Reading: John chapter 17 verses 12:
Ill:
• On this day in 1605:
• Thirteen young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
• Among them was Britain's most notorious traitor,
• A man called Guy Fawkes.
• They rented a house next to Parliament;, dug a tunnel;
• And into the tunnel they placed 36 barrels (1.5 tonnes of gunpowder).
• One of the group members a man called Francis Tresham;
• Became a traitor to his companions;
• He sent an anonymous letter warning his brother-in-law, Lord Monteagle;
• Telling him not to attend Parliament on November 5th.
• As a result;
• Guy Fawkes and some of his companions were captured and the plot foiled;
• They were imprisoned and tortured;
• And on January 31st 1606 Guy Fawkes and seven others were hanged.
On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, on November 5th, 1605,
• Bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King.
• Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night.
• The event is commemorated every year with fireworks;
• And burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire
Now tonight I want us to look at another traitor – the greatest of all!
Ill:
I often do a talk (schools, lots of children etc) called: ‘What’s in a name?’
• And the answer is - quite a lot!
• Think of these 2 names which are rarely used, if ever.
• Jesus (Rescuer) - Out of respect.
• Judas (Praise) - Out of association.
• Ill: The dictionary tells us that a "Judas kiss";
• Is a false expression of affection.
• Ill: And that a "Judas hole";
• Is a hidden slit in the wall through which guards spy on prisoners.
• Because of one mans act of treachery;
• The name Judas is always negative, and nobody wants the name "Judas" attached to themselves.
Ill:
I don’t know if you have ever noticed:
• That in the New Testament when the twelve disciples are listed.
• Peter is always listed first and Judas Iscariot always last.
• Surprisingly the New Testament tells us more about these two men;
• Than all the other ten disciples combined.
At the time Jesus walked on planet earth:
• The manes Simon and Judas were popular;
• Similar to Jack and Emily are today.
Ill
• This is partly due to the period of time between the Old and the New Testaments.
• Two brothers called Simon and Judas Maccabaeus, became popular Jewish heroes.
• Their popularity helped bring these two names back into common usage once again.
• And in the New Testament, there are nine Simons found and six Judases.
• Simon & Judas may have been men with very common and popular names;
• But their futures could not have been more contrasting.
Judas Iscariot would turn out to be the man who should never had been born:
• Most scholars believe, that the name "Iscariot";
• Comes from "Man of Kerioth,"
• Ill: Modern equivalents;
• Surname of a city or area e.g. Queen – Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor.
• The name "Iscariot";
• Comes from "Man of Kerioth,"
• The city of Kerioth belonged to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:25).
• And was in the South. (Cariot) was a city in Judea 12 miles south of Hebron
• This would mean Judas was probably the only disciple who was not a Galilean;
• The others were all northerners, but Judas was a southerner!
(1). The disciple.
• Jesus did not choose his twelve disciples hap-hazardly:
• Flick back to Luke chapter 6 verses 12-16;
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles”.
• Obviously the disciples were not chosen hap hazardly;
• They were chosen after a night of prayer.
• He made his choice, he did not make a mistake;
• He chose twelve men to become His disciples and Judas Iscariot was among them.
Ill:
• From: Jordan Management Consultants
• Dear Sir:
• Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men;
• You have picked for managerial positions in your new organization.
• All of them have now taken our battery of tests;
• And we have not only run the results through our computer,
• But also arranged personal interviews for each of them;
• With our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.
• The profiles of all tests are included,
• And you will want to study each of them carefully.
• As part of our service, we make some general comments for your guidance,
• Much as an auditor will include some general statements.
• This is given as a result of staff consultation,
• And comes without any additional fee.
It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees:
• Are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude;
• For the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept.
• We would recommend that you continue your search;
• For persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability.
• Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper.
• Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership.
• The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
• Place personal interest above company loyalty.
• Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude;
• That would tend to undermine morale.
• We feel that it is our duty to tell you that;
• Matthew had been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau;
• James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings,
• And they both registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale.
• One of the candidates, however, shows great potential.
• He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well,
• Has a keen business mind, and has contacts in high places.
• He is highly motivated, ambitious, and responsible.
• We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man.
• All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.
• We wish you every success in your new venture.
