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| When you come to a Fork in the Road, the time for a decision, How do you choose? Right or Convenient? |
47
And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one
of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. 48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas,
betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? 49 When
they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord,
shall we smite with the sword? 50 And
one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. 51 And Jesus answered and said,
Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.
(Luke 22:47-51)
Judas betrayed Christ with a KISS, but others betrayed
Jesus on that fateful night as well, including the courageous Peter who also
betrayed Christ with his own lips.
According to Webster's New World Dictionary, the word,
BETRAY, means to:
1.
Deliver or expose to an enemy
traitorously;
2.
Break faith with or fail to meet
the hopes of; etc.
Both Judas and Peter fit into this definition of
betrayal. Judas was doomed and met a horrible fate, but what of Peter? He was
forgiven and restored. Why the difference?
Jesus chose Judas from the beginning knowing that he
was reprobate and a devil. Jesus answered
them, Have not I chosen you twelve,
and one of you is a devil?
He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray
him, being one of the twelve. (John
6:70-71) By the foreknowledge of God, Jesus chose Peter as
well knowing that Peter would be driven in righteousness by the Holy
Spirit. Whom do men say that I the Son of man
am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and
others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye
that I am? And Simon
Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And
Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou,
Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my
Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and
upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. (Matt 16:13-18)
His reference to Peter (a stone) is distinguished from the Rock which is
Christ. Christ is the foundation and chief cornerstone of the Church. But the
disciple is a symbolic stone from that Rock having the same nature and
appearance. Redemption from every sin is possible for the Elect of God.
But Judas was a devil from the beginning. He loved
mammon more than the Moral Law or the Law of Love. An example of this is found
in John 12: 3 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. 4 Then
saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray
him, 5
Why was not this ointment
sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared
for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was
put therein. (John 12:3-6)
Judas' love for filthy lucre led to his final egregious
sin and fatal demise. 14 Then one of the twelve, called
Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15 And
said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they
covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that time he sought
opportunity to betray him. (Matt
26:14-16) There arises in the modern and apostate church, from
time to time, the notion that Judas did not go to Hell because he had no choice
but to betray Christ - that he was predestined to the act. Amazingly, the
people who make this argument are, without exception, those of the Arminian
persuasion who reject predestination under every color of meaning. Regardless,
all men born of woman come into this world under the just sentence of death for
sin, but God calls, by the agency of the Holy Ghost, His elect from among the
inedible fishes of the sea. They are drawn in the fisher's net and by the
drawing power of the Lord Jesus Christ crucified.
But the nature of some men such as Judas is so
disposed as to never come to terms with spiritual salvation. Even though the
general call is sounded across the glassy seas, some are deaf to that call by
nature of their own inner being. Judas was, of necessity, one of these men. He
saw every healing, every miracle, every resurrection from the dead that Christ
wrought. He heard every parable and every sermon, yet, He was reprobate and
betrayed the Lord - not by compulsion, but by the dictate of his own sinful
soul.
The fate of Judas is a sorrowful one. If we have the
same sense of the matter as Jesus, we would have all men to be saved; but this
is not compatible with the will of God since the heart of many have not the
properties of heart to respond to the call. In heaven, there will be no
reprobates, rebels, or sinners. 3
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto
the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3-4) But all men are not saved, and
God knows His Elect!
Please consider the pitiful nature of a demonic heart
such as Judas had. He planned long and thoughtfully how he might betray Jesus.
Of course, money played a leading role in his sinful heart. Following the
anointing of Jesus by Mary at Bethany of which Judas complained for the expense
of the ointment, Judas had seen enough. The money bag was being emptied
gradually perhaps, and he desired his father, the devil's, business. The very
moment that the Scribes and Pharisees sought how they might destroy Jesus,
Satan tugged at his minion's (Judas') heart and he responded. He went
immediately to those seeking the life of our Lord and betrayed Him
outright. 14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went
unto the chief priests, 15 And
said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they
covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16
And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. (Matt 26:14-16) During the period immediately
preceding the treacherous decision of Judas, the priests, Pharisees, and
Sanhedrin leadership decided on destroying Jesus: 53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together
for to put him to death. . . . Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had
given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it,
that they might take him. (John 11:53,57)
See how well Satan coordinates his purpose in the hearts of his own chosen
ones.
It may be a further enlightenment to the righteous to
know what happened the night of the Lord's betrayal. When Jesus made that
profound and shocking statement at the Last Supper, the disciples wondered who
was the culprit. Jesus gave them the clue: 26
Jesus answered, He
it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop,
he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 And
after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. 28 Now
no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. 29 For some of them thought, because
Judas had the bag, 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. 30 He then having received the sop
went immediately out: and it was night. (John 13:26-30)
Judas never repented to the Lord for his sin. He
repented in himself based on logical outcomes of such an act and not out of
devotion to Christ. He hung himself that very night; so, when Judas went out
from the Last Supper, it was not simply night - it was an eternal night for
Judas in outer darkness. He never saw another sunrise.
What of Peter? Did he betray Jesus in the same way as
Judas? Not in the least sense! Peter betrayed and denied Jesus three times out
of mortal fear. The last denial was the most hurtful of all: 60 And Peter said, Man, I know not
what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61 And the Lord turned, and looked
upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto
him, Before the cock crow, thou
shalt deny me thrice.
62 And Peter went out, and wept
bitterly. (Luke 22:60-62)
Peter was stung by his third
denial and the look in the eyes of His Lord at the moment of His denial. He
went out and wept bitterly because he loved the Lord and was in anguish for his
own cowardice and failure. He wept for the next three days or more until Jesus
rose from the Garden Tomb. Can you imagine those three painful days in Peter's
life. How did the Lord soothe Peter? The great Angel at the tomb told the disciples:
Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was
crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7
But go your way, tell his disciples and PETER that he goeth before you into
Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. (Mark
16:6-7) Note that Peter is the only disciple whose name is singled out
in the directions of the angel. The Lord knew of Peter's hurt and intended to
ease his pain as soon as possible. Later, on the shores of beloved Galilee,
Peter was overwhelmed at the sight of the Lord and already knew that he had
been forgiven.
There are only two families on earth, and every single
person belongs to one or the other. Judas belonged to the family of his father,
the devil. Peter belonged to the family of his Father in Heaven.
To which of these two families do you belong, reader?
5 And beside this, giving
all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience;
and to patience godliness; 7 And
to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make
you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these
things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged
from his old sins. 10 Wherefore the rather,
brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do
these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For
so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2
Peter 1:5-11)
