Judas, one of the most educated of Christ’s apostles, became notoriously known in world history. Because of his fatal role in the betrayal of Jesus—selling Him for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave—the false apostle is universally despised by a great number of Christians.
For sure, none of us would like to be in Judas’ shoes and have the same fate as his. However, all of us are at the risk of committing the same serious mistakes as he did—and losing our eternal salvation as a result. The life of Judas teaches us very important lessons. By God’s grace, we should avoid his wrong attitudes and overcome our serious defects of character and sins that, if kept in our heart and life, could be a fatal hindrance to our eternal salvation.
Judas had excellent talents that, if used for good, would have been a great blessing for the infant Christian church. True, Jesus never invited him to be His apostle. Judas offered himself and Jesus didn’t reject him, but rather gave him a place among the apostles. He enjoyed wonderful opportunities to learn from Jesus and to develop a symmetrical character. Sadly, Judas committed serious mistakes that led him to his terrible crime of selling Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
However, let us consider some of Judas’ good and positive characteristics that rarely get mentioned before evaluating his negative traits of character:
Judas was attracted to the beautiful character of Jesus, and he loved the Master. He received power to heal the sick and to expel demons. He was a natural leader. He was amazed as he saw Jesus healing the people, feeding the multitude, resurrecting the dead, and accepting the most despised sinners. He was touched by the grace and mercy revealed through Jesus’ character. He had a desire to be like Christ, and enjoyed working with and for Him in recovering lost humanity. Like the other disciples, he had a misunderstanding about the true character of the Messiah. He hoped that Christ would be a political leader who would overthrow the Roman Empire and put Israel at the head of the nations in the world. In all his work among the disciples, he tried to reach this goal.
What was wrong with Judas? He was a very selfish man, and, instead of fighting against his serious defects of character—avarice, greed, and self-sufficiency—he developed a very high concept about himself.
“While Jesus was preparing the disciples for their ordination, one who had not been summoned urged his presence among them. It was Judas Iscariot, a man who professed to be a follower of Christ. He now came forward, soliciting a place in this inner circle of disciples. With great earnestness and apparent sincerity he declared, ‘Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.’ Jesus neither repulsed nor welcomed him, but uttered only the mournful words: ‘The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head’ (Matthew 8:19, 20). Judas believed Jesus to be the Messiah; and by joining the apostles, he hoped to secure a high position in the new kingdom. This hope Jesus designed to cut off by the statement of His poverty.” The Desire of Ages, p. 293. [Emphasis added.]
As we see in the above quotation, Judas’ primary motivation was wrong. He hoped to reach a high political position by uniting his interest with Christ’s disciples.
“The disciples were anxious that Judas should become one of their numbers. He was of commanding appearance, a man of keen discernment and executive ability, and they commended him to Jesus as one who would greatly assist Him in His work. They were surprised that Jesus received him so coolly.” Ibid., p. 294.
If we study carefully the character of Judas and the other disciples, we come to the conclusion that they all had very similar inclinations and aspirations. So then, what caused Judas to become a traitor and a villain despised throughout the whole world?
“When Judas joined the disciples, he was not insensible to the beauty of the character of Christ. He felt the influence of that divine power which was drawing souls to the Savior. He who came not to break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax would not repulse this soul while even one desire was reaching toward the light. The Saviour read the heart of Judas; He knew the depths of iniquity to which, unless delivered by the grace of God, Judas would sink. In connecting this man with Himself, He placed him where he might, day by day, be brought in contact with the outflowing of His own unselfish love. If he would open his heart to Christ, divine grace would banish the demon of selfishness, and even Judas might become a subject of the kingdom of God.” Ibid., p. 294. [Emphasis added.]
Judas was possessed by the demon of selfishness, but even this condition could be overcome if he would submit his life completely to the control of the Holy Spirit.
The weakest point in Judas’ character was selfishness, but the other disciples had this characteristic, too.
Judas’ unique problem was this: “[Judas] was self-sufficient, and instead of resisting temptation, he continued to follow his fraudulent practices. Christ was before him, a living example of what he must become if he reaped the benefit of the divine mediation and ministry; but lesson after lesson fell unheeded on the ears of Judas.” Ibid., p. 295.
“Instead of walking in the light, Judas chose to retain his defects. Evil desires, revengeful passions, dark and sullen thoughts, were cherished, until Satan had full control of the man. Judas became a representative of the enemy of Christ.” Ibid., p. 295.
“Judas had a high opinion of his own executive ability. As a financier he thought himself greatly superior to his fellow disciples, and he had led them to regard him in the same light.” Ibid., p. 559.
“Judas had indulged avarice until it overpowered every good trait of his character.” Ibid., p. 564.
“If there was a highest place, Judas was determined to have it, and that place was thought to be next to Christ. And Judas was a traitor.” Ibid., p. 644.
“Judas had naturally a strong love for money; but he had not always been corrupt enough to do such a deed as [betraying his Lord]. He had fostered the evil spirit of avarice until it had become the ruling motive of his life. The love of mammon overbalanced his love for Christ. Through becoming the slave of one vice he gave himself to Satan, to be driven to any lengths in sin.
“He himself had a high opinion of his own qualifications, and looked upon his brethren as greatly inferior to himself in judgment and ability. Even while listening daily to the lessons of Christ and witnessing His unselfish life, Judas indulged his covetous disposition.” Ibid., pp. 715, 717.
What was Judas thinking all along?
“The prospect of having a high place in the new kingdom had led Judas to espouse the cause of Christ.” Ibid., p. 718.
“The dissension as to which of them should be greatest was generally excited by Judas.” Ibid., pp. 718, 719.
“If Judas were only received as a counselor, he thought, he could suggest many plans for the advantage of the little church. His principles and methods would differ somewhat from Christ's, but in these things he thought himself wiser than Christ.” Ibid., p. 719.
Let us summarize the corrupt attitude that caused Judas to be defeated by Satan in such a way that his case finally resulted in eternal loss.
—Self-sufficiency. Judas had strong confidence in himself.
—He fed his selfishness by avoiding submitting himself to Christ and His example of self-denial.
—He was a dishonest man, and kept his condition untouched by Christ by refusing to accept any correction of his character.
—He was revengeful.
—He developed a high opinion about himself and despised and criticized others, even Christ.
—He had a deep love for money.
—He was covetous for both wealth and position. Inspiration declares that the most offensive sins before God are pride, selfishness, and covetousness.
—He thought himself wiser than even Christ.
Was there a remedy for all these serious defects? Yes. The only remedy of healing this sin-sick soul would have been a total surrender of his life to the control of Christ. But here was the most serious difficulty. “Judas did not come to the point of surrendering himself fully to Christ. He did not give up his worldly ambition or his love of money. While he accepted the position of a minister of Christ, he did not bring himself under the divine molding. He felt that he could retain his own judgment and opinions, and he cultivated a disposition to criticize and accuse.” Ibid., p. 716. [Emphasis added.]
What is the real meaning of complete surrender? It means that when we really accept Christ as our personal Saviour and Lord, we accept His control in all aspects of our life. We are willing to give up everything that we know is against the will of God. True, we cannot do this by our own power but only by the grace of God.
The last appeal of Christ to Judas occurred when the Lord washed his feet during the foot-washing ceremony instituted by Christ before His sacrifice.
“When the Saviour's hands were bathing those soiled feet, and wiping them with the towel, the heart of Judas thrilled through and through with the impulse then and there to confess his sin. But he would not humble himself. He hardened his heart against repentance; and the old impulses, for the moment put aside, again controlled him. Judas was now offended at Christ's act in washing