And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
From that time on he persistently kept looking for a suitable opportunity to hand Jesus over after agreeing to betray him. The bargain was for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, a paltry sum for the Lord of life and glory. The plan was a secret seizure away from the multitude, because the rulers feared a tumult and knew the people were Christ's friends. A fostered love of money had become the ruling motive of his life until it overbalanced love for Christ, and envy and resentment over Mary's costly offering rankled instead of humbling him, so revenge combined with greed. He had no thought Jesus would permit himself to be taken but expected him to escape and display divine power, and when Jesus instead submitted to condemnation Judas was filled with amazement and hopeless remorse; his course warns that one cherished selfish sin taking root can crowd out truth until it leads to ruin.
Bargain and Planned Betrayal
From that time on, after agreeing to betray Him, he persistently kept looking for a suitable opportunity to hand Jesus over. His envy and resentment over the offering made to Jesus moved him to act on his greed, and his determination grew from resentment at being reproved. His envy, covetousness and unholy anger led him to sell his Lord for money, and his deceitful course warns that corrupt dealings can lead to selling the Lord while scarcely realizing the end. He is the example of one who abandons loyalty when temptation tests principle.
The bargain was for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. For that paltry and trifling small sum, ever greedy for gain, he contracted to hand over his Master, the Lord of life and glory, to ignominy, shame and death. His valuing Him only enough to sell Him for money shows how covetousness trades good principles and generosity for earthly gain. He was willing even to betray Him with a kiss in Gethsemane.
The plan was a secret seizure at one of Jesus's quiet resorts for prayer, retirement and meditation, where there would be no multitude to oppose them and they could make sure of their prey. The leaders wanted to seize Jesus without stirring the people, because they feared an open arrest would stir up a tumult among the people. They knew the people were Christ's friends and would otherwise have acted long before, so his work was to hand Jesus over in the absence of the multitude. This bringing of Jesus into the hands of those who humiliated and killed Him was the act of a disciple yielding to Satan's temptation.
He went directly from the supper at Simon's house to the chief priests, and they rejoiced and covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. This stood in marked contrast with Mary's love, for Christ's commendation of the anointing Judas had condemned as waste rebuked his selfishness, and the rebuke rankled instead of humbling him, so that he vowed revenge and hoped to obtain a large sum of money. He renewed his contract with the priests on the second night before the Passover to deliver Jesus into their hands. After the feast at the house of Simon he had opportunity to reflect on the deed he had covenanted to perform, but his purpose was unchanged.
The betrayer was one of the twelve who mingled with the disciples, blessed with opportunities, receiving lesson upon lesson, line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, yet not transformed in character. For a few pieces of silver he agreed to betray Jesus to the chief priests and elders, his bitterest enemies, while Satan worked through him, and even during the last supper he was still planning the betrayal. He left the presence of Christ to perform his terrible work for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus knew what he had done and still washed his feet, showing that Christ's humble service was not withheld even from the man who betrayed Him, and no one is to be singled out for special honor because Christ gave Himself for all. Jesus foretold this work to His disciples in a portion of His parting address just before Judas left, and when Judas had gone Jesus said to those who remained that now the Son of man is glorified and God is glorified in Him. Christ with prophetic eye had discerned while a Galilean teaching about the Galileans that one who was with Him would betray Him into the hands of sinners, knowing the time when Pilate would deliver Him up to be scourged and crucified.
The seeking of opportunity belonged to the events of Christ's greatest trial. A disciple sought a chance to betray Him, and the betrayal was part of the suffering Jesus endured despite being without sin.
Motives and Corruption of Judas
A natural strong love for money grew in Judas until fostered avarice became the ruling motive of his life, with love of mammon overbalancing love for Christ. By becoming enslaved to covetousness and the slave of one vice he gave himself to Satan to be driven to any lengths in sin, even though he had witnessed Christ's compassion and divine power. Envy, covetousness, unholy anger and resentment over Mary's costly offering moved him to act, for Christ's commendation of the anointing he had condemned as waste rebuked his selfishness. The rebuke rankled instead of humbling him, and he vowed revenge while hoping to obtain a large sum, thus combining revenge with greed. Stung and annoyed by the implied rebuke of his covetous spirit, he yielded to the tempter and gave Satan easy access to his mind.
