THE GREAT PRETENDER

Mark 14:10–11 AV

10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.

Intro: Our text today deals with a man named Judas Iscariot. He is, without a doubt, the most notorious and most vilified of all the disciples. His name appears last in every list of the disciples, except in Acts 1, where his name does not appear at all. Every time he is mentioned in the Bible, the Word of God reminds us that he is a traitor who betrayed Jesus to His death.

Judas was a failure as a disciple. He was exposed to the same teaching the others heard. He saw the same miracles and was involved in the same ministries. Yet, Judas never came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Judas spent three years with the Lord Jesus Christ and he died lost. The others were converted during their time with the Lord; Judas only became spiritually hard, calloused and hateful.

The other eleven disciples were used of God in amazing ways. Their lives demonstrate the truth that common, ordinary people can be used of the Lord in extraordinary ways. Judas, on the other hand, stands as a stark warning about the dangers of wasted opportunities, hardness of heart, wicked lusts, and spiritual carelessness.

While Judas was a failure as a disciple, he was the most successful hypocrite of all time. He played his part so well that no one but Jesus Himself knew that Judas was a fraud and a pretender. He was as common and as ordinary as the rest of the disciples. He was so ordinary that he never stood out from the rest. He hid behind the camouflage of hypocrisy and no one but Jesus ever realized it.

This passage reveals Judas as he hatches his plot to betray the Son of God into the hands of his enemies,

We are going to take the opportunity this text offers us to get to know Judas Iscariot a little better. We need to hear and heed the lessons that come from the life of this tragic character.

Dr. John MacArthur reminds us that Judas and his life teach us two basic truths.

1. It is possible to be near Jesus and to associate with Him closely and still be hardened in sin.

2. Judas is a clear reminder that the purposes of God stand sure. No matter what anyone may do, they will never thwart the plan of Almighty God. God always accomplishes what He determines to do, Isa. 46:10–11; Eph. 1:11.

With those thoughts in mind, I want to preach about Judas Iscariot today. I want to reveal some of what the Bible teaches about this man we will call The Great Pretender. I want you to see Judas And His Personality; Judas And His Privileges; Judas And His Problem; Judas And His Plan; and Judas and His Punishment.

Let’s consider The Great Pretender together today.

I. v. 10 JUDAS AND HIS PERSONALITY

We really do not know a lot about Judas Iscariot from the biblical record. He is mentioned 20 times in the Gospels and twice in the book of Acts. He speaks on just two occasions. He is an enigma and he is a mystery. Yet, from what the Bible does say about him, we can learn a few important truths about this man and his life.

A. Consider His Designation—His name is “Judas”. It is the Greek rendering of the Old Testament name “Judah”. Judah was the son of Jacob and the father of the largest and most dominant of all the tribes of Israel.

The name has two possible meanings, “Jehovah Leads” or “He Whom Jehovah Praises”. This name suggests that his parents had hope for his future. They were probably a deeply religious family, who hoped that he would be led by God and that his life would bring praise to the name of the Lord. Little did they know that their son would only be led by, and bring praise to, the devil.

Judas stands as living proof that having a godly heritage is not enough to save the soul. Having Christian parents cannot guarantee the salvation of the soul. There must be a conscious turning from sin to embrace the Gospel message by faith. There must be a life-changing, soul-saving encounter with Jesus Christ.

B. Consider His Dwelling—His surname was “Iscariot”. This name tells us something about where Judas came from. The word “Iscariot” is derived from the Hebrew. “Ish” means “man”. “cariot” refers to the town of “Karioth”. Thus, Judas is called “man of Karioth”. Karioth was a humble farming town located 23 miles south of Jerusalem.

We are told that his father’s name was “Simon”, John 6:71; 13:2, 26. Simon was a very common name in that time period. Nothing more is known of his family. Judas was a common man from a common family in a common town in Judea.

C. Consider His Detachment—Since he was from Judea, Judas was the only one of the twelve not from Galilee. The rest of the disciples were from the northern part of the nation. Many of them knew one another. Some were brothers. Others were coworkers and friends before they came to know Jesus.

