Understanding Judas's Role and Intentions

Welcome welcome – our live congregation and those tuning in through streaming video. If you haven’t been here before we take a deconstructed view of “doing church” and believe that the Christian experience is highly subjective. As a result we simply begin with prayer, we sing the word of God (if you are so inclined) we sit in silent reflection for a while and then we hold a verse by verseTGNN’s Bible teaching series—book-by-book, through the lens of fulfillment and spiritual liberty. study of the Word. We do not care who you are or what you believe. We care that you are here and pray God’s spirit will abide upon us all, in Jesus name. So let’s pray then we’ll sing the Word (or should I say, we will attempt to sing the Word set to music).

Recap on Mary Anointing Jesus

Okay we left off last week with Mary (the sister of Martha and Lazarus) anointing Jesus with very expensive perfume. Let’s pick it up at verse 4 of chapter 12:

John 12:4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. 8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always. 9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God.; 11 Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus. 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. 14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, 15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. 16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. 17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record. 18 For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.

Judas Iscariot's Questioning

Okay back to verse 4-5. Mary had anointed the Lord’s head body and feet in this very expensive perfume and (verse 4) 4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

Matthew, Mark and John all mention that the question was asked, “Why wasn’t such an item sold and the money given to the poor?” Additionally, the other Gospels suggest that some of the other disciples had joined in with the criticism. Only in John do we have the matter placed squarely in the hands of Judas who must have been the ring leader.

In fact John goes on and gives even more insight into the mind of Judas Iscariot in verse 6, saying: 6 This he (Judas) said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

Now, the word that is translated bag is compounded of two words in the Greek which amounts literally to "tongue," and "to keep or preserve." Originally this would have been a container that was used to carry reeds for musical pipes (tongues) but it seems that the Lord and His apostles took such a bag and used it to put the money they had set aside to help the poor. Interestingly enough, Judas was the one who was in charge of the keeping of the bag. I say this because Judas appears to have had some issues with money, greed and avarice.

We know this because of this verse where John tells us that Judas didn’t really have

The Allure and Pitfalls of Money

Any concern for the poor but was a thief and he would “bare” (or steal) what was put inside of the bag he was entrusted with. We also know that Judas had an issue with money because right after this dinner (where Jesus is anointed by Mary) Judas is going to go and make a deal with the Jewish leaders to betray the Lord – for what? Thirty pieces of silver.

I have a bit of an issue with money. I am very well aware of its allure and how it can sway otherwise good people to do some rather awful things. Most of us are affected by its alluring power. Too little of it can bring men to desperation and too much of it can bring men to power mongering and pride. In either situation money is the issue – either the lack of it or the abundance.

Parable of the Sower

In his parable of the Sower Jesus says “a sower” sows (tosses) seeds (the word of God) on four types of soil – wayside, rocky, thorny, and good soil. When the “word of God” hits the thorny soil (which represents the heart of a human being) Jesus says it is joyously received and begins to take root but is soon choked by . . . ? That’s right, two things: the cares of this world and the riches of the world (which I interpret as the lack of money or those who are desperate for money (and are therefore constantly trying to make ends meet – the cares) and those who have an abundance of it (the riches).

But money in and of itself is not evil – it’s an inanimate object, for goodness sake. In this fallen world it does serve as a bartering tool and much good can be done with the possession of it. Scripture says that it is, “the love of money that is the root of all evil” and this seems to be the issue with Judas – at least one of his issues. For me the greatest evil reflected by man out on the world relative to money is parsimony – or what today we might call extreme penny pinching.

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

Financially it is when EVERYTHING is gauged by the dollar involved not the person, not the need, not the situation – the dollar involved. It’s a hyper focus on financial stewardship to the exclusion of all other factors – including family, friends, and the suffering. In a sense it is being penny wise but pound foolish when it comes to the priorities we have with cash. In the end this is what the parsimony of Judas boiled down to – Mary was blessing God in the flesh with an expensive perfume but Judas was critical of the act – focusing instead on the monetary value of the product rather than the persons involved.

Of course if we are ONLY speaking of finances and fiscal management there is wisdom in avoiding being pennywise and pound foolish. We get that.

