Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
110620
Why did Judas betray Jesus.
We are living in one of the greatest periods in all human history, which I personally believe is the last generation before the Rapture and the Second Advent or the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
However, life goes on and I’m sure that most of you can identify that sickening feeling of losing something or having something stolen or taken from you.
"has lifted up his heel against me" is an idiom meaning to try and over-throw or discredit one's authority, to seek one's destruction.
Judas Iscariot was known as the traitor by his last name because there are at least seven other men in the Bible who went by the first name Judas, but they were not known as the betrayer or traitor.
In fact, there were two Judas’ in the disciples, only Judas Iscariot can fit in the definition of being a Traitor or a Betrayer.
One of the disgusting traits of Judas Iscariot, is that not only did he betray our Lord, but he also pretended to love the Lord when all he really loved was himself; 2Ti 3:2.
His lust for approbation, recognition, money, power, and authority is about to be brought to the surface.
To be the “son of perdition” means that Judas is a man identified with eternal destruction, whose destiny is the Eternal Lake of Fire.
Furthermore, remember once again, for the third time, in Act 1:25, Judas went “to his own place” meaning the place that he chose on his own --- therefore, his own place of his own choosing.
This is an important principle because it is not that Judas was predestined from eternity past to betray our Lord and to go to hell without opportunity to be saved, but that he had every opportunity.
(1) He experienced the privilege of selection into the unique circle of the “12,” becoming an apostle;
(2) Judas also observed great crowds flocking to our Lord Jesus Christ as He was becoming more and more popular every day.
(3) Judas saw Christ’s own family thinking Him crazy.
And therefore, they called this same type of principle something like we would call today an intervention, that’s what our Lord’s family thought about the Lord.
(4) He observed that Jesus had extraordinary charisma and attracted large crowds, which meant potential political power, influence, and wealth and Judas wanted in on the action.
Linking with Jesus seemed to be a fast track to success.
We might have supposed that Matthew would handle the money needed to sustain the Lord’s ministry because he had been a tax collector and well acquainted with money matters.
Judas, however, was the treasurer of the Lord’s group of apostles indicating that he was no imbecile; (Joh 12:5-6; Joh 13:29.
Judas knew the ins-and-outs of collecting, managing, and spending money better than the others did, including Matthew, who was a Tax Collector for the Romans to the Jews for the Jews and for the Romans before he was a follower or disciple of our Lord.
We also find some very interesting principles of our Lord’s Final Passover, where Lazarus had been raised from the dead; Joh 12:1.
Now, Mary anointed our Lord’s feet with expensive “oil of spikenard,” “wiping His feet with her hair” (JOH 12:3).
It was a wonderful display of love, gratitude, and worship.
However, note the liar is mentioned next by the Word of God with a little conjunction “But” describing the evil motivation behind the questioning of Judas Iscariot; JOH 12:4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said,
Character trait #1: Judas did not care about the poor. He was a hard-hearted man, too concerned with feathering his own nest while others, less fortunate, suffered around him.
Character trait #2: He was a thief, pilfering funds from the Lord’s money box, which exposes that Judas was full of avarice, or greed.
Now, our Lord is telling them that there is a traitor in their midst and that he is about to betray Him.
First Principle: Judas was not a traitor according to the Word of God, Judas became a traitor because the verb that is mentioned is known as the aorist-middle-indicative of the Greek verb ginomai which means to become something that one was not before.
Now, I do not believe that the Lord chose Judas to fulfill a prophecy of damnation.
Hyper-Calvinism is a branch of Protestant theology that denies the universal duty of human beings to believe in Christ for the salvation of their souls.
Those who take these principles to the extreme teach that man is either chosen by God to go to heaven and live with Him forever or man is chosen by God to go to eternal damnation.
These types of believers usually function under what they call TULIP which is an acronym of five essential tenets or points concerning the Sovereignty of God and the depravity of man.
To explain this complex doctrine, theologians often make use of the acronym T.U.L.I.P., which stands for:
(T) Total Depravity;
(U) Unconditional election;
(L) Limited atonement;
(I) Irresistible grace;
(P) Perseverance of the saints.
For example, after our Lord taught many doctrinal principles that challenged His listeners, we read; JOH 6:60 Many therefore of His disciples, when they heard {this} said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?"
And by the way, this is not to say our Lord was not strong physically, because it took a lot of human strength to endure the beatings, the punches, whip, the forced crown upon His head.
Now, all of these principles apply to betrayers and traitors who make a living by manipulation, lies, broken vows; broken promises; etc.
However, in spite of all the dishonesty that goes on and on today in all realms of Life, it doesn't really matter if you love our Lord, because if you love the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is divine blessing waiting just for you.
It’s interesting that this passage was written to the shepherds who were not doing their job of feeding the people of Israel.
In this section of the word of God, the Lord is rebuking the shepherds in those days for betraying the people of God by denying them doctrinal teaching and therefore, the Lord uses a prophecy that points to the ultimate betrayer, Judas Iscariot.
This is a stunning text and a powerful example of the minute details that characterize the prophetic passages in the Bible that are so accurate and precise that any scientist or numerologist wouldn’t even think of denying it.
Instead say something like this : “I was not telling the truth when I said I studied the Bible myself and I said I don’t believe it becauseit was written by man and not by God:” --- I was just saying what I heard others say.”
The only real barrier to truth is the arrogance of presumption whereby one presumes that they already have it.
I told you --- give it a chance ---- you’ll love it --- be honest -- you will begin to know the real meaning behind statements like; “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.