Every man is a Judas who sells Christ or his truth, for gain or reputation, or who, for the sake of the worldly interest, conceals the truth, disowns Christ’s cause, or deserts Christ’s friends’ – Joseph Barker.

Judas syndrome, the proud, sinful pattern/thread of betrayal and degradation of faith continues to plague and appears in the bright light of Christianity since its founding. Understanding Judas, helps us understand ourselves, church leadership and condition of the church today. John’s Gospel portrays Judas, diabolos, an agent of Satan, a deceiver rather than a disciple (Jn 13:27). The theological implication is that Judas was an instrument in the eternal battle between forces of Light and darkness, between God and Satan. Judas was destroyed by deception and hypocrisy. He complained about Mary’s pouring and wasting costly ointment over Jesus’ feet, not because he loved the poor but because of his greed ideology. For Judas, the love of the poor is more important than true worship to God thereby putting the first thing last and last thing first.

Judas is not the only betrayer that ‘crossed the line of grace’ he is just the model, the example, the prototype, and as a tool of hypocrisy provides a practical narrative of the danger of being religious but lost. John MacArthur in his book, How to survive in a World of Unbelievers said, ‘there are Judases in every age .. they are more common than ever today … church is full of people who sell out Jesus Christ…’ (Heb 6:6). One may know Jesus but never know Jesus as one of His sheep who knows His voice. The warning of Jesus that the Day of Judgement would reveal the true believers resonates with the real life illustration about those who claimed to perform God-honouring works like Judas, but received ‘I never knew you’ condemnation. Judases in every age offers you and me who may know about Jesus but have never responded to His call to accept the gift of eternal life made possible by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Judases in every age offers you and me a renewing opportunities to decry the treachery of Judas, to humbly learn from his mistakes and to be vigilant so as not to be devour by the adversary, the devil who is walking about like a roaring lion. Judas saw Jesus performing many miracles, walking on the water, feeding over 5000 people, saving many life but Jesus was not his Saviour. Judas was bribed to betrayed Jesus Christ and thereby drew a major close to Jesus’ mortal ministry ( Matt 26:14-16). Jesus was accused of posing threat to the establishment.

Judases in every age challenges us about having the knowledge of Jesus without embracing Him as the ONLY Son of Man who gave his life to redeem us from our sin. Judas points us to the reality of suffering the consequences from bad decisions and ideology. He walked with Jesus for almost three years, but never allowed the power of Christ to transform his life. Like Judas, with our own philosophy of ministry and life, policy, lifestyle, our own way of doing things, many of us want to have Jesus in our own terms and pleasurable interpretations. Rather being a follower of Jesus Christ, we get Jesus to follow us, betraying him with a kiss of immorality and pride. Holy week offers us the opportunity to experience the power of God’s redemption and remain steadfast against degradation of Christian faith.

When Judas came to his senses, after a devastating insight, he realised the uselessness of his dream of freedom and independence. He could not forgive himself and hanged himself in total despair. Judas in us calls us to stop selling out and undermining the Gospel and claims of Christ. Judas in us opposed the true worship of Christ by others. Judases in every age uses their association with the church and church member for personal gain, mocking Jesus’ redemptive claim with a kiss of betrayal and gossip, hard heartedness and unwillingness to call upon Christ for forgiveness. The reflection is that the mocking kiss of Judas was the making of Jesus as the Saviour of the world. Judases in every age never changed because they are never saved. Judas was informed about Jesus but he was not transformed by Jesus. Just as different things could enslave a soul, it was greed ideology that enslaved Judas’ head, heart and soul preventing him from receiving salvation. The deception about Judas is that, he fooled others into thinking he is also a disciple hence, they were surprise to see him as a traitor and betrayer. No one can fool God. According to William Telford, Judas, the pariah was sent to eternal damnation in hell. Judases in every age reminds us that delayed judgement is not escaped judgement. Judas escaped such a great salvation (Gal 6:7, Heb 2:3). Must you repeat Judas’s mistake? Escape the judgement of your sin, Receive Christ today.

Prayer: ‘Still as of old, by himself is priced for thirty pieces. Judas sold himself, not Christ.’ O Lord, deliver the church from Judas passion. Please pray for more souls to be saved.