Past light refused, truth not practiced, and cherished selfishness and covetousness left his heart unpurified, so that criticism of Christ's words and works controlled him. As treasurer he had already taken for himself money entrusted to the church, acting as a speculator who thought he could manage the finances of the church to make money. He cherished selfishness, ambition, pride, stubbornness and a settled avaricious spirit, taking all he could get for himself from any source without regard to justice. He justified his course, concealed his wrong, judged others and refused to confess, firmly setting himself not to be changed by the lessons and example of Christ though light came to him in every lesson. His religion was superficial and his heart divided, for though joined to Christ and the other disciples he was only a hearer and not a doer.
Jesus had kept him with Himself and the others to give him opportunity to improve in character building through the same education, training, instruction and opportunities given to all, which wrought wonderful changes in John and Peter. Judas did not receive the words and improve or let Christ shape his character, and opposition to the light arose in his heart until he treasured his defects as a precious treasure that poisoned the whole man in principle, spirit, life, character and conduct until he sold his Lord for a trifling sum. His betrayal followed deliberate hypocrisy and wrongdoing and resentment because Jesus had not approved all his actions, yet he was not exposed lest exposure be used as an excuse for treachery. By indulging sin and yielding to Satan he turned against reproof given for his good, illustrating how resentment at not receiving expected honor or benefits, or at being reproved, leads to seeking revenge, sowing bitterness, and sharing his reward. He prized earthly gain above Jesus and valued his Lord little, enough only to sell Him for a few pieces of silver, and his appeal to concern for the poor concealed selfish desire for the ointment and willingness to sell his Lord.
Miscalculation and Bitter Remorse
When he decided to sell his Master he had no thought that Jesus would permit Himself to be taken, but was persuaded He would not allow Himself to be captured and would escape every plot against Him. He expected Jesus to display divine power in delivering Himself from His enemies, to give further proof of His divinity, while the priests would be cheated of their bribe and he would secure the money to use for himself. He reasoned it as a sharp, self-serving bargain that his act would not change the result, for if Christ was to be crucified the event must come to pass, and if Jesus was not to die the betrayal would only force Him to deliver Himself and gain a new opportunity to display divine power, so that at all events Judas would gain something by his treachery. His example in selling his Lord while believing Jesus would reveal miraculous power warns that apparent yielding of sacred truth for advantage is a betrayal from which one may not regain lost ground.
From the betrayal in the garden where Jesus suffered Himself to be bound and led away, and on through the trial before the Jewish rulers, he did not lose sight of the Saviour but anxiously watched every movement. He eagerly expected Him to surprise His enemies by appearing as the Son of God and setting at naught all their plots and power. When instead Jesus meekly submitted to abuse and suffered Himself to be tried and condemned to death, Judas was filled with amazement and then with remorse and anguish. His heart smote him as he realized he had sold his divine Master to shame and death for a few pieces of silver, he remembered how kind and considerate and tender Jesus had ever been to him, and he despised the covetousness Jesus had reproved that had tempted him to sell the Saviour.
He pleaded vainly with the high priest to spare Jesus, then rushed out in despair crying it was too late and hanged himself in hopeless remorse and anguish because he could not live to see Jesus crucified.
Providence and Scriptural Parallels
Judas seeking an opportunity to hand Jesus over parallels Joseph being sold by his own brothers, for both were delivered up by those close to them, and God overruled the wrong to bring about deliverance. The enemies in jealousy plotted to put Christ to death to prevent Him from becoming king, yet their act brought about the very result they sought to prevent. That plot and death did not thwart God's purpose, for through the crime committed against Him Christ became Redeemer and Saviour of humanity and ruler over the whole world. God's providential use of the crime for good did not lessen the guilt of those who committed it.
