Title: Jesus Outsines Them All
Bible Book: John 13 : 3-4
Author: Adrian Rogers
Subject: Jesus, Lord; Judas and Jesus
Objective:
Introduction
John 13:3-4
Take God’s Word and turn to John chapter 13, and we’re going to think tonight about the Lord’s Supper. This chapter is written in the context of the inauguration of the Lord’s Supper. About 2,000 years ago, a mother held a bouncing baby boy in her lap. She kissed his cheek, snuggled him up close, and said, “This is my darling baby. His name shall be called Judas.” A boy named Judas came into the world.
Now, since that time, I’ve met a lot of boys, had a lot of different names. I’ve met some Johns. I’ve met some Matthews. I’ve met some Philips. I’ve have met some Bartholomews. But I’ve never met a boy named Judas. I’ve heard of a dog named Judas, and a goat named Judas, but never heard anybody name a child Judas. As a matter of fact, the Bible said of this child that was born, “It would have been good for him if he had never been born.” He is the tragic story of a lost opportunity. And I don’t think there’s a greater tragedy in the Bible than the story of Judas. If you’ve been around churches very long, if you know anything about Christian history, you know it was Judas who was one of the twelve disciples who turned on Jesus, and sold Jesus, and betrayed Jesus, for thirty pieces of silver.
You know, I’m amazed at how cheaply some people will sell Jesus. Did you know I believe there are some people in today’s society who would give up coming to church before they would give up getting a new refrigerator? It’s amazing the sense of values that some people have. For a handful of silver, here was a man who betrayed the Lord Jesus.
But our story tonight is not primarily about Judas, but about Jesus. And the story of
Judas and his betrayal is but the black velvet on which the brilliant character of the Lord Jesus Christ is displayed.
You know, a jeweler, if he has a diamond, and he wants it to show off, he might put it on black velvet, and then shine a light upon it. And that’s what we’re going to do tonight. We’re going to use this tragic story of the betrayal of Judas as the dark background on which we’re going to see the multi-faceted and beautiful character of Jesus Christ. And that’s the reason I’ve called the message, “Jesus Outshines Them All.”
Chapter 13 - let’s begin to read: “Now, before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And, supper being ended, the devil now having put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God, he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself. And after that he poured water into a basin, and began to wash his disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter, and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? And, Jesus answered, and said unto him, What I do thou doest, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed needeth not save, but to wash his feet, but is clean every whit, ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him, wherefore he said, Ye are not all clean. So after that he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye do well, for so I am. If I, then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord, neither is he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” And now He begins to speak of Judas again. “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. Now, I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. And, when Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in his spirit, and testified, saying, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one to another, doubting of whom he spake. And now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter, therefore, beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of him, who it should be of whom he spake. He, then, lying on Jesus’ breast, saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is to whom I shall give a sop - that is, a morsel of bread - when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him - that is, into Judas - Then said Jesus unto him, What thou doest, do quickly. Now, no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought because Judas had the bag, that Jesus - that is the treasury bag, the money bag - that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things which we have need of against the feast, or, that he should give something to the poor. He, then, having received the sop, went immediately out, and it was night.”
That’s the story. And it’s a story worth reading over and over again. And I want you to know that this story takes place in the context of the Lord’s Supper. And what an amazing contrast there is between Jesus and Judas, between this perfect one and this polluted one, between this holy one and this hellish one.
Now, as we look at this, I want us to see some facets of the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. As I’ve said, Jesus outshines them all. And there are many, many things about the character of Jesus that are in this story. But would you learn six of them with me tonight, just six facets of the beautiful character of the Lord Jesus Christ and His multi-faceted character. And I love the Lord Jesus, and I believe you do.
I. His Spiritual Insight
Now, here’s the first facet of Jesus’ character that I want you to see against this dark background of His betrayal - and that is His spiritual insight. As you study this story, you find out that the Lord Jesus was keenly aware of what was going on, what had happened, and what was going to happen. Let me select a few verses for you.
