14 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. 16 From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.
The name Judas has gone down in history as a nefarious appellation, because of the incident before us today. Like Benedict Arnold during the American Revolution, the name is virtually synonymous with betrayal. Even in Matthew’s telling of the gospel story, he “spills the beans” about Judas’ betrayal long before it actually happens in the historical sequence (see Matthew 10:4), the story obviously having previously been circulated before Matthew actually wrote his account.
Various theories have been devised to explain Judas’ behavior. Some think that he was trying to protect Jesus, thinking that if his master were to be taken into custody, the growing conflict would calm down and Jesus would eventually be released. Others think Judas was simply enterprising and saw an opportunity to make some money, thinking that Jesus could escape like He had done previously—no real harm done. I suppose some could believe he had a moment of temporary insanity or just about any other framing of the incident. Luke 22:3 indicates a more demonic cause, where Judas played into the hand of Satan, Jesus’ arch-enemy.
One thing we know for sure is that Judas recognized that he was in fact betraying Jesus, and there was an exchange of money. The import of the story though, regardless of his motivation, is the tragic nature of his behavior. One of the hand chosen disciples turned a treacherous hand against his master.
This turn of events was not a surprise to Christ, for He had previously said, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70). We see here an intertwining of three wills in the same action: Satan’s, Judas’ and God’s. Like a chess player playing into the hand of the Master, Satan used his pawn to check his opponent, yet in so doing finds himself being check-mated by that very move. God’s sovereign will eclipses all other wills without denying or invalidating them, whether Satan’s or man’s. In the final judgment, every excuse will be stopped, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord!
What Satan began in the Garden of Eden continues on, rebellion against the Creator by using His image-bearers to join his resistance movement.
Lord, I don’t want to unwittingly join in with Satan’s campaign to rebel against You. Give me the strength to resist personal advancement at Your expense.
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