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CROSS EXAMINATIONS: A PRACTICAL MAN

MARK 14:43-50

If you could sit down and have a cappuccino conversation with anybody from the Bible, who would it be? Who would you like to talk to? Would it be Peter or Paul? Would it be Moses or David? It's fun to think about.

I've given a little thought to that myself. There are many folks I would like to sit down with. But I think the person I would most like a few moments with is Judas Iscariot. Of all the people in Scripture, he is the greatest mystery to me.

I've tried to interpret his actions. His betrayal has been called the act of a greedy man, a disappointed man, a man destined for a dirty job, a man trying to force Jesus to act by precipitating a crisis. Luke's Gospel does say, "Satan entered Judas" (22:3), but Judas had to let him in.

He's been accused of all of those things. And yet it still doesn't answer my question. The question of "How?"

Here was a man who was taught by Jesus himself and then sent to minister with apostolic authority. Here was a man who enjoyed the same successes as the other disciples on the mission to preach and to heal and to cast out demons in Jesus' name. He was in every sense of the word an apostle.

He had seen the lame walk and blind eyes opened. He had seen Jesus walking on the water. He had witnessed thousands upon thousands of people fed on a hillside from a little boy's lunch. He had seen the tenderness of Jesus with children. And he had seen Jesus' patient love with sinners.

For three and a half years he'd been with Jesus night and day. He'd seen the color of His eyes and the wave of the wind as it blew through His hair. He had seen Jesus throw back His head and roar with laughter sitting around a campfire. He'd seen Him cry at funerals. He had even been there when Jesus raised a man from the dead.

Judas had lived with Him, talked with Him, walked with Him, eaten with Him, observed His ministry, even participated in His ministry. He was a road companion, an intimate friend, a chosen disciple.

So what happened? How could he betray Jesus after knowing Him so well? What could have possibly caused him to turn his back on the clearly manifested Son of God? Those are the questions I would want to ask Judas in my conversation.

I know I'm not alone in my questions. Christians for 2,000 years have been trying to understand the mind and motives of Judas Iscariot. And over those years there have been an abundance of suggestions as to motive.

There are some who say that Judas was a loyal but impatient disciple, completely confident in Jesus' ability to overcome any situation. And that he simply felt so much confidence in the Lord's capacity to create something good from bad that he turned Him in just to move things along. By putting Jesus in a sticky situation, He would be compelled to display His sovereign power.

There are others who suggest a similar theory, though they express it in a slightly different way. They say that Judas was in touch with the people and that after Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem he knew they were primed for an uprising. Unfortunately, though, from Judas's point of view, at that crucial moment Jesus seemed to be the ultimate procrastinator. Instead of taking advantage of the rising tide of support and popularity, and announcing himself publicly as the Messiah, Jesus decided to take the day off in Bethany. Therefore Judas brought the soldiers to Gethsemane to force Jesus into action and step out as the kind of King the people were calling for.

Still others suggest that Judas was simply an honest patriot who had come to the conclusion that Jesus had become a danger to the nation of Israel. They argue that Judas was wavering in his conviction that Jesus truly was the Messiah. Some moments he was sure--at other moments quite unsure. He knew what the Pharisees and Sadducees were saying about Jesus, and the question he couldn't get away from in his mind was, "Is He the Messiah or not?"

That question caused Judas to believe that the answer could only be resolved in one way: Let Jesus be put to a test. Let Him be arrested on a capital charge, and then, if He was the Messiah, all His mighty power would flash out and He would be ready to lead the people.

If He wasn't the Messiah, then He was a terrible imposter anyway and deserved what He got. And so, they say, Judas betrayed Him out of pure love for Israel, and his actions may seem offensive to us but for Judas it was only the result of a misguided nationalism.

Those are a few of the theories set forth as to why Judas did what he did. The only problem with those theories is that the Bible doesn't give any of those reasons for why Judas did what he did. They are fascinating to consider, but the biblical witness doesn't support any of them.

It could have been that Judas saw the direction things were going and out of fear for himself betrayed Jesus. Undoubtedly, things were not going as he had planned, and he certainly had to be somewhat disillusioned with the whole matter. Maybe Judas did believe he could consummate the revolution and force Jesus to reveal himself as the Messiah under pressure. There is even some evidence that Judas did what he did from the motivation of pure greed, and yet even that is not crystal clear.

You see, the truth of the matter is we know nothing about Judas outside the Gospels. And if we are to understand and interpret the truth about the disciple called Judas Iscariot, we must sit close to the evidence as we have it. Whatever conclusions we draw of Judas have to be in harmony with the Scriptures.

So based on the evidence of Scripture, what do we know for sure about Judas?

