Why Did Judas Do It? And What Will Our Memorial Be?

Why Did Judas Do It? And What Will Our Memorial Be?

Good Morning Friends,

Today we look at how close a person can get to Jesus and still not believe. Today we look at a message of extravagant love and how our jars of clay and our wills must be broken to release what has been trapped inside. Together they tell an important story about Spy Wednesday, the day before the crucifixion, the day that Judas conspired to hand Jesus over to the highest bidder…the day Jesus was anointed with expensive perfume and Judas’ button was pushed. And so this prompts us to ask two questions: Why Did Judas Do It? And What Will Our Memorial Be?

6Scripture: Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,^*
7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. ⁸But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, ‘Why this waste? ⁹For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.’ ¹⁰But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. ¹¹For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. ¹²By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. ¹³Truly I tell you, wherever this good news^* is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.’ 1414Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵and said, ‘What will you give me if I betray him to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

Matthew 26:6-16 (NRSV)Top of FormBottom of Form

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⁵‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii^* and the money given to the poor?’ ⁶(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)

John 12:5-6 (NRSV)

7But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. ⁸We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. ¹¹For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh.

2 Corinthians 4:7-11 (NRSV)

Message: Dwelling on the interesting and complex character of Judas and getting into his head is not a pleasant place to be. He was a thief that may have started out honest but gradually fell into the trap of sin. It is painful and difficult. Part of the problem is understanding his motivations. We want to know why he did what he did. We expect some rational explanation for his behavior. Judas seems to have had every possible spiritual advantage. So what was Judas’ motive for betraying Jesus? Theologians and artists love to speculate about Judas, and suggest justifiable motivations for his betrayal of Jesus. Maybe Judas was expecting Jesus to overthrow Roman tyranny, and by having Jesus arrested, he would force Jesus into a rebellion against Rome and bring about an earthly kingdom. Maybe Judas became disenchanted with Jesus over time. He may have followed Jesus expecting to be on the ground floor, of the coming kingdom where he would rule with Jesus. But when he realized that it wasn’t going to happen, that there would be no fame or fortune, he cut his losses by taking the 30 pieces of silver… the price for a slave. Or, maybe as a good Jew, Judas was scandalized when Jesus claimed to be God, and for religious reasons, betrayed him. These are all understandable motives, but they don’t match the testimony of Scripture. The gospel writers do tell us why Judas betrayed Jesus, quite clearly, that he did it for the money. Greed and the love of money brought out the worst in Judas, and I think the perfume incident was the tipping point. In Leonardo de Vichy’s famous painting, “The Last Supper” he first drew Judas with the face of his worst enemy and critic; but then unable to sleep and feeling guilty, he redrew it to portray some of his own features. An interesting insight, recognizing that the capacity to betray lies within us all. That Judas betrayed Jesus for the money ought to awaken us and frighten us as I think it did Leonardo de Vichy. For we too share that same motivation, we too struggle with greed and the love of money in our lives. But can it really be so simple as greed and money? And in reply I must admit that too often it is. Pretty shallow stuff to have such pathetic priorities. Friends, know this, the love of money is a root of evil. And so it is that Judas is remembered for being a traitor and a lover of money and Mary, for her great love of Jesus and her great generosity and sacrificial gift. Yes it is about money but also the great freedom of giving extravagantly. So today let’s focus on how much we value Jesus and the gift given. Let us be remembered for our love of Jesus.

Pray that we learn to value a Jesus to whom we owe everything. Pray that we value him more that the price of a slave, more than expensive perfume… more than everything we have. Pray we are forgive for our preoccupation with the cost of life’s choices. Pray we learn to receive God’s love and grace. Pray we are anointed in the Spirit. Pray we never think love a waste. Pray we never develop a cold and uncaring heart for the poor. Pray we not get anxious and fearful about money. Pray we learn to give extravagantly to God’s kingdom and to God’s holy purposes. Pray we not hold back but show forth a love great enough to sacrifice the very best we have. Pray we take seriously what the Bible reveals about Judas, as a warning. Pray the memories of our lives be a sweet perfume.

Blessings,

John Lawson