate too.

Jesus knows your intentions but he stills invited you in.

Judas ate this night and had his feet washed but the one who He would betray.

And Jesus still invited him in.

I struggle to wrap my mind around that because no one would I do that.

And here is the deal:

You: A lot of times I think I look like Peter, or Paul or even think that my life is reflecting Jesus but most days I relate to Judas.

I want to believe that I would never betray Jesus.

But I do it daily.

It is when I place other things before Him.

It is when I choose the world rather then choosing Him.

I hope that you understand that you are also Judas.

You have done this as well.

You have betrayed Jesus for far less.

You have idols.

The stuff that takes our attention away from God.

We all have these idols:

Here is what an Idol is: idol is when something or someone becomes more important to us than God.

Here are some things that we make idols.

That sit on the throne of our heart.

Material stuff and money.

This is what Judas did it for— and we do the same.

Our family

What we find our identity in— Could be sports, or band, or a play— we know what that looks like, the stuff we live for.

Our jobs and our status.

Our physical appearance.

Our entertainment:

Sex

Comfort

And the list goes on.

Yet, I think we get the idea.

We consistency put Jesus in a battle with our idols and we often give the win to the other stuff then to Jesus.

And in doing so we are saying Jesus my needs are more important and I am willing to give you up for something I really want.

And Jesus lets you go and do it because you have free will but he keeps inviting you back to the table because of his endless, never giving up love that he has for you!

We: Understand the love that Christ had for Judas is an example of the love he has for us.

However, we tend to put other things over Him.

We make idols out of this world.

Which was created by God.

We in turn do exactly what Romans 1 says we would do.

Romans 1:21–25 ESV

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

So what does it look like to put Christ over our idols?

I think it is hard to do because we are accustom to picking the idols.

And it is time for us to stop it and start picking Jesus.

The creator rather then the created.

So remember that you are invited to the table by Jesus, and so was Judas.

Jesus loves you and invited you in no matter where you are and only He will move you to where you need to be.

Let’s pray