Judas Agrees To Betray Jesus

Today we are looking at Judas who agreed to betray Jesus. Over the years Judas has had many books written about him. This is what Luke wrote what Judas did during the Holy Week: 

“The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people's reaction. Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest Him when the crowds weren't around” (Luke 22:1-6 NLT)

With the other disciples, Judas shared a persistent misunderstanding of Jesus' mission. They all expected Jesus to make the right political moves. When he kept talking about dying, they all felt varying degrees of anger, fear, and disappointment. They didn't understand why they had been chosen if Jesus' mission was doomed to fail.

The exact motivation behind Judas's betrayal is unknown. What is clear is that Judas allowed his desires to place him in a position where Satan could manipulate him. Judas accepted payment to set Jesus up for the religious leaders. He identified Jesus for the guards in the dimly lit Garden of Gethsemane. It is possible that he was trying to force Jesus' hand: Would Jesus now rebel against Rome?

Whatever his plan, at some point Judas realized he didn't like the way things were turning out. He tried to undo the evil he had done by returning the money to the priests, but it was too late. The wheels of God's sovereign plan had been set into motion. How sad that Judas ended his life in despair without ever experiencing the gift of reconciliation God could give even to him through Jesus Christ.

Feelings toward Judas have always been mixed. Some have hated him for his betrayal. Others have felt sorry for him. Some have questioned God's fairness in allowing one man to bear such guilt.

The fact that Jesus knew Judas would betray him doesn't mean that Judas was a puppet of God's will. Judas made the choice. God knew that choice and confirmed it. About 55 days after this event, the Apostle Peter said, “God knew what would happen, and His prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed…” (Acts 2:23 NLT). 

The actions of Judas ought to make us think again about our commitment to God and the presence of God's Spirit within us. Are we a true disciple or are we just a pretender? Judas's betrayal sent Jesus to the cross. So to do our actions. Our sinfulness sent Jesus to the cross. We can’t just point the finger at Judas or the Jewish leaders or the Romans. The Apostle Peter in that statement about God’s prearranged plan being carried out when Jesus was portrayed also added in the same breath: “…with the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed Him to a cross and killed Him” (Acts 2:23 NLT). You… that’s us!

Today, during this Holy Week, reflect on the question: Am I a true disciple of Jesus Christ or am I just a pretender?