Look in verse 3: “Jesus - now, look at the next word - knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God.” Now,
I’m going to stop reading right there. Forgive me for stopping a sentence in the middle. But the emphasis I want to make here is the omniscience, the knowing, of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And then, skip on down to verse 18. Jesus says, concerning the disciples, “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.” Now, what does that tell me? That Jesus was not surprised by Judas’ betrayal. Jesus was not shocked at what Judas did. Jesus knew beforehand what Judas would do. Let me give you some ancillary scriptures.
John chapter 6, verse 64: Jesus there, before this dark night, had said concerning the disciples, “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.” From the very beginning, Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him. Now, why would Jesus want a double-crosser in the ministry, a crook for the treasurer? Well, I can tell you one thing. He wasn’t taken by surprise. Some people think that Judas was saved and lost his salvation. No, Judas never was saved. He never believed. Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not.
And, again, John chapter 6, verses 70 and 71, make it even clearer: “Jesus answered them, Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he that should betray him, being one of the twelve.” Now, what I’m trying to say is I want you to see the great knowledge that our dear Savior had, even in His humanity. And, of course, He was tuning His ear to God the Father, who is above all, and in all, through all, and over all.
A wise man once said, “Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God?” I mean, God doesn’t say, “Oh, you don’t mean…do tell. Is that so?” Only God knows the future.
Now, the key here is in verse 19. Look at this. Jesus is talking about the fact that Judas is going to betray Him, and notice what He says in verse 19: “Now, I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.” Now, if you have a King James Version of Scripture, like I have in front of me, you’ll notice the word he is kind of in squiggly. It’s leaning just a little bit, not quite as bold. It is what we call today, it is italicized. And what Jesus is literally saying, “I tell you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, you may know that I am.” The word he is not really even there in the original. He just says, “that you may know that I am.” Who is I AM? Jehovah God, the most holy name for God in all of the Scripture. And what He is saying is, “I’m going to let you know that I know that this has not taken me by surprise, that I AM.” That is, the God who created the universes. When I thought of this, I thought of Psalm 139 - you may flip to it - verses 1 through 4. It’s written, Brother Jim, to the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” Now, he says here, “you’ve searched me.” The word search means You pierced me through.
Remember this morning when I talked about the Lord Jesus Christ who had eyes like a flame of fire? He sees us, but He sees through us, but, thank God, He sees us through, also, if we know the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, He says, “There’s not a movement but what you see it. You know my standing up. You know my lying down.” There’s not a motive but what He knows it. Look in the last part of verse 2 of this psalm: “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” There’s not a murmur but what He hears it. “There is not a word in my tongue, but, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” So be careful - be careful - what you say tonight. Be careful what you say around the supper table. Be careful what you say in the secret chamber. God sees everything you do. God knows every thought.
I have a preacher friend. I mentioned him this morning in the sermon. His name is Peter Lord, a dear friend. I’ve known Peter for many, many years. Peter is one of the most eccentric, one of the most creative, one of the most different, men I’ve ever met. No telling what he would do. If you were a member of Peter’s church, you would stay on edge. On a particular time, Peter Lord got up in the attic of the church, up there above the ceiling, and the people came in, and the pastor was not on the platform. They had the song service, and then Peter began to speak, and he said, “Folks, this is your pastor, Peter Lord.” Well, they said, “Where is he?” He had a microphone up there. He had a hole in the ceiling. He’s looking down. He sees the entire, worship center, not as big as ours. And he said, “Never mind where I am.” He said, “You can’t see me, but I want you to know I see you.” And he said, “Mrs. Jones, I see you scratching your ear.” She put her hand down. “Mr. So-and-So, I see this, I see that.” And the whole congregation is saying, “How does he see me? Where is he? Is he in the front? Is he in the back? Where is he?” And he preached what I’m preaching tonight, that God sees our every move. If you thought about that, kids, would you pass notes in church tonight? If you thought about that, if He knows your thoughts, would your mind be gathering wool tonight, as we come to the Lord’s Supper? Think about it. You see, Jesus said, “Look, I know, I know, I know what is all is going to happen.” And so, one thing I see about our dear Lord is His great knowledge, His spiritual insight.
