Jesus And Judas

 

Jesus and Judas

^{John 13:21 “}When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.”

     Early on in chapter 13, we learn Jesus is confident about where He came from and where He was going.  The question then, why was He troubled?

     For a long time, I thought He was caught up in the moment of the impending crucifixion.  Like this event overshadowed His every move before the cross.  But today, I saw differently.

     In the upper room, where the ‘boys’ were hanging out, flopping on each other and eating grand, peace permeated the air.  Maybe a bit of scuffling about not passing the mashed potatoes.  Perhaps Peter spilled the gravy.  Anyhow, the guys were assembled together again as they had grown accustomed.  Another Passover feast in moderation.  All twelve and Jesus.  That’s where it gets dicey.

     He had kept all the Father had given Him except one, the son of perdition.  Jesus surrendered His authority over this man as guardian.  He allowed Satan to meddle with him.  And he was the only one I know of except the time Peter mouthed off and got a rebuke.  If Jesus had not protected the others from Satan’s rantings, they would have long dismissed also.  So Jesus was the mother hen keeping her chicks close.

     Satan longed to enter the guys earlier.  He kept coming back at times when he thought more advantageous, but he was not allowed to enter in.  The guys had to contend with their own flesh and the world, that was enough.  It was not because of Judas’ secret sin.  All the others sinned in some habitual way.  Jesus just pronounced Judas unclean although He had just washed their feet.

     “Go and wash each other’s feet.”  This world gets junky.  We walk though it and stuff sticks to our soles.  Patterns of the world threaten to program us.  We need each other to remind us of holiness.

     So why was Jesus troubled?  Which, to have the Master of the banquet troubled is a serious thing when they are supposed to be celebrating.  I think He knew it’d be too much for Judas.  He remembered the end of His forty-day wilderness experience.  How much He had to be on His game to resist the Devil.  Judas was a nobody.  He wasn’t God.

     In the end, Judas hung himself and dropped his guts in the field of blood so to say.  A graphic ending to three years of following.  Indeed, Satanic remorse was more than he could bear.  To collaborate with the Devil drives one to new lows.  Judas never recovered.

     Perhaps, Jesus was settled as He usually was.  He had accepted His fate of the cross.  He determined this was the time for the Son to glorify the Father.  A linear path He was willing to keep, but this stone caught His foot.  Judas was going to die, and Jesus was responsible.

     Who else orchestrated this whole thing?  Did He not call the twelve?  Had He not a premonition and a gut feeling about Judas?  So why was the guy on board in the first place?  Just to fulfill some special prophecy of God?  The weakest link who liked to keep his hand in the money jar.

     Surely, all are called but few are chosen.  Judas was just along for the ride and his track record proved it.  A continual thorn in the teacher’s side.  Money, money, money.  Judas was all about pinching pennies and splurging on his own desires.  He was totally unclean.  A pig amongst the sheep.  He never learned the language of, “Yes Sir.” Only a taker.  Judas’ resume lacked considerably.

     So we are not to have compassion upon Judas.  He walked with a limp the whole time.  That’s the gait a mishandled money box creates.  Off balance and surging with self-will. Yet, Jesus was troubled in His spirit.  “Love your enemies,” the Master said.  That day He lived it.