Holy Week 3.0 - Jesus Betrayed

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.  And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

Matthew 26:14-16 (ESV)

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.  He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

Luke 22:3-6 (ESV)

All of us, at one time or another, have felt betrayed.  We have all felt cheated, like we have experienced something that we don’t deserve.  It’s a horrible feeling.  You feel as your dignity has been compromised.  

We have to remember that God the Son was betrayed.  Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, who was there since the beginning of time, was betrayed by the very people that He came to save.  What is even worse is that the Savior had a nominal price of thirty 30 pieces of silver, the price of slave at that time.  The bounty on the head of our Lord was the same price as someone who had no social status.  The God of the universe had gone from king when He entered Jerusalem to being hunted.

Judas was an interesting man.  He was hand-picked by Jesus to be one of His twelve disciples.  Judas had experienced the works Jesus had done, sat under His teachings, seen people healed of physical suffering, demon possession, and even raised from the dead.  Despite this, he was unable to see Jesus for who He really was.  Before Judas sold out Jesus, we see that he was greedy and a thief.  In John 12 we see a wonderful display of affection from Jesus’ friend Mary, as she anoints His feet with expensive perfume.  Judas’ response, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”  But Judas was not as charitable as he made himself out to be, verse 6 shows his heart.  “He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.”  If that wasn’t bad enough, Jesus prophesized that “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me.  The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born” (Matt. 26:23-24).  As we know, the betrayal by Judas led to Jesus’ death; and being overcome by guilt, he hung himself.

For obvious reasons, it is easy to look at Judas with disgust and wonder what he was thinking.  Here is the man who betrayed the innocent, who gave God over to be killed.  Looking at Judas reminds me of a scene in the movie Scarface.  Tony Montana is a drug dealer, and everybody knows it; he snaps while eating dinner in some restaurant and proceeds with a monologue.

You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your fingers and say, ‘That's the bad guy. So...what does that make you? Good? You're not good. You just know how to hide, how to lie. Me, I don't have that problem. Me, I always tell the truth. Even when I lie. So say good night to the bad guy!

I realize this is an extreme example, but I use it to illustrate how easy it is to look at someone like Judas and say, “I’m not like him.”  The name Judas has become synonymous with being a traitor, but what about our own treachery.   We at the church have dealt with our own hypocrisy.  A preacher by the name of Billy Sunday once stated, “Hypocrites in the church? Yes, and in the home. Don’t hunt through the church for a hypocrite; go home and look in the mirror. Then see that you make the number one less.”  Once we are saved, we are called to a lifestyle that bears fruit.  When we go against God, when we disobey, we effectively betray Him as well.  It is easy to look at Judas because he physically handed Jesus over to be killed, but we had a hand in it as well.  If we did not sin, we would not need a savior.  If we did not sin, a penalty would not need to be paid.  If we did not have a penalty against us, Jesus would not have needed to die.

There is great news; although we are just as guilty for Jesus’ death as Judas was, we have the Holy Spirit.  Paul writes, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:13-14).  We have been forgiven of our sins; past, present, and future.  The Holy Spirit dwells in us, makes us more like Jesus.  Along with eternal life, this is the result of His death and resurrection, despite being betrayed.  This just shows God’s sovereignty, which makes it that much sweeter.

I love you all,

Justin