II. His Sovereign Control
Now, here’s the second thing I see about our Lord here: not only His spiritual insight, but His sovereign control. Now, He was not out of control. Don’t think that somehow something went wrong. Again, I go back to verse 3 in this chapter: “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God.” Look. Everything’s in the hand of Jesus. He’s got the whole wide world in His hands. Now, God never says, “Oh, I’m surprised,” and He never says, “Oops, I didn’t know that I was going to do that.” He knows exactly what is going to happen. Jesus is never surprised, and it follows, as night follows day, He is never out of control. And where He does not rule, He overrules. Judas meant it for evil, but God used it for good.
Do you remember the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery and later became the Prime Minister of Egypt, as a providential chain of events? And he was the one who was used to save his people from famine, became a beautiful type of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was sold by wicked brothers, betrayed, actually, sold, very much like Jesus was sold by Judas. And here’s what Joseph said before his brothers, in Genesis chapter 50 and verse 20: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Judas meant it for evil, but God used it for good. God is always in sovereign control.
As I was preparing this, several other verses came to my heart. Isaiah 46, verse 10, speaks of God declaring the end from the beginning: “And from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure.” God knows the beginning and the end. Only God knows the future.
I told you on our sermon in our series on Revelation, the devil doesn’t know the future. Listen to me. The devil’s a knucklehead - he is! - to think that he could overthrow the Almighty. He doesn’t know the future. If he knew the future, he would know that he’s heading to hell. But he actually thinks, in his perverted, twisted mind, the deception of sin, that he can overcome the Almighty. Only God knows the future.
Think of how God is in control. Listen to the Book of Daniel chapter 4, verse 35: “And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven.”
Now, you can let all of the people on this earth strut and dance and plan and prognosticate and posture. God says, “That’s nothing - nothing. My armies are in the army of heaven, and he doeth his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” Nobody can say, “God, You can’t do it,” and nobody can question Him what He does. He’s God. Amen? He is God. He doesn’t have to get your permission, so you might as well resign as ruler of the universe, and let Him take over.
Ephesians 1, verse 11, speaks of our God again: “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”
Well, you say, “Was it God’s will that Judas betray the Lord Jesus?” That brings up an interesting question. It was God’s will that God would use that for our redemption. How God takes the wickedness of man, and the sovereignty of God, and puts them together in the crucible of His omnipotence, and works it for our good and His glory, is one of the amazing things, because, you see, the fact that Judas would betray the Lord Jesus Christ was prophesied by the prophet Zechariah. Put down Zechariah chapter 11, verses 12 and 13: “And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price, and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter - a goodly price that I was prised of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.” Now, that’s a direct prophecy. We don’t have time to unfold it altogether, but it prophesies the fact that Jesus would be sold for thirty pieces of silver, and then those thirty pieces of silver would be cast into the potter’s field. So, I want you to see His spiritual insight, but I want you to see His sovereign control.
And we’ve been studying in the Book of the Revelation all the works of the beast, the Antichrist, the dragon, the false prophet, and so forth. We’ve been thinking about 666, but I want you to know, when 666 shows up, 777 will be on the throne. Yeah. He’s the Lord. Judas is a type of the Antichrist. He is a literal type of the Antichrist. Judas and the Antichrist are the only two people in the Bible called the Son of Perdition. Judas is the only person in the Bible that says, “and the devil entered into him.” Other people may be demon-possessed, but the only one person in the Bible that I can ever find where it says, “the devil entered into him.” You know, some people say, “I’ve been wrestling with the devil all day long.” You flatter yourself. He put the weakest demon on you, bud. But here it is. Here it is that Judas is a type of the Antichrist, and with all of his wickedness and his evil machinations. Then I want you to see the sovereign control of Jesus, and agree with me that what Judas did is only the black velvet that makes us see that Jesus outshines them all, amen?
