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"Preach The Word"

Contradiction of Christianity

When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and
testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of
you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another,
doubting of whom he spake (JOHN 13:21-22) .

We have at various times in our lives recounted the last words
of those we loved. As we come to the last week of the earthly life
of Jesus, we shall repeat His great words until this passion week of
His life shall become engraved upon our hearts: His triumphant
entry on Sunday, the cleansing of the Temple on Monday,
and on through the week until Thursday when He went with
His disciples to the upper room and to Gethsemane, where He
was betrayed by Judas.

Charles Lamb was asked on one occasion, "Who is the man
in history that you would like most to meet?" He replied, "Judas
Iscariot; I would like to see the man who, having looked at the
face of the Son of Man, could afterwards betray Him."
It was a tense moment in the upper room when Jesus told His
disciples that one of them would betray Him. The table was low,
in the oriental custom of the day, and there were couches about
it. The disciples were reclining, propped up on their left elbows
with their right hands free to handle the food. It had been the
custom. for John to be on the right hand of Jesus; thus it was
easy for him to lean his head back against the breast of Jesus and
ask, "Lord, who is it?" ( JOHN 13:25).

The very thought of death in connection with Jesus brought
great fear into the hearts of the disciples. Already He had tried
to prepare them; He had mentioned death on several other occasions.
They, being as we are when death is mentioned, tried
to put it out of His mind and out of their own minds. When Jesus
had said that He must go into Jerusalem and die, the disciples
had made every effort to keep Him from going. Nevertheless,
He had steadfastly set His face toward Jerusalem.
Another fear came into their minds as Jesus said, "One of you
shall betray Me," a very personal reaction: "Lord, is it I?"
( MATTHEW 26 : 22) .

Why is the life of Judas included in our study of this passion
week of our Lord? If we were writing a biography of Jesus,
would we include Judas? We would prefer to sponge him from
the record, but the betrayer of Jesus cannot be removed. His
traitorous act is inscribed in the minds of men, on the pages of
history, and in the life of our Lord. Was it put there in order that
we might be able to pick up some epithet to hurl at Judas? Can
we think of anything concerning Judas that has not already been
said?

The potential of betrayal was in the life of every man within
that room—not only in Judas. If you read their words clearly
and distinctly there seems to be a gasp as they say, "Lord, is it I?"
There was a consciousness of sinful weakness in every heart.
Later that night they panicked and ran away. What man is there
who knows fully the potential of his own heart?

Alexander Maclaren said, "There are some sins which we have
a mind to, and some sins that we are not inclined to." But that
is for today only, and who can speak of tomorrow? Who can foresee
the degeneration of a soul? In Acts, when Peter was asking
for the election of one to take the place of Judas, he was as kind
as possible about the disciple who betrayed Jesus, referring to
him as one who "fell away" ( v. as ). The original word literally
means "disintegrated, fell apart." Judas had no compass in his
life, no supreme purpose. Because God was not in his heart, he
literally disintegrated in the testing time of his life.

The crises of life ought to show a difference between the believer
and the nonbeliever, for those who cannot hold onto the
hope of God are apt to fall apart in days of testing. They have no
great loyalty to something beyond themselves that binds them
up, holds them together, and keeps them going.

Paul knew this. He prayed, "Lord, I don't want to be a castaway.
I don't want to spend my days and then do something
that will wreck my influence so that my life will be placed on the
rubbish heap" (see I CORINTHIANS 9:27). Judas is an example of
a life that wound up on the rubbish heap.

In the self-examination of the disciples in the upper room we
are reminded of the potential in each of us. Just before the supper
they had been talking about which one would be greatest in
Christ's Kingdom. After Jesus had washed their feet, they had
learned a lesson. Therefore they didn't ask, "Lord, is it going to
be Peter?" or "Lord, is it going to be Judas?" or "Lord, is it going
to be Andrew?" They said, "Lord, is it going to be I?" There was
a deep heart-searching on the part of each one of them, for they
recognized in their hearts the desperateness of sin.

Jeremiah had written, "The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (17:9). Paul said,
some years later, that he was the chief of sinners (I TIMOTHY
1 : 15 ) , and he wrote no postscript excluding Judas. Was not the
betrayal put into the record under the divine inspiration of God,
that we also might search our hearts and lives? Does not the
Book of Hebrews (6:6) say it is possible to crucify the Lord
afresh and put Him to open shame? All those who betrayed Jesus
did not live in the first century.

