And Such Were Some of YouНамуна

The Vile Betrayer

The glow from the torches and lanterns snaked along the road from Antonia’s Fortress to the Garden of Gethsemane. The speckled line of light grew brighter, and the marching footsteps grew louder as they came to arrest Jesus.

Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, knew the place where Jesus liked to go to pray. Under the cover of darkness, he led a small army into the grove of olive trees to arrest Jesus. He had been looking for the right moment to hand Jesus over to the Sanhedrin, and now, being possessed by Satan, his time had come.

The soldiers came with torches to apprehend the Light of the World with clubs and swords to carry away the Prince of Peace. Judas’ betrayal was thick with irony and revealed how little he understood who Jesus was. Judas was only following Jesus for what was in it for him. He wanted money, fame, power, and a place of prominence when Jesus crushed Rome. When Judas realized Jesus’ ushering in the kingdom would be through men’s hearts and not a government overthrow, he was furious. In his mind, he had wasted three years of his life with Jesus, and now he was willing to cut his losses by selling out the King of kings for the price of a slave.

Judas’ betrayal illustrates that proximity to Jesus doesn’t equal salvation or even loyalty. Not all who encounter Christ and witness his power receive salvation; in fact, quite the opposite. In Judas’ case, Jesus said it would’ve been better for him never to have been born than to be with him, observe all he had done, and betray him still (Matt 26:23-25).

If you’ve ever been betrayed, you can imagine how heartbreaking this must’ve been for Jesus. It’s one thing when a stranger wrongs us, but the pain inflicted by a friend hurts unlike anything else. Our human response is to retaliate, but not Jesus! He knew Judas would betray him and told him to do it quickly (John 13:27).

While Judas was the son of perdition and in a class of evil to himself, we too can disappoint the Lord and betray our neighbors. Even under the gloom of betrayal of the perfect Son of God, there is a ray of light and hope for you and me.

Greg Morse said, “Jesus absorbed the traitor’s heel so that he could heal traitors.” By his grace, he heals traitors who come to him in repentance at the foot of the cross. It’s there that sinners place their trust in Jesus and, by his grace, become transformed into the faithful. He absorbed the traitor’s heel so that he could heal you and me.

Proximity doesn’t equal salvation. None of the disciples suspected Judas would be the one to betray the Lord. He must’ve been a really good actor. How can the story of Judas be a warning to us to be genuine in our devotion and discipleship?