Judas’s Betrayal

Jesus said, truly, I say to you one of you will betray me one of you who was eating with me. There were just absolutely shocked Judas was such an adept hypocrite. Such a skilled hypocrite. They had no idea it was him. Let us know he was. This is hypocrisy at its blackest events that forever branded this manners. History's greatest trader is part of a brand-new series, the divine drama of redemption will John last week we talked about how you love to preach about Christ and focus on him and how that fills your mind all week. As you prepare and yet I also know that you have had a long time interest in Judas and his sad story and in fact, that actually had a role in your preparation for becoming a pastor talk about that for a minute. Yeah. Growing up in a pastor's family and being no privy to what was going on, the church, I saw people who claim to be Christians defect disappear, commit adultery. You no wonder off from the church to deny the Lord and I always wondered how how can they do that what what is the pathology of that what is happening then when I was in high school had a very close friend and we we were in a youth group together and we used to go give the gospel to people in a big park in Los Angeles and he denied the faith completely denied the faith and by the time I got into college and I ran into another guy who is a pastor so we played on the football team together my college days, and he was going to be in ministry.

That's where he was headed, but he ended up denying the faith, and I was trying to figure out how does this happen what is the reality of this.

So by the time I got the seminarian had to pick a dissertation to write. I wanted to understand defection in the most dramatic way. So I wrote my thesis on Judas, the character analysis of Judas Iscariot what was going on with Judas because he is the greatest illustration of lost opportunity and history of the world. How can you be with Christ 20 4743 years see every miracle here every lesson, every everything he taught watch his perfection watches life and then sell them for the price of a slave what what is that what causes that in the course. Jesus basically said that he was a devil from the beginning that he was full of avarice. It wasn't anything complicated. He was a greedy devil and a greedy devil even that close to Jesus. If he doesn't repent is going to end up a greedy devil and hell. The frightening reality of being that close to Christ and Jesus as he went to his own place, which was hell is and is a just a graphic maybe the most graphic warning of all warnings against people who come close to Christ and don't fully embrace him. So that has basically defined a lot of my ministry.

As you know, talking about people who are true Christians. That's why wrote on the gospel according to Chrysler Jesus the Gospel according to the apostles the gospel according to Paula gospel according to God always try to clarify the gospel to make sure people knew that they knew the right gospel and believed that saving Willie and friend. We've never done this before, but we're putting John student thesis about Judas on our website.

John wrote this in his early 20s, but still it's filled with helpful insight into why Judas defected and how you can stay faithful so I encourage you to look for it@gty.org after the lesson right now.

Here's John to continue his series the divine drama of redemption. Once you open the word of God to the gospel of Mark, the gospel of Mark, and chapter 14 verse 43. Let me read verses 43 through 52. Immediately while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the 12 came up accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who were from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now he was betraying him, and given them a sign or signal saying whomever I kiss.

He is the one sees him and lead him away under guard after coming Judas immediately went to him saying Rabbi and kissed him. They laid hands on him and seized one of those who stood by, drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear and Jesus said to them, have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as you would against a robber. Every day I was with you in the temple teaching and you did not sees me, but this is taken place to fulfill the Scripture and they all left him and slid a young man was following him wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body and they seized him, but he pulled free of the linen sheet and escape naked. Let's back up a little bit.

The Jewish ruling council, the Supreme Court of Israel was called the Sanhedrin that simply means the gathering together was a collection of religious leaders.

Some among the sect of the Sadducees who were religious liberals, most among the sect of the Pharisees who were religious conservatives and among the Pharisees, a group of scribes who were the law expert. They were all religious leaders. They didn't necessarily agree on everything, in fact rarely did they agree on everything, but this time they agreed they agreed right down to a man with perhaps just one or two exceptions.

Joseph of Arimathea but they were unanimous that they wanted Jesus dead, they hated him they were jealous of his power for who of them could raise the dead, give sight to the blind hearing to the death of voice to the mute heal them of all diseases deliver them from demons who could create food control storms. Obviously they were jealous of his power. They were also jealous of his popularity for his power had garnered him popularity likes of which no person ever walking on this planet had received because none ever done what he did. They hated him so much because he was encroaching into their space. He was taking over their position and their popularity and then this week. Their hatred of him was amped up when on Monday. He arrived came into the city and there were hundreds of thousands of people hailing him as the Messiah that frighten them even more.

