A few years ago, I pondered over the betrayer and how his own lifestyle permitted him to be used by the devil. The betrayer in this context represents Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples appointed by Jesus Christ. Many of us hate Judas Iscariot with a passion for what he did. Given the fact that Judas Iscariot was bold enough to betray his own Lord, master, teacher and friend, it is understandable that we consider him a villian. Unfortunately, many so-called believers are photocopies of the Judas mentality. They go to church on Sundays and on weekdays but they always struggle with evil and sin. In the previous post on the Betrayer, I mentioned that the fact that we go to church always does not make us immune to evil. We need to understand that Judas listened to all the life-changing messages of Jesus. He saw many of the miracles including raising the dead back to life but he still betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Judas was sent and given authority to heal the sick and cast out demons. Judas Iscariot reported together with the rest of the disciples how Satan was subdued by their ministry (see Matthew 10; Mark 6).
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (Matthew 26:14-16)
Judas Iscariot wasn’t a stranger in the ministry of Jesus. In the previous post, I mentioned that he was one of the twelve disciples Jesus prayerfully chose (Luke 6:12-13). Remember, Jesus had spent all night praying on the mountain and after the prayer, He appointed the twelve. The Son of God spent all night praying to choose his apostles and He chose Judas Iscariot as one. Was Jesus not aware that Judas Iscariot would betray Him? Jesus knew the hearts of all men and did not make a mistake in choosing Judas Iscariot. I also indicated in the post that the betrayer joined the ministry and for three and half years with Jesus, He also impacted lives, propagated the good news and was given authority over impure spirits (Matthew 10; Mark 6). However, Judas still went ahead and plotted with the religious leaders to deliver to them Jesus Christ. In Matthew 26:14-16, we find out that “one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.” (Matthew 26:14-16). Wasn’t Judas aware that his master knew everything? How did Judas feel after he returned to the group as if nothing had happened?
Many believers have a Judas Iscariot mentality. Our way of life is a betrayal to the kingdom of God. Like Judas, although we know the power of God, we still go ahead and betray Jesus each day with our sinfulness. It is like daily taking 30 pieces of silver to sell our Lord to the accusers. We might be so much involved in ministry and like Judas, we might even hold prominent positions at our local churches. Yet, outside the corridors of the church, we are different people. We act differently, we flow with the world and no one can see a difference between us and the unbelieving people. In the post on the Betrayer, I mentioned specific lifestyles of Judas and how these allowed him to be a vessel of the devil.
A thief (John 12:3-6)
He didn’t love the poor (John 12;6)
He was greedy. He secretly went to the high priest to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10)
He didn’t love his Lord. He was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:16)
This lifestyle allowed Satan to enter him (John 13:27) and before the other disciples could discover his plot, Jesus had already been betrayed.
If we are not intentional about character conformation to that of Christ, we are likely to be betrayer of Jesus. As Hebrews 6:6 states, when people taste of the goodness of the word of God and of the coming age and fall away into sin, in their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace. After all the encounters Judas Iscariot had with Jesus, He went ahead and betrayed Jesus for just 30 pieces of silver. Judas Iscariot didn’t have the opportunity to repent for his sins. He committed suicide even before Jesus was crucified. After the resurrection of Jesus, the Apostles replaced him with Matthias (Acts 1:25). He lost his place on earth and he also lost his place in the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:4). As we enter into the holy week, sit back and ponder over these things: Are you demonstrating characteristics of Judas Iscariot in the body of Christ? Is your lifestyle betraying our Lord again? Can you be trusted to defend your faith before the “religious leaders” and not give up?
Come blog with me 