Christ with prophetic eye discerned that one of the twelve who were with Him would betray Him into the hands of sinners. Though mingling with the disciples and blessed with opportunities, receiving lesson upon lesson, line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, he was not transformed in character. Christ discerned this future betrayal while He was a Galilean teaching about the Galileans, knowing the time when Pilate would deliver Him up to be scourged and crucified.
Warning and Application Today
Judas's course from indulged love of money taking root and crowding out truth until he sold his Master warns that cherished selfishness can lead to grave sin and ruin. He had wonderful opportunities, being with Christ through the entire ministry, listening day by day for three years to instruction and witnessing marvelous works, and Christ would have used him to advance His kingdom had he renounced all selfishness. Instead he loved gain, acted as a speculator who thought he could manage the finances of the church to make money, and his covetousness grew stronger until he betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver, a trifling small sum. His choice followed opportunities to recognize and correct his fault, for Jesus kept him with Himself and the other disciples to give him opportunity to improve in character building through education and training, and grace received into the heart would have converted him as it did John and Peter. Instead opposition to the light arose, he treasured defects as precious treasure until they poisoned the whole man in principle, spirit, life, character, and thousands today do the same by yielding principles of righteousness for wealth, position and worldly honor, forgetting God and worshiping mammon, withdrawing affection from Him and wandering farther from true happiness as spiritual life weakens, betraying their Lord and crucifying Christ afresh and putting Him to open shame.
By contrast with valuing possessions above Christ, true faith shows itself by generous support of the cause of truth, since faith without works is dead. Judas's envy, covetousness and unholy anger led him after agreeing to betray Jesus to keep looking for a chance to hand Him over, showing how little he valued Jesus. His appeal to concern for the poor concealed selfish desire for the costly ointment and willingness to sell his Lord for silver, combining revenge with greed after resenting Mary's offering. A calculating spirit withholds support from the cause of truth while using concern for the poor as an excuse. His selling the Lord of glory for thirty pieces of silver proves that the strongest bulwark of vice is not open wickedness but an otherwise virtuous, honorable, noble life with one indulged vice and one fostered sin. It is one of the Bible examples of the result of even one wrong act, standing as a beacon of warning at the byways leading from the path of life, showing the peril of even one departure from right both to the wrongdoer and to all whom his influence reaches. Such a life becomes a powerful enticement to a soul struggling in secret against temptation on the verge of ruin, and turns high gifts, genius, talent, sympathy, and even generous deeds into decoys to ruin.
To betray Christ and His truth and cause is to sell honor and sacrifice integrity for worldly advantage. The betrayal grows from a spirit that has prompted action for many years and is revealed by a present course such as instigating a lawsuit and persisting in a determined and defiant unfaithful course that God's Word will not tolerate, putting a person in danger of making shipwreck of the faith. It destroys His cause and work by exposing its inner corruptions and casting the truth and righteousness of God's commandment-keeping people before enemies who have no sense of truth or its importance and sacredness, bringing reproach on the truth regardless of consequences. The same power that moved the priests who taunted Christ on the cross now stirs intense hatred against those who refuse to confederate with evil but reprove and rebuke the wrongdoer to his face, leading a man to betray Christ just as truly as Judas did, demonstrating his true measure of love for God's cause. It strives with others to bring things under his own control and, failing that, seeks to ruin the cause he professed to serve, resorting to policy and underhand dealing, while the One with whom the betrayer is in controversy reads every motive and impulse of the heart. God would have had all such men connected with sacred work separated long years ago, warnings sent to save them were unheeded, and reckless stubborn rebellion brings blindness where nothing can have influence and they never know at what they stumble, yet everything possible should still be done peradventure God may give repentance, while those who helped secure their blindness will be punished along with the one permitted to pursue this course.
His looking for opportunity to betray is the pattern for professed believers who accuse fellow believers, misrepresent their faults to justify themselves, and injure character. By doing Satan's work, even unknowingly and ignorantly, they serve him as Judas did and show his spirit. Such Judas-like work against Christ can coexist with an outward appearance of devotion while the heart remains far from God. His presence as a covetous member of the church Christ formed, and the presence of Judases in every stage of the church's history, does not invalidate the church or its authority. His seeking opportunity as a disappointing result in the ministry even in Christ's day proves that errors needing correction and great sorrow caused by some workers do not take away the sacred, holy character of the ministry and give no cause to belittle or ignore it.