Years ago when I was a stockbroker a woman called our office and asked about receiving some financial advice and I was elected to go to her home. When I entered I was astounded – absolutely floored – by the quantity of stuffed animals that literally filled her entry way and living room. Following a path to the dining room table we sat down and before getting into the details of her finances I said, “I’ve gotta ask?” (pointing around to the thousands of mostly small stuffed animals). She was filled with excitement as she explained that EVERY DAY she would go to the local Denny’s and get these animals for her grandchildren. “Why Denny’s?” I asked. “That’s where they have the game.”

And then it clicked – she obtained these fluffy toys for her grandchildren by playing those games where you put a dollar or two into the machine and guide the claw over the object desired and then try to retrieve it. I’ve tried that game and it is not easy. “Apparently you are very good at it,” I said.

I then learned that it would cost this woman somewhere between five dollars and animal to as high as forty dollars to win the prize – with her average being around 20 bucks per little creature. Looking around I was astounded – astounded at the . . . utter financial ridiculousness of the endeavors. As she rambled into a story of how she had been doing this for two decades I was doing some rough-nail figures in my head . . .

The Cost of an Obsession

Twenty dollars per day (the average cost

The Dilemma of Money and Morality

…per animal) (times) three hundred and sixty five days (times) twenty years…

(beat)

…compounded in a tax deferred account at an average of just, say 5% annual ROI…

In the end I calculated that she had spent 150,000 on obtaining these stuffed animals over a twenty-year period. And could have easily had around 23 million in a self-directed IRA instead. Now all she has is a house full of stuffed animals… but at least they were going to eventually be passed onto her grandchildren.

On the other hand, when multi-billionaire JP Getty’s grandson was kidnapped and held for ransom Getty refused to pay for the boy's release. Ultimately, the boy was returned to the Getty family – absent both ears.

Money, the use of it, like religion, is a very personal thing and full of nuance and opinion.

Judas and the Love of Money

But in the case of Judas his issue was his love of money… and what it led him to say… and then do. Jesus says (relative to money) that it is impossible for a person to serve (love) two masters (in this case Money and God) for, the Lord says, “he will love the one and hate the other.” I suppose it’s like asking if a man can truly, truly love (in the fullest sense of the word) two or more women at the same time.

Many people have been able to convince themselves that the answer is “yes” but if we really think about it true agape loveSelfless love marked by patience, mercy, and humility—central to living in spiritual liberty. is selfless, and patient, and long-suffering” AND in light of the biblical directive that men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church (and gave His LIFE for it) it would be impossible to give your singular life (time attention devotion) to two wives – one of them will always be shortchanged. This is what the Lord was saying about trying to serve (love) God and Money – it’s impossible because one (or the other) will always be getting shortchanged (no pun intended).

When we think about it, it’s impossible to truly say we love God when ANYTHING comes before our adoration, commitment, and devotion to Him. He is either first in our lives, and the first recipient of our attentions, or He’s not.

Illustrations of Money's Temptation

In the case of Judas, we have a double whammy going on here – the man is using the appearance of “Godly purposes” (helping the poor) to criticize Mary’s actions, and then his purpose in doing it was only because he wanted to get his hands on the dough the perfume could have been sold for so he could use it for his own purposes.

That’s a pretty heinous crime. It’s like raising money for disabled kids and giving them 10% while you keep 90. But we have to be honest – the temptation is powerful when money is involved. That is why there is so much abuse, and frankly, I wouldn’t judge Judas – I am just as capable of justifying things in Jesus' cause to benefit myself.

It’s human nature – self-service – and I don’t care who a person is, it’s a herculean feat to not put your needs and wants ahead of others. The ONLY truly effective safeguard against self-interest ruling the day is for a person to truly LOVE God and then to Love neighbor as much as they love themselves. Not easy.

In the story of Judas and his criticism of Mary, we are presented with some very interesting elements. First of all, don’t you think that it is really interesting that the money bag was put in the care of Judas in the first place? Certainly, the Lord, being able to read thoughts (which has been proven in previous New Testament accounts) knew the man had a proclivity toward money lust, and yet he was the one allowed to be in charge of the bag.

