Lesson 281: "Lord, Is It I?"
Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples, one who walked with Him, listened, learned and questioned. He was the treasurer of the group (John 12:6), presumably given the power and authority to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who had leprosy and drive out demons (Matt. 10:7). Judas who was a full disciple of Christ was also betrayer, a thief and a liar. He showed promise, had potential and the opportunity to be one of the greatest disciples so what happened. He arranged for the Lord’s capture in exchange for thirty silver coins which was a considerable amount of money. He was given 120 denarii and one denary was the average working man’s wage for one day. In today’s currency Judas would have been paid ten to twelve thousand dollars. Satan entered Judas (Luke 22:3) and the devil prompted him to betray Jesus (John 13:2); however, Satan could not possibly enter unless he had of been invited and gained some foothold. This foothold the devil had on Judas was greed which was Judas’ motivation. He is the one who “offered” Jesus up to the chief priests, asking what they would give him if he handed over the Christ, his own Lord. As far as he was concerned this was a business proposition; a simple matter of buying and selling.
Elsewhere the Scripture tells us that Judas was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it (John 12:6). The apostle Paul warned about acting like Judas in 1st Timothy 6:9-10: “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs”. However, the books of Paul had not yet been written so Judas had not received this great advice and warning (what’s our excuse)? There is a song that says Jesus is more precious than silver, diamonds and gold but Judas did not see it this way and sold the love of Jesus, spiraling into a pit of self destruction that led to his suicide. Money is not the only root of evil but today’s congregations should take a lesson from Judas and know that we are not to love the things of this world overly much and never, ever put anything above the love and devotion of Jesus Christ.
Monkey trappers in North Africa have a clever method of catching their prey. A number of gourds are filled with nuts and firmly fastened to a branch of a tree. Each has a hole just large enough for the unwary monkey to stick his forepaw into it. When the hungry animal discovers this, he quickly grasps a handful of nuts but the hole is too small for him to withdraw his clenched fist and he does not have enough sense to open up his hand and let go in order to escape, so he is easily taken captive. How easy is it for the devil to “capture” us when we hold onto something with clenched fists that we treasure above “getting caught”? He appeals to the appetites of the flesh which can lead to spiritual downfall and as long as we hold on to this worldly bait we cannot escape from Satan’s trap. Do you know that one of the most secure traps of the devil is that he will lie about himself? He will assure you that since you are “so good” that he cannot touch you, therefore causing you to be “proud” instead of “humble” (1 Pet. 4:5b); he will tell you that you believe in God and that is enough to keep him at bay; “you believe that there is one God? Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder” (James 2:19).
At the Last Supper Jesus announced; “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me” (Matt. 26:21). Here we see that Judas was a liar when he answered; “surely not I, Lord” (Matt. 26:25). You see he had already made his deal with the chief priests to “sell out Jesus” before the supper so he knew who the Lord was referring to. The disciples could not believe Jesus when He predicted His Crucifixion and death but now to think that one of their very own would be involved in His betrayal was too much for them. Had they known that Judas would betray the Lord right after sharing a meal with them and Jesus it might have been a different story. The words of King David come to mind when he said of Absalom, his son who rebelled against him; “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me: (Ps. 41:9). One of David’s closest and most trusted friends, Ahithophel, supported Absalom in his rebellion causing David heartbreak and disappointment. Imagine what the Lord felt when one of His “chosen ones” ate with deceit in his heart and the betrayal money in his pocket.
Jesus had a warning about this breaking of the covenant; “woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Matt. 26:24). Remember this the next time you are offered communion with Jesus. “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup, for anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself” (1 Cor. 11:27-29). Ask yourself; “Lord, is it I”? The reason Satan wanted Jesus tempted was to keep Him from going the way of the Cross and the grave. When someone betrays us, we usually become angry and strike out or we become discouraged and give up. Either way, Satan wins! If Jesus had of become angry or discouraged then Satan would have won and salvation would have been forgotten. Praise be to God, the plan had been made and “the Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him” (Matt. 26:24). Satan could not stop the plan of God for His Son but he can stop you in your tracks with his schemes if you allow him into your life. “Lord, is it I”?
Jesus could have stopped Judas. Jesus could stop us from betraying our friends which in turn means we are betraying Him; “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Matt. 25:45). LORD, IS IT I?
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