First of all, we know that Judas was the only Judean of the 12 disciples. He was from the village of Kerioth from where he derived his name Iscariot. The other disciples were all from Galilee.

Now that's important, because of the 12 men Jesus chose as His disciples, 11 of them came from the northern country and only 1 from the south. The southerner was Judas Iscariot. He spoke with a different accent. He probably was one of the few with any kind of formal education, and he was very likely a little more sophisticated than the other disciples.

We also know that Judas must have been a man with a certain degree of business sense. At least Jesus thought he did, because Judas was appointed the official "keeper of the bag." He was the treasurer of the group, the accountant.

When you've got a group of at least 13 people moving around from place to place, you need to have someone responsible handling the money. Judas Iscariot was that man. He was the disciple with the best business mind, and the Lord made use of it. Jesus trusted Judas. He gave him a place of leadership. He esteemed him as a person of authority. He loved Judas as much as he loved any of His disciples.

I don't believe for a second that Judas was eternally destined to be the betrayer of Jesus. Not only does that eliminate the grace of God and free will of humanity, but it also speaks against the very character of Jesus and the gospel He came to reveal.

You may ask, "Did Jesus know that Judas would betray Him?" John seems to indicate that somewhere along the way Jesus became aware of what Judas would do, but foreknowledge is not the same thing as foreordination. I know that the sun will rise tomorrow morning, but my knowing it doesn't make it rise.

And so it was possible for Jesus to know that Judas Iscariot would betray Him, without that knowledge compelling Judas to do what he did. Judas still acted for reasons of his own and with as much freedom as any of us have.

Judas is a mystery. Here is a man who was one of Jesus' most trusted friends. Here is a man chosen after an entire of prayer by Jesus himself to be in His inner circle. Here is man who followed Jesus for three and a half years. He was influential. He was educated. He had authority. But in spite of all he heard, in spite of all he saw, in spite of even Jesus himself, Judas followed only as far as the gate of the Kingdom--but no farther.

How could feet that walked so close to Christ have a heart that lagged so far behind? It boggles the mind. It just doesn't make sense. But then again, knowing Judas it makes all the sense in the world.

For Judas was a practical man.

As I look into the Gospels I don't find a Judas who was an idealist. I don't find a radical zealot. I don't find a romantic dreamer. I find a realist. I find a pragmatic, sensible man. Things had to make sense for Judas.

I believe that's the reason that the first time John even mentions Judas is in chapter 6, when Jesus began to announce that his kingdom was going to include a cross, and all of the thousands who had been following Him realized it was going to cost them something, and they began to desert Him. Suddenly things weren't making sense anymore for Judas. Messiah-type people just didn't talk in those ways. Saying things like, "The Spirit gives life, but the flesh counts for nothing," was worse than dreaming--it was impractical.

You see, for Judas, the mission was fast becoming a ministry to be budgeted rather than a Savior to be served. And Judas began to realize that things were not going as planned.

For Judas was a practical man.

I believe that is also why, in John's version of Mark 12, when Mary anointed Jesus with costly perfume, the one who put his foot down and demanded a little common sense was Judas. The cost of the perfume was more than a year's wages, and Judas saw it as an enormous waste. "Imagine how much a year's wages could have helped the poor. But instead this crazy lady decides to get extravagant and give Jesus a $25,000 bath!"

John tells us that Judas wasn't concerned about the poor at all but was concerned in fact, for himself. John even goes so far as to say that Judas had been pilfering from the money bag and that he saw the extravagance as money out of his pocket. Somewhere along the way he had gone from accountant to embezzler.

But I believe that there was something even deeper at stake here. Mark makes it clear that Mary's action was the straw that broke the camel's back for Judas. The anointing of Jesus was the event that finally persuaded Judas to try and cut a deal for himself with the Sanhedrin. It was just too much for Judas. The ministry wasn't practical anymore. Things weren't going as planned.

When Jesus began to prefer a hysterical woman over the revolution, He had gone too far. When He preferred to spend the most important hours of His life with insignificant people in an insignificant village, and then allow an overly emotional woman to blow a year's salary rather than rubbing shoulders with the power brokers and people who could make things happen, it just didn't make sense anymore.

You see, Judas was a practical man.

Judas knew a sinking ship when he was on one. He had been watching Jesus continue to press the religious hierarchy in Jerusalem, and nobody did that and got away with it. Nobody. It was time to make a decision. Jesus was pushing the envelope. It was time to start looking ahead. A man could only stay on board for so long before he had to protect his back. It was only practical.

With the way things were going, Jesus was going to get himself killed. It was time to get to the bottom line, because finally Judas was a bottom-line kind of guy. If they killed Jesus, it just made sense that His disciples would be next. A man has to do what a man has to do. This had nothing to do with betrayal. If Jesus was determined to dig His own grave, then so be it. It was time to jump.