The name of Judas is itself a contradiction. Was he criminal
or was he Christian? The name "Judas," as far as the dictionary
is concerned, means "thanksgiving, praise unto God." When
Judas was born there was rejoicing, as in countless other houses
when a son is born, and his parents gave him the name which
meant "thanks be to God." When one speaks of Judas today, his
name brings to mind the word "betrayal." There is written upon
our memories an unholy kiss. When we use the word "Judas,"
simultaneously we think about the thirty pieces of silver—they
just seem to go together. It was not always so.

When we think of Judas, we think of two men of David's time
( the story is in n SAMUEL 20:9). Joab met Abner, and with his
left hand reached up to him in oriental fashion, touching his
beard and pulling him down as though to kiss him on the cheek,
asking him the greeting question, "How is thy health, friend?"
Even before Abner could answer, with his right hand Joab thrust
a dagger beneath his fifth rib. A traitor in the name of friendship
was Joab.

When we think of Judas, we may be reminded also of Benedict
Arnold. Once a brilliant young man, once an honored officer of
his nation, there came a time when he sold out his own country.
Sometimes there are traitors even in a family circle. One of
the sons of David, Absalom by name, murdered his brother and
turned traitor against his father, seeking to take over David's
kingdom.

Traitors have been known throughout history—and they are
not all dead yet—but Judas is considered the prince of traitors.
Even the other disciples could not feel sure of their own hearts,
and we recognize the pathos of their question, "Lord, is it I? Is
it I?" Jesus answered, "He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when
I have dipped it" (ping 13:26).

I. THE MYSTERY OF JUDAS

Barclay refers to Judas as one of the greatest enigmas of history.
Someone may say that Judas cannot be held responsible for
his crime, but the best defense attorney in all the world could not
prepare a brief in his defense, although several have tried. They
quote the Scripture which says that he was a "son of perdition"
from the beginning (Josh 17:12). That is true; Judas thought
that Jesus would bring in the kingdom of the Jews on earth, but
he never accepted Jesus as the Son of God. Because he was the
"son of perdition" from the beginning, some say, that clears him!
No, it doesn't!

In John 6:70 we find Jesus asserting, "Have not I chosen you
twelve, and one of you is a devil?" Jesus knew it when He chose
Judas, but Judas didn't know it. There is a vast difference between
the foreknowledge of God and the predestination of God.

Judas did not know that he was the son of perdition. What he
did, he did willfully. He chose to do it, having no thought other
than his own will. The mystery of Judas is summed up by
Clarence Macartney thus: "Admit he plays an appointed part and
God knows the end from the beginning, yet Judas was the author
and architect of his own transgression and his own doom."

Before we have difficulty with the Bible in the call of Judas to
be a disciple, let us ask ourselves the question, "Why did God
call us?" As Joseph Parker said, "I have even a great puzzle for
you, why did Jesus call me?" Why did He elect us? Why did He
choose us?

II. THE MOTIVES OF THE BETRAYER
Judas was once better than a betrayer. He was a chosen man,
with some abilities the other disciples could see, for they asked
him to be the treasurer, the administrator of the group. Jesus gave
him every confidence, hoping that He could bring out the best
within Judas. Many people respond to confidence; many respond
to friendship. Every effort was made by Jesus on the behalf of
Judas that he might have an opportunity to know Jesus as the
Son of God.

Some have said that Judas betrayed Jesus for money. That is
possible, for we know there was covetousness in his life. There
were some other motives; one might have been jealousy. He was
the only disciple from Judaea—all the rest were Galileans—and
he may have thought that since he was a good administrator and
an officer of the group ( the only one we know about), he should
have been given more recognition. Jealousy has a strange way
of twisting the truth to mean something different.

The motive of Judas, I think, was simply this: he joined the
disciples in order that he might be a follower of One he hoped
would be the earthly Messiah; when Jesus had the opportunity to
become an earthly ruler and refused it, Judas turned away from
Him in disillusionment. We can see the disintegration of Judas
beginning then; he soured and turned on the Leader for whom
he felt he had wasted his life. Is that so strange?

There are some people today who think that coming to church
is a waste of time. Some say that preaching is a waste of energy
and thought. The Bible says that preaching "is to them that
perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of
God" (I CORINTHIANS 1:18 ). Today communism says that religion
is "the opiate of the people."

Still others have thought that Judas may have betrayed Jesus
because he believed Him to be the Son of God and was trying to
force His hand; perhaps Judas told himself that Jesus could not
be killed. There is no Biblical evidence for this theory, because
Jesus came to die.