III. His Seeking Grace
Now, I want you to see a third thing of these character traits of the Lord Jesus: not only His spiritual insight, not only His sovereign control, but I want you to see His seeking grace - His seeking grace. Oh, I’m so glad that He is a Savior filled with grace and love. Look in verse 18. Jesus, speaking of the one who would betray Him, said, “I speak not of you all, for I know whom I have chosen, but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me, he that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.” Now, Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him. He knew that ahead of time, and yet, here is the Lord Jesus Christ loving Judas, sitting at the table with Judas.
Now, Judas’ action was not apart from his own will. Don’t get the idea that Judas was some sort of a mechanical creature forced to betray the Lord Jesus. Judas, by his own choice, by his own will, by his own desire, betrayed Jesus. Judas was not a robot. Judas was not an unwilling victim. Judas was not some sort of a pawn in a cosmic game of chess. God’s grace was offered to Judas. Jesus endeavored to bring Judas to repentance with love, and with pleas of entreating, and with rebukes. In verse 5, we find out that Jesus washed Judas’ feet. In verse 11, Jesus gave Judas a warning. In verse 26, He gave him the ultimate act of hospitality, when He took the morsel of bread and handed it to him.
In Middle Eastern tradition, this was a way of expressing love. And it was not feighned loved. Don’t accuse my Lord of being a hypocrite, of doing one thing and believing another. Jesus was reaching out to Judas. Now, if God is responsible, and Judas is not responsible, then Judas is not to be blamed, he is to be pitied. He’s a victim. He is not to be judged. But Judas became a traitor by his own choice, and then God placed his treachery, the treachery of Judas, into God’s own plan, into the divine plan. Man rules, and God overrules.
You know, that ought to be a warning to us. People can be so very close to our Lord, and yet still be lost and forever damned. They can refuse the grace of God. Judas had incredible opportunities. He was basking in the light, and yet, living in darkness. He kissed the Lord Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the door, no one can enter in but by me.” That means that this man kissed the door to heaven, and went to hell. Think how close he was, and yet, how far away he was. Judas understood the truth. He heard the truth. He posed as a believer. He had everyone fooled but Jesus - everyone. To whom do you give the responsibility of being the treasurer? The one you trust the most. It was Judas who held the bag. When Jesus said, “One is going to betray me,” they didn’t all say, “It must be Judas.” They said, “Lord, am I the one? Who is going to betray You?” You see, Jesus had reached out to Judas. And what that ought to say to us is that we ought to examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith.
Are you here tonight religious? Could it be that you’ve never been twice-born? Second Corinthians 13, verse 5: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobate?” Could it be here tonight that you will go through this Lord’s Supper, as Judas did that fateful night until he left, and yet, never really know the Lord Jesus Christ? The point is this: that Jesus loved Judas. Judas, by his own choice, did evil.
Yes, God foresaw it. Yes, God prophesied it. Yes, God knew it. Nothing ever surprises Him. But there is His steadfast love. And Jesus did not merely practice what He preached, He preached what He practiced. He said we’re to love our enemies, and this is what He did, as we’re going to see in a moment.
IV. His Steadfast Mission
Now, here’s the fourth thing I want you to see about the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to see His steadfast mission. Look in verse 20 of this chapter. Jesus now has given this scenario of His betrayal, and then He says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you…” - now, whenever Jesus says, “Verily, verily,” that means, pay attention, put up your antenna - “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” Now, this facet of His character I want to call His steadfast mission. Can you imagine what it would have been like for you to have been one of the twelve? To learn that there was a hypocrite in the midst? To learn that there was a traitor in the midst? That someone was going to betray the Lord Jesus? I mean, it could have filled them all with self-doubt, and wondering about their own credentials. There’s scandal. Is the ministry over? Has the whole thing - has the whole enterprise just unraveled? Now, what Jesus is saying to them right after all of this: “What Judas does, does not alter my cause, does not cancel the commission that I have given to you. And, yes, here’s a man who’s done wrong. He’s a man who will betray Me, but God is still with us, and the cause still stands.”
