Judas The Traitor

Feature 2 – March 2010 – Grace & Truth Magazine

JUDAS The Traitor

“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 Canaanite,and Judas Iscariot,who also betrayed Him.These twelve Jesus sent out.” Matthew 10:1-5 NKJV

The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines a traitor as one who betrays another’s trust or is false to an obligation or duty. Judas was a traitor and yet, as Matthew 10:1-5 above points out, the Lord appointed him a place as one of the twelve apostles. Didn’t the Lord know what Judas would do? Aren’t we told to separate from unbelievers, which certainly would have been the case with Judas? Why did the Lord allow him to be one of the Twelve?

Even though the Lord knows what is in the heart, He judges righteously and all judgment is based on outward actions. That is why works do not save, and yet both believers and unbelievers have their works judged. Works are the evidence of what we are on the inside. Until Judas actually betrayed the Lord, the Lord would not judge him for being a traitor – even though He knew that in his heart he was. The Lord did not try to trap Judas so that He could be seen for what he was. He let Judas make his own mistakes, and even told him what the consequences would be in an attempt to get him to change his mind.

Judas reminds us that we shouldn’t be surprised when someone who seemed to be a friend and has been a part of our service turns out to be a traitor to us and to the Lord. People who are not devoted to the Lord can be enemies just waiting until the time is right to show who they really are. Ahithophel appeared to be David’s friend but he bore a grudge. He waited until the time was right to make his real agenda known. Ahithophel had reason to be angry with David because David had defiled his granddaughter (2 Sam. 11:3; 2 Sam. 23:34). But Ahithophel was not pure in heart and as a result he destroyed himself (2 Sam. 17:23).

We know that Judas was a thief who embezzled funds from the treasury of the Lord and His band of disciples (Jn. 12:6). Mary’s anointing of Jesus with a very costly ointment was probably what finally sent Judas on his rampage. He didn’t understand that kind of devotion. In addition, in his mind he had been robbed of the money, since the ointment had been wasted on the Lord.

Judas shows us that being a traitor is costly. When the Lord told His disciples one of them would betray Him, each of them asked, “Is it I?” – including Judas (Mt. 26:20-25). Eleven of them recognized the potential within themselves to be betrayers, and they wanted to be reassured that they would never do such a thing. But Judas probably asked the question just to see if the Lord knew that he was intending to betray him. Ultimately, Judas realized he had made a mistake in thinking that the Lord would use His powers to deliver Himself. He thought no one would be hurt by his betrayal, and he would be richer. He ended up committing suicide when he realized the enormity of his mistake (Mt. 27::5).

A traitor will destroy himself in the process of hurting the one who has trusted him. Being loyal to the Lord has its rewards. Jesus said that the pure in heart will see God (Mt. 5:8). He can depend on those who are pure in heart. It pleases the Lord when He sees that we are loyal to Him.

By Bruce Collins