His turning from work with Jesus to seek betrayal warns that those entrusted with sacred work betray their Lord when they rely on supposed wisdom and sufficiency instead of accepting counsel, correction and instruction. The same sin is still committed by those named as disciples who barter eternal things and sacred trusts for gain. This includes physicians who through pretense and sophistry from Satan sell honor and sacrifice integrity to secure worldly advantage, resort to policy and underhand dealing to bring about plans that deny faith and separate the God of Israel from them, a common ingenious sinning in health institutions where unconsecrated lives profess discipleship while betraying sacred interests, with every departure from truth giving Satan weapons to use against Christ and truth. It includes those who barter away security in God's kingdom, valuing it even less than Judas valued his Lord, who treat the meetinghouse as merchandise to sell as selling the Savior, who through harsh unchristlike treatment of weak and faltering people drive them into Satan's snares and betray them as surely as Judas betrayed Jesus, and who speak and act under a cloak of righteousness. Words spoken and deeds done in this betrayal are registered in the books of heaven as grievous sins, and those who do the same will at last sell their Lord even as Judas sold Him.
Without reformation in institutions and through the churches and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with eyes opened, professed believers will be lost just as surely as Judas was lost for selling his Lord for thirty pieces of silver. They would sell their Lord just as readily, because Satan comes with temptations as a bribe offering gain for worship, and many who suppose themselves loyal will sell precious souls while making things that live through eternal ages a matter of minor consideration. Deciding to betray and then seeking opportunity means giving the mind to be worked by powers of darkness under Satan's inspiration unto destruction of body and soul, deciding eternal destiny. It is betraying sacred trusts, greatly hurting God's cause, robbing God's cause to ward off financial embarrassment and to be revenged, bartering the soul for a mess of pottage to become traitor and betrayer. It stands on a precipice severing the last link binding to God and brethren and forever separating from God's people, with fearful fatal effect on eternal welfare for which account must be answered before God. It is a life and death question requiring decided change, a halt before everlastingly too late, humbling the heart as a little child before God to receive reward and forgiveness, drawing the feet from the precipice to walk in safe paths.
His willingness to sell his Lord for thirty pieces of silver from greed, selfishness and covetousness shows uncontrolled passion proving a person cannot be trusted. The best religious culture and highest advantages have no power to sanctify or preserve from degeneracy, and by uncontrollable fits of passion man gives evidence he cannot be trusted and would do the same. It is man's part to submit to be operated upon by the Holy Spirit as leaven operates upon meal and allow the will to be brought into conformity to God's will, and the shame and guilt belong to man alone. The sinfulness is not chargeable to any neglect on God's part, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that believers should not perish but have everlasting life and has bestowed abundant labor upon the human race. His end as a chosen disciple given power to heal the sick and cure diseases yet never daily converted is the pattern for members with knowledge of truth unsanctified by it. Though chosen and not rejected for imperfection, and though having his name registered among the disciples, he was not made a Christian, for becoming sons and daughters of God comes by doing the Word, and he failed to become a sanctified polished instrument for the Master's use. Satan used old hereditary and natural tendencies to dishonor Christ and imperil his soul so he sought opportunity to betray Him, and likewise members work out wrong characters, do greater harm because of knowledge, depart from the faith, confederate with apostates, and betray sacred trusts unless God has their whole undivided interests.
His deliberately seeking opportunity warns that deceitful corrupt dealings can lead people to sell their Lord while scarcely realizing where the course will end. Betraying the Lord is a ruinous choice, and acting like Judas warns against sacrificing the soul for worldly advantage. He is named as a warning in contrast with laboring to strengthen others and work for their salvation. He persistently looked for a chance to betray and is an example of one who abandons loyalty to the Lord when temptation tests principle.
