Why Was Jesus Betrayed?
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Introduction
Introduction
What is love?
That might seem like a simple question, yet it’s become more and more challenging over the years as the world at large has become convinced that love is simply an emotion that we feel which leads to actions.
The trouble with this belief is that emotions can be manipulated and they are often transitory (meaning they change depend on how we feel at the time).
This is why, biblically, love is greater than emotions. Love certainly has an affect on our emotions, but it isn’t dependent on one’s emotions either. Love is greater than this.
Throughout this series, we will see that love is a willful action in which someone puts the good of another before their own good.
I will unpack this idea more within this series.
Of course, there is no greater picture of perfect love than we find in the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
This morning we begin preparing for the Easter season, looking through the last few chapters of the Gospel of Luke.
Um, pastor…we just finished Christmas! Easter is eleven weeks away!
That is true. However, this year I wanted to look closely at Jesus last two or three days on earth.
But even more so, I want Easter to be our greatest celebration of the year. In order to do that we must spend time looking closely at everything that led up to Resurrection Sunday.
Many of these passages we skip over during the Easter season because of lack of time. We won’t this year!
Body: Luke 22:1-6
Body: Luke 22:1-6
Verses 1-2
Feast of Unleavened Bread/Passover…
This is an important time marker, not for getting exact dates (as some look to do), but because for 1500 years every single Passover lamb was pointing to the final Passover Lamb who would be slain for the deliverance of people.
So really, this Passover would be the culmination of Israel’s ultimate story of God’s deliverance.
Chief priests & scribes…
Who they were…
Before getting to the holy activities of the Passover, there are very unholy activities going on behind closed doors.
Ironically, throughout the Passion narratives in the Gospel, the religious leaders go to great lengths to remain ceremonially clean, yet they don’t even realize they behaving as enemies of God.
For many today, they love to do things to appear to be religious, righteous, and/or like they are in right standing with God. Unfortunately for them, God sees through the veneer of our actions to our hearts condition.
This is a real-life narrative illustration of Jesus warning in Luke 12:1…
In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Why did they want to do this?
Religion & power…(He was a heretic, a threat to them, a threat to Rome, and frustrated them.)
Why did they “fear the people”?
Because Jerusalem was full of people who had just celebrated Jesus entry. Because of His current popularity, it might set off a riot.
Why was that a big deal…
Verses 3-6
Was Judas “possessed”?
Yes and no.
Judas definitely became an instrument of Satan.
Remember, after his failure to get Jesus to sin in the wilderness, Satan went away looking for an opportune time. This is that opportune time and Judas was the opportune person.
However, Judas is still responsible, along with Satan.
Judas opened himself up to Satan’s direction and influence. How and why?
The Gospel’s don’t give the exact reasons.
Some believe he did it for money; others that he was trying to force Jesus into making a move to bring His kingdom in through violent means; others believe he was disenchanted with the direction of Jesus ministry.
All are interesting, but the Bible never really clearly says.
What we do have is a picture of someone who is greedy, self-focused, and a deceiver.
See John 12:4-6 for the best example…
But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
A perfect target for Satan’s influence because his sin became greater than his obedience to his God in his life...
Notice, this was Judas’s idea.
Again, we don’t know why, but Judas makes the religious leaders job easy.
It was also done in secret, which isn’t a surprise!
Beware of secret meetings!
Notice the role that money played…
Whether Judas was looking to get paid or not, Luke’s Gospel doesn’t say (though we get that indication elsewhere). But, Judas still willing did took the money.
Historically, this is all too common.
Donald Guthrie: “Material greed has too often turned men against the Messiah.”
Notice that Judas was well aware of what he was doing, and began to create a wicked plan…
Judas is not an innocent victim of Satan’s possession. He had time to come to his senses. He just never did.
Key Question: Why was Jesus betrayed?
Key Question: Why was Jesus betrayed?
Because the leaders of Israel saw Him as a great threat.
Because Satan is constantly opposing God’s work.
Because someone close to Him wasn’t truly committed to Him.
So What?
So What?
The church must be aware that Jesus will often be seen as a threat to people in power.
This story is replayed again and again throughout human history.
People in power have too often seen Christ and His church as a threat.
The only time we have not been seen like this was when we were doing nothing of eternal value!
As Ben Patterson wrote: “Why was it that wherever Paul went people rioted, but wherever we meet, they serve coffee?
So: Don’t look to politics and leaders for our hope…only look to Christ Jesus!
And: Be a threat to Satan’s work.
Satan still opposes God’s work.
This has been true since the beginning of time.
This is why we need to be concerned if we aren’t facing any spiritual warfare...
Additionally, it’s why we must continually draw near to God, fully prepared with God’s armor for the battle that will come…
That battle can come from outside the church…
The battle can also come from inside the church…
So: Be aware that he will continue to attack Christ’s church today…from the outside and from the inside.
There are many in the church today who are not truly committed to Him.
As Judas was a false follower, we must understand that there are many false followers today. Why?
Because being a professed Christian in America doesn’t cost you anything.
My conversation with the guy from Romania…
So: Check your own heart.
When I counsel couples I always say the same two things: 1) it takes two people to ruin a marriage and two people to fix it; 2) the only person you can change is yourself.
Was Judas a follower who lost his salvation?
No, he was never a true believer to begin with. See John 6:64-71
But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.
But it’s likely that he was given the same authority, heard the same messages, saw the same miracles, and even preached the message himself.
It should be a dire warning to church-goers today! Church attendance and claiming follow-ship is never enough. We must truly believe.
That’s why it is vital when we read this story that we say, “Lord, help me to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling!”
Darrell Bock: “…real faith keeps faith.”
And: Focus your attention on the mission, not your agenda.
We don’t know why Judas did this, but it seems to point to him being focused on his own agenda (money, political, sociological, etc.).
Within the church, problems always arise when people begin focusing on their own agendas and not on God’s purposes.
God’s purposes are His own glory, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, spreading that Gospel across the highways and byways that He leads us on, and people ultimately drawing near to Him in renewed fellowship.
Our purposes (or agenda) is everything that brings us comfort, joy, pleasure, security, power, etc.
Most church issues come down to these things.
We could head off most of them by just asking: Is this about God’s purposes or mine?
Finally, Here Is Love: Before this passage, Jesus says something to prepare His disciples for what was about to come. It was for them, but it’s also for us today, because His love for us is the same.
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Through the example of Jesus betray we are reminded what can happen when we don’t do what Jesus says, stay awake spiritually…pray for strength to escape…stand before the Son of Man. He loves us enough to prepare us for what’s coming.