BETRAYAL

John 18:2

Now Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with His disciples.

Have you ever wondered why, in God’s perfect and beautiful plan of redemption, He has it go this way?  Jesus’ very own people, the Jews, reject Him and turn Him over to the Romans for crucifixion.  Just this alone is horrific enough, but it isn’t all that the Lord decrees.  Our Savior must not just be tried and convicted in a sham trial, done under the cover of darkness (when Jewish law states that trials must be done openly and during the day) but He must also be betrayed by one of his own.  

Well, indeed, Jesus Christ was a man acquainted with so many deep and abiding sorrows.  This seems almost to be piling on though.  Judas lived with Him, heard His wisdom and the many warnings, and saw the awesome feats of power.  It’s unthinkable that seeing all this, and knowing it, that he could fall into such a reprehensible sin as betraying the Son of God.  To watch Jesus heal, restore sight to the blind, raise the dead, feed thousands, cast out demons, and always, always, always speak the truth, must have melted his heart at times.  And still, astonishingly, he turns on the One that has offered him life everlasting and shown such amazing signs to corroborate His claims.  

We see at least two deep lessons in this.

First, it is that Jesus wasn’t just betrayed by a people – by an abstract group of political/religious enemies.  He was sold over to those enemies by one that had been ever so close to him, living like a brother, and had been personally taught by Him.  Such an abominable thing it is to be given up to enemies by a friend.  Jesus had, we remember, just washed the feet of this betrayer hours before his arrest.  When we wrestle with God’s tolerance of evil in our time, it’s wise to consider this.  We see all sorts of wretchedness, villainy, and misery and are tempted to despair. “How can God allow such bitterness in the world?”  Well, when the black moods of emotion overtake us and we are pitifully low and hurt and vulnerable, we remember that Jesus’ hands washed the dirt off the feet of the man that was to sell Him out.  If we were to only consider this part of the story, we lose heart.  But when we see the risen Christ, the cross is a triumph and Judas is the sad, tragic, almost inconceivable figure.  It’s a reminder that Christians should never lose heart.  When we are slandered we see Him and know the triumph that comes, so we don’t repay reviling for reviling.  We may seem a victim now, but never is a man or woman a true and real victim that is in Christ.  To live a Christlike life amongst a sin-sick world is impossible unless we fix our minds on the twin truths of the cross and the empty tomb.   

Second, it’s abundantly clear that knowing of Jesus and believing in Him are separate acts.  We may sit in pews and know by heart all of the hymns.  We might recite whole passages of Scripture but none of this is what saves us.  Saving faith is the result of the broken heart – broken by its sin, brought low to despair by recognition of rebellion and pride.  Saving faith is that which trusts God in all things, in every way, no matter the personal cost.  Whatever Judas’ thoughts – and we marvel at the exchange he makes, trading Jesus for silver, the Almighty One for ill-gotten treasure – he knew the same things the others did…it was his heart that was awry.  Judas is the schemer, the conniver, and the man of the political world.  Look quick and he seems the smart one.  He knows how to handle the money and complains when precious perfume is “wasted” on Jesus’ feet when, in fact, it could have been sold to raise money for the poor.  Ah, yes, he’s practical and knows the cost of things.  Yes, look quick and he seems the reasonable one – and Peter, James and John, all in for the glory of God, are so impractical.  There’s evidence in this that Judas sees Jesus as a political loser here in the world and, consequently, he may as well profit from it.  We don’t know certainly what was his motivation but clearly he was between the two worlds – serving two masters.  

Judas judged with his eyes and lost it all and so will we if we do the same.  The Scripture asks, “For who hopes for what he can see?”  Our hope is in the risen Lord.  Judas sought political victories and may have grown dismayed that Jesus wasn’t the political messiah, so in selling him out he was, in a manner, cutting his losses.  But our true plight is ever worse than politics.  This is the point missed by not just Judas, but by all those who refuse to come to Christ.  Sin is our deepest problem and it can only be fixed by faith in the One sent by God – Jesus Christ.  

In the end, we might seem today as lowly foot washers and victims and rubes.  That is all okay.  That is all fine.  Today we are low.  Let it be this way.  God will settle accounts one day.  We have salvation awaiting us and a soul that has such hope doesn’t waste energy fretting about the Judas’ of the world.  We have Christ; let Judas have his silver.