INTO THE NIGHT: JUDAS
John 13:30
Jn 13:30 So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
I've always been intrigued since a 12 yr old kid about John 13:30. My pastor had talked about Judas going out into the night. I don't remember much of his sermon from 40+ years ago, just the premise that while it was certainly night time, he also completed his journey into a spiritual darkness that was darker than any night could be.
The next 3 weeks, we’re going to be looking at the Last Supper and focus on 3 men, Judas, Peter, and Jesus. After leaving that fellowship, each of them went out into the night. For these 3, it will be a dark night of dark decisions, dark failures, and the darkness of torture. One will commit an act of betrayal, one will curse and deny the Lord, and One will be tortured thru the night and die on the cross the next day.
1. THE BETRAYER.
Mt 26:14-16 14 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. 16 From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.
This tells us about how Judas met with the chief priests and asked how much they would pay him to betray Jesus. He sought them! They weighed out 30 pieces of silver and the deal was made.
It was a grand week! The Passover in Jerusalem. They were all gathered to worship and to celebrate. Passover night. The gospels all relate the things Jesus talked about that night. Judas was there listening to all He was saying. What was Judas thinking??
* unity and love- knowing he had already promised to betray Him.
* Commitment to Christ- knowing he was committed only to himself.
* How He would be betrayed- Does He know what I have planned?
* How He would die soon- really? Should I go thru with this?
* Jesus washed his feet- how do you betray someone that loves you?
Then Jesus stated that the person who would betray Him was in that very room. Eleven disciples were incredulous! They all asked Him, “Lord, is it I?” But one disciple already knew the answer. He had already set the betrayal in motion days before. His question was not “Lord, is it I?”, but “Lord, do you know it is me?”
Jesus said it would be one of them. One who would eat the morsel from His hand.
I believe Judas had every opportunity to repent and not betray Jesus right up until the time he ate that morsel with sin in his heart. As soon as he did that, Satan entered him.
Once Satan entered him, the decision was sealed.
It is further evidence of why no one should partake of the Lord’s Supper with sin in their heart.
2. OVERWHELMING GUILT.
A. The Betrayal.
We next see Judas coming to the Garden with a crowd of armed men with him.
Jesus and a few disciples had just finished praying there.
Judas knew exactly where they would be.
He coldly walked right up to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him on the cheek.
This was the sign.
** It’s been said in that in a 12 hour span that Judas had kissed the door of Heaven and busted the gates of Hell wide open.
What drove Judas to betray Jesus?
(1) Broken Dreams- all were hoping that Jesus was setting up an earthly kingdom. Judas likely thought he would be a powerful man. When Jesus made it plain that wasn’t His plan, it likely angered Judas.
(2) Greed- when it became obvious the kingdom would never happen, Judas decided to at least get something out of it. 30 pieces of silver.
(3) Fear- Judas and the others knew the Pharisees were plotting against Jesus. He probably thought he would be persecuted too unless he switched sides and betrayed Him.
B. The Long Dark Night. After the arrest, Judas was left alone.
* He had no friends, he had betrayed Jesus and the disciples.
* The Jews weren’t his friends- no one likes a traitor.
If someone will betray a person to you, they will Betray you also.
* Satan left him after destroying his life. Satan is a liar, a thief and a murderer. Once he had destroyed Judas, he had no more use for him.
I wonder what Judas thought about during the night as they were torturing Jesus?
* Better Him than me..... but I think that didn’t last very long.
After all, Jesus had shown great love for Him. What else did he think about?
* The fun times sitting around the fire eating fish and listening to Him?
* The times Jesus cast demons out from suffering souls?
* The perilous storms on the sea that Jesus rescued them?
* When those guys cut a hole in the roof and Jesus healed their friend?
* When Jesus raised Lazareth from the dead?
* How Jesus made the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk.... just like the prophets had said the Messiah would do.
*** What have I done?? I have betrayed the Messiah!
C. Remorse.
Mt 27:3-5 3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.
Overwhelmed with guilt, he hanged himself. Guilt did not drive him to repent, likely he felt it was too late for that. Guilt drove him to kill himself. Suicide is never the answer, though.
Judas- the disciple that betrayed Jesus.... Once a hero, now a zero.
How did he get to this place?
* He never truly believed in Jesus.
* He was a greedy person and a thief. (John 12)
* This led him to greater and greater sins.
3. QUESTIONS CONCERNING JUDAS.
Thru the years I’ve been asked many questions concerning Judas.
(1) Is Judas in Hell? Yes. I believe he is.
Jn 6:70-71 70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
Now, Jesus didn’t mean he was the devil, but that Judas had fallen under the Devil’s influence and was doing his work.
Mt 26:24b woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Going to hell is the only way I know where it would have been better if you had never been born.
In Acts 1:25, Peter said they needed to choose a replacement for Judas 25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”
His own place is Hell and that is where he will spend eternity.
(2) Did Judas lose his salvation?
No, he was never saved in the 1st place.
He might have been religious, he might have hung around Jesus, but he never truly believed in Him.
(3) Did he go to hell because he committed suicide?
No, suicide does not send someone to hell, even though it is a form of murder.
It is a great failure and a sin, though.
And, suicide often comes from being influenced by demonic attack and/or oppression.
(4) Why did Judas go to hell?
Technically, the reason is not that he betrayed Jesus.
He is in Hell because he never truly believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
He was a lost sinner and because of that, he chose to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
Judas’s final fate was to go into the night forever to a place of darkness and torment. A place he will never leave and will always suffer with regret over the things he had done. Especially, rejecting Jesus Christ.
When you die, will you go forever “into the night” as Judas did?
