Expert: Dr Don Howe - 1/21/2009

Question
Was it a wrong choice for Jesus to pick Judas as His disciple?

Answer
   Thanks for your question. Judas was the perfect choice. God had predestined that Jesus would die on the Cross and that He would be betrayed. Jesus choose Judas because of the condition of his heart, he did not believe in Him as the Messiah, and it was prophesized that Jesus would betrayed by David. So prophesy had to be fulfilled either by Judas or Jesus would choose someone else.     Ps. 41:9 tells us about this prophesy which states “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up [his] heel against me.” Lifting up of one’s heel was a gesture of insult or in Judas’ case it was betrayal. Scriptures will always be fulfilled by God’s choosing.

HEART OF JUDAS:    We all know that Judas was a very troubled young man and possibly mentally disturbed by today’s standard. I want to show you in using John 12:1-8 to show the HEART condition of Judas was already blackened and hard. John 12:1-8 states: “Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's [son], which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 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. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.”
    In John 12:1-3, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus have Jesus over for Supper and serve him as their guest. John 12:3 shows that Mary took a pound of ointment that was very expensive, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, wiped his feet with her hair. It was not unusual at that time, to wash the feet of a guest with water, but to wash the guest's feet with pound of ointment of spikenard that was extravagant, and then Mary washed his feet. At that time, the hostess would usually have the head of the guest to be dabbed with a small amount of oil or perfume. Note Mary wiped his feet with her hair which is a sign of her devotion to Jesus. David Guzik states “Mary knew something that the disciples didn’t understand. She knew that Jesus was going to die, and so she was compelled to offer this extravagant gift of devotion to Jesus. Mary had more insight than others because she spent time at the feet of Jesus.”    
    In John 12:4, “Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's [son], which should betray him.” Notice Eddie, no one has a problem with this gesture by Mary except Judas. So he has to stand out and make a complaint in the open. And note the verse states “which should betray him.” Here shows his heart is already darkened with evil because he is the only one who spoke out against this, he was convicted, and did not like Mary’s devotion and gesture of love and devotion to Jesus, and so in protest, due this darkened heart, he protest by complaining. Guzik says well “his betrayal is so much darker when contrasted with the light of Mary’s devotion to Jesus. No doubt, Judas objected to Mary’s gift because he was convicted by her simple and powerful display of love.” This only shows that THE GUILTY DOG ALWAYS BARKS THE LOUDEST.  
  John 12:5-6 states “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 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.” Judas to cover up for his being convicted by Mary’s devotion, his darkened hatred for her humble gesture, and he turns to the cost of the perfume. See Judas did not come right out and express his feelings about this, he covered it up by putting  his focus on the perfume. It is easier to speak of inanimate objects than feelings.
     QUESTION FOR FUTURE THOUGHT:  Are we like Mary, extravagant in our love for Jesus, or are we like Judas, criticizing others who are?   Then Judas goes on  and  stated it could be “sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor.” Judas cared less for the poor because he was a thief, who had probably taken money out of the money bag before for his own use (i.e. a thief),  he was the keeper of the money bag, and “bare what was put therein.” Judas’ heart was already darkened because he was convicted by Mary’s expression of love, hated her for it (spoke out against it), he had a darkened heart against the Messiah at this time or he would have understood what Mary was doing, and  he was already a thief stealing.
   John 12:7-8 states “Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.”  Jesus jumps right on Judas and stated “Let her alone.” Today we say “get off her case.” And He stated “against the day of my burying hath she kept this For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.” This means “Mary knew something that the disciples didn’t understand. She knew that Jesus was going to die, and so she was compelled to offer this extravagant gift of devotion to Jesus. Mary had more insight than others because she spent time at the feet of Jesus”(Guzik).   
   I think John 12:9-10 tells us why Judas identified with the chief priests who wanted to kill Jesus. The text states “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. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death.”  The Jews knew that he (Lazarus) was there and they came not to see Jesus but to see Lazarus, because this dinner is six days after Lazarus is raised from the dead. The chief priest were mostly Sadducees who “didn’t believe in the resurrection. Lazarus was a living example of life after death, and having him around was an embarrassment to their theological system. For them, there was only one solution to this embarrassing problem” (Guzik). Get rid of Lazarus and their embarrassment to their theological system would be gone. Judas did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah or he would understood what Mary was doing with the ointment and not come at her with righteous indignation. So Judas identified with the Sadducees because Jesus harshly put him down (Jesus said “Let her alone”), he did not believe in Jesus nor did the Sadducees believe in Jesus, so Judas betrayed Jesus by plotting against him, just as the Sadducees wanted to plot to kill Lazarus. Because both of them were an embarrassment to their theological belief system.
    Lazarus was an embarrassment to the Sadducees belief system because they did not believe in the resurrection and his being alive showed how false their system was. In Judas’ theological belief system, Jesus was an embarrassment to him because Jesus rebuked him in public (Jn 12:7) and that Judas was looking for a Messiah to take away the tyranny of the Romans and not a Messiah who would die for the sins of the World. JUDAS’ HEART WAS DARKENED WITH EVIL ALREADY.

JUDAS LAST CHANCE TO REPENT    I want show you that Matt. 26:19-25 leads up to the last chance for Judas to repent which states “And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth [his] hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.”
     Verses 19-24 lead up to Jesus telling all of His disciples that one of them will betray him and it would be better for that man never to be born due to fact he is already condemned.   
  I want to zoom in on Verse 23 and 25 which I find very interesting. Verse 23 states “He that dippeth [his] hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.” Jesus is identifying his betrayer as a friend who will dip with him in the dish and ate at the same table as He. We all have had friends who have betrayed us.    
  Verse 25 states “Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.” Judas has already made arrangements for the arrest of Jesus shows his hypocrisy and “answered, Master is it I?” Judas knows it is him. This is the epitome of treachery.    
  Then Jesus said “Thou hast said.” Jesus could have condemned Judas by  saying something like “I know you did it”  but he let Judas identify himself as the betrayer in “Thou (Judas) hast said.”   
   When Jesus said “Thou hast said,” He not only did not condemn Judas but wanted to call him to repentance. Jesus showed Judas that He loved him, even knowing his treachery.
    
   PROPHESY FULFILLED.  

   The prophesy that Jesus would be betrayed can be found in  Psa. 41:9 states “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up [his] heel against me.”
Jesus refers back to Psa. 41:9  in John 13:18 which  states “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.”  Jesus is saying I speak not for all of you because I have chosen you and know you, but for scripture to be fulfilled (for Psa. 41:9 to be fulfilled). But he (referring to Judas) that eats bread with me will lift his heel against me. Psa 41:9 says the same thing “eat of my bread, hath lifted up [his] heel against me.”     
   God’s Word is always true. Yes, Judas was the right choice. Blessings, Dr. Don Howe, RN, PhD, ThD