Introduction

Last week we sketched what little we know about James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the zealot, and Judas the son of James. These nearly anonymous apostles form part of the foundation of the church. Their names will eternally grace the foundation of the New Jerusalem.

These little known apostles spent time with Jesus, overcame demons in His name, and preached the good news of the kingdom of God. They did it without human recognition to receive a divine “well done, good and faithful slave!” (Matthew 25:21).

This week we look at the dark portrait of Judas Iscariot. Unlike the three apostles from last week, Judas has received a lot of attention through the centuries. Unfortunately, the Lord’s last words to him will be “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!” (Matthew 25:41).

To Get Us Started

Children don’t need to learn greed; they need to learn to share. “Mine” is every young child’s second favorite word, right after “No!” We understand and tolerate selfishness and greed in the very young. Soon, however, he or she receives a non-stop string of messages that sharing is good and selfishness is bad. Unchecked selfishness and greed cause all kinds of trouble for older children. They create incredible disaster for adults.

1. Which of these best reflects how you tried to get what you wanted from your parents when you were very young?

2. Mr. Potter was the greediest man in Bedford Falls according to “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Who are some other greedy characters from stories or movies? What impact did greed have on their lives and relationships?

The Word

The name Iscariot that attaches to Judas (Matthew 26:14) and his father Simon (John 13:2) referred to where they came from. Iscariot approximates the Hebrew expression ish kerioth, “man from Kerioth.” It probably was a town in southern Judea. All the other apostles came from Galilee. Attaching the label Iscariot to Judas identified him as the sole non-Galilean in the group.

Judas Iscariot appears in several biblical passages. Matthew, Mark, and Luke reported his betrayal of Christ without comment. Only John chose to pull back the curtain a little more and reveal a glimpse of what motivated the betrayer.

Never A True Believer John 6:66-71

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

[67] "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.

[68] Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. [69] We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

[70] Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!" [71] (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

A Slave of Greed – John 12:3-6

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

[4] But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, [5] "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." [6] He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Treachery Afoot – Matthew 26:14-16

Then one of the Twelve--the one called Judas Iscariot--went to the chief priests [15] and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. [16] From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

John 13:2-5, 12, 15, 17-18, 26-30

The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. [3] Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; [4] so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. [5] After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. …

[12] When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. …[15] I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. … [17] Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

[18] "I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.' …

[26] 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. [27] As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

"What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him, [28] but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. [29] Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. [30] As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Betrayal – Matthew 26:47-50

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. [48] Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." [49] Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

[50] Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.

Self-Destruction – Matthew 27:3-6

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. [4] "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood."

"What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility."

[5] So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

[6] The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money."

Acts 1:18-19

(With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. [19] Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

Observations

Judas seems to have been a man driven by greed. When he sensed that his hope of becoming wealthy as a close associate of “King Jesus” was slipping away, he turned on Jesus and betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver. When the authorities seized, beat, and sentenced Jesus to death, remorse overcame Judas; and he took his own life. What are we to learn from Judas’ life?

Observation 1

Greed is a normal temptation that we all face, and we must be on guard against it.

John’s Gospel portrays Judas as a false disciple (John 6:70) who acted a part in order to steal money given to support Jesus and His apostles (John 12:6). Eventually Judas’ love of money became a door into his soul through which Satan gained access and took control (John 13:2, 27). Paul may, among others, have had Judas Iscariot in mind when he wrote these words to Timothy: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Having money isn’t wrong. Working hard to gain wealth isn’t wrong. As long as a Christian submits his use of wealth to the lordship of Christ, wealth can be a positive thing. Wisely invested wealth can fund projects for the kingdom of God that ordinary givers could never support. But as soon as the desire for wealth begins to dictate ethical compromises and value realignments, a Christian man is in deep spiritual trouble. Wealth makes a good servant but a lousy master.

Observation 2

When it comes to material possessions, Satan understands our vulnerability more than we do; and he targets us in this area of our lives.

