Relating to the Inner Twelve - Judas Iscariot

Up to this point I've spent more time on our next apostle than any of the others. Judas Iscariot (also known as Judas son of Simon in John 13). I've been posting the names in the same order I used last time. I wasn't sure whether to keep Judas in this spot, but as it turns out, this is the perfect time to bring him up. After all, we're headed into the celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Last week we learned we can be on the wrong path for the right reasons, and I have to wonder if Judas fell into this very thing. But there is a difference between Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. In the end, Judas chose not to change what his mind had already decided to do. 

In the beginning, Judas was the only one not from the Galilee area. His last name identified men from Kerioth. In fact, his people looked down on Galileans as crude frontier settlers. And even though the group of apostles must have known this, they still trusted him enough at one point that he was made the treasurer in charge of the moneybox. (John 12:4-6) The TPT in Luke 6 calls him Judas the locksmith - indicating he may have had the key to that moneybox. (This is the only place I found this information.)

Through the three years, he was there with the others listening to Jesus's teachings. Walking and talking with Jesus daily. Basking in His presence. Hearing the explanations and special insights of the parables. He even went out with a partner to perform miracles (Matt 10:1-12) and experience the Holy Spirit moving through him. He also had his feet washed by Jesus. (John 13:5)

But there was one problem.

Judas had a weakness. Money. That love of money opened him up to the influence of evil. He was even warned by Jesus in Mark 14:18-21, Matt 26:14 and John 13:11-27. But he pursued it anyway. As a result, Satan entered him in John 13:12 and Luke 22:3.

What it boils down to...He thought he knew better than the voice of God speaking to him. Possibly, he thought that he was forcing Jesus to show His hand. To show others that He, Jesus, was the Messiah come to save His people from the wicked hand of the Romans.

Here's an awful thought ... Though we may have daily walks and talks with Jesus, how many times do we do the same thing? How many times do we argue with the voice of the Holy Spirit? How many times do we assume we know what He wants? How many times do we think we know better than the warnings friends or fellow church members give us? Do we get so comfortable with our closeness to Jesus that we forget to ask Him if what we want to do is what He wants us to do?

OUCH! I know I can relate to this more than I want to think about.

But, here's where the difference comes in. Judas didn't do his deed out of the kindness of his heart; he asked for money to point out who Jesus was. In Matthew 26 and Mark 14 he even asks how much the priests will pay him to deliver Jesus to them. To back up the possibility of this request, John 12 mentions that Judas would skim money from the group's funds. Apparently, he was not a man with integrity.

Greed and the desire for wealth can overwhelm mankind. Taking control and causing them to do things they might not have done otherwise. It's like they're wearing rose colored glasses.

Matthew 27 is a pop-the-bubble moment when we see Judas comes to his senses and realizes what he'd done. He even tried to correct it, but it was too late. There was no going back.

He had fulfilled prophecy (Psalm 41:9, Zechariah 11:12, Acts 1), and yet the ultimate responsibility of Jesus being tried and crucified fell on his shoulders. And, he knew it. So grief stricken by his own actions, Judas does not offer multiple sacrifices for forgiveness, instead he takes his own life.

While none of us wants to associate any of our nature with Judas, can we learn from him?

Judas Iscariot kept his focus on the ways of the earth and the troubles of life. He took his eyes off Jesus, ignored the teachings he had received, and allowed money to be a bigger goal for him.

It is scary that this can happen to anyone, no matter how close they walk with Jesus. We all have weaknesses. The key to overcoming them is to keep our eyes on Jesus. My hope is that I don't allow any weakness in me to pull my eyes away from the Lord, nor that it opens up any influence of evil and unrighteousness in my actions. What about you?

Unlike the apostles we've spoken about in the past few weeks there is quite a bit written about Judas. You can read about him in these other scriptures: Psalm 41:9; 109:8; Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 10, 26, 27; Mark 3, 14; Luke 6, 22; John 6, 12, 13, 17, 18; Acts 1.