disciples. Each week we have focused on one or more of the original disciples,

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1 M. Thurs. March 24, 2016 Trinity Lutheran Church, Cottage Grove, OR James L. Markus Judas The Betrayer John 12:3-6 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? 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. Matt. 26:14-16 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. Mark 14:43-46 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard. And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, Rabbi! And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. Matt. 27:3-5 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. They said, What is that to us? See to it yourself. And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. Throughout the season of Lent, we have been learning discipleship from the disciples. Each week we have focused on one or more of the original disciples, also known as apostles. We ve come now to Judas the betrayer. The apostle that become an apostate. While we have been trying to learn from the positive examples of the disciples, tonight we learn from the negative example. Whereas the other disciples have pointed us to Christ by their testimony, Judas points us to our need for Christ by way his treachery. Whereas the other disciples have given us encouragement, Judas gives us a caution.

2 I ve never met anyone by the name of Judas, though I remember a dog by that name. But in Jesus day, Judas was a very popular name. No less than five men named Judas can be found in the New Testament, including another disciple who also went by the name Thaddeus. One of Jesus' own half-brothers was named Judas or Jude (Mt 13:55, Mk 6:3) and he is the author of the letter that comes right before the book of Revelation. Judas was a popular name because Judas Maccabees was a national hero. Close to 200 years earlier, Judas and his family led a successful revolt against the Greeks gaining a brief period of Jewish independence. His victory over Antiochus Epiphanes around 165 B.C. is celebrated in the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. In Jesus' day, the name Judas was synonymous with greatness. Jewish parents everywhere took pride in naming their sons after that Judas perhaps with the hope that their son would be the one to save the nation from the Romans. But since that time, the name has fallen into disfavor. Judas is always listed last in the lists of the apostles, and always with the damning description, the betrayer. Judas the betrayer; that is how his name has gone down in history. He is also called Iscariot, which would seem to be the place where he was from - a man of Kerioth.

3 Judas was one of the twelve who was privileged to follow Jesus for up to three years. He had seen the same miracles. He had heard the same parables. Judas seemed to be part of the kingdom that Jesus proclaimed. But Jesus knew from the very beginning what Judas Iscariot would do. Jesus told His disciples, Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil! (John 6:70). And at the Last Supper, Jesus predicted His betrayal and identified the betrayer: Jesus answered, It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish. Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon (John 13:26). Judas then left that Passover meal. Later that night he guided the mob from the chief priest to a remote place in the Garden of Gethsemane, away from the crowds, where he betrayed Jesus with the ultimate sign of affection, a kiss. Even down to our day a kiss of death refers to one marked for execution. Why? Why did Judas do this? Some suggest that Judas was trying to force Jesus hand. Judas wanted a revolt. If Jesus was arrested, maybe Jesus would be forced to show his power and overthrow the Romans. But Jesus kingdom is not of this world. The only motive that the Bible suggests is one of greed. Judas objected to the wastefulness of the expensive perfume used to anoint Jesus feet. Mathew tells us that Judas was the treasurer and he would help himself to what was put in the

4 apostles treasury. For 30 pieces of silver, the price of a common slave, Judas agreed to betray Jesus to the chief priest. I found these comments by Billy Graham very helpful: Judas "stands forever as a warning of the dangers of stubborn unbelief. And in the end, Judas lost everything, even his life. it doesn t make sense (for Judas to betray Jesus), just as most evil doesn t make sense. Why deliberately do something we know is wrong, when if we d only stop to think about it we also know it will destroy us?...judas real problem was that he was interested only in himself and what he could gain by following Jesus. Instead of committing his life to Jesus, he allowed greed and envy to rule his heart and mind. His unbelief fed his greed, and his greed fed his unbelief," said Rev. Graham. Why do we betray Jesus? We aren t like Judas, you say. "We would never do such a thing." And yet, we too have betrayed Jesus when we have not spoken up for him. We ve betrayed him when we use his name in a curse or misused it in an exclamation. And we betray the Lord most shamefully with a kiss, when we appear to love him, but our devotion is an act. I could ask, what is it worth to you to betray Jesus? What would it cost for you to stop following him? Judas did it for 30 pieces of silver, some do it for much less or nothing at all. Would you sell him out for your own comfort and pleasure? Would you betray

5 him for the latest philosophy? Would you hand him over for 30 bars of gold? It can happen also to us. Maybe you ve had your doubts about Jesus. There have been those who have left the fellowship of the church because they could no longer say in good conscience that Jesus is Lord. There were those who left, who like Judas, were never a part in the first place. Yes, dear Christian, you also have betrayed your Lord. And even as Judas betrayal cost Jesus his life, so your betrayal has cost him his life. For it was for your betrayals and other sins for which Jesus died. Judas could not deal with his guilt. How about you? With a heavy heart he returned the silver to the chief priests. Having nowhere else to turn, he took his own life. If you do not have a Savior, you are left to bear your guilt alone. The guilt that comes when you betray someone s trust. The guilt that comes with disappointment and disapproval from others. The guilt that comes when you betray yourself and do that thing that you said you would never do. Either we die in our guilt or, we recognize the one that we betrayed, died for us. Jesus died because of our betrayal and for our betrayal. You, therefore, don t need to die in your guilt. You don t need to bear it through life. You are forgiven of your sin. You are released from your guilt. Jesus is the guilt bearer. He is the life giver. He is the Savior worth following.