With Easter being this Sunday, I was wondering what God would like me to study. For some reason I kept coming back to Judas. "Judas?" I thought. "Really, God? Isn't he the worst part of Easter?" I couldn't shake it, and now I know why. Judas was Jesus's last display of his unwavering grace. I looked up and read every scripture mentioning Judas, some in different translations, and there was one overlying thing that I learned; Jesus is a friend of sinners.
I am going to share with you what I have learned out of the book of Matthew. I started with the very beginning; Jesus choosing Judas. Why would Jesus choose Judas, and what did it mean for him to be chosen? Matthew 10:1 says, "Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and heal every kind of disease and illness." When Judas was chosen, he was given a fighting chance. He had the authority to cast out evil spirits, meaning when he was tempted by Satan, he did not have to given in. When we become Christians, we are given the same fighting chance when we receive the Holy Spirit. However, just like Judas did, we do not always choose to use our authority.
In Matthew 26:14-16 it tells us that Judas went to the priests and offered to betray Jesus. Some of the Gospels say that Satan led him there, and others say he just went. Either way, Judas found himself faced with temptation and accepted it.
Right after this, though, we see Jesus enter in. Matthew 26:21-24 says, "While they were eating, he said, 'I tell you the truth one of you will betray me.' Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, 'Am I the one, Lord?' He replied, 'One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scripture declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be better to have never been born than to do this!'" Jesus gives Judas an opportunity to choose a different ending to his story by bringing conviction, much like he does for us. Whether or not we listen makes all the difference.
The next verse caught me off guard. Verse 25 says, "Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, 'Rabbi, am I the one?' And Jesus told him, 'You have said it.'" I wondered why Jesus did not respond with "Yes! Get out!" Why did he say, "You have said it"? Then I realized the key word: You. Jesus was reminding him that his future was not set. He still got to choose. If Judas was going to be the one to betray Jesus, Judas would have to choose it. -- In the same way, our future is not set! Generational curses, things spoken over us, things we believe about ourselves, addictions, insecurities, they do not get to decided who we are because Jesus has given us a fighting chance with the power of the Holy Spirit!
The sad part of this story for Judas is that he does choose it, and in Matthew 27:3-5 it says, "Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he declared, "for I have betrayed an innocent man." "What do we care?" they retorted. "That's your problem." Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself."
Judas's story did not have to have this ending, though, even after he chose to betray Jesus.
After Jesus has established that Judas is the one that could, and would, betray him, he shows him grace and still lets him participate in the Lord's Supper. The importance of this is what the Lord's supper represents; Jesus's body, broken for us, and his blood poured out to atone for our sins. Judas being allowed to stay was a sign that he was not exempt of forgiveness. Even when Judas goes to betray him in the garden, Jesus addresses him as "Friend" (Matthew 26:50).
This is the heart of our Lord: Friend of Sinners.
If Judas didn't have to let shame steal life from him, we shouldn't let it steal life from us. Jesus died to bring us life to the full. We are forgiven, and Jesus calls us friend.
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