Note: A lesson on Judas may seem odd considering all the wonders of God's redemptive plan we especially consider this Holy Week. However his story is part of the fulfillment of that plan.

Message summary: Today is a good time to examine our own hearts as we prepare for Maundy Thursday. Do we have any characteristics that resemble Judas?

Listen to our message on your audio player.

“Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus" (Mark 14:10)

Yesterday we considered Christ as the stone the builders rejected, yet  in reality He is the cornerstone, the very foundation of God's redemptive plan. His rejection was most notably seen by the priests and elders ("the religious leaders") but he was also rejected by many of the "lay" people who shouted "Crucify Him". But today let's consider not rejection but betrayal.

Wednesday of Holy Week very likely marks the day that Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord, the day he "went to the chief priests to betray Jesus".

Judas is first mentioned in the Bible as one of the twelve that Jesus chose to be His disciples. In introducing him all four gospels, long before the fact, indicate that he was the betrayer. Regarding Judas, the list introducing the twelve disciples in Matthew and Mark describe him as one, "who betrayed Him". In Luke's list he is called a "traitor" (Luke 6:16). In each list in the Synoptic gospels he is listed last.

John's gospel does not have a list but early on Judas is introduced, "Then Jesus replied, 'Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!' (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray Him)" (John 6:70,71).

He was one of the twelve disciples, chosen, trusted, and present for Jesus’ teachings and miracles. He heard truth with his own ears and saw Christ's love in action. Yet, somewhere along the way, his heart drifted away or was he half-hearted in his devotion to Christ the entire time?

His betrayal didn’t happen in a moment, it was the result of smaller compromises. In John 12:4-6, we learn Judas had a habit of stealing from the money bag. Hidden sin, left unchecked, slowly shaped his character. What began in secrecy eventually manifested itself in betrayal.

There are certainly elements about the story of Judas that I don't think we'll understand on this side, but he is nevertheless part of the redemption story, in fact a prominent part. Tragically, his contribution did not bring eternal life but brought him eternal loss.

The lesson for us is that proximity to truth is not the same as surrender to it. When Judas betrayed Jesus, he didn’t do it with violence, he did it with a kiss. A sign of love became an act of betrayal. And that’s what makes this story so powerful: it shows how easy it is to look faithful on the outside while something very different is happening within.

Today is a good time to examine our own hearts as we prepare for Maundy Thursday.  Do we have any characteristics that resemble Judas?

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber