Lessons from Judas Iscariot

INTRODUCTION

Friends, preparing this message was not an easy task it’s not because of the facts and figures involved but when I went through this character – Judas. I was saddened by the way he turned out. I have been wondering for the last couple of days how is it even possible for somebody who was with Jesus, enjoying the presence of Jesus to turn out to be somebody like him.

The whole process started with what is happening around us these days with the threat that is going around against churches and against people of God. I was asking myself what is the threat? What is the real threat that the church is facing these days?

Let me tell you, dear people of God, the real threat to the Church is not from outside it is within.

• The real threat is not “No worship” i.e., when worship is going on somebody is passive which is not the threat to true worship, the threat to true worship is when worship is only limited to lips.
• Not repenting is not a threat to the church but it is repentance that is only skin-deep.
• No discipleship is not a threat to true discipleship but fake discipleship is a real threat.

When I look at churches, the people of God at large, I fear that some of us are deceived to think that we are worshipping the Lord in spirit and truth when we are not. I am troubled in my spirit to think that some of us have deceived ourselves to think that we are having true repentance when our repentance is only skin-deep.

Let me start this sermon by reading a portion of scripture from

Matthew 8:18-20

 ¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. ¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” ²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

The response of Jesus to somebody who volunteered to be a disciple of Jesus is very shocking. Usually, when somebody comes to the church to be part of our church, we want to see them come to the next meeting too. But here it looks like this is a very different response maybe because Jesus had seen through the person even though he volunteered saying I will follow you wherever you go.

The immediate response doesn’t come with wrong motives and throughout the centuries the church has spent hours, scholars who study scripture seriously have spent so many hours in understanding that portion of Scripture asking why Jesus responded like that. Did Jesus have any disciple in particular in his mind when Jesus said that? Surely most people think Jesus had one disciple whom he hand-picked in his mind when he said foxes have dens don’t come after me with wrong motives.

People who have studied the scriptures systematically have termed him like, there is one who is a representative defector, another person termed him this  “figure of the night” another person said about him like this “a black sheep of the family” in John’s Gospel, in particular, his name appears in three different forms in John 13:29 of John’s Gospel he is termed as Judas in John 12:4 he is termed as Judas Iscariot in John 6:71 he is termed as Judas son of Simon Iscariot. Yes, friends, I am going to speak on this particular character Judas Iscariot who was very close yet was very far he wanted to follow Jesus desperately but turned out to be a devil, a tool of the devil. Judas is the Greek variant of the Hebrew name Judah which means praise, he had the right name, maybe his parents had high dreams about this man when he was born.

We are limited in our scope of understanding this character because very few details are found about him in the Gospels to preach a sermon. Peter is much easier because he appears on almost every other page in the Gospels but to prepare a sermon on somebody like Judas Iscariot has been a very difficult task because very few are about him and it is the fourth gospel -John’s Gospel that you see little more as compared to other Gospels concerning Judas Iscariot.

Let me make three preliminary observations

1. Judas is one of the twelve

Jesus prayed the whole night does that surprise you before he chose the twelve disciples – Luke 6:12 He prayed the whole night this is not a mistake, He waited upon the Lord before He chose the twelve and Judas happens to be one of the twelve deliberate choices not made by mistake. The primary purpose of Jesus calling the twelve to him was sometimes mistakenly understood to extend the kingdom of God and it was to carry on the ministries of Jesus but if you look at the scriptures carefully the primary reason why Jesus chose twelve was not to preach.

a. He was chosen to be with Jesus

Mark 3:14

¹⁴ He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.

The primary reason why Jesus chose Judas was for him to be with him. The primary purpose was that they might be with Jesus. What does that mean?

that means Jesus had a desire that Judas will be with him, I am sure most of you

might know the phrase ‘come and see’ in John’s Gospel where Jesus invited people to come to live with him, eat with him, travel with him, and learn from him the values and Judas was somebody like that hand-picked who was meant to be with Jesus and Acts 1:17 is a shocking verse.

b. He shared in the ministry of Jesus

When I read Acts 1:17, he shared in the ministry, he was not just chosen, he was not just around Jesus for some time, he shared in the ministry along with Jesus and the apostles he prayed for the sick and the sick were healed, he cast out demons.

c. He was committed to die for Jesus

In John 11:16, you look at his commitment, in John 11:16 all the disciples were scared to go to the other side and you remember Thomas saying let’s go and die with him disciples had commitment so much so that they were willing to die for Jesus and Judas is part of that batch he was willing to die for Jesus. He shared in the Ministry of Jesus he has handpicked Jesus he was willing to pay the ultimate cost for Jesus and the next.

d. He followed Jesus very closely

How do I know that? In John 18:2, he knew where Jesus would be. In John 18:2, We don’t see him confused about Jesus’s whereabouts he exactly knew where he would be at any given point in time. He followed Jesus very closely. He was one of the twelve.

2. Judas was one on the Left of Jesus

what does that mean in

John 13:24-25

²⁴ Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” ²⁵ Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

In the last supper, Jesus is seated to his right, you have the Beloved Disciple John the Apostle, and to the left, you have Judas Iscariot, it’s not Peter, it is not James, it is not John. How do I know? the next verse says

John 13:26

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, the son of Simon Iscariot.

He’s not bypassing somebody and giving it to Judas, he is sitting right next to Jesus. He was very close. He was not only hand-picked as a Disciple. At that most important time – The last Supper, Judas was right next to Jesus. Peter James and John are far but Judas is right next to Jesus.

On one side, you have the Beloved Disciple leaning towards Jesus, they usually sit with their left elbow forward and legs backward, and here is the Beloved Disciple leaning towards Jesus and you can imagine Jesus is leaning towards Judas Iscariot.

3. Judas was the one with the Bag

That is a very significant role you can play when you come to a congregation. When you come to a church or when you come to a place where people handle the money you are given the responsibility that is something great and what surprises me is that among these 12 there are people who have had the experience of handling money, Matthew was a tax collector, he knew accounts very well maybe tax collecting seemed more like extortion than just accounting so nobody wanted to trust him with money ever again even though he repented of his past but we could trust Judas. Why?

What could be the reason it is so surprising that out of the twelve, eleven were from Galilee, and Galilee people were perceived as second-class Jews. People from the northern area – Galilee, were recognized by their accents when Peter was about to speak, the people immediately recognized him and it was an insult, when Nicodemus was siding with Jesus, people immediately, looked at Nicodemus and said “hey, are you also a Galilean? we thought you are a Judean.”

Galilee people were looked down on, out of the twelve, eleven were from Galilee. There was only one person from Judea that was Judas and people from Judea had that self-affirmation that they were first-class citizens. That could be the reason why the bag was given to him. Everybody voted for him you can trust this man, he is not like us with all this background in our minds people have tried their best to paint good pictures of Judas.

You might be surprised if you go to Google and check for some books about Judas Iscariot, some book titles would read like this Deemed or Redeemed. Some people have tried hard work to paint a good picture of Judas. Deemed or Redeemed? Hero or Zero?

Some people say Judas Iscariot was a nobleman with good motives, he was only trying to push the kingdom of God to come into power. We are surprised but people have tried their best because they don’t want to believe that he was deceived by Satan, he was a crook. The pseudepigrapha writing, gospel of Judas, where again Judas is painted as a positive character but is it so what does Judas teaches us today with all this backdrop in our mind?

I want us to look at this person very closely from the Gospel of John, chapter 6 the

first time where this character appears in John’s Gospel there are four places where this character appeared in the Gospel of John. I want you to come with me quickly and learn some lessons from this character

1 John 6:70

 ⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”

And in v71 we can see a narrator’s comment ⁷¹ (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.) The context of this verse is very important, you know what is happening in Chapter six, if you are a passive reader of the Bible also you would know what is happening in John’s Gospel six feeding of the 5,000 here is a miracle that disciples were drawn to him, people were awestruck by seeing what is happening that in

John 6:24

²⁴ Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

People are excited by what they have seen through the Ministry of Jesus, they are in search of Jesus that is when Jesus said about his vocation Jesus said I did not come to just give the bread, I came to become the bread and people were struggling with their idea they thought Jesus has come

to give bread they can leave their profession, they can leave their vocation, and just follow Jesus every day. Jesus said, no, I’m not going to give you physical bread today eat my flesh and drink my cup. Jesus was talking about having communion with him, having a heart of obedience, coming to Jesus to have discipleship after that.