From that time on he persistently kept looking for a suitable opportunity to hand Jesus over after agreeing to betray him. The bargain was for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, a paltry sum for the Lord of life and glory. The plan was a secret seizure away from the multitude, because the rulers feared a tumult and knew the people were Christ's friends. A fostered love of money had become the ruling motive of his life until it overbalanced love for Christ, and envy and resentment over Mary's costly offering rankled instead of humbling him, so revenge combined with greed. He had no thought Jesus would permit himself to be taken but expected him to escape and display divine power, and when Jesus instead submitted to condemnation Judas was filled with amazement and hopeless remorse; his course warns that one cherished selfish sin taking root can crowd out truth until it leads to ruin.
Bargain and Planned Betrayal
From that time on, after agreeing to betray Him, he persistently kept looking for a suitable opportunity to hand Jesus over. His envy and resentment over the offering made to Jesus moved him to act on his greed, and his determination grew from resentment at being reproved. His envy, covetousness and unholy anger led him to sell his Lord for money, and his deceitful course warns that corrupt dealings can lead to selling the Lord while scarcely realizing the end. He is the example of one who abandons loyalty when temptation tests principle.
The bargain was for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. For that paltry and trifling small sum, ever greedy for gain, he contracted to hand over his Master, the Lord of life and glory, to ignominy, shame and death. His valuing Him only enough to sell Him for money shows how covetousness trades good principles and generosity for earthly gain. He was willing even to betray Him with a kiss in Gethsemane.
The plan was a secret seizure at one of Jesus's quiet resorts for prayer, retirement and meditation, where there would be no multitude to oppose them and they could make sure of their prey. The leaders wanted to seize Jesus without stirring the people, because they feared an open arrest would stir up a tumult among the people. They knew the people were Christ's friends and would otherwise have acted long before, so his work was to hand Jesus over in the absence of the multitude. This bringing of Jesus into the hands of those who humiliated and killed Him was the act of a disciple yielding to Satan's temptation.
He went directly from the supper at Simon's house to the chief priests, and they rejoiced and covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. This stood in marked contrast with Mary's love, for Christ's commendation of the anointing Judas had condemned as waste rebuked his selfishness, and the rebuke rankled instead of humbling him, so that he vowed revenge and hoped to obtain a large sum of money. He renewed his contract with the priests on the second night before the Passover to deliver Jesus into their hands. After the feast at the house of Simon he had opportunity to reflect on the deed he had covenanted to perform, but his purpose was unchanged.
The betrayer was one of the twelve who mingled with the disciples, blessed with opportunities, receiving lesson upon lesson, line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, yet not transformed in character. For a few pieces of silver he agreed to betray Jesus to the chief priests and elders, his bitterest enemies, while Satan worked through him, and even during the last supper he was still planning the betrayal. He left the presence of Christ to perform his terrible work for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus knew what he had done and still washed his feet, showing that Christ's humble service was not withheld even from the man who betrayed Him, and no one is to be singled out for special honor because Christ gave Himself for all. Jesus foretold this work to His disciples in a portion of His parting address just before Judas left, and when Judas had gone Jesus said to those who remained that now the Son of man is glorified and God is glorified in Him. Christ with prophetic eye had discerned while a Galilean teaching about the Galileans that one who was with Him would betray Him into the hands of sinners, knowing the time when Pilate would deliver Him up to be scourged and crucified.
The seeking of opportunity belonged to the events of Christ's greatest trial. A disciple sought a chance to betray Him, and the betrayal was part of the suffering Jesus endured despite being without sin.
Motives and Corruption of Judas
A natural strong love for money grew in Judas until fostered avarice became the ruling motive of his life, with love of mammon overbalancing love for Christ. By becoming enslaved to covetousness and the slave of one vice he gave himself to Satan to be driven to any lengths in sin, even though he had witnessed Christ's compassion and divine power. Envy, covetousness, unholy anger and resentment over Mary's costly offering moved him to act, for Christ's commendation of the anointing he had condemned as waste rebuked his selfishness. The rebuke rankled instead of humbling him, and he vowed revenge while hoping to obtain a large sum, thus combining revenge with greed. Stung and annoyed by the implied rebuke of his covetous spirit, he yielded to the tempter and gave Satan easy access to his mind.
