Today let’s consider Judas’ face, the face of folly beneath the cross of Jesus.
Judas’ act of betrayal was in essence a rejection of the claims of Christ as to who He was which makes his crime different only in degree because today many people do that same thing, and reject the claims of Christ. We will look at Judas’ decision, his actions, and his destiny as a result of his decision and action. Today let’s consider Judas’ face the face of folly beneath the cross of Jesus.Scripture
Matthew 26:14-16 NLT [14] Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests [15] and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. [16] From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
Matthew 26:47-50 NLT [47] And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. [48] The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” [49] So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss. [50] Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him.
Matthew 27:3-10 NLT [3] When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. [4] “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.” [5] Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself. [6] The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” [7] After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. [8] That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. [9] This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says, “They took the thirty pieces of silver— the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel, [10] and purchased the potter’s field, as the Lord directed.”
Introduction
We are continuing the series “Beneath the Cross of Jesus”, which is a series of biographical sermons where we look at the faces of the people who were present when Jesus was dying on the cross.
Our first face was of Barabas, the face of favor or grace. Barabbas deserved to die. But in the providence of God, Jesus took the place of Barabbas so this great truth of the gospel might be revealed.
Romans 5:8 NIV But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Then we looked into the face favor, the face of Simon of Cyrene
Mark 15:21 NIV A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.
Two weeks ago we looked into the face of failure…the face of Simon Peter.
Mark 14:72 NLT And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept.
Last Sunday we focused our attention on the Apostle John. His face beneath the cross is the face of faithfulness. As with John the reward of our faithfulness to Jesus is His approval and His trust.
John 19:25-27 NLT [25] Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. [26] When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” [27] And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.
Today we look into the face of Judas, the face of folly beneath the cross.
Text:
Matthew 26:24 NLT [24] For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
Judas played the part of the fool. When he placed the kiss of betrayal on the face of the Lord Jesus, he acted as a fool. I know that is harsh but look at what Jesus said at the Last Supper in
Matthew 26:23-24 NLT… “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. [24] For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
Only after his betrayal did Judas himself realize that he had played the fool. And when he realized it then he considered that the only appropriate response was to end his life in suicide.
Judas’ act of betrayal was in essence a rejection of the claims of Christ as to who He was which makes his crime different only in degree because today many people do that same thing, and reject the claims of Christ. We will look at Judas’ decision, his actions, and his destiny as a result of his decision and action. Today let’s consider Judas’ face the face of folly beneath the cross of Jesus.
Let’s look at Judas’ decision.
Let’s look at his actions
Then let’s look at his destiny as the result of his decision and action
I. First let’s look at the decision.
A. We have to go back to the beginning to try to understand Judas’ decision.
Judas is identified by the name Judas Iscariot.
Matthew 10:1-4 NLT [1] Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. [2] Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (also called Peter), then Andrew (Peter’s brother), James (son of Zebedee), John (James’s brother), [3] Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, [4] Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
Most scholars believe Iscariot means that Judas came from the town of Kerioth, a town in southern Judea which could make him the only disciple from Judea (the others were from Galilee). Apparently he joined the company of Jesus with burning hopes for a glorious and powerful earthly kingdom.
The Romans tried to govern the country by putting in charge Jewish rulers who agreed with Roman rule. Judea was outwardly peaceful. But many Jews hated the Romans. But several times, groups of Jews rebelled against Roman control. In their sacred writings, they saw prophecies that one day God would send a savior to restore the glorious kingdom of David. This savior was called the Messiah.
There are a number of theories of why Judas betrayed Jesus. One theory is that Judas was so disappointed that Jesus had not declared himself the Messiah and taken action to lead the Jews, that he decided to betray him as an act of revenge for what he saw as Jesus' political betrayal of his more Nationalist followers. While some of the others were able to move from this kind of hope to an acceptance of Jesus as a different kind of Messiah, Judas could never make the change.
Another theory was that Judas (like the Jewish authorities at the time) could have seen a rebellion as potentially dangerous for the Jewish people in general and “Maybe he decided to hand Jesus over, in effect, to stop a larger rebellion.”
Still another theory is that Judus did it for the money alone.
Whatever his motives were, the bottom line is that Judas led soldiers to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he identified Jesus by kissing him and calling him “Rabbi.”
Mark 14:44-46 NLT [44] The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.” [45] As soon as they arrived, Judas walked up to Jesus. “Rabbi!” he exclaimed, and gave him the kiss. [46] Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him.
Judas made the final decision to act at the dinner party at which Mary broke the alabaster box and anointed Jesus’ body. It was just too much for Judas and he spoke up to rebuke her gesture as being a waste.
John 12:1-5 NLT [1] Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. [2] A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. [3] Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. [4] But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, [5] “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.”
Jesus quickly came to Mary’s defense.
John 12:7-8 NLT [7] Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. [8] You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Up to this time, Judas had been the keeper of the funds for the Twelve, and John tells us that he had been stealing from them.
John 12:6 NLT [6] Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.
Sometime after this Judas went to the enemies of Jesus and offered to deliver him to them for a reward.
He agreed with the priests to do it for thirty pieces of silver.
Matthew 26:14-16 NLT [14] Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests [15] and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. [16] From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
His decision seems to have been based on the profit principle. He was ready to salvage anything he could out of the situation.
B. Judas made the decision to betray Jesus but who was the real initiator?
Luke reports that Satan entered Judas and that he was the initiator of the temptation to betray Jesus; and when Judas yielded to the temptation, Satan took possession of his life.
Luke 22:1-6 NLT [1] The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. [2] The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction. [3] Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, [4] and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. [5] They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. [6] So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.
Like Judas when we make the choice to yield and respond to any temptation to reject and disobey the word of God or to reject Jesus and who He says he is we can become
a tool of Satan.
