Today we begin a study on the life of Judas Iscariot, the apostle. Our opening scripture will be Luke chapter 6, verse 16, where we're told about Judas being chosen as an apostle. We read these words, “And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.” Luke 6:16 (KJV). So there are two Judas's who were apostles. Judas is the same as the name Judah in the Old Testament. One of the sons of Israel, meaning praise. and he was the one who betrayed the Lord Jesus. Iscariot means men of Kerioth. There's a town, a city called Kerioth in Judges chapter 15 verse 25 in Southern Judah. So it's quite an old city, and it is the place where Judas originally was born, where he came from. More is said about Judas than any other apostle except Peter, which is quite amazing.
When you think of this, man and so much evil he did that God would have more said about him than the other apostles except Peter. And there's a good reason for this, because though this man did so much evil and was probably the most wicked man who ever lived because of his privilege of living with the Lord, all his actions and what he did only brought glory to the Lord. It showed how gracious, loving, and long-suffering our Lord Jesus is. Shows his deity that he was in control of everything. And we're going to be looking at some of the lessons about how it is the Lord who is glorified despite what Jesus, despite what Judas did.
Unbeliever and a Devil
First of all, we're going to look at what the Lord said about him when he chose him in John chapter 6. And in verse 64, here, Judas is called an unbeliever and a devil. An unbeliever and a devil. In John chapter 6, verse 64, the Lord Jesus says to his disciples, “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.” John 6:64 (KJV). The Lord had been speaking about himself as the bread from heaven. and then spoke about himself as the one men should eat and drink his blood; they should eat his flesh and drink his blood. This of course offended those who heard him, but he made it very clear to them that the words he spoke were not referring to physically eating him but believing in him to receive eternal life. He said these words to them in verse 63 of John chapter 6, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63 (KJV).
He made it abundantly clear he was speaking about a spiritual eating, a spiritual drinking, receiving his words, believing in him, and receiving eternal life because he gave his life for us on the cross of Calvary. He is the bread of life. He shed his blood for our forgiveness of our sins. However, there were disciples. who were just looking for an excuse to leave, and they found their excuse. It says in verse 66, From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.” John 6:66 (KJV). No more with him. They didn't want to understand. They just wanted an excuse to go, and so they went. But before they even went, the Lord announced that they were going to see what they were like because He knew their hearts. He knew everything about them. He knew exactly what they would do.
Nothing was a surprise to him. These false disciples and Judas might have fooled others, but they did not fool him because he is God manifest in the flesh. He is the omniscient one. He knows all things. He knows the hearts of men. We're told this in John chapter two. was 23 to 25. “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, on the feast day, many believed in his name when they saw the miracles that he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.” John 2:23-25 (KJV). Here's a lesson for us as evangelists and Bible teachers and those who like to share, as every believer should, share the gospel. We are going to experience this. We're going to find people who believe and who show every sign that they're genuine. And yet, we get surprised that they go back to their evil ways. In the case of the Lord, it was worse because they actually saw with their eyes the mighty miracles he did, and still that did not convince them to truly believe in him.
They only outwardly followed for a time and a season and then went back. Judas stayed on though, though he was an unbeliever. The Lord made it very clear that he was an unbeliever from the beginning, and we must be very clear about this. The reason why I say this is because there are a number of Christians in the world who believe you can lose your salvation. They do not believe in the eternal security of a believer. They believe that you can renounce your faith. You can be a Christian today and a non-Christian tomorrow. You can trust the Lord today. You can reject him tomorrow. You can be on the way to heaven today and be on the way to hell tomorrow. and lose your salvation. And I've met some like that, and no doubt you have as well. They will use Judas as an example. They will say he was an apostle, he was a Christian, he was a follower of the Lord Jesus, he did miracles even, he went out, and the Lord sent them out to do miracles. Surely they say he was a believer, and look, he's lost; he went to hell; he's the son of perdition.
However, the scriptures do not teach this. The Bible states very clearly here in John chapter 6, at the very beginning, even when Judas was chosen, the Lord knew from the beginning and said he was an unbeliever. He was not a believer who became an unbeliever. He was not a Christian who became a non-Christian. He wasn't a person who put his faith and trust in Christ and was on the way to heaven and then renounced him and betrayed him. and went to hell. The Lord says from the beginning he was an unbeliever and a devil. He was never saved in the first place. Though he was an unbeliever, the Lord chose him. Though he was an unbeliever, the Lord still used him to do miracles. We know that this is possible because even Caiaphas, the high priest, who was a very evil man, we're told in the Gospel of John that even he prophesied that it's better that one man should die for the nation than all the nation perish because he was the high priest that year.