Being the only real stranger in the group meant that Judas would have been somewhat isolated from the other disciples. They would not have known about his family or his background. It is also true the people from the southern regions of Israel often felt superior to people from the north.

These facts enabled Judas to keep a low profile and helped him camouflage his hypocrisy. While there is no evidence that the other men excluded Judas, he may have felt like an outsider. Thoughts of that nature may have helped him justify his treason against Jesus and his thievery from the rest of the disciples.

We do know that Judas worked his way into a place of trust. The other disciples chose him to be the treasurer for the group, but Judas used that position to steal from the bag, John 12:6. That verse tells us that Judas “… bare what was put therein”. The word “bare” means “to take away; to pilfer”. Judas was a thief. This is made crystal clear in the Word of God.

It is interesting to note that in every list that names the disciples, Judas Iscariot is always named last. This illustrates the wide gulf that separated Judas from the Lord Jesus Christ. He was isolated from the rest of the disciples because of his background. He was also separated from them spiritually. He was the only unbeliever in the crowd!

This is a clear reminder that you never know the true condition of the hearts of those around you. The other disciples never did figure out that Judas was a traitor until after he had betrayed the Lord Jesus. They always assumed that he was one of them. Perhaps even Judas believed that all was well. Either way, it reminds us that the heart is very deceptive, Jer. 17:9. It also challenges us to be sure that we are in a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. 1:10; 2 Cor. 13:5 “ Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

I. Judas And His Personality

II. JUDAS AND HIS PRIVILEGES

A study of the life of Judas reveals that he enjoyed many of the same privileges of the Lord’s genuine disciples. A few of them are mentioned in Mark’s record of the choosing of the twelve disciples by the Lord Jesus Christ, Mark 3:13–19.

A. Mark 3:13 How He Was Called—There is no question that Judas was “chosen” by Christ. He was chosen by Him to fulfill a divine plan.

Three Old Testament prophecies need to be considered right here.

• Psalm 41:9—“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.”

In John 13:18, Jesus said that this prophecy would be fulfilled in His betrayal.

• Psalm 55:12–14—“For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.” This passage also speaks of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.

• Zechariah 11:12–13—“And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.”

This passage was also fulfilled when Jesus was betrayed, Matt. 27:9–10.

Jesus makes it crystal clear that when He chose Judas, He knew who he was and what he would do, John 6:70. Everything Judas did, was part of the eternal plan of redemption ordained by God before the foundation of the world, Acts 2:23.

It is clear from the Gospel record that Judas was chosen to damnation and not to salvation! There is tension here between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. There is no debating the fact that Jesus Christ was foreordained to suffer for sin, Rev. 13:8 “ And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

There is also no doubt that Judas Iscariot was help responsible for betraying the Lord, Mark 14:21 “ The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.”

While Judas was born to fulfill the ancient prophecies related to the betrayal of Christ, he was not forced to do anything against his will. He was chosen by God to be the one to betray Christ; but Judas betrayed Jesus because he wanted to. So, while Judas was chosen by God for the role he fulfilled in betraying Christ he fulfilled that role willingly.

Some would say, “Is it fair for God to condemn Judas for doing the Lord’s will?” This is the same argument Paul both anticipated and answered in Romans 9:19–24, “Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”

Judas was not condemned because he betrayed Jesus. Judas was condemned long before that because he was a lost sinner, John 3:18, 36.

This begs the question, “Could Judas have been saved?” Yes! Had he turned to Christ by faith, he would have been saved. He had every opportunity. The parables of the unjust servant, the man without a wedding garment, and the ten virgins were all designed to speak to Judas and turn him from his evil plans.

However, the Lord knew before he chose Judas that Judas would betray Him into the hands of His enemies. So, while Judas could have been saved, it was never a real possibility for him.

B. Mark 3:13 How He Came—When Jesus called Judas, he willingly followed the Lord. He was following Jesus because he believed Jesus would defeat Rome and liberate Israel. He was not following a Savior; he was following a Man he saw as a revolutionary.