There are all SORTS of ideas on why this was the case. An Arminianist (and a Mormon and a Roman Catholic) would generally suggest that God was giving Judas a chance to face his particular sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. of choice and choose to either love God and Man in response or to fail and serve himself. That he was responsible according to his free will to choose evil… or not. An open theist would suggest that God didn’t know that Judas was a thief but that He was there to help the man through whatever choices…

Understanding Judas

He was going to make. A Calvinist would say that Judas was predestined to be lost forever by God and that he was placed in that position to act according to the will of God (in other words, to do the evil he was predestined to do). And then from these general descriptions others (like Augustine and Karl Barth and others) have had other things to say. It really depends on your view of God on how we might answer why Judas was allowed to be in-charge of the bag.

We could, I suppose, challenge the Lord and accuse him of doing something wrong by letting Judas care for the bag (sort of like Him hiring a known alcoholic to guard a wine cellar). That would be the corporate sort of managerial approach to take. But in my humble and very limited opinion, I believe that Jesus showed trust in Judas as a deliberate act of love and to show to His apostles that the choices of Judas (to steal or not to steal) were not paramount in ministry.

A Lesson from Les Misérables

In Hugo’s epic book, Les Miserable, the convict Jean Val Jean, after being released from prison after 19 years for stealing a load of bread (to feed his sister's seven starving children) encounters a Bishop named Myriel, who invites Val Jean to sleep in his house. During the night Val Jean, angry and resentful and full of distress chooses to rise up and steal Bishop Myriel’s silverware before dashing off into the night.

In short order, the police catch Val Jean with the silverware in his possession and drag him back to the Bishop's house, who was made aware by his angry and judgmental housekeeper that the criminal Val Jean had burglarized him during the night. In one of the most epic scenes in the entire book, when the police ask the Bishop if he was aware that Val Jean was in possession of his silver, the Bishop said, “Oh, yes, yes, yes . . . in fact Val Jean,” he said, running to the fireplace mantle, “you forgot these too” and he grabbed two silver candlesticks and put them into a stunned Val Jean’s hands. It was this singular act of utter mercy that took a hardened 19-year convict and brought him around to an utterly new way of seeing himself, and of seeing others, and of seeing life. In other words, in the midst and presence of his guilt and sin he was still shown mercy, and love, and longsuffering – and was won for God through such love.

The Lord's Subtle Message

Could it be that the Lord was subtly showing Judas the same thing? That He who walked on water, and raised the dead, and knew the thoughts of others actually allowed Judas to be present among the twelve without ever taking Him aside and counseling him or cutting him from the group because he was dangerous? I receive a copy of a disgracebook dialogue where a man was disinvited to a conference on Mormonism because he is living with his girlfriend. In this day of utter utilitarianism, we have become pound wise and penny foolish, focusing on the functioning whole while ignoring the troubled, the lost, the needy, and the failing.

Institutional allegiance comes well before individual needs – this was the argument Judas was making in his criticism of Mary and the perfume – “That expensive perfume could have done (utilitarianism) so much more (pragmatism) if aimed at the needs of the poor instead of this one man.” In the end, we have yet another lesson – Judas, even if he was true in his opinions toward the poor, actually showed his indifference to the person called Christ. So much indifference (or possibly even resentment) that he betrayed Him.

The Love and Mercy of Jesus

I believe Jesus knew Judas and his heart completely. I think Jesus loved Judas as much as He loves you and I and everyone in between. But I also think He knew that Judas was a hard case, and that he was a man who would therefore go through some hard reparations as a result. But even the hardest cases break under the hand of love and I think it was actually the mercy and love of Christ that (in the end) caused Judas to actually take the silver (he loved) and that he had been paid to betray Christ, and throw it back at the religious rulers before hanging himself.

Not only was it intriguing that Jesus allowed Judas to take care of the bag, we never read of Jesus accusing Judas of wrongdoing.

The Message of Priorities

At least not according to the record. There was no suspicion cast toward the person of Judas by the Lord to the other apostles, there was no removing him from fellowship, he was allowed to be who he was and to do what he was going to do – freely.

I am not unconvinced that the Lord was teaching all the other apostles about priorities – and the bag, and the contents, and the one who oversaw them was NOT one of them. Love, longsuffering, and acceptance of Judas as a man with failures is really all we see and all the while Judas was working his evil works of thieving and even his heart to betray, Jesus calmly remained silent or said, in the event of the betrayal, “whatever you are going to do, do it quickly.” That being said, we DO see the Lord take action and defend Mary from Judas’s stinging inferences, don’t we? Because in the face of Judas picking on Mary’s offering (and potentially the others who had adopted his opinion) Jesus plainly said to them:

The Lord's Defense of Mary

(verse 7)

7 “Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.”