• Sincerely, The Jordan Management Consultants
When Jesus chose Judas to be one of the twelve disciples;
• It was not on the basis of his C.V.
• Judas did not even have to sit an interview!
• Jesus knew exactly what Judas was like;
• And he even knew exactly what Judas would become and eventually go on to do!
Ill:
• If Jesus knew from the beginning that Simon would become a rock,
• A key leader in the early Church.
• Then he certainly knew that Judas would become a traitor.
• One who when the time was right betray him.
Ill: John chapter 6 verse 64:
." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe
and who would betray him”.
• Jesus knew exactly what Judas was like;
• And he even knew what Judas would eventually go on to do!
• Judas may have fooled the other 11 disciples;
• But he had not fooled or deceived Jesus!
(2). The thief.
• John chapter 12 verses 1-8 tells us that the group of disciples;
• Had a treasurer, that job was given to Judas.
• John chapter 12 verse 5 would suggest;
• That one of the treasurers jobs was to distribute money to the poor;
Ill:
• John chapter 12 verse 6: Let’s us know what Judas was really like:
• “He was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it"
• Having Judas in charge of the moneybag was like
• Having an alcoholic in charge of a wine-bar, or Dracula in charge of a blood-bank
• Yet none of the other disciples knew what Judas was doing,
• But Jesus knew!
Note: When you read the story in John chapter 12 it is so revealing:
• Amazingly Judas had the nerve to criticize Mary for her extravagant act of love;
• When she spent a year's wages on ointment so that she might anoint Jesus.
• Judas no-doubt was thinking;
• “What a year's wages would have done for the treasury; and of course Judas!”
• It would seem that the gospels show to us
• That Judas permitted covetousness to take over in his life and led him to his ruin.
• Quote:
• “His life was not directed by "What is right?" but by "What will you give me?"”
• ‘The love of money’ seemed to be his motto in life.
• And sadly this is where his priorities lie.
Ill:
• One day a certain old, rich man of a miserable disposition visited a rabbi,
• Who took the rich man by the hand and led him to a window.
• “Look out there,” he said. The rich man looked into the street.
• “What do you see?” asked the rabbi.
• “I see men, women, and children,” answered the rich man.
• Again the rabbi took him by the hand and this time led him to a mirror.
• “Now what do you see?”
• “Now I see myself,” the rich man replied.
Then the rabbi said,
• “Behold, in the window there is glass, and in the mirror there is glass.
• But the glass of the mirror is covered with a little silver,
• And no sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others,
• But you see only yourself”.
Ill:
• If you go up a mountain that has a fantastic view of a panoramic landscape;
• You only need two small coins placed closely in front of your eyes.
• And although the mountains are still there,
• You cannot see them at all because there is a coin shutting off the vision in each eye.?
• It doesn’t take large quantities of money to come between us and God;
• just a little, placed in the wrong position, will effectively obscure our view.
Question: What did Judas do with the money that he pilfered?
Answer:
• It has been suggested by some students of the Bible;
• That Judas bought himself a piece of property.
• Acts chapter 1 verse 18 states that Judas;
• "Acquired a field with the price of his wickedness. . . . "
• The word "acquired" is literally "procured for one's self, purchased. "
• Judas used the money stolen from the treasury to purchase a little plot of ground for himself.
• Judas the thief secured his field but lost his life.
• "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and to forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36).
(3). The traitor.
Ill:
• In 1535 another traitor, an Englishman called Henry Phillips;
• Persuaded William Tyndale to venture out onto the streets of Antwerp.
According to the Foxes Book of Martyrs:
• So when it was dinner time, Master Tyndale went forth with Philips,
• And at the going forth of Pointz's house, was a long narrow entry,
• So that two could not go in front.
• Master Tyndale would have put Philips before him,
• But Philips would in no wise, but put Master Tyndale before,
• For that he pretended to show great humanity.
• So Master Tyndale, being a man of no great stature,
• Went before, and Philips, a tall, comely person, followed behind him;
• Who had set officers on either side of the door upon two seats,
• Who might see who came in the entry.
• Philips pointed with his finger over Master Tyndale's head down to him,
• That the officers might see that it was he whom they should take.
• The officers afterwards told Pointz, when they had laid him in prison,
• That they pitied to see his simplicity.
• They brought him to the emperor's attorney, where he dined.