Made them more hostile toward him then he came back on Tuesday went right to the temple where the leaders of the Sanhedrin essentially ran temple operations selling animals and exchanging money and it was nothing but the Israeli Mafia, a den of robbers. Jesus said, and he went in and threw them out one man by himself with hundreds of thousands of people massed around that massive courtyard. He went in through over the moneychangers through the buyers and sellers of animals and emptied the place of the bazaars of Annas.

The former high priest who ran that came back on Wednesday to the debris lying around, commandeered the entire place, and for one solid day that place echoed with the truth coming out of his lips. Those three days had sealed his fate for certain if there was any question at all about whether they wanted him dead.

He had a problem. However, chapter 14 says they were afraid of the people. How are you going to arrest this man, how are you going to pull off this execution. With this kind of popularity. So in chapter 14 verses wanted to they think what you know.

Maybe we better not do this during the festival. They can barely hold their hatred in another day let alone another week or two, but they know that it might be a bad thing to try to do this in public. They know there will be some repercussions with the people in a riot could start that's not good.

The Romans don't like that they have to wait till someone shows up who would that be who would do that everybody who followed him, was enamored with him, who would be a betrayer of Jesus the people were on the side of Jesus when he cleaned out the corruption in the temple because they were all the victims of it. They were paying 10 times what you should pay for an animal sacrifice. There were getting gouged on the coin exchange who was going to do this. Amazingly, someone showed up. Chapter 14 verse 10 Judas Iscariot was one of the 12 went off to the chief priests in order to betray him, to them he initiated me say build and come to him and talk him into it and so he began to seek out a betray him at an opportune time's gonna find a time away from the crowds at night in the dark will you know what we covered in Mark 14 it's Thursday now and they go together through an upper room where they have the final Passover.

The final legitimate official Jewish Passover and then our Lord institutes the Lord's table of the communion service the Lord's supper with them. There in the middle of that evening. That Thursday night which goes essentially from sundown all the way to midnight. It's a long prolonged time in which our Lord does extensive teaching recorded in John 13 to 16, and lots of things are happening but one thing that happens is the issue comes up of the betrayal. The issue comes up that somebody is going to betray him. Verse 18 of chapter 14 they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, truly, I say to you one of you will betray me one of you who was eating with me. There were just absolutely shocked Judas was such an adept hypocrite. Such a skilled hypocrite. They had no idea it was him.

That's a skill he was a hypocrite.

Jesus said it's one of the 12 one of you whose dipping bread in the bowl with me one of you for the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. Would've been good for that man if he never been born. So Jesus unmasked Judas the rest didn't get it.

Judas did, and Satan entered into Judas. Scripture says and Jesus sent them out and said go and do what you do quickly so that Thursday night. Jesus is left with the 11 Judas has been looking for an opportune time now knows Jesus knows leaves goes to find the Sanhedrin members and set up the rendezvous. He knows where to find Jesus because he knows where Jesus and the disciples typically go at night. The garden of Gethsemane from verses 32 to 42. He'd been there, praying he knew that's where they'd be. This is perfect set up for him it's out of the city. It's on the Mount of olives and when the sun goes down in the ancient world.

It's really dark and so he sets it up to take the leaders of Israel and their entourage to find Jesus in the darkness of the garden of Gethsemane or Lord is already there. By the time we come into this passage in verse 43 because he came there in verse 32 verse 32 tells us he came to Gethsemane. He was there for a few hours praying while he's praying. The disciples were sleeping. He warns them that it's dangerous to sleep when you should be praying because temptation is coming the prayer meeting is ended. When you come down to verse 41 middle of the verse.

The hour has come, behold the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners get up. Let's be going behold the one who betrays me is near there up there. Here comes this entourage, and there are as many as a thousand of them in the crowd that's coming they can see the torches they can hear the crowd moving our Lord sees it says prayer times over.

Let's go and doesn't go the other way.

He walks right into the crowd. That's where we pick up the story in verse 43 and here early in the darkness of Friday morning everything begins to get into motion for the execution of Jesus. He will be dead by about 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

That's how fast this happens are.

Let's step into the scene versus the confronting crowd immediately while he was still speaking, still talking to his disciples saying let's get up. Let's get going. Judas is here they're here, the crowd shows up so out of the blackness out of the middle of that night comes this huge crowd.

Hundreds and hundreds of them together mindlessly cowardly unjustly and profane leave coming for the purpose of killing the son of God. The trader then identifies the Lord.

He tells them how is going to do it.