Look at the priorities here! He was not concerned for the expensive gift that was being bestowed on Him and could have been sold to help the poor nor was He concerned with the greed that lied in the heart of Judas (which apparently lead him to being a thief) but He was concerned with Mary being pick on Mary for her offering of love. It’s almost like He was never critical of the failures individuals possessed unless they flowed out upon the heart of another person – then He would put an end to things.

We just don’t have too much in scripture by way of Jesus getting on anyone for their personal failures and sins UNLESS those specific failures and sins were being meted out on others, the only exception being His distain for the religious pride and piety of the Pharisees and scribes. “Let her alone,” in the King James, is also translated, “allow her to do what she is doing,” “suffer her,” “permit her.” From this it seems possible that maybe Judas was moving toward her to stop the pouring out of every drop – can’t tell. What we do know is the Lord was pleased by her offering and was not going to let Judas or anyone else bring her down for bestowing it upon Him.

And then He responds to Judas justification for attacking her by saying:

8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

The Lord was not suggesting that the poor are not worthy of attention. He was merely saying, “You will have ample opportunities to reach and serve and love the poor – but I am not going to be with you much longer.” (sort of like) “Mary understands this – you should too.” In fact Marks account has the Lord say, speaking of the poor:

"And whensoever ye will ye may do them good."

An Unofficial Line-Up of Priorities

So in this interaction with Mary, Judas, the other apostles the Lord sort of presents us with an unofficial line-up of priorities, doesn’t He? First, the Lord (and His presence with them at that time) was preeminent. Not the value of the perfume, not the welfare of the poor even (because they would always be around) but on Him alone.

We might question this and think, “Well maybe the Lord isn’t as altruistic as we thought. I mean, this was kind of self-serving, and self-focused, was it not.” Let’s try and see it from another point of view. Let’s say that Mary’s desire was to serve the poor over her desire to anoint Jesus. I would suggest that in time Mary would run out of energy for the poor because there is forever going to be the needy in the world.

But if her devotions are properly placed, and they are geared and focused on Him, with HIM as the driver for her work and love among the poor, she will have been empowered by a far more potent force to continue her work among the poor than just her own strength. Make sense? This is why God wants our attentions and love and devotions to be the first priority in our lives – because by and through Him we are sustained in our endeavors to love as He would love, and to give and serve as He would have us.

From the heart Mary was standing on

The Preeminence of Relationship with God

There can be a tendency (in this world and among its religions) to make the service of Man preeminent and the relationship with God secondary (if not outright than just by the natural order of things). But as a means to be sustained spiritually, and physically, and emotionally prepared to handle the trials and disappointments of working with, say, the poor the devotion must first and foremost point to Him, and then it will filter out into the lives and needs of others. In a way this sort of gives every believer the means to manage their own finances. Put the management in His hands and His directives – not in your own, not in the hands of another man or another religion but in His. Consult Him on how to proceed – this is not only yet another way to live by genuine faith and in freedom, but it is a wonderful way to discover his utter faithfulness in all things. And when abundance is the result the praise (and humility if for Him) and when want is present, the need for Him is made all the more obvious.

Lazarus and the Reaction of the Chief Priests

9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: (in Bethany) and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

Like we said before, Lazarus in his own right had become somewhat an attraction and people wanted to speak and see Him, and of course seeing and hearing Lazarus was going to naturally lead people to Jesus.

The Irony of the Chief Priests' Plans

10 But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; The irony is palatable. Jesus, untrained, not formally educated, from Galilee had raised Lazarus to life and the religious rulers, the formally educated and trained, these Jews of Jews, wanted to put him back in the tomb. I mean, Lazarus was innocent! Totally. So was the Lord but the Lord performed miracles and taught things that troubled these rulers. Lazarus was just the recipient of His power and they wanted to kill Him too. It is AMAZING how far animus and anger and hatred can take a people if it is allowed to thrive, right? John explains why they were willing to commit such a crime.

11 Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus. It is believed that John is the only one to report this because he wrote last and by the time he penned his gospel the heat was off Lazarus and this is why the other gospel writers did not write of him being raised from the dead because it would have put Him in jeopardy. Let’s leave off here and when we come back next week we’ll kick it off with His triumphal entry.

Q and A