John 6:60

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

When Jesus gave bread there were no issues everybody wanted Jesus they were in search of Jesus but when he said about true discipleship people found the teaching hard, in v66 when I teach John’s Gospel I make my students remember the 666

John 6:66

This is 666. Look at v66 ⁶⁶From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him because they went after Jesus with the wrong motives the context is where people are divided based on belief, the people are divided based on those people who are leaving Jesus and those people who will remain with Jesus.

That is the context when Peter said ‘we are not going to leave you because you have the words of eternal life and in the next verses Jesus replied Peter you have said it you have said about yourself but not everybody is like that. Have I not chosen you the twelve yet one of you is a devil.

Three Principles to Draw from Judas

1. He participated yet was not part of God’s family

The principle to draw out is that he participated yet was not part of God’s family he participated, he excitingly with enthusiasm participated in the ministry of Jesus, and he was the one who served the bread when people were asked to sit in rows. Judas also had a basket when the leftovers were gathered, he carried one basket, and he participated actively in the ministry of Jesus but he was not part of God’s plan for his life.

It is one thing to participate in a Sunday morning service, it is one thing to be a member, and it is another thing to be a disciple. It is one thing to be part of the crowd, where we see things, get excited, may eat bread, and the crowd can enjoy all that. Discipleship is much more than that, it is being part of the plan of Jesus for your life have you ever realized that Jesus has a purpose for your life that is why you are here in a place like this on a Sunday morning? We are not people who come on a Sunday morning service and enjoy singing and go saying ‘Today’s word was good, see you next Sunday’ That is not the kind of people that Jesus is looking for in the last few days.

In these last days, Jesus is looking for active disciples who can witness him wherever they are placed, if you are placed in a corporate sector be a witness in the place, don’t be like Judas who participated in all the things around him but was not a part of what God was doing in and through him. It teaches me a lot about discipleship and ministry, what we do is not the indicator, but what we are.

Whether we are disciples or not, we can do a lot of things, we can come and arrange the chairs, we can come and maybe help with parking, or do a lot of other things. But what we do is not the indicator of the salvation that we experience, it is who we are. I am sure most of you are familiar with this phrase “being is more important than doing, character is more important than charisma”.

Judas teaches me that you can participate in the ministries of Jesus in Luke 10:17 and another place where I struggle to understand it’s not because the Greek is difficult there, it is hard for me to imagine is this a person who is turning out to be a devil in

John 10:17

 ¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” and in v20 Jesus said ^20 “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

What Jesus was saying is what I have done in you is more important that what I am doing through you. My dear people of God, understand this, the big lesson today – what Jesus has done in you is any day more important than what is done through you but people see what we are doing on a daily basis and Judas was given eight out of ten. Let’s say great, very fervent, very active, serving people, healing and I always wonder.

This is for you to ponder when Jesus sent his disciples in two who went with Judas, they went together and when Judas placed his hand and prayed for the sick it was happening, there is not even a grain of doubt in that other person’s heart that he’s not right, participated so actively, that the very person who is close to him is thoroughly convinced. He might have testified what Judas did but Jesus can see through and see what we are. This is more important today. Discipleship is about character, becoming like him in his death says Paul in Philippians chapter 3 I want to know Christ, I want to become like Jesus in his death that is the character that was manifested on the cross has to be part of my life – forgiveness, love, not being self-centered, esteeming others greater than me, that character that is the mark of somebody who is part of God’s family, otherwise, we can participate by not becoming a part of God’s family.

2. He was sympathetic but not sincere

John 12 is the next place where you see Judas, in our English Bibles you have a title – “Jesus anointed at Bethany”. Mary brings an alabaster jar of fragrance, worshipping with it. The scent fills the room. Yet, in John 12:4, a contrast emerges true worship versus the objection of one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus. He questions why the perfume wasn’t sold to benefit the poor, considering it a waste.

The key principle here is his sympathy without sincerity. Matthew 26 narrates the same incident, but this time, it’s not just Judas; all the disciples question it. This reveals how Judas convinced everyone that it was a waste. When our motives aren’t right with God, genuine worship appears wasteful. This boils down to greed, as seen in verse 6.