II. The deed of the fool.
A. When Judas acted it was a direct rejection of the genuine love of Jesus.
Jesus loved Judas and expressed that love. Jesus’ love reached out to Judas at that last Passover meal. He washed Judas' feet along with those of the other disciples.
John 13:1-5 NLT [1] Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. [2] It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. [3] Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. [4] So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, [5] and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
At that dinner, Jesus also dipped a piece of unleavened bread into the bowl of herbs and handed it to Judas. This was a gesture of special friendship and love and Judas knew what that.
John 13:18-27 NLT [18] “I am not saying these things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfills the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’ [19] I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I Am the Messiah. [20] I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.” [21] Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!” [22] The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. [23] The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table. [24] Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, “Who’s he talking about?” [25] So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?” [26] Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. [27] When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.”
Out of love, Jesus also warned him of the consequences of his present course of action.
Matthew 26:23-24 NLT [23] He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. [24] For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
Even in the garden as Judas betrayed him, Jesus expressed warmth toward him by calling him “Friend.” But Judas chose to commit his deed anyway.
Matthew 26:47-50 NLT [47] And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. [48] The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” [49] So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss. [50] Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him.
Judas shunned this great love with the kiss of betrayal.
There are only two people in the Gospels that you read who have kissed Jesus. One was an act of worship one
Luke 7:36-38 NLT [36] One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. [37] When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. [38] Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.
The other was an act of betrayal.
Matthew 26:48-49 NLT [48] The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” [49] So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss. [
B. What makes this betrayal so bad is that Judas acted with complete knowledge.
Judas had both eyes open to the truth. He knew what he was doing. He understood who Jesus was but wanted no part of that type of Messiah. He had enjoyed three years of helpful instruction from the Master. He had been confronted with the best evidence about Jesus’ mission in the world. He did not act out of ignorance he acted out of foolishness.
We may actually know more than Judas. We have the advantage of two thousand years of Christian history. We know the outcome of his death on the cross. If we refuse him a place in our lives, we, too, are rejecting Him and His message and sinning against knowledge. We too would be acting out of foolishness.
C. He aligned himself with the enemies of Jesus.
Some scholars believe that Judas was manifesting his inner resentment of Jesus not being the Messiah that he envisioned, through his betrayal of Him. He would get even by turning Jesus over to his enemies. Whatever the motivation, it made Judas one with the enemies of Jesus. What attitudes and actions have we taken toward the Lord Jesus?
III. What was the destiny of this folly? Judas’s folly is best seen when we consider the end. There is a temporary, and eternal destiny.
A. Temporarily, there is despair.
When Judas realized that Jesus was going to be crucified, he went back to the priests with deep regret. He wanted to return the money they had given him, but they mocked him. In despair he cast the silver coins on the floor and rushed out to end it all.
Matthew 27:3-9 NLT [3] When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. [4] “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.” [5] Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself. [6] The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” [7] After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. [8] That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. [9] This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says, “They took the thirty pieces of silver— the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,
Suicide was the ultimate gesture of despair. It was his way of saying, “Nothing can ever bring meaning to my life. My life is no longer worth living.”
What is important to note here is that Judas didn't have a repentant heart, he had a remorseful heart. Remorse is okay if it leads to repentance but if it doesn't it's just worldly sorrow.
2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT [10] For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.
With what happened after Judas threw the money back at the moneychangers, we see he only had worldly sorrow, not godly sorrow.
Notice the difference between Peter and Judas. Peter denied knowing Jesus. But when the rooster crowed he and Jesus locked eyes. Then Peter remembered that Jesus told him he would betray him and Peter thought that would never happen.
When the truth hit Peter he went out and wept bitterly. When the truth hit Judas he went out and hung himself. Peter's remorse was more about what he had done to Jesus, Judas' was more about what he had done to himself. Although part of it had to do with being sorry he betrayed Jesus, the focus turned to himself and his fears.
They both had guilt and shame over what they had done but Peter stayed and Judas fled. He couldn't live with what he had done so he ended his life.
Allowing Jesus Christ to be Lord of our lives is the only thing that puts us in touch with God’s ultimate purpose for our lives. Any other center for your life will fail. Judas had refused the only one who could give meaning and purpose to his life.
B. Eternally, hell.
According to Acts 1:25, Judas’ ultimate destiny is the one that he deserved.
Acts of the Apostles 1:23-25 NLT [23] So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. [24] Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen [25] as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.”
In other words, Judas went to hell, a place of eternal separation from Jesus Christ. Although his end was tragic, hell is the logical end of a life without Christ.
Judas’ destiny was directly related to his decision and this action. When we consider the end of Judas’s life, we have to agree with Jesus that it would be better if he had never been born. He acted like a fool.
Let’s consider where our decisions and deeds are leading. Jesus is our example. It might be a good idea to put a sign up in your room that says, “What would Jesus do.”That would answer all the difficult questions. And let’s try to be like Jesus. Let’s do everything for Him; pray to Him, sing to Him, witness for Him, teach for Him, preach for Him, and live for Him.
Conclusion
It's important for us to see Judas in the proper light so that if any of his behaviors reside in us, then we will be compelled to do something about it. We want to address sin when it starts, not wait for it to grow and become out of control. We want to have right reactions to our sin. We want to react like Peter did, not Judas.
Let’s Pray
Father God, thank you for working in us godly grief that produces true repentance that leads to eternal life. It is easy to follow the wrong path of worldly repentance where we’re only sorry that we got caught. Continue to give us a willing spirit toward good deeds and serving others in Your glorious name. Our specific prayer today is that you remove every thought or intention of our hearts that does not draw us closer to You.
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