Past light refused, truth not practiced, and cherished selfishness and covetousness left his heart unpurified, so that criticism of Christ's words and works controlled him. As treasurer he had already taken for himself money entrusted to the church, acting as a speculator who thought he could manage the finances of the church to make money. He cherished selfishness, ambition, pride, stubbornness and a settled avaricious spirit, taking all he could get for himself from any source without regard to justice. He justified his course, concealed his wrong, judged others and refused to confess, firmly setting himself not to be changed by the lessons and example of Christ though light came to him in every lesson. His religion was superficial and his heart divided, for though joined to Christ and the other disciples he was only a hearer and not a doer.
Jesus had kept him with Himself and the others to give him opportunity to improve in character building through the same education, training, instruction and opportunities given to all, which wrought wonderful changes in John and Peter. Judas did not receive the words and improve or let Christ shape his character, and opposition to the light arose in his heart until he treasured his defects as a precious treasure that poisoned the whole man in principle, spirit, life, character and conduct until he sold his Lord for a trifling sum. His betrayal followed deliberate hypocrisy and wrongdoing and resentment because Jesus had not approved all his actions, yet he was not exposed lest exposure be used as an excuse for treachery. By indulging sin and yielding to Satan he turned against reproof given for his good, illustrating how resentment at not receiving expected honor or benefits, or at being reproved, leads to seeking revenge, sowing bitterness, and sharing his reward. He prized earthly gain above Jesus and valued his Lord little, enough only to sell Him for a few pieces of silver, and his appeal to concern for the poor concealed selfish desire for the ointment and willingness to sell his Lord.
Miscalculation and Bitter Remorse
When he decided to sell his Master he had no thought that Jesus would permit Himself to be taken, but was persuaded He would not allow Himself to be captured and would escape every plot against Him. He expected Jesus to display divine power in delivering Himself from His enemies, to give further proof of His divinity, while the priests would be cheated of their bribe and he would secure the money to use for himself. He reasoned it as a sharp, self-serving bargain that his act would not change the result, for if Christ was to be crucified the event must come to pass, and if Jesus was not to die the betrayal would only force Him to deliver Himself and gain a new opportunity to display divine power, so that at all events Judas would gain something by his treachery. His example in selling his Lord while believing Jesus would reveal miraculous power warns that apparent yielding of sacred truth for advantage is a betrayal from which one may not regain lost ground.
From the betrayal in the garden where Jesus suffered Himself to be bound and led away, and on through the trial before the Jewish rulers, he did not lose sight of the Saviour but anxiously watched every movement. He eagerly expected Him to surprise His enemies by appearing as the Son of God and setting at naught all their plots and power. When instead Jesus meekly submitted to abuse and suffered Himself to be tried and condemned to death, Judas was filled with amazement and then with remorse and anguish. His heart smote him as he realized he had sold his divine Master to shame and death for a few pieces of silver, he remembered how kind and considerate and tender Jesus had ever been to him, and he despised the covetousness Jesus had reproved that had tempted him to sell the Saviour.
He pleaded vainly with the high priest to spare Jesus, then rushed out in despair crying it was too late and hanged himself in hopeless remorse and anguish because he could not live to see Jesus crucified.
Providence and Scriptural Parallels
Judas seeking an opportunity to hand Jesus over parallels Joseph being sold by his own brothers, for both were delivered up by those close to them, and God overruled the wrong to bring about deliverance. The enemies in jealousy plotted to put Christ to death to prevent Him from becoming king, yet their act brought about the very result they sought to prevent. That plot and death did not thwart God's purpose, for through the crime committed against Him Christ became Redeemer and Saviour of humanity and ruler over the whole world. God's providential use of the crime for good did not lessen the guilt of those who committed it.