Now, what will happen, if you’re not careful, is some Judas will derail you from the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. You’ll read somewhere, somehow, about some preacher or somebody who has done wrong, and you’ll say, “Well, that’s it.”
Friend, it’ll not happen, but suppose I go south on God. Are you going to quit serving God? Say no. “No, pastor, I’m not going to quit serving God. I’m not going to quit serving God, no matter what happens.” Don’t you get your eyes on the failure and the faults of some man for whom Jesus died. Keep your eyes upon Jesus, and remember the commission that He’s given you. Every now and then, you’ll hear of some so-called televangelist, or somebody who is guilty of these kind of hi-jinks, or we hear of hypocrites in the church. That doesn’t cancel out the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. If some Judas moves to center stage, that’s just all the more reason for you to preach the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And his failure does not diminish your call or your authority. Second Corinthians 5, verse 20: “Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ.” How pathetic it will sound at the judgment, if you say, “Well, there was some Judas, and, therefore, I stopped serving the Lord.” There have been hypocrites. There will be hypocrites. Every now and then, somebody says to me, “You know, Pastor Rogers, there are hypocrites in the church.” I say, “Ohhhh, you don’t mean it? Ohhhh. I just think I’ll resign right now.” No. Listen, friend. There are some lawyers who are shysters, some doctors who are quacks, but if you need legal advice, you’ll probably find a lawyer, and if you get sick, most likely, you’ll look up a doctor. And there’s some money that’s counterfeit, but I notice you haven’t put all yours in the furnace. No. The hypocrite only proves the validity and the worthwhileness of the real. Men don’t counterfeit gum wrappers, they counterfeit $50 bills. And it’s the counterfeit that proves the validity of the real.
Have you ever been out at nighttime on a crystal clear night, and the stars nestle in the bosom of the sky like a chandelier, and then you see streaking across the sky what is called a falling star, and it’s gone? How many of you have ever seen anything like that? Yeah. And what does anybody say who is there? They say, ‘Look, a falling star!” And, friend, there are gazillions of stars up there shining bright that never fall. It’s the falling star that gets the attention. And everybody talks about all of these Christians who are falling and doing this or that. Somebody told me that one day. I said, “Name five.” They couldn’t do it. I can tell you I know that there are hypocrites in the church, but I’m going to tell you something else. I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God. And the best people I know on the face of God’s green earth are members of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you let some hypocrite derail you, it must be that you’ve got problems with your own faith. Don’t put your faith in a Judas. Put your faith in Jesus.
V. His Sympathizing Love
Now, the next thing I want you to see, the next facet of His wonderful character, where He outshines them all, is His sympathizing love. Look in verses 21 through 27: “When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit - that is, He’s brokenhearted - and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now, there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.” Now, don’t get the idea here that these are a couple of effeminate guys, and somebody snuggling Jesus. That’s not what it’s about at all. They’re at supper. At supper, they would recline around the table. I’ve been in the Middle East, and sometimes we’ve done this where we would reenact this dinner, this supper. And there would be benches around the table, and they would lie down. And they would lie and prop themselves up on their left arm and eat with their right hand. So if I’m lying here, and then, Mark is lying here, he’s at my bosom, at my chest. He’s leaning there. That’s what this is talking about. And so, look at it again now: “There was learning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved - of course, that was John who wrote this story, and he’s being self-effacing here. He doesn’t even mention his name. Simon Peter, therefore, beckoned to him - that is, Simon said to John - that he should ask who it is of whom He spake. He, then, lying on Jesus’ breast, saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, It is he to whom I shall give a sop, and when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop, Satan entered into him.” Now, he crosses a deadline at this point. Jesus is reaching out to him. When it says that “Satan entered into him,” I believe he committed the unpardonable sin at this moment. “And, then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.”
