Judas & Jesus

By Lori Scharf

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Easter week has come and gone, but I still want to take a moment to talk about the life and death of Jesus and the other people involved, specifically: Judas. 

Now, when I mention Judas, your first reaction is probably something like: ‘why are we talking about Judas when you said this is about the life of Jesus? Judas is the reason Jesus was killed in the first place!’ Was that pretty close? Now, before you stop reading, just bear with me for a moment.

Judas didn’t start out as a bad guy! In fact, he started out just like all the other disciples; a man who left his life behind to follow Jesus, hoping to learn from him. Judas wasn’t even Satan’s first choice to target. Matthew 16:21-23 tells us that Simon Peter was Satan’s first target. Jesus was telling his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer there. Peter tried to tell him not to go, and Jesus responded with “Get thee behind me, Satan!” (Matt 16:23, Luke 22:31)

Jesus had already chosen Peter to play a role in the building of the church (Matt 16:18, Luke 22:32) and would not allow Satan to mess with him. So Satan set his sights on someone else.

Judas.

And Judas already had a weakness: greed.

We are all like Judas. We’ve all had a time where we committed a small sin, then that little voice inside said ‘Just one more time. No one will notice!’ so we do.

Then we do it again.

And again.

Pretty soon, it’s not just a little thing anymore. It’s a big thing.

A habit. 

Judas was a human, just like us. He was in charge of the disciple’s money, and in a moment of weakness, he stole some money. Perhaps, it was just a single coin. No big deal, right? But then that little voice said ‘Just one more time. No one will notice!’ So he did, and it progressed from there; eventually to the point where he was willing to betray the Messiah! For what?

Money.

Thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26:15).

Even after spending all that time together, all Jesus was worth to Judas was thirty pieces of silver. 

So what is Jesus worth to you? Is that little sin still consuming you?

Friend, do not become like Judas. 

As most of you know, the life of Judas does not end happily. But what we need to understand is that we are all like Judas.

Jeremiah 17:9 says “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” 

Without Jesus, we would all end up like Judas. Our sin, consuming us. That is the whole reason he gave himself up! He could have stopped Judas. He could have called twelve legions of angels to save him! (Matt. 26:53) But he didn’t. John 3:16-17 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Jesus died to give us the chance to be with him in glory and to not end up like Judas. Have you accepted his offer?

But the story of Jesus doesn’t end like that. It doesn’t end with Judas dying miserably and the only perfect man to ever live being killed. No, there’s more to it than that. Jesus rose from the dead! How epic is that? Jesus defeated death! To quote one of my favourite hymns: 

Death could not keep his prey, Jesus my saviour;

He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

-Up From The Grave He Arose, Robert Lowry

I always get a thrill when I sing those words. He tore the bars away! Isn’t that a beautiful thought? And now, he has paved the way for us to follow him into new life! How great is that? 

Your love is the bridge

You built with a cross

And Your truth is the light

That searches for the lost

Your grace won’t stop reaching

Your mercy won’t let go

‘Cause Your love is the bridge

-The Bridge, Casting Crowns

Until next time,

-Lori