Satan even tempted Jesus in this area when he offered Him “all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor” if He would “fall down and worship” him (Matthew 4:8-9). He ensnared and destroyed Judas Iscariot with greed for possessions. He will tempt you and me this way, too. Our culture promotes conspicuous consumption. One has to be intentionally counter-cultural not to long for wealth and possessions.

We don’t know when Judas Iscariot began to want money more than the Lord. We don’t know when he started pretending to care about God’s kingdom and righteousness to get access to money meant to expand the kingdom. Perhaps Judas thought he was a true disciple with a greed problem that he would conquer some day.

By hypocritically concealing his sin of greed for a long time, Judas hardened his heart against all the appeals of God’s grace. In the end he would not confess and repent of betraying Jesus either. He destroyed himself, remorseful but unrepentant.

Observation 3

Because God is patient with us when we violate His will, we must not interpret His unconditional love as approval of our sinful lifestyle.

Jesus loved Judas until the very end. He never exposed him as a thief but waited for him to respond to His love. Eventually, Judas paid a horrible price for his sin. Paul wrote: “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

If we persist in sin, God will eventually discipline us to draw us back into His will. We must be cautious however. God’s “rope of mercy” is long. Sometimes we way convince ourselves that we can “get away” with our sin indefinitely. When God suddenly “tightens the noose” and our secret shame is exposed, the loss of reputation and trust can be very painful.

Finally, we must never allow Satan to convince us it’s too late to seek forgiveness. Judas believed that lie. The apostle John told the truth: “If we confess our sins, He is faith and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

To Discuss

3. What’s the worst experience with betrayal that you have known as an adult? What was its impact on you?

4. What sort of mixed emotions do you imagine Jesus felt as He called Judas Iscariot to be an apostle?

5. In John 6:66-71, Jesus offered the Twelve a chance to leave Him, Peter affirmed great faith in Him, and Jesus revealed Satan’s presence in the group. How do you imagine Judas reacted to each of these actions?

6. In the narrative of the anointing of Jesus’ feet, what do you learn about Mary? What do you learn about Judas?

7. What can you infer about the intentionality and carefulness of Judas’ hypocrisy from the fact that none of the other disciples suspected he was false?

8. How do you think Judas opened himself to evil t the extent that the devil could put things into his heart and then enter him (John 13:2, 27)?

9. How do you see Jesus reaching out to Judas, offering him opportunities to repent before and during his betrayal?

10. What makes Judas’ kiss such an awful sign of betrayal (Matthew 26:49)?

11. Emotionally speaking, why did Judas kill himself? Spiritually speaking, why did Judas kill himself?

12. How can greed turn a person into a hypocrite and false friend in today’s world.

13. How might the Gospel account have come out differently if Judas had repented of his betrayal of Jesus?

14. How do you think Judas’ selfishness and greed interfered with any desire he may have had to repent?

15. How does greed open us to Satan and close us to Christ?

We mustn’t allow covetousness and greed any place in our lives. Satan loves to find these chinks in our spiritual armor and wriggle through them into our hearts. The apostle John advised: “Do no love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. Because everything that belongs to the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle – is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).

16. When do you find the devil tempting you to want more: money or possessions?

17. Do you find that other family members place a different value on money and possessions that you do? What problems, if any, does that create for you?

Next Week

Next week we come upon the least familiar apostle. In Acts 1, the surviving eleven apostles select a replacement for Judas Iscariot who had hanged himself. Matthias appears in one paragraph at the end of Acts 1 and vanishes from the pages of the New Testament. Some have suggested that Peter and the others erred in replacing Judas. They argue that God intended Paul to become the twelfth apostle. However, Paul had not been with Jesus from the beginning, although we’ll see in the final chapter, he was indeed an apostle on the same level as the twelve. Matthias’ quiet, steady faithfulness marked him as God’s chosen servant.