John, the narrator, adds insights throughout. He clarifies that Judas’s concern wasn’t about the poor; rather, he was a thief, embezzling funds from the treasury. This raises questions. Jesus, knowing everything about Judas, still entrusted him with money. It appears Jesus aimed to teach a crucial lesson: ministry success isn’t measured by wealth but by genuine discipleship.

The success of a ministry is not measured by how many people come to the

Church or with a high annual turnover. No, never! The success of a church is not dependent on what the annual turnover is. If that was the case look at Jesus the one who was handling the wealth -Judas, was helping himself when Jesus said ‘You do it’. It was because for my ministry this is not the most important thing.

It’s easy to misjudge, as some visiting our church might perceive God’s work by the size of our parking lot. But God’s presence isn’t measured by numbers. A crowded parking area doesn’t define God’s presence. Churches aren’t validated by the number of attendees. This was a significant lesson Jesus aimed to impart.

Despite knowing everything about Judas, Jesus still entrusted him with money. The term ‘thief’ may seem harsh, but it’s pivotal in this context. This isn’t an isolated mention; ‘thief’ appears throughout John’s Gospel. Judas, one of the twelve, turned out to be a ‘thief’—a false disciple misleading others. Jesus forewarned about such false prophets, appearing harmless but inwardly destructive. It’s disheartening that Judas, disguised as a follower, was sympathetic outwardly but harbored selfish motives, embodying the very ‘thief’ warned against in Chapter 10.

John 10:1

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber”.

In Chapter 12, the term ‘thief’ isn’t introduced for the first time. Earlier in John’s Gospel, specifically in chapter 10, verse 1 and verse 8, the term ‘thief’ is mentioned. Jesus declared that all who came before Him were ‘thieves,’ highlighting the destructive nature of such figures. Chapter 10, verse 10 reiterates that ‘the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.’

Preparing this message was challenging, as the warning Jesus gave in chapter 10 becomes representative of Judas. Despite being one among the twelve, he evolved into a ‘thief’—essentially, a false disciple leading others astray. Jesus forewarned about such individuals in Matthew’s Gospel 7, cautioning against false prophets disguised as harmless ‘sheep’ but inwardly being ‘ferocious wolves.’

It’s disheartening that Judas, while outwardly sympathetic towards Jesus and appearing as part of His ministry, internally held selfish motives. This duality was akin to the ‘thief’ warned about earlier—a persona that sought to satisfy personal desires at the expense of others, despite the facade of allegiance.

3. He was washed but not cleaned

Chapter 13 unveils the Last Supper, a significant moment where Jesus, knowing His time to depart was imminent, demonstrates profound love and humility. Despite foreknowledge of His impending betrayal, Jesus performs an act of servitude by washing the feet of His disciples. The passage in verse 1 underscores the timing, just before the Passover festival, signifying the gravity of this moment.

Last love appeal

The depth of Jesus’s love is emphasized—He loved His own, including Judas, until the very end. Even when it came to Judas, Jesus washed his feet, symbolizing love’s final appeal. Despite witnessing miracles and experiencing this ultimate act of love, Judas’s heart remained hardened. His betrayal followed this gesture, signifying that being washed externally did not result in inner cleanliness.

This poignant scene provides a powerful lesson: external acts or experiences, even those initiated by Jesus Himself, do not guarantee internal transformation. Judas experienced this deep act of love from Jesus, yet his heart remained unchanged. It’s a profound reminder that true transformation comes from within, beyond mere external gestures or experiences.

The prediction of Betrayal

In chapter 13, you see the height of hypocrisy when Jesus says in

John 13:21

“Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me”.

In this scene, during the Last Supper, Jesus reveals that one among them would betray Him. A significant contrast appears when Jesus utters these words—rather than immediately recognizing the betrayer, all the disciples look around at each other, expressing a moment of confusion and uncertainty. This collective reaction is highlighted in various Gospel accounts such as Matthew 26 and Mark 14.

