By Colin Smith
writing at The Gospel Coalition
IT'S EASY TO DISMISS JUDAS as a villain or a victim, but I’m struck by the fact that, in many ways, he was just like me.
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Judas was a follower of Jesus and a preacher of the gospel, but
there was a doublemindedness about him. In the end, he abandoned the
faith he once professed.
Here are four things that are easily overlooked in the story of Judas.
1. The Commitment He Made
Judas made a commitment to Jesus, and there’s no reason to think he
was anything but sincere in his faith. Like the rest of the disciples,
he left everything to follow our Lord. Judas was actively involved in
ministry, and he was given remarkable spiritual gifts. Luke tells us
that Jesus called “the twelve” together—that included Judas—and “gave
them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he
sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (
Luke 9:1–2).
Judas Iscariot was a gospel preacher! He was given the gift of
healing, and he exercised authority over demons. Active involvement in
ministry is a good and wonderful thing; but it is not, in itself, a
guarantee of spiritual life or health.
2. The Opportunity He Was Given
Judas walked with Jesus for three years. He saw the greatest life
ever lived up close and personal. You can’t have a better model of faith
than Jesus or a better environment for forming faith than Judas had in
walking with the Savior.
He directly witnessed the miracles. When Jesus fed the 5,000,
Judas was there. He took the bread and distributed it along with the
other disciples. When Jesus calmed the storm, Judas was there. And he
was there when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. You can’t have better
evidence for faith than Judas had.
Judas heard all the teaching of Jesus, too. He heard the Sermon
on the Mount, so he knew there is a narrow road that leads to life and a
broad road that leads to destruction. He heard the warnings Jesus spoke
to the Pharisees, so he knew there is a hell to shun and a heaven to
gain. He heard the parable of the prodigal son, so he knew God is ready
to welcome and forgive those who have wasted themselves in many sins.
With Judas’s own eyes, he saw the clearest evidence. With his own
ears, he heard the finest teaching. With his own feet, he followed the
greatest example. And yet this man still betrayed Jesus.
With Judas’s eyes, he saw the clearest evidence. With
his ears, he heard the finest teaching. With his feet, he followed the
greatest example. And yet this man still betrayed Jesus.
The human heart is beyond understanding (
Jer. 17:9),
and there is something incomprehensible about a person who abandons the
faith they once once professed. It’s hard to understand how a young
person raised by godly parents in the context of a healthy church,
taught the truths of Scripture from an early age, and grounded in
apologetics can give up on Jesus.
Judas’s story contains an important lesson for parents, leaders,
and friends who grieve over someone they love who has abandoned the
faith. They worry:
- Where did we go wrong?
- What more could we have done?
- Did we fail in our teaching?
- Did we fail in our example?
- Should we have immersed our son or daughter or friend in a different environment?
But Judas teaches us that even the the best example, the most
compelling evidence, and the finest teaching—the ultimate environment
for incubating faith—cannot, in and of themselves, change the human
heart.
3. The Choice He Made
Satan made a relentless assault on Judas’s soul, as he makes a
relentless assault on everyone who chooses to follow Christ. We read
about Satan’s attacks on Judas:
The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him. (
John 13:2)
The Bible’s clear statements about Satan’s activity have led some
to say, “Well, poor Judas, he didn’t have a chance. Satan entered into
him. What could he do about that?” But this evaluation overlooks the
fact that Judas opened the door to Satan.
Judas had been stealing from the collective money bag, and when
he kept this sin secret, Satan entered into him. He made a deal with the
chief priests and then sat down at our Lord’s table with known sins he
would not confess, and Satan entered even further into his life.
Unconfessed sin always opens the door to Satan’s power.
Unconfessed sin always opens the door to Satan’s power.
Satan doesn’t gain a foothold in the lives of people who are walking
in the light with Jesus. He only gains access when we open the door. As
Klaus Schilder
observes:
It is the peculiar majesty of Jesus
that he can conquer man without man’s first approaching him. But Satan’s
frailty is proved by this, that he cannot approach a soul unless that
soul has first turned to him.
Sometimes we get this the wrong way around, fearing that Satan
will somehow have secret access to God’s children, while doubting that
Jesus can do anything for a person unless they open the door. But the
Bible teaches precisely the opposite.
4. The Outcome He Embraced
Judas went out into the darkness he had chosen. When you get close to
Jesus, one of two things will happen: either you will become wholly
his, or you will end up more alienated from him.
Among those who hate Christ the most, some once professed to
trust him. His claims are so exclusive, and his demands so pervasive
that, in the end, you must either give yourself to him completely or
give him up altogether. There is no middle ground.
The story of Judas reminds us that nothing good can come from giving up on Jesus Christ.
Only those who have never known him can remain indifferent to him.
For those who get close, the only outcomes are full devotion or eventual
antagonism; and every day, each of us is heading in one direction or
the other.
In an age when many are abandoning the faith they once professed,
the story of Judas warns us to guard our hearts, lest we drift away.
The story of Judas also equips us to reach out to those who may be close
to walking away from the faith. Christ calls us to “be merciful to
those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire” (
Jude 22–23).
Finally, the story of Judas reminds us that nothing good can come from
giving up on Jesus Christ. He is of supreme value, and following him is
worth any cost.