• Then came the procurator-general to the house of Pointz,
• And sent away all that was there of Master Tyndale's,
• As well his books as other things;
• And from thence Tyndale was had to the castle of Vilvorde,
• Eighteen English miles from Antwerp.
After being confined in prison for a year and a half:
• Tyndale was strangled and then burned at the stake in Brussels on October 6th 1536.
• He was in every sense the ‘Father of the English Bible’.
• What causes a person to sell-out a friend for money;
• I guess and hope we will never know!
Quote:
• The psychology of Judas has been described as;
• “A riddle wrapped up in a puzzle and locked in an enigma.”
Like all good traitors:
• There appeared to be nothing in his character or behaviour;
• That hinted at his true spiritual condition, and Jesus never gave him away to the others.
• If anything, Jesus did all He could to rescue Judas.
• Certainly many of his teachings must have pierced the heart of Judas!
• The repeated warnings against love of money should have stopped Judas,
• But he did not heed them.
• Nor did Jesus’ denunciation of hypocrisy;
• Make any impact on this false apostle.
Ill:
• When you read the account of Jesus and the disciples in the upper room (John chapter 13),
• You can see how He tried one last time to get to Judas' heart.
• True to Jewish custom,
• Jesus kissed Judas (and the other disciples) when they came to the Passover feast.
• He even gave Judas the seat of honour, at His left.
• He washed Judas' feet.
• He gave Judas the token of friendship, the sop (bread dipped in the bitter herbs).
• This act should have sealed a bond of friendship, but instead, it triggered treachery.
• Jesus even spoke words of warning that only Judas would fully understand.
• "You are clean, but not all of you" (John chapter 13 verses 10-11).
• Matthew chapter 26 verse 21: Puts it even plainer;
• "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me"
• And to emphasises the seriousness of the situation, Jesus goes onto say:
• "Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!"
• But Jesus did not openly name Judas.
• Until the very end, Jesus protected Judas and gave him opportunity to repent.
Ill:
• God also deals with us in Grace – in a way that we do not deserve!
• We tonight still have the opportune it to repent.
• To turn away from our sins and believe the good news.
• Ill: Motorway.
(4). The suicide.
One of the saddest verses of the Bible has to be Matthew chapter 27 verse 5:
“So Judas threw the money (note: that which had been so precious to him)
into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.”
• I wonder if the words of Jesus came back to haunt him;
• “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul!”
From the actions of Judas:
• We see that he did not repent of his sins.
• He was remorseful but not repentant.
Quote: Matthew chapter 27 verse 3:
“When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders.”
• Remorse and regret are not the same as repentance.
• For Judas, it was now too late. He had already yielded himself to the power of Satan!
Question
• That arises is: Why suicide?
• Why not just flee the country and make the best of it somewhere else?
Answer:
• Jesus himself told us that Satan is a murderer (John 8:44)
• And a destroyer (Revelation 9: 11).
• He comes first as the deceiving serpent ("You can get away with this!")
• But then turns into the devouring lion (1 Peter 5:8).
• He uses despair and guilt to drive people to self-destruction.
• He preys upon the hopeless and the helpless,
• And he convinces them that there is no hope or help.
• Their best solution is to destroy themselves.
In contrast Jesus could say “I am the Way, the Truth & the Life”
• Way: we can follow him.
• Truth: we can believe him.
• Life: we can experience him.
Ill:
Sadly Judas ended it all by destroying himself,
• Judas "went out immediately; and it was night" (John chapter 13 verse 30).
• For Judas, it is still night, and it always will be night.
• He could have followed the Way, but sadly he was lost!
• He could have believed the Truth, but sadly he swallowed a lie (hook, line & sinker).
• He could have experienced Life but sadly he experienced premature death!
And finally:
• Judas reminds us of how close a person can come to the truth,
• And to salvation, and finally be lost.
• If any person ever had the privilege of knowing Christ,
• It was Judas; but it did not lead him to salvation.
• Remember Judas probably heard every sermon Jesus ever preached,
• He probably saw every or most of the miracles Jesus ever did,
• Yet he was lost!
• What a contrast say to the thief on the cross.
• He heard no sermons, he saw no miracles;
• But he put his trust and faith in the person and the work of Jesus Christ!
Question: What about you?
