TEEN TREE 
OF LIFE
JUDAS ISCARIOT
Part 2
January 21, 2018
BEFORE we begin, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, take a moment to name your sins to God the Father. This will allow you to be filled with the power of The Holy Spirit as you read this booklet (EPH 5:18 & 1JO 1:9). IF YOU HAVE never believed in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have that opportunity right now. Simply tell God the Father that you are believing on His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you make that decision, you are now a believer and will always be a child of God! When you die, you will spend eternity with Him forever in heaven! (JOH 3:16 & ACT 16:31).
The gospels do not tell us why Judas betrayed Jesus. But it’s a safe bet that it was for at least two reasons. The first reason is that Judas realized that Jesus was going to die and not reign as King: Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time. (MAR 14:3-11) If Judas was convinced that Jesus was going to die and not reign as King, his hopes for political power and influence were gone. So, we can conclude that Judas was bound and determined to get something from the relationship he had with Jesus Christ. He was already stealing money from the Ministry and that would come to an end when Our Lord was put to death. So, the second reason Judas betrayed Jesus was greed: Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus. (MAT 26:14-16) Judas bargained for what he might receive from the religious leaders (30 pieces of silver).
The night of Christ’s betrayal began with the Passover feast. Judas was apparently still burning from Jesus’ rebuke in JOH 6:61-71: Because Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about this, he said to them, “Does this cause you to be offended? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him. So Jesus added, “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.” After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!” Jesus replied, “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?” Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot; for Judas, one of the twelve, was going to betray him
.
Jesus reclined at the table getting ready to explain what was about to happen while at the same time the religious leaders were meeting to discuss how they could arrest Jesus and put Him to death. The crowds intimidated them and they needed and discussed a private way to apprehend Our Lord: Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread was two days off; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth, and kill Him; for they were saying, “Not during the festival, lest there be a riot of the people.” (MARK 14:1-2)
Satan’s demons attended that meeting and as soon as they knew of the religious leaders’ desire to kill Jesus Christ, they ran quickly to Satan with the news. Satan had stepped out of Judas’ life for a short time, but then hatched a plan and imparted it to Judas’ soul while Judas sat at the Passover table with Jesus: During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him… (JOH 13:2) Satan apparently did this without possessing Judas because it is not until after Jesus gives bread to him that Satan re-enters Judas: Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” (JOH 13:3-9)
The following teaches us emphatically that Judas was not saved: Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” (JOH 13:10-11) Washing the feet refers to rebound. You site your sins in rebound and are clean again. “Completely clean” refers to salvation. “Jesus said to him, He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you. For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason, He said,” Not all of you are clean.” As the Last Supper continues, Jesus proceeds to train His apostles in humility, servant-hood, and forgiveness, which He illustrates by washing their feet.
The Lord’s announcement of betrayal, during the solemn Passover event, bewildered the apostles. When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ breast one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ breast, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus therefore answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” (JOH 13:21-27) It’s important to note here that when you look at the original text, the Greek word translated as “entered” is the word eiselthen which means to enter into someone. This indicates that Judas was possessed by Satan at this time. This is the second time during the final week that Satan possessed Judas.
Judas leaves the Upper Room where The Lord and the apostles were eating the Last Supper. This is taught in JOH 13:31: When therefore he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him… Comparing the other gospel accounts, we see the devil motivate Judas to tell the religious leaders that he will find a way to betray Jesus. His plan would avoid confrontation with the crowds, gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover which as we learned frightened them because they were afraid of rioting: So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd. (LUK 22:6) The religious leaders promptly paid Judas for his treacherous scheme as we learn in MAR 14:10-11 (see above).
{to be continued}