Now, I mention all of this to say that all of this is in the context of the great, steadfast love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Later on in this same chapter, we read in verses 34 and 35, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Now, the Scripture says that Jesus was troubled in spirit, in verse 21. Why was He troubled? He was heartbroken over Judas. Jesus did not hate Judas. He loved Judas. “God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” He had been loving Judas for three years, knowing all the while that Judas would betray Him. How do I know that Jesus loved him this way? Because nobody ever suspected that it was Judas. Nobody could see that Jesus was treating Judas any different. As a matter of fact, it seems that He is treating Judas even better. He’s the one who is given the prize morsel. But then, Judas makes his final decision. But it was
Judas that opened the door to Satan. Jesus’ heart was broken.
Listen to me. A man will go to hell unsaved, but no man will go to hell unloved. Some people have the idea that God doesn’t love the whole world. I don’t have that idea. I believe He loves the whole world. And Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” That’s exactly what Jesus did to Judas.
VI. His Solemn Justice
The next thing I want you to see of these six facets of the character of the Lord
Jesus Christ that outshines any person who ever lived, and that is His solemn justice,
His justice. Yes, He is love, infinite love, matchless love, but He’s also the lion and the
Lamb. He is the Savior and the Judge. Notice John 13, verse 27: “And after the sop Satan entered into him” - into Judas. “Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now, no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag - that is, he’s the treasurer - that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast, or, that he should give something to the poor. He, then, having received the sop, went immediately out, and it was night.”
Why do you think John wrote that there? Because there’s a double meaning. He’s talking here about the darkness that is in Judas’ heart. Oh, it was literally dark, but there’s a double meaning here. Here was this man who has crossed the deadline. He’s damned for hell forever. And Jesus now is no longer reaching out to him. He says, “All right, all right, now you go.” Now, mercy has turned to judgment. Judas is determined to betray Christ. Satan has entered into him. And Judas is determined to betray Christ, and Christ is determined to die for sinners. Now, later on, Judas’ conscience will sting him, and Judas will go out and hang himself. And later on, people will cut down that bloated body, swollen, skin-cracked, eyes picked out by the birds, flies on his extended tongue, stinking, rotting, and he’ll be cut down, and fall to the rocks beneath, and split open like an overripe melon. The Bible said, his bowels gushed out, “Judas, where are your friends now? Judas, where are your thirty pieces of silver now? Judas, where are your plans now?” Jesus allowed that to happen. He said, “All right, Judas, what you do, do quickly.” Acts 1, verse 18: “Now, this man purchased a field with the reward of his iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” No wonder the Lord Jesus Christ said in another Gospel, in Matthew chapter 26 and verse 24: “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 him that he had not been born” - good for him that he had not been born. God allowed him to be born, so that he might have a choice. Now, if it had been good for him not to have been born, because he had no choice, God should never have allowed him to be born. But he spurned love. God knew it. God knew what he would do. God incorporated that into His plan. It was all part of a marvelous mosaic. But the point is this: that Judas was never twice-born. So since he never had the second birth, he entered into the second death. And that’s why I said this morning in my message, “The time will come, when, if you’ve not been born twice, you’ll wish that you had never been born at all.” There is a God of justice. The Lord Jesus Christ is a God of infinite love, but of great justice.
Conclusion
All of these things I see in the character of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You may say, “Well, Pastor Rogers, I’m bad, but I’m no Judas.” Let me tell you something. Now, listen to me carefully. It is not the amount of sin that damns you, it is the fact of sin. More people drown in nine feet of water than drown in ninety feet of water. Even though you may not be a Judas, if you don’t get saved, you’ll spend eternity with Judas, because you’re on the same side of the fence with him. That’s the reason Jesus said, in Matthew 12:30: “He that is not with me is against me.” Question: Are you with Him? If not, you’re against Him.
I want to tell you, if I had a thousand lives, I’d give them all to Jesus, because Jesus outshines them all. Amen.