So you go from the confronting crowd to the betraying disciple. Verse 44 he who was betraying him had given them a signal or a sign saying whomever I kiss. He is the one. This is hypocrisy at its blackest verse 45 says Judas was unhesitating after coming Judas immediately went to him saying Rabbi teacher and kissed him and kissed him, or Judas really put on a dramatic show of false affection designed to make it unmistakable exactly who was the one so the soldiers would know Luke as this, Luke 2248 Jesus said Judas, are you betraying the son of man with a cast, Mark says no more about Judas kisses him and he disappears off the pages of Mark's history. So what happened to Judas. Matthew chapter 27 tells us what happened. Judas, who had betrayed him. Verse three saw that he had been condemned was at me. Judas hung around after he betrayed him. That night he hung around for the trial that morning. The trial went on the early hours of the morning and at the end of the trial, Jesus was condemned to death. Judas is still hanging on the fringes watching this happen and when he saw that he had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders went back to wherever the Sanhedrin was located and he gave them back the money and he said verse for I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. They said what is that to us. You do it yourself.

What we care, and he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary departed and went out and hanged himself, hanged himself. That's remorse. That's repentance not under salvation. He went on, hanged himself. He didn't do that very well because acts one says that ultimately his body fell smashed on the rocks and his intestines came out the road broker. The branch broke as he suspended himself over the edge and he died horrific tragic death greatest illustration of wasted opportunity squandered privilege ever.

So the arrest Jesus verse 46 they laid hands on him and seized him, that takes us to verse 47 we have seen the confronting crowd we've seen the ugly tragic betrayer Judas. Now we are introduced to another person in the drama: the impulsive disciple the impulsive disciple.

Verse 47 one of those who stood by, drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. This is strange. Fortunately we know this is if we if we were told we know anyway we can guess it would be Peter could only we could guess that it would be Peter impulsive impetuous Peter and we are right.

According to John 1810 it was Peter was Peter doing. He seems so often out of touch with the plan does any money doing the sauté wise doing this he gets him to prove back in verse 29 of chapter 14 Peter said to Jesus, even though all may fall away yet. I will not fear was a confident guy while he believed in himself similar some boldness. There are some courage there.

Sure there is some boldness and some courage but something had just happened that led to Peter to be that courageous not tell you what was John 18, John 18 is the same account, same incident, but I want you to know what happened there. They all arrive the entourage and Jesus says who do you seek and they said, Jesus the Nazarene, and he said to them go.

I me I am and he said the tetra graviton. The name of God the IM and that's all he had to do was say I am Judas was standing with them, and when he said I am. They all collapsed to the ground, the whole crowd went down select they couldn't touch his power feed and give them permission twice and no man takes my life from me. I lay it down of myself. Yes them again once they scrambled back up. You seek and they said, Jesus the Nazarene, he said I told you I am now if you had just seen Jesus say go Amy in Greek different in Aramaic but if you must take two words one word and permit. If you would just seen Jesus say one word and thousand people collapsed to the ground you'd feel okay right you feel like you could pull out your little knife in start through the crowd because it any moment while Jesus would have to do is say another word, and they'd all go down again. It was that amazing, miraculous, triumphant, glorious, powerful, active Jesus that infused Peter with strength he needed to prove his loyalty again. I lucky he didn't have any surgical training. And I promise you is better throw nets than he was slitting throats, because he missed the throat hit the year was not trying to cut off somebody's year. He was trying to slit the throat possessor you do the guy duct and the Lord says Courtney Luke 22. More this this is wrongheaded, impulsive and dangerous as in Matthew 26 he says to Peter. Peter put her sword away. For whoever lives by the sword dies by the sword in our Lord without advocates capital punishment and capital crime. That's a reiteration of Genesis 9 who sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed will we learn from the New Testament record that the Lord reached over and gave him a new year. The only healing in the New Testament of a fresh wound. This that's not how we do this so you see the crowd to betrayer and you see the impulsive disciple and then the next little scene you see the glorious Christ the triumphant Christ. And Jesus said to them, if you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as you would against a robber. Every day I was with you in the temple teaching you didn't seize me and what he's doing is unmasking the hypocrisy of this clandestine operation in which they're taking them at night because it was a violation of all their laws.

Glorious majesty is displayed by the crumbling of the crowd when he says I am displayed by the amazing, tranquility is he asks reasonable questions. My some robber some high women some plunder that you need all the soldiers and all these police have I ever try to run from you was neither every day this week where were you, but the reason you're here right now in the middle of the night on Friday is because today is the day Scripture is to be fulfilled in your witless hostile anger you are fulfilling the plan of God on schedule for you here. Scripture will be fulfilled. He will die at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, same time, the Passover lambs are being killed because he is the true Passover lamb.