The gravity of this moment exposes a profound hypocrisy within them. No one singled out Judas or suspected him upon hearing Jesus’ announcement. Instead, each disciple looked inwardly, questioning if they were the ones Jesus referred to. This collective response illustrates the height of hypocrisy and serves as a powerful reminder of the potential dissonance between outward appearance and internal truth.

This scene serves as a poignant lesson, underscoring the human tendency to mask inner struggles or uncertainties behind external facades. Despite outward appearances, one’s heart and intentions can remain concealed, emphasizing the importance of inner integrity and authenticity.

Significance of ‘Night’

The depiction of Judas leaving during the Last Supper, particularly when it mentions that “it was night,” holds profound symbolic significance in John’s Gospel. Night often carries a symbolic meaning beyond its literal darkness, representing various spiritual concepts. In this context, as seen in other instances in John’s Gospel, night symbolizes themes of spiritual darkness, evil, and an insensitivity to the ways of God.

Judas leaving during the Last Supper at this symbolic moment reflects his departure not just from the physical gathering but also from the spiritual light that Jesus represented. Throughout John’s Gospel, references to night signify a departure from the divine light of Christ, indicating a departure from truth, spiritual understanding, and alignment with God’s ways.

By emphasizing the time of Judas’ departure as “night,” the narrator underscores the spiritual implications of Judas’ actions. Despite being present amidst the light of Christ, Judas chose to move away, embracing darkness, symbolizing a spiritual departure from the truth, righteousness, and the path of God.

This portrayal aligns with the broader theme in John’s Gospel, where light represents spiritual enlightenment and closeness to God, while darkness symbolizes spiritual blindness, ignorance, and distance from divine truth.

APPLICATION

My dear friends, let this not happen to anybody who is sitting here. May I, appeal to each one of you to take your discipleship seriously. It is possible otherwise to run the race thinking that we are going to finish in a blast but to discover on that day “I never knew you’. It was scary when I was preparing this sermon.

All-knowing Jesus

A few lines from a song came into my mind, ‘He knows my name, He knows my every thought’ Most of the time it is comforting but when I studied this character, it was scary. It is scary to sing that song ‘He knows my name, He knows my every thought’ He knows you.

A pastor may not understand or know everything about you but God knows what happened last week.

In 2 Kings 5:25 there is a question by prophet Elijah, you know what did he ask he asked Gehazi? where have you been where have you been last week? where have you been? He knows. Jesus knows. And here Jesus says to Judas what you are about to do, do it quickly. What you’re going to do, He knows. He knows what you are going to do after this reading. He knows everything. Jesus is the almighty, all-knowing God.

CONCLUSION

In chapter 18, verse 4: Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked, “Who is it that you want?” Perhaps the other Gospels are helpful here; in Matthew’s Gospel, chapters 26, verses 49 and 50, Judas arrived to apprehend Jesus with a detachment of soldiers. I often ponder why Judas felt the need for such a significant security detail. The reason might be that Judas was intimately familiar with the dedication of Jesus’ disciples, especially Peter, and anticipated a potential response if he initiated Jesus’ arrest.

Noticeably, Judas consistently addresses Jesus as “rabbi, rabbi” in all four Gospels, never once acknowledging him as “Lord.” It’s not a coincidence; this deliberate choice is striking. In John’s Gospel, chapter 13, verse 13, Jesus pointedly addresses this, mentioning that although Judas referred to him as “teacher and Lord,” he dismissed the deeper significance of that acknowledgment, limiting Jesus’ title to “rabbi” alone. This aligns with historical understanding, suggesting that Judas, a zealot among Jesus’ followers, likely expected Jesus to establish a physical kingdom, emphasizing the role of a political leader.

Moreover, in Matthew’s Gospel, the Greek word used for Judas’ kiss is profoundly significant. It resembles more than a mere kiss—it’s akin to a strong embrace, akin to the embrace of the prodigal son returning to his father. There are only two people in the Gospels that you read those who have kissed Jesus. one on the feet by Mary and the other on the cheek. One was an act of worship and one was an act of betrayal.

My dear people of God, the character Judas must disturb us.

It is possible to participate and be not part of God’s doing.

It is possible to be sympathetic and not be sincere.

It is possible to be washed and not clean.

In short, he was called but he was not consecrated.