Christ with prophetic eye discerned that one of the twelve who were with Him would betray Him into the hands of sinners. Though mingling with the disciples and blessed with opportunities, receiving lesson upon lesson, line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, he was not transformed in character. Christ discerned this future betrayal while He was a Galilean teaching about the Galileans, knowing the time when Pilate would deliver Him up to be scourged and crucified.
Warning and Application Today
Judas's course from indulged love of money taking root and crowding out truth until he sold his Master warns that cherished selfishness can lead to grave sin and ruin. He had wonderful opportunities, being with Christ through the entire ministry, listening day by day for three years to instruction and witnessing marvelous works, and Christ would have used him to advance His kingdom had he renounced all selfishness. Instead he loved gain, acted as a speculator who thought he could manage the finances of the church to make money, and his covetousness grew stronger until he betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver, a trifling small sum. His choice followed opportunities to recognize and correct his fault, for Jesus kept him with Himself and the other disciples to give him opportunity to improve in character building through education and training, and grace received into the heart would have converted him as it did John and Peter. Instead opposition to the light arose, he treasured defects as precious treasure until they poisoned the whole man in principle, spirit, life, character, and thousands today do the same by yielding principles of righteousness for wealth, position and worldly honor, forgetting God and worshiping mammon, withdrawing affection from Him and wandering farther from true happiness as spiritual life weakens, betraying their Lord and crucifying Christ afresh and putting Him to open shame.
By contrast with valuing possessions above Christ, true faith shows itself by generous support of the cause of truth, since faith without works is dead. Judas's envy, covetousness and unholy anger led him after agreeing to betray Jesus to keep looking for a chance to hand Him over, showing how little he valued Jesus. His appeal to concern for the poor concealed selfish desire for the costly ointment and willingness to sell his Lord for silver, combining revenge with greed after resenting Mary's offering. A calculating spirit withholds support from the cause of truth while using concern for the poor as an excuse. His selling the Lord of glory for thirty pieces of silver proves that the strongest bulwark of vice is not open wickedness but an otherwise virtuous, honorable, noble life with one indulged vice and one fostered sin. It is one of the Bible examples of the result of even one wrong act, standing as a beacon of warning at the byways leading from the path of life, showing the peril of even one departure from right both to the wrongdoer and to all whom his influence reaches. Such a life becomes a powerful enticement to a soul struggling in secret against temptation on the verge of ruin, and turns high gifts, genius, talent, sympathy, and even generous deeds into decoys to ruin.
To betray Christ and His truth and cause is to sell honor and sacrifice integrity for worldly advantage. The betrayal grows from a spirit that has prompted action for many years and is revealed by a present course such as instigating a lawsuit and persisting in a determined and defiant unfaithful course that God's Word will not tolerate, putting a person in danger of making shipwreck of the faith. It destroys His cause and work by exposing its inner corruptions and casting the truth and righteousness of God's commandment-keeping people before enemies who have no sense of truth or its importance and sacredness, bringing reproach on the truth regardless of consequences. The same power that moved the priests who taunted Christ on the cross now stirs intense hatred against those who refuse to confederate with evil but reprove and rebuke the wrongdoer to his face, leading a man to betray Christ just as truly as Judas did, demonstrating his true measure of love for God's cause. It strives with others to bring things under his own control and, failing that, seeks to ruin the cause he professed to serve, resorting to policy and underhand dealing, while the One with whom the betrayer is in controversy reads every motive and impulse of the heart. God would have had all such men connected with sacred work separated long years ago, warnings sent to save them were unheeded, and reckless stubborn rebellion brings blindness where nothing can have influence and they never know at what they stumble, yet everything possible should still be done peradventure God may give repentance, while those who helped secure their blindness will be punished along with the one permitted to pursue this course.
His looking for opportunity to betray is the pattern for professed believers who accuse fellow believers, misrepresent their faults to justify themselves, and injure character. By doing Satan's work, even unknowingly and ignorantly, they serve him as Judas did and show his spirit. Such Judas-like work against Christ can coexist with an outward appearance of devotion while the heart remains far from God. His presence as a covetous member of the church Christ formed, and the presence of Judases in every stage of the church's history, does not invalidate the church or its authority. His seeking opportunity as a disappointing result in the ministry even in Christ's day proves that errors needing correction and great sorrow caused by some workers do not take away the sacred, holy character of the ministry and give no cause to belittle or ignore it.
