The Betrayal
The Betrayal
John 18:1-3
"Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons."
He has heard the teaching of Jesus. He had laughed with Jesus. He had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, feed the 5000, and walk on water. He had seen the compassion of Jesus towards those society rejected. Yet, having been with Jesus for three years, it is dumbfounding that he would turn his back on Jesus. Why would he do such a thing? Why would he betray someone who had shown such love to him and to all those he encountered?
The actions of Judas on this night leave us perplexed. Judas was not just a silent follower of Jesus, a nameless person who had only a superficial relationship with Jesus and the other disciples. He was respected by the other disciples. In 12:6, we read that he was the one that been given the responsibility to care for the finances of the group. This would indicate that he was respected, for he was given a position and responsibility assigned to people who were trusted. Even when Jesus seemingly points to Judas as the betrayer, the rest of the disciples do not believe it. Anyone but Judas.
How then do we explain his betrayal? Indeed, part of the reason was Judas' greed. Judas' financial prowess concealed an obsession with wealth and financial gain. Judas' loyalty to Jesus was ultimately driven by the desire for personal gain rather than humble surrender. He saw Jesus as his ticket to fame and fortune. When Jesus predicted his death and did not display any desire to become the nation's political leader, Judas became disillusioned and decided to get what he could get and then get out.
Judas became the epitome of a betrayer and deserter. No one wants to name their son Judas. Matthew, Peter, Andrew, and John remain popular names, but no one wants to be known as "Judas." Yet, if we examine our hearts, we discover a little bit of Judas buried deep in our hearts. In our lives, we quickly betray Jesus by our complacency and disregard for obeying him. Judas forsook Jesus when Jesus did not meet his expectations and beliefs. Yet the tragedy is we do the same thing today. Like Judas, we give lip service to Christ. We confess to being a follower of Jesus, but we abandon Jesus when he does not conform to our expectations and perspective. When we affirm our allegiance to Jesus but refuse to obey his commands. Instead of following Jesus for who he is, we only follow him for what we want him to be.
Christ warns us of the danger of shallow faith that is not transformational. In Matthew 7:21-22, he warns that mere confession is not enough. Faith is revealed not just in what we say but in what we do. Do we live in obedience to him, and do we surrender to him? Do we allow Christ and his words revealed in the whole bible to transform us, or do we conform Jesus to our views? When God's actions do not meet our expectations, when his word does not correspond to our perspective, do we reject Christ in pursuit of our morality and life? If so, we become like Judas.
John 18:1-3
"Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons."
He has heard the teaching of Jesus. He had laughed with Jesus. He had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, feed the 5000, and walk on water. He had seen the compassion of Jesus towards those society rejected. Yet, having been with Jesus for three years, it is dumbfounding that he would turn his back on Jesus. Why would he do such a thing? Why would he betray someone who had shown such love to him and to all those he encountered?
The actions of Judas on this night leave us perplexed. Judas was not just a silent follower of Jesus, a nameless person who had only a superficial relationship with Jesus and the other disciples. He was respected by the other disciples. In 12:6, we read that he was the one that been given the responsibility to care for the finances of the group. This would indicate that he was respected, for he was given a position and responsibility assigned to people who were trusted. Even when Jesus seemingly points to Judas as the betrayer, the rest of the disciples do not believe it. Anyone but Judas.
How then do we explain his betrayal? Indeed, part of the reason was Judas' greed. Judas' financial prowess concealed an obsession with wealth and financial gain. Judas' loyalty to Jesus was ultimately driven by the desire for personal gain rather than humble surrender. He saw Jesus as his ticket to fame and fortune. When Jesus predicted his death and did not display any desire to become the nation's political leader, Judas became disillusioned and decided to get what he could get and then get out.
Judas became the epitome of a betrayer and deserter. No one wants to name their son Judas. Matthew, Peter, Andrew, and John remain popular names, but no one wants to be known as "Judas." Yet, if we examine our hearts, we discover a little bit of Judas buried deep in our hearts. In our lives, we quickly betray Jesus by our complacency and disregard for obeying him. Judas forsook Jesus when Jesus did not meet his expectations and beliefs. Yet the tragedy is we do the same thing today. Like Judas, we give lip service to Christ. We confess to being a follower of Jesus, but we abandon Jesus when he does not conform to our expectations and perspective. When we affirm our allegiance to Jesus but refuse to obey his commands. Instead of following Jesus for who he is, we only follow him for what we want him to be.
Christ warns us of the danger of shallow faith that is not transformational. In Matthew 7:21-22, he warns that mere confession is not enough. Faith is revealed not just in what we say but in what we do. Do we live in obedience to him, and do we surrender to him? Do we allow Christ and his words revealed in the whole bible to transform us, or do we conform Jesus to our views? When God's actions do not meet our expectations, when his word does not correspond to our perspective, do we reject Christ in pursuit of our morality and life? If so, we become like Judas.
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