C. Mark 3:14 How He Was Consecrated—Judas was “ordained” by Jesus. This word has the idea of training. Jesus took the twelve and made them ready for the mission he was about to send them to accomplish. He was set apart for a special purpose.

D. Mark 3:14 How He Was Connected—Like the other disciples, Judas was chosen to “be with Him”. Imagine that! Every day Judas and the other disciples witnessed the character and compassion of Christ. They heard His words and they saw His works. Every single day was a display of the grace of God for Judas and for the rest of the twelve.

Every miracle, every parable, every sermons, every single act of compassion, was designed by Jesus to reveal His identity to His men. Eleven of them got the message; Judas never did. Jesus tried to touch the heart of Judas in many ways, and on many occasions, but Judas hardened his heart against every attempt of the Lord to reach him.

Some people have a hard time with the idea that Judas could live with Jesus for over three years and still not believe in Christ. Yet, we see the same thing happening around us all the time. People sit in church for a lifetime, under the Word of God, the preaching of the Gospel, the prayers of God’s people, and the clear evidence of His saving power in the lives of those around them, and still some of those people die in their sins and go to Hell. It is a real tragedy! Don’t let it happen to you!

E. Mark 3:14 How He Was Commissioned—Judas was sent out to serve alongside the rest of the disciples. He had the same credentials and the same appointment they all had. He was working for Jesus just like the others disciples.

F. Mark 3:15 How He Was Confirmed—Judas, and the rest of the disciples, were empowered to preach the Gospel, to heal the sick and to cast out demons. As they went about the country, their preaching was attended by the manifest power of God.

The lame walked, the blind saw, the deaf heard and so on. People who were bound in their sins were brought to faith in Christ by the preaching of the twelve. Even Judas preached with power, worked the miracles, delivered the demon possessed and saw many people saved. In other words, Judas could not be distinguished from the others in his work for the Lord.

That is a sobering thought! Judas was a tare among the wheat and no one but Jesus knew it. I am not even sure that Judas knew. For all we know, he was so caught up in the work of serving Christ, and seeing the fruit of that work, that he may have convinced himself that everything was right between him and the Lord. Jesus tells us that many will face God in that condition on judgment day, Matt. 7:21–23. Be sure that you are not one of them!

I. Judas And His Personality

II. Judas And His Privileges

III. JUDAS AND HIS PROBLEM

A. His Confusion—We are told that Judas went to the religious leaders because he wanted to “betray” Jesus. Why would Judas want to betray Jesus after he had spent such intimate time with the Lord?

Like everyone else who followed Jesus, Judas thought that Jesus had come to do the work of the Messiah. They saw His miracles, His power over demons, Satan and nature. They heard the way He taught and saw the way He lived, and they believed that he was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.

Like the rest, Judas was expecting Jesus Christ to overthrow Rome and break the yoke of Roman oppression. He thought Jesus would deliver Israel, establish a restored kingdom in Israel, and richly reward His followers.

When it became apparent that Jesus was not going to do those things, Judas became disillusioned with the Lord. The other disciples slowly began to understand that Jesus was the Messiah, but they also understood that He would accomplish His mission in a way that they could not as yet grasp. Judas never came to that understanding.

Judas followed Jesus because he wanted power and money. He never embraced the spiritual kingdom of Christ. Why did he stay with Jesus? I think he was looking for a way to use Jesus to make himself rich. We must also remember that Judas kept the money that the little band collected as they traveled from place to place, and he was stealing from it.

So, part of the problem with Judas began with confusion as to the identity and ministry to Jesus. As time went on, he became disillusioned and what fondness he may have had for Jesus turned to pure hatred.

Some would try to salvage the character of Judas right here. They want us to believe that Judas betrayed the Lord in an effort to force the hand of Christ. They believe that Judas betrayed the Lord so that Jesus would be forced to go to war with His enemies.

