Passion Week: Spy Wednesday

“Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver Him over to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray Him.”—Matthew 26:14-16

Perhaps the most despicable event in the history of the world is the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. He was one of the twelve apostles, the treasurer of the group, and a thief (John 12:6). From the moment Judas first appears in the Gospels he is identified as the one who betrayed Jesus (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16; John 6:71). His act of betrayal became the defining moment of his life. Jesus said of him that it would have been better if he had not been born (Matthew 26:24; Mark 14:21). The apostles stated after his death that he went to “his own place” (Acts 1:25), a veiled reference to hell.

The betrayal of Jesus by Judas is unimaginable to us. How could this man who had walked with Jesus for three years, heard His words and seen His miracles, betray Him? The thought bewilders the mind—especially when one considers all of the miracles of Christ! Judas had seen the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, the demon-possessed freed, and the dead come to life! He had tasted of the bread and fish Jesus had multiplied, seen Him walk on water, and watched Him calm the storm. This makes his betrayal even more heinous and baffling. To act in ignorance is one thing, but to be deceitful after witnessing everything Christ had done—deplorable!

On the night before He was betrayed (known as “Spy Wednesday” because of Judas’ betrayal), Jesus had been in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, when a woman came to Him with an alabaster flask of very costly oil (Matthew 26:7; Mark 14:3). She broke the flask and poured it on His head as He sat at the table, but there were those there who were indignant and considered her act a terrible waste. Why not sell it (for it was worth a great deal of money), and use the money for the poor? Jesus rebuked them, declaring that she was actually anointing Him for burial (Matthew 26:12; Mark 14:8), and her act would be remembered wherever the good news of Jesus would be preached (Matthew 26:13; Mark 14:9).

We don’t know what triggered Judas’ desire to betray Jesus. Perhaps Jesus’ commendation of the woman’s act was too much for him. Perhaps his greedy heart couldn’t take Jesus' admiration for an act he considered to be a waste (even though he didn’t actually care about the poor, but only wanted an opportunity to use the money for himself). Whatever the case may be, whether bitterness, hate or greed, Judas opened himself up to Satan, and Satan entered Judas (Luke 22:3).

Jesus was aware that Judas had never truly believed in Him (John 6:64, 70-71), although the disciples were ignorant of the fact (Luke 22:23). And with the full consent of Judas' sinful heart, Satan entered him (Luke 22:3) for the first time—thereby prompting him to hatch the diabolical plan of Jesus’ betrayal (Luke 22:4).

Judas' life is a giant warning beacon to all of us. We may not be able to walk in a tangible way with Jesus as Judas did, but we can surely experience blessings, including the fellowship of God’s people, hear wonderful sermons, and even sense the presence of God—and still be an unbeliever. Judas’ life is a call for us to do a spiritual heart check. Where are we at with the Savior? Do we love Him for who He is? Or are we like Judas, appearing to love Him but really only feigning loyalty as a means to get what we want?

Let us throw off any unbelief and lay our hearts bare before Him! Throw yourself at the feet of Jesus and praise Him for His unbelievable love and mercy! And if you know in your heart that you have not truly trusted in Him, take a moment now to repent of your sin and place your faith in Him! And if you are a believer whose heart has grown cold, ask God by His Holy Spirit to rekindle a fire in your heart that burns brightly and passionately for Him! Amen.