There he stands in such majesty. This is to fulfill Scripture.

So you see the crowd snuggly crowd. The betrayer even uglier. The impulsive Peter disappointing week cowardly in the end, because verse 50 says, and here we come to the final point, the cowardly apostles. They all left him and fled on putting Peter. They all left. They were ill-equipped, weak, afraid, unfaithful, they fled. Zechariah 13 seven said that would happen strike the shepherd sheep will be scattered that prophecy was fulfilled, unprepared, inpatient, carnal, inconsistent week. They flee for their lives. And then there's a closing picture of one person's cowardice. Listen to the young man was following him wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body. He would've had his undergarments on which they always wore but nothing other than a sheet wrapped around that they seized him, he pulled free of the linen sheet and escape naked. This is the only place that appears on the prayer in Matthew, Luke, or John. People say to me. Who is that young man I have absolutely no idea who that young man is how I know I'm looking at the same Bible you're looking at halcyon name and what is the linen sheet. I have no idea, but I do know that when people went to sleep at night. They put a linen sheet on any wrapped himself in a linen sheet and they tried to seize him any pulled free from the linen sheet and ran away. I love that about the Bible. It just says it because it happened.

If the committee wanted organize this. There was a take that thing out because it doesn't have anything to the story is, what's the point was the guy wanted to do it and what's the sheet okay what happened. I mean this we know somebody in the middle the night heard a commotion. Some guy and thought what is going on and jumped out of his bed just wrapped himself with a sheet like what they're fine, it was gonna as he was poking around on the Mount of olives, maybe work. There is no up on it meant baby was in the vineyard up there, any spoken around out there. All of a sudden somebody thinks he's a threat will belongs to the crowd that goes around Jesus and they grabbed him and he just runs and the guys left told me she and that my dear friends is a true interpretation of this passage anything anything more than that is pure speculation. Some people say no no that's Mark that's Mark is yeah, because it's a first-person account who would know that, but the guy was doing it maybe was Mark. Maybe the reason it's here is because it was Mark and maybe somebody even suggested that before Judas went to the garden. He checked Mark's house because Mark's mother was one of the early believers and maybe check to see if Jesus went there instead of to the Mount of olives and when Mark found out they were looking for Jesus. He threw a sheet on and jumped out the window because he was very young mother would let them go on a mill the night and followed along in well now are creating some fiction here instead of what it says. What's the point point is Jesus is alone.

Everybody's gone verse 53 says they led him away in the darkness of night to a kangaroo court 20 through two trials trumped up charges bribed witnesses, corrupt judges proverbial kangaroo court, get them on the cross in the morning. He's dead in the afternoon. In the end, nothing is to be said accepted Jesus triumphantly, knowingly goes to the cross fulfilling prophecy. There were prophecies about Judas the betrayer. There were prophecies about the scattering of the disciples. There were prophecies about him as the Passover lamb that had to be fulfilled on Friday. There were prophecies about the cross that he would be lifted up.

There were prophecies about him being pierced by the nails and the sword is all what Scripture says Isaiah 53. He is led as a sheep to slaughter, but he goes will does it out of love for his father and love for you because it's your sins, that he carried their this is grace to you with John MacArthur.

Thanks for being with us. John's current study, the divine drama of redemption is showing you what the gospel of Mark teaches about the cross, the resurrection, and how Christ secured our salvation. These are truths that are are particularly timely to review as Easter approaches it out to help you know the book of Mark, and all the books surrounding it like never before.

I encourage you to pick up a copy of the MacArthur study Bible to place your order. Contact us today. Call our toll-free number 855 grace or owner from our website Jide TY.org with detailed introductions to each book of the Bible at about 25,000 footnotes that explain virtually every passage from Genesis to Revelation. The MacArthur study Bible makes Scripture clear. The study Bible is available in a variety of English and non-English translation can see all the options available and order now@jidety.org or call us at 855 grace and remember this brand-new series is one example of the ways grace to you takes the life-changing truth of the gospel to people around the world and it's the support of listeners like you that lets us reach so many to partner with us mail your tax deductible donation to grace to you. Box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 or you can also donate online@tty.org or when you call 855 now for John MacArthur and the entire staff on Phil Johnson join us tomorrow when John looks at what he calls the ultimate miscarriage of justice as he continues his new study titled the divine drama of redemption. Don't miss the next 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on wasting