And as for the 30 pieces of silver? Well, it wasn't much. In fact, it was the same amount asked for an injured slave. But a little life preserver could at least keep him afloat until he found a place to land and dry off. And so the deal was made.

And now the disciples are gathered with Jesus in an upper room (14:12-26). It was Passover, a sacred festival for the Jews--a time to celebrate God's deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. A festival that culminated in the taking of the Passover meal, filled with symbolism of their deliverance.

But this will not be just another Passover meal. Because again, John tells us, before the meal began, Jesus took a towel and basin and began to scrub dirty feet (John 13). A very impractical thing to do. He moved from disciple to disciple until finally even Judas's feet were washed. Even though Jesus knew that this was the night He would love Judas to the bitter end.

After the supper, Jesus and the Twelve reclined at the table. To partake of a meal with another was a sign of supreme love and respect--table fellowship was a sign of covenant and friendship.

The table itself would be very low to the ground. People then did not sit to eat, they reclined by laying on their left side, propped up on their elbow, with their right hand free to take of the meal.

The table would be a huge U, with the host, or master of ceremonies, sitting at the heart of the U, with the honored guests to his right and to his left. So Jesus would be at the heart of the U, with those He had chosen to sit in the places of honor on either side.

Who would be in the places of honor that night? Who would Jesus select to sit at His right and left hand? We know that John sat on Jesus' right because he was the one who leaned back against Jesus when He announced that one of them would betray Him and asked, "Lord, who is it?"

But who would be on the left--in the place of highest honor? Judas. Judas was there. That's why Jesus would offer him the bowl as a symbol of friendship, because Judas is sitting next to Him. Jesus was doing everything He could to love Judas back to Him. It wasn't too late to return and be forgiven. Jesus was offering him grace to the very end.

But Judas would not accept it. For Judas was a practical man--too practical to let go and follow completely. And Judas slipped into the darkness where in just a few hours he would lead Jesus' enemies to a garden and kiss Him into their arms. And John's Gospel records, "It was night" (13:30).

What do we learn from the life of Judas Iscariot?

We learn that it's possible to live very near Jesus Christ and yet fall away. We learn that it's possible to be in His very presence, on a regular basis, to be involved in ministry, to be doing good things, to be in a place of authority, to even be regarded as an intimate friend and yet be guilty of betrayal.

It is a frightening truth to realize that we cannot look at the life of Judas without confronting the truth that there is the potential of Judas within us. There is something within us that keeps our hands clutching to our securities. There is something obsessively practical that keeps us from letting go and following Him completely and with a whole heart.

We also learn of the terrible regret that broke over Judas when he realized what he had done. When he saw that Jesus had been condemned to death, Matthew tells us, "he was seized with remorse" (27:3) and tried to return the money to the chief priests. "'I have sinned,' he said, 'for I have betrayed innocent blood'" (v. 4). And he left that place and took his life.

Judas wasn't the only one to betray Jesus. In fact, all of the disciples ran for their lives. But only Judas ultimately forgot that Jesus' very life was about restoration. For if the gospel is true and if Jesus' death on the Cross means anything, it means that even Judas could have found forgiveness for his sin.

Do you think for a moment that the same Jesus who could pray for His murderers as they nailed Him to a cross, and the same Jesus who could say to a dying thief who had mocked Him just moments before, "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43), could not also forgive even the man who had kissed Him into His enemies' arms?

The crowning error of Judas's life was not that he betrayed Jesus. Peter was guilty of the same sin and was forgiven. The crowning error of Judas's life was limiting the grace of God!

To the last possible moment, Jesus was extending His love to Judas. He washed his feet. He offered him the bowl of covenant. But for Judas it didn't make sense. How could Jesus ever forgive him for so grave a sin? It was just too much. It was too hard to believe. It was too much to hope for. It just didn't make sense!

But thanks be to God, Jesus' forgiveness doesn't make sense. Jesus sees the traitor in you and me, and yet He continues to love us and offer us forgiveness. He washes our feet, He extends us covenant, and He offers us another chance.

That kind of love can change your life. There is nothing you cannot be forgiven of. It doesn't matter what you've done. God can forgive you and make you whole again. And the depth of His grace can loosen your grip on all securities and free you from the bondage of sin in your life.

It's nearly morning now. The longest night in the history of the world is drawing to a close. The huge walls of Jerusalem and the pinnacles of the Temple are emerging from the shadows of the night.

If you strain to see, you can just make out a solitary figure coming down the winding road. They pause for a moment, and turning, look back toward the city. It appears to be a man and he's carrying something. Best you can tell, it's a rope. He slips into the darkness and is gone.

For Judas was a practical man.