We have two texts for today. Our first text is Psalm forty-one verse nine: “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9). Our second text is Zechariah eleven verse twelve: “Then I said to them, ‘If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.’ And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver” (Zechariah 11:12). These are our texts.
Just a reminder as we get started that this year during the Lenten Season and through to Easter Sunrise and Easter morning we are looking at some of the prophecies of the Old Testament which have their fulfillment in the New Testament in the person and work of Jesus. Last week Wednesday and Sunday as we celebrated Palm Sunday we witnessed Jesus ride triumphantly into Jerusalem for the last time as by the end of the week He is captured, put on trial, judged, condemned and crucified. This evening we bear witness of Jesus’ betrayal by one of His chosen twelve.
Today we will focus on the Apostle Judas. Now I am not here to make excuses for him, but to understand how he fit into the events of today. And let me remind you, Judas was called by Jesus and set apart as the other eleven to be an apostle.
Judas was one of the chosen twelve. When Jesus began His public ministry, as you might remember, He went out and called the twelve apostles, those He set a part to be with Him, to listen to Him, to watch Him, and to learn from Him. Judas was one of these men who was chosen by Jesus and who was with Jesus. Certainly he watched the signs, wonders and miracles Jesus performed. Certainly he heard Jesus teach and preach to the crowds. Certainly he was one of the children of Israel who was looking for a Savior.
The problem is that Judas misunderstood Jesus and what it meant that Jesus was the Savior. Perhaps Judas had in mind the prophecies of the Old Testament and compared them to Jesus’ life, work and actions. Perhaps he was convinced that Jesus was the one promised of old. And yet, just as many in Israel, who knew the history of their people and how many times they were disciplined by God and sent into exile or overthrown, and God would send an earthly social/political savior, so perhaps Judas was convinced that Jesus was there to overthrow the Romans.
Because Jesus was not acting according to Judas’ plan we might rationalize that his plan was to betray Jesus, to get Him arrested in order to call His hand so to speak, that is to get Him to begin a revolution, a revolt against the Romans. And so, we know the history that Judas did betray Jesus as it was prophesied.
The events of history are laid out for us. Judas met with the Sanhedrin to plan the betrayal. These events were prophesied, were spoken of in our text from Zechariah, “Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver” (Zechariah 11:12). Judas agreed to hand Jesus over to the Sanhedrin for thirty pieces of silver.
After setting his plan into motion Judas went to celebrate the Passover with Jesus and the other Apostles. Judas celebrated most of the Passover with Jesus, because at one point Judas leaves. Again, as we know the events of the evening, at one point in the evening Jesus reveals the plot against Him as we heard prophesied in the Psalm, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9).
After being exposed as the traitor, and yet without the other Apostles actually understanding what happened Judas went out to do his deed. Again, we might remember that Judas was the treasurer of the group and so some thought he left to give something to the poor, or to attend to some other deed that needed to be done.
As we gather here on this Maundy Thursday focusing on Judas, we must not forget that as Jesus was celebrating His last earthly Passover with His Apostles, that from this celebration He gives us what we celebrate today, the Sacrament of His Holy Supper. From this Passover and eating of the lamb Jesus gives us His body, the body of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and He gives us His blood shed for us for the forgiveness of sins, to eat and drink for our own forgiveness of sins. After Jesus finished the Passover meal with His Apostles, they sang a song and then went out to the Garden of Gethsemane. There they were met by Judas and a band of thugs he brought to the Garden.
Jesus went to the Garden to pray. Three times, you may remember, He asked that the cup of suffering may be removed and then was resolved to go to the cross. When Judas arrived they came to Jesus and Jesus asked, “Whom do you seek?”. Their answer was they were after Jesus of Nazareth. When Jesus responded, “I AM” they all fall down. Jesus’ answer that He is I AM goes back to God telling Moses to tell the people “I AM” has sent me. Jesus is the great I AM, Yahweh, God the Lord. Jesus is I AM, God in the eternal present. No wonder they all fell to the ground.
Judas approaches Jesus and gives the signal, a kiss. With the greeting of friends, with the kiss of peace Judas signals the one they are to arrest. The scene is quite chaotic. The Apostles are in a stir, the band of thugs is antsy and yet, Jesus is calm in the midst of what is happening. Jesus is calm as He has already been to His Father in prayer and is assured of the events that are about to take place.
And so Jesus is arrested. Or, better said, Jesus allows Himself to be arrested. Remember, Jesus is God. He could at any time call down angels to defeat all His enemies, but that was not the reason He came to earth and so He passively allows Himself to be arrested.
At this moment we have His desertion by the rest of the Apostles. If you remember, Jesus took them to the Garden and told them to pray as well, and yet we are told they fell asleep. Perhaps if they had stayed awake and prayed they may not have been as afraid and may have been calm like Jesus, but that was not the case.
But things did not work out according to Judas’ plan. Remember, his plan was to call Jesus hand, or at least what he thought Jesus was here to do, to start a revolt, an uprising, a deliverance from the Romans. Instead what Judas saw was that Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested. He allowed Himself to be put on trial. It was almost as if Jesus was not going to defend Himself and save Israel. As Judas realized that his plan was failing and that instead of Jesus bringing social/political change He was going to be convicted and crucified because of Judas. So, he confessed and gave the money back. He thought this might get Jesus His freedom, but it did not work.
The money that was paid to Judas was deemed blood money and so was not allowed to be put into the temple treasury, instead it was used to purchase a field for burial for those who had no place to be buried. An interesting way for the Sanhedrin to soothe their own consciences.
Judas went out. He had confessed, at least to the Sanhedrin that he believed he had betrayed an innocent man, but they had no care or concern for his problems. Judas believed he had committed such a grievous sin that he could not be forgiven so in despair he hanged himself.
We sin. You and I sin. We daily sin much and are in need of forgiveness. We sin in thought, word and deed. We sin sins of omission, failing to do what we should do and sins of commission, doing what we should not be doing. We sin, we betray Jesus and perhaps there are times that we are in despair. But thanks be to God that we know that the very reason Jesus came to earth, the reason He actively obeyed all God’s commands and fulfilled all God’s prophecies, the reason He passively allowed Himself to be crucified was for us, because of His great love for us so that we might have forgiveness of all our sins and so we rejoice.
On this Maundy Thursday we know that we are sinners like Judas, but we rejoice in our knowledge that no matter how sinful we may be Jesus loves us, paid the price for our sins, and pours out His forgiveness on us. And we rejoice that as Jesus celebrated the Passover with His Apostles so He gives us His Holy Supper. In His Holy Supper we eat His body, the body of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And we drink His blood, shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins. As we eat His body and drink His blood He becomes a real part of us so that His perfect life, suffering, death and resurrection become our perfect life, suffering, death and resurrection. As we continue in this Holy Week, we continue to keep in prayer as Jesus encouraged His Apostles. We pray least we are lead into temptation. And we give thanks because the Lord is God and His mercy does endure forever. And we say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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