Of all human enigmas, Judas is the greatest. The Scripture definitely speaks of him as "one of the twelve." He had been ordained to the ministry, and like the others, he had proved to be a successful evangelist. But in some ways he was different. He was apparently the only one of the group that came from Judah, the others all having come from Galilee. "Are not all these . . . Galilaeans?" remarked the crowd on the day of Pentecost. Galileans evidently spoke with somewhat of a brogue. "Thy speech bewrayeth thee," said someone in the crowd to Peter during the court trial of Jesus. And the angels addressing the disciples at the ascension of our Lord said, "Ye men of Galilee."
Iscariot means the "man from Kerioth," a town in Judea. Outwardly Judas must have been an impressive personality. The disciples regarded him as one to be trusted, so he was made treasurer of the group. He began his ministry in a spirit of high adventure; but a gradual and subtle change came over him. Ambitious, he was probably indignant at the selection of fishermen such as Peter, James, and John to be a kind of "inner circle." His methods were so different from those of Jesus. Long months of criticism and resentment seemed to burst suddenly into flame through the quiet rebuke of Jesus at the feast of Simon.
Judas Resents Rebuke
Matthew is careful to record in detail: "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? . . . And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him."
Judas had been trying to make Jesus over into the kind of leader he wished Him to be, but he refused to let Jesus make him over into the kind of man he should have been. Jealousy quickly led to criticism, then to theft, and at last to betrayal. Sin always runs a downward course.
John speaks in no uncertain terms, declaring that "he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein" (John 12:6). The word "to bare" is bastazein, and colloquially it means "to pilfer." The R.S.V. plainly states that Judas "used to take what was put into it." He was a lover of money and was actually pilfering the slender assets of the group. The love of money became to him "the root of all evil."
In Mary's act Judas could see only waste. Trying to build himself up on others' assets, he was actually tearing himself down by his own acts. Poor, tragic Judas! Twice more we see him—in the upper room around the Passover table and last of all at the trial of Jesus before the high priest.
Let us study his character more carefully. What made Judas turn traitor? Papini suggests that only Christ and the traitor himself knew the secret of this man that men have despised for sixty generations. To claim that the thirty pieces of silver was the incentive for his crime seems unjustified, for that would be little reward for one whose sole motive was money. And if money were really his god, how strange that he should stay so long with so poor a group. There must have been a deeper motive than avarice.
Pride the Root of Sin
Judas was a proud, self-opinionated man. He regarded others as greatly inferior to himself. Thus be became blind to his own weakness. Watching Jesus heal the sick, he became aware of His supernatural power; but instead of humbling him it made him proud. He wanted to see more aggressive action. He reasoned that if Jesus could be forced into national leadership, it would hasten the day of deliverance from the Romans. It is not hard for us to imagine this ambitious man leading the movement that day when they tried to make Christ king. How bitter must have been his disappointment when Jesus declined the honor and escaped from the crowd!
While there is much we do not know, yet one thing seems certain—Judas never really expected Jesus to allow Himself to be arrested. On more than one occasion he had seen Him evade His enemies and escape their snares. So he said with self-assurance, "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast" (Matt. 26:48). It would have been easy for him to say if Christ had escaped: "Did I not tell you to hold him fast?" Thus he himself would escape blame.
Willful Sin Hardens the Soul
From the beginning Judas had miscalculated and misjudged. Had he listened to the voice of conscience and submitted his will to the control of the Holy Spirit, how different would have been his history. He had harbored sin in his life till at last the barrier was broken down. Where love should have reigned, revenge and hate held him in their grip. While reclining at the spread table in the upper room, he was not beyond recall. How tenderly Jesus sought to woo him, for He saw in him not an incurable criminal but one who stood in frightful peril.
Wounded pride, when petted and indulged, can render any soul impervious to divine love. The very act of lowly service in which Jesus demonstrated His love (washing the disciples' feet), which softened the hearts of the eleven, actually hardened the heart of Judas. The unpardonable sin is not a different kind of sin; it is a sin that resists the pleading of God's Spirit and thus refuses to be pardoned.