His turning from work with Jesus to seek betrayal warns that those entrusted with sacred work betray their Lord when they rely on supposed wisdom and sufficiency instead of accepting counsel, correction and instruction. The same sin is still committed by those named as disciples who barter eternal things and sacred trusts for gain. This includes physicians who through pretense and sophistry from Satan sell honor and sacrifice integrity to secure worldly advantage, resort to policy and underhand dealing to bring about plans that deny faith and separate the God of Israel from them, a common ingenious sinning in health institutions where unconsecrated lives profess discipleship while betraying sacred interests, with every departure from truth giving Satan weapons to use against Christ and truth. It includes those who barter away security in God's kingdom, valuing it even less than Judas valued his Lord, who treat the meetinghouse as merchandise to sell as selling the Savior, who through harsh unchristlike treatment of weak and faltering people drive them into Satan's snares and betray them as surely as Judas betrayed Jesus, and who speak and act under a cloak of righteousness. Words spoken and deeds done in this betrayal are registered in the books of heaven as grievous sins, and those who do the same will at last sell their Lord even as Judas sold Him.
Without reformation in institutions and through the churches and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with eyes opened, professed believers will be lost just as surely as Judas was lost for selling his Lord for thirty pieces of silver. They would sell their Lord just as readily, because Satan comes with temptations as a bribe offering gain for worship, and many who suppose themselves loyal will sell precious souls while making things that live through eternal ages a matter of minor consideration. Deciding to betray and then seeking opportunity means giving the mind to be worked by powers of darkness under Satan's inspiration unto destruction of body and soul, deciding eternal destiny. It is betraying sacred trusts, greatly hurting God's cause, robbing God's cause to ward off financial embarrassment and to be revenged, bartering the soul for a mess of pottage to become traitor and betrayer. It stands on a precipice severing the last link binding to God and brethren and forever separating from God's people, with fearful fatal effect on eternal welfare for which account must be answered before God. It is a life and death question requiring decided change, a halt before everlastingly too late, humbling the heart as a little child before God to receive reward and forgiveness, drawing the feet from the precipice to walk in safe paths.
His willingness to sell his Lord for thirty pieces of silver from greed, selfishness and covetousness shows uncontrolled passion proving a person cannot be trusted. The best religious culture and highest advantages have no power to sanctify or preserve from degeneracy, and by uncontrollable fits of passion man gives evidence he cannot be trusted and would do the same. It is man's part to submit to be operated upon by the Holy Spirit as leaven operates upon meal and allow the will to be brought into conformity to God's will, and the shame and guilt belong to man alone. The sinfulness is not chargeable to any neglect on God's part, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that believers should not perish but have everlasting life and has bestowed abundant labor upon the human race. His end as a chosen disciple given power to heal the sick and cure diseases yet never daily converted is the pattern for members with knowledge of truth unsanctified by it. Though chosen and not rejected for imperfection, and though having his name registered among the disciples, he was not made a Christian, for becoming sons and daughters of God comes by doing the Word, and he failed to become a sanctified polished instrument for the Master's use. Satan used old hereditary and natural tendencies to dishonor Christ and imperil his soul so he sought opportunity to betray Him, and likewise members work out wrong characters, do greater harm because of knowledge, depart from the faith, confederate with apostates, and betray sacred trusts unless God has their whole undivided interests.
His deliberately seeking opportunity warns that deceitful corrupt dealings can lead people to sell their Lord while scarcely realizing where the course will end. Betraying the Lord is a ruinous choice, and acting like Judas warns against sacrificing the soul for worldly advantage. He is named as a warning in contrast with laboring to strengthen others and work for their salvation. He persistently looked for a chance to betray and is an example of one who abandons loyalty to the Lord when temptation tests principle.