We are told that he prophesied. So God does use unbelievers. It doesn't mean Judas was a believer just because he did miracles with the other apostles. That made his judgement even worse. That he knew all these things; he was experiencing all these powers. Yet in his heart, he was just obsessed all the time with one thing only, which is money. You know, I have a friend who is a very elderly evangelist now, very elderly, and he was usually quite blunt in his preaching. and he told me a funny story of how he met a Christian while he was giving out gospel literature in the street, and this Christian was believing that you can lose your salvation. So this brother asked him, this brother Archie, are you saying you can be saved today and tomorrow you can be in hell? Today you could be going to heaven, and tomorrow you can be going to hell. He said, Yes, that's what I believe. I believe you're going to lose your salvation.
So the brother Archie asked him, Are you saved today? Right now, are you saved? He said, Yes, I'm saved. Then the best thing I can do for you is to shoot you. At least you will be in heaven. You can see how foolish that thing is to believe you can lose your salvation. Wouldn't it be better to die right now since we're going to heaven because maybe tomorrow we can become unbelievers and go to hell forever and ever? So very foolish belief. When we are saved, we are saved eternally. Otherwise, how can we have any assurance in the Christian life? When God does a work, it is an eternal work in our hearts and lives. Glory and praise to him. that we are eternally saved. We can be out of fellowship as believers, but we can never lose our relationship as his children. So Judas was never a believer to begin with. The Lord Jesus spoke about the character of his two disciples in verse 65 of John 6, and he said, And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father.” John 6:65 (KJV).
So he makes it clear, in contrast to Judas, that the true disciples are those whom the Father has given to his Son. And so Peter speaks up. In John 6:69, We believe, he says to the Lord, and we believe that we are and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. The confession of Peter shows that he had received the words of the Lord Jesus and possessed eternal life. But the Lord corrected him. In John 6 verses 70 to 71, Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.” John 6:70–71 (KJV). Peter declared, We believe; all twelve of us believe, but the Lord said, Not all of you. Peter didn't know. He likes us; we're not omniscient; we don't know everything, but the Lord knew everything. Peter said, We, and the Lord said, No, not all or twelve of you; one of you is a devil.
For he is the omniscient one, knowing all things. He knew that he would betray him, but the Lord chose him to fulfil Scripture. What a dreadful end would be for Judas. Luke 22 verse 22. Truly and truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined the Scriptures and God's will determine that he would be betrayed and die on a cross, be buried and rise again, it as it was determined, but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed. And so we've got to realise there's the sovereignty of God in choosing Judas, in fulfilling scripture, in allowing him to do all the evil he did, but at the same time Judas alone is responsible for his evil and sin, woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed. So the question will be asked: why did he choose Judas? There are a number of reasons. I can think of at least five. And we're going to be thinking about these reasons as we go along. Why did he choose Judas?
We're going to see how God brought glory to his son, even through the betrayal of Judas. But why did he betray him? What was it that made him suddenly, instead of following the Lord, suddenly want to have him handed over to his enemies? And all just for a few pieces of silver, thirty pieces of silver. Well, the incident that caused this was in Bethany. It was in Bethany where Judas finally decided he had enough; he didn't want the Lord in his life anymore. and he didn't just walk away like the other disciples did in John 6. He wanted to destroy the Lord. He wanted to betray him to his very enemies. We know that. He wanted to destroy the Lord. The incident happened in the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany. John chapter 12, 1-3 tells us it was Mary who anointed him. The other gospels just mention a woman and mention in the house of Simon the leper. But this is what happened. John chapter 12, 1-3, Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper, and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.” John 12:1-3 (KJV). "Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?” John 12:4-5 (KJV). So Matthew, Mark and Luke mention all the disciples being angry with Mary, all of them, that indignation. But John mentions who started the complaining. It was Judas who started it. He was the most angry. Why? John reveals why. Because he was a thief. He was the one who was filled with indignation against Mary. and speaking about waste, the same word means perdition. He the son of waste himself, the man who'd utterly waste his life. would speak about Mary being a waster. Mary never wasted that ointment. Nothing for the Lord is ever wasted. This humble, godly, lovely woman.