Jesus Still Loved Judas
The sin of Judas did not change the love of Jesus. Even when the flickering lights of the lanterns revealed the betrayer under the dark shadow of the trees of the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was still the patient lover of men. Listen to His touching words as Judas kisses the face so lately stained with blood. He calls him friend. "Friend, wherefore art thou come?" In the Scripture record this was the last time He spoke to Judas.
With what amazement must the betrayer watch the Saviour as He submits to the buffeting and slander of the mob. Surely the great Teacher will surprise His enemies and set at naught their plots and schemes. He awakens at last to see that his plan has failed. Rushing into the assembly he interrupts as he shouts, "I have sinned! I have sinned!" With pale face and trembling hands he casts the silver coins onto the pavement. It is one last desperate try. Caiaphas shakes him off abruptly. "What is that to us?" he says. In grief and disillusionment Judas leaves the scene and goes out to commit suicide.
What a tragic end! And what a tragic crime! Not so much perfidy, perhaps, as miscalculation. Like many another since his day, Judas was trying to forward the cause of God with weapons from the armory of darkness. This led him at last to despise himself and to take his own life. His refusal to repent and his tragic end have made him history's most despicable figure. But in this there is a lesson for all. The most dangerous traitor is the one hidden in every man's heart. The Scripture says, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12).
Mary and Judas Leave Memorials
At this home of wealth four personalities stand out in contrast—Mary, Judas, Simon, and Jesus. Judas had bitterly criticized Mary, and when Jesus mildly rebuked him, he resented it. Going to the priests he agreed on a price for the betrayal of His Lord. This selfish act brought him everlasting shame and ignominy, whereas the selfless act of Mary brought her eternal fame and glory. Mary is a name we give to our lovely daughters; but we would not give our dog the name Judas. History teaches us valuable lessons.
A story is told of a goat named Judas in one of Chicago's giant meat factories. He had been taught to lead a thousand sheep at a time to their slaughter. This he did with precision for years. But one day he failed to jump at the right time, and he too went to the slaughter.
Sin is always expensive—its price beyond computation. Pardoned or unpardoned, its cost is infinitely great. Sin pardoned falls upon the sinless head of our Saviour; unpardoned, it falls upon the guilty head of the sinner, who is at last banished from the presence of God. The choice is ours.
As ministers it is our responsibility to bring to our hearers such a sense of urgency that they will make the choice that will give them an inheritance among those who are sanctified.
Lessons We Can Learn From the Story
Jesus might have remained away from Jerusalem, but He went to the city to make one final appeal to His nation. Yet all the time He knew what the end would be.
He welcomed the invitation to the home of "Simon the leper," a prominent Pharisee, because this man was in real need of spiritual help. Simon admired Jesus; but admiration is not enough. Conversion is the result of the surrender of the will. In that way only can true character be formed.
Others like Mary also needed help and encouragement. Her service of love in the anointing of her Lord gave Jesus opportunity to speak again of His death and burial, His coming sacrifice for the sins of the world. During the supper many things in the character of those present came to light, and Jesus met them all with love. He broke through the prejudice of Simon, yet did not expose or embarrass him before his friends.
Jesus recognized in Mary's act a significance deeper than even she discerned. Anointing was a service reserved for a prophet, a priest, or a king. Jesus was all these.
Now note the contrasts among those at this social supper. Simon was a grateful but proud Pharisee. Judas was a critic and a misguided politician. Mary was the embodiment of a fully surrendered life. This woman, open as a book, trusting as a child, knew the joy of full and free forgiveness.
In Judas we see a distorted character, twisted by sin and eaten out by pride.
In Christ we behold One whose heart was absolutely unchanged—the same yesterday, today, and forever. Nothing that men could do could change His love for lost man. Even as the betrayer kissed Him, He addressed him as "friend."
Both Judas and Mary have left memorials —his a memorial of hate, hers a memorial of love.
The prayer of St. Francis of Assisi might well be the petition of every minister of Christ:
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light; and
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying
That we are born to eternal life.
