Judas Iscariot who Betrayed Him
And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. (Matthew 10:1-4 NKJV)
Judas Was One of the Chosen
Judas was chosen by the Lord to be one of the twelve commissioned or sent ones. Did the Lord know his heart and that he was a traitor? Yes! And yet, the Lord gave him the same power that he gave the other eleven. He had power over unclean spirits and yet Satan entered into him or took control of him (John 13:27). He was present at the Passover meal that included the institution of the Lord’s supper. There is disagreement as to whether he was a participant in that first remembrance meeting or whether he had left just before the other disciples took the bread and the wine. I personally believe he was still present.
What Kind of a Person Was Judas?
Judas betrayed the Lord with a kiss. He pretended to love the Lord. Judas was an embezzler, he used the Lord to make himself rich. Judas sold the Lord for thirty pieces of silver because he was sure that the Lord could deliver himself from anything that the Jews or the Roman Government might do to him. The Lord had avoided being cast off a hill (Luke 4:29). He knew that on many occasions the Jews sought to kill the Lord and had not been able. Judas was one of those who “never expected things to go this far.” When he realized that the Lord was going to be crucified, he seemed to repent of his betrayal (See Matthew 27:3-5). It appears that he was sorry for what he did, but it didn’t change who he was. He was a son of perdition and ended up being lost eternally. (See John 17:12.)
Do We Have People Like Judas In the Church Today?
I think we do. The Bible records men like Alexander the coppersmith, Hymenaeus and Philetus, and Diotrephes, Look them up and read about them. Let’s just make sure that we are not like any one of them. We cannot use religion or the Lord for personal gain or for personal power. We must rightly divide or interpret the word of truth. We need to serve the Lord because of His love for us and we need to make sure that we are among the faithful.
Judas had power and gift and opportunity to do so much good. And yet he chose to betray the Lord. He ended up committing suicide, and he is even now suffering in hell. It is not wise to pretend when it comes to being a Christian.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of January 10, 2021