That flies in the face of the Word of God. Judas was not hoping for a good outcome. He wanted Jesus dead. The Bible makes it clear that what Judas did, he did at the command and whim of Satan, John 13:27 “ And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.”

B. His Covetousness—We have already learned that Judas was a thief. He was pilfering from the money bag. His covetousness takes center stage in John 12:4–6. This is the first time Judas speaks in the Gospels. When he does, he complains about the way money was spent.

He was enjoying a feast that was held to honor the Lord Jesus in Bethany. As the feast progressed, a woman named Mary entered the room. She brought with her an alabaster flask filled with pure nard, which is an expensive perfume used by the wealthy. She broke open the flask and poured its contents on the head and feet of Jesus and began to wipe His feet with her hair.

When Judas saw this, the calculator in his brain began to work overtime. He estimated that her ointment was worth about “300 pence”, or a year’s wages for the average worker. In our money, about $20,000.00.

Judas was livid! He did not believe that Jesus was worth that kind of extravagant love. By what he called a “waste”, Judas had been prevented from stealing a portion of the money for which the ointment could have been sold.

When Judas said this, he is mildly rebuked by Jesus. Still, Judas does not repent and he does not examine his own heart. He is confirmed in his hatred of Jesus and immediately seeks how he might betray Him to the Jews.

This is a bittersweet scene. On the one hand, Jesus is anointed with extravagant love by Mary. On the other, He is anointed with overwhelming hatred by Judas.

It is interesting to note that when the other disciples heard the objection raised by Judas, they echoed his opinion, Matt. 26:8. His hypocrisy is so complete that even the other disciples were taken in by Judas.

This serves as a warning to our hearts today! Be very careful who you follow. There are some people who love material things more than they love the Master. There are some people who live to get their own way more than they desire God’s ways. Those people will lead you into trouble. You would be far better off to follow no one but Jesus Himself!

C. His Condemnation—People look at Judas and wonder how a man could do all that he did, see all that he saw, and be so close to Jesus and yet be lost. Some people claim that Judas was saved, but that he lost his salvation. That is foolish! Salvation is eternal in nature and can never be taken away. Judas was never saved!

He was lost when he preached. He was lost when he cast out devils. He was lost when he healed the sick. He was lost as he listened to the Sermon on the Mount. He was lost as he saw the great miracles of Jesus. He was lost when he watched Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead. He was lost when he betrayed Jesus. He was lost when he committed suicide. He was lost when he opened his eyes in Hell!

Here is what Jesus said about Judas: John 6:70–71. Jesus looked at Judas and called him “a devil”. He looked like a saint, but the Lord said he was “a devil”. He acted like the rest of the disciples, but the Lord said he was “a devil”. He was a preacher, but he was “a devil”. He was trusted by everyone, but he was “a devil”. Judas was nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He was “a devil”!

This is a sobering thought! The lost man can do anything the saved man can do, and he may even do it better. Just because a man preaches, prays, witnesses, gives, works in the church, attends church, etc., does not prove that he is saved. A lost man can do all of that, and he can do it with success. You can’t base your relationship with Christ on what you do.

Salvation is by faith, Eph. 2:8–9. There must be a moment of commitment when you come to Jesus Christ by faith, repenting of sin and calling on Him for salvation. If that moment is missing from your life, then you are lost!

Judas Iscariot was no different than any other lost person. Jesus told the Jews that they were the offspring of the devil, and as such they act just like their father, John 8:44. There is a family resemblance that cannot be denied. Those who are of the devil will eventually prove it by acting like the devil, Eph. 2:1–3.

I do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings today, but you need to hear this. I say these things because I love you. I say them because I am a preacher of the Gospel. I say them because I care about your soul.

If you have never been saved, you are just like Judas. There is a part of you that is controlled by Satan. You wonder why you do the things you do. You wonder why you can’t break the cycle of sin in your life. The reason is simple, you need a new Father. You need to be born again. When you are, everything in your life will change, 2 Cor. 5:17. When you are, you will be delivered from the oppression of the devil.