III. THE MASTERY OF JESUS

When we look at the character of Judas, we turn to look also
at the Master, for the one man's depth of depravity is only accentuated
by the purity of the Lord Jesus. Judas is at one end of
the scale and Jesus is at the other. What did the Master do? For
three years He allowed Judas to walk with Him, making every
effort to win Judas. Jesus gave him the place of honor at the
banquet table, even after Judas had arranged with the rulers of
the Jews for His betrayal. When a host dipped the bread in the
sop and handed it to the person next to him, that one was the
guest of honor. Jesus handed it to Judas, loving Judas still.

In John 13:1 it is said that He loved His own until the end—
even to the cross Jesus loved us. He said, "Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do" ( LUKE 23:34 ). Jesus never
stopped loving us; because He loved us He died for us. Jesus
offered Judas love, but Judas returned Him hatred and betrayal.
If anything in the world ought to humble us, it ought to be the
Son of God washing our dirty feet, but that didn't touch Judas.
Jesus washed his feet, He put food to his lips; He never could,
He never did touch his heart. How can we explain such a man?
Finally, when Judas made no response, Jesus said to him, "That
thou doest, do quickly." Jesus knew that this was the night, the
hour chosen by God. There is no reason to feel that it was the
moment Judas had planned to deliver the Lord to the priests.

Jesus commanded, "Go on and do it!" May it be forever remembered
that Judas closed the door on Jesus. Jesus never closed
the door on any man. It is not God's will that any man should
perish. Judas closed the door on God, and went out. Always it
is night when a man goes away from God.

It is a mystery how Judas could come back with a kiss and
say, "Hail, Master"—that was the given password (MATTHEW
26:49). Jesus said to them, "Whom seek ye?" They said, "Jesus
of Nazareth." He answered, "I am he," and when He spoke they
fell back ( joHN 18:4-5). They were expecting to find a frightened
man, but they beheld the Son of God.

When men were sent to arrest John Bunyan for preaching, the
church was in prayer. Arrogantly the officers burst in and said,
"Who is John Bunyan?" They thought all would deny it, but
John Bunyan stood and said, "I am." As the constable stood before
the preacher and his open Bible, the man began to shake.
Bunyan seized on the moment and said, "You see how the world
quivers at the Word of God!"

It is a mystery how thirty pieces of silver could have been so
attractive to Judas. It was the price of a slave then, about fifteen
dollars in our money. Where did the authorities get the money
to buy Jesus? They got it out of the Temple treasury, the same
place where they got the money to buy the sacrificial animals.

Unknowingly, in buying Jesus they bought the perfect and only
Sacrifice completely acceptable unto God. Judas received thirty
pieces of silver, but as soon as he got themoney he didn't want it.
We find here Judas's rebuff, remorse, andrepentance.

When he went back to the rulers, he spoke the simple
truth: "I have betrayed the innocent blood" ( MATTHEW 27:4).
Jesus was the only One in the world of whom that could be said in
complete truth.

When Judas wanted them to take the money back, they said,
. . . see thou to that" (v. 4). Judas discovered the loneliness of
sin: nobody wants you when you are found out; nobody wants you
when you are contaminated. He sold his Friend and went over
to his enemies, but they turned him away. Didn't he repent? No
—evidently he regretted what he had done, but he went to the
wrong place for repentance when he went to the priests. The only
place to come with repentance and seeking forgiveness is God.
The church cannot sell forgiveness—no man can forgive sin—but
if you come to God, He will forgive.

There is tragedy not only in Judas's betrayal, but also in his unfinished
life. He did not ask God for forgiveness, but went out and
destroyed himself. Jesus said, " . . . woe unto that man by whom
the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he
had not been born" ( MATTHEW 26: 24 ) .

The Bible says also of that man, that woman, that Sunday school
teacher, that father, that mother who stands in the way of a child
coming to a knowledge of Jesus, or who hurts a child with his
influence, or who takes a child away from church, that "It were
better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he
cast into the sea . . ." ( LUKE 17:2).

What about the individual who still betrays Jesus, rejects His
cross, turns away from the Master of life, and will have nothing to
do with Him? Better also it would be if he had never been born
than to live a life on this earth, die without God, and go to hell for
all eternity!

The epitaph of Judas is still being written over many another
life, even in this day: "Lord, is it I?"

Sermon from R. Earl Allen