She knew the Lord was going to die when no one else did. She knew he would be buried when no one else did because they didn't listen to the Lord like she did. She knew he would be buried. He would die, be buried and rise again. and she wanted to give him the burial worthy of a king, even if the nation will reject him. She will give him a burial worthy of the king, and she did what she could. She got the most expensive perfume worth three hundred days' wages. And she poured it on the Lord, and filled the house with ointment. And the Lord said, wherever the gospel is preached, her name will be mentioned, what she has done. But it was Judas full of indignation that three hundred denarii lot of money did not come into his little purse from which he could steal. Matthew says, this was the incident that led him to betray the Lord.
Matthew 26 verse 13 to 14. “Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,” Matthew 26:13-14 (KJV). You see Matthew makes it clear. It was this incident in Bethany that caused Judas to betray the Lord. Then one of the 12 called Judas Iscariot went unto the chief priests. He was a very bitter man. He was a very bitter man, because he didn't get that money. John reveals that. John further reveals the character of Judas, which they obviously learnt afterwards because they didn't know what he was like. He fooled everyone except the Lord. John further reveals his character that he was a thief and a hypocrite. John chapter 12 verse 6.
When he said this could have been given to the poor. He was a hypocrite. He spoke nice words with his mouth, but in his heart he wanted that money for himself. He was a hypocrite. This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag and bare what was put therein. So we can see Judas only followed the Lord for filthy lucre, only had a love for mammon and money. He had no concern for the poor at all. He didn't care for the poor. We know that it was their habit to give to the poor, from John chapter 13. But he was stealing that money. He was stealing from the bag. And later we learn, we will learn that he bought a field for himself from the potter. Covetousness led Judas to become a thief. Like many, he followed Jesus thinking he'll become king of Israel, he's the Messiah. And now that I've been given charge of the money, I'll one day be given charge of all the money. of the kingdom. I will be the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I will be the Finance Minister.
I will be the one with all the money and the power and the prestige. That's all he followed the Lord for was money. So he could be rich, hugely rich and powerful in the kingdom of the Messiah. Judas was so trusted that they gave him the money to look after. He had the bag. F.B. Hull writes these words, The craft of satanic camouflage is well-nigh perfect. Satan can make a person who is a devil like himself with that same wickedness and character of the devil, make him look so like a Christian and talk like a Christian and act like a Christian, that camouflage is well-nigh perfect, as F.B. Hull says. Judas fooled everybody, but he did not fool the Lord. He was so bitter he did not get the 300 denarii. Then he went straight away to get the 30 pieces of silver. You can see what happened as the disciples went, as less and less people were following the Lord, and Judas realized the Pharisees are against him, everybody was against him. He thought this is not gonna work out for me.
There's not gonna be any kingdom. And when the Lord rebuked him, and the other apostles for criticizing Mary and condemning her, and he praised and honored Mary for what she did, Judas so full of bitterness, he went out to betray the Lord. But we're told in John's Gospel, what happened in his heart at that very moment. John chapter 13 verse 2, we read, “And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;” John 13:2 (KJV). Literally the Greek is the devil having already put. So when the last supper, the Passover and the last supper was going to take place, the devil had already put in his heart to betray the Lord when he had already gone to the high chief priests to agree to betray him for thirty pieces of silver. which says the devil having now put into the heart of Judas the word is the Greek word meaning to throw, balo, to throw, balo, to throw, to cast, to scatter.
So it shows Satan throwing these thoughts in Judas' heart. Reminds us of the fiery darts of the devil that we are to take up our shield of faith to protect ourselves against those doubts he tries to put in our mind, to lose our faith in Christ and no longer trust in the Lord. It says above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the devil, Ephesians 6 verse 16. Judas had no faith at all. He was an easy victim for the devil, threw the fiery darts into his heart. And at that very moment of bitterness, those fiery darts of the devil went into his heart and began to grow and grow into more and more hatred and bitterness and anger and he went out to betray the Lord of Glory to his enemies and that too for just thirty pieces of silver it is Matthew who mentions the silver, Matthew the tax collector he mentions the exact amount Thus all he thought the Lord was worth, he was happy just to get that. Just for some pieces of silver he betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to continue the story and see Judas in the upper room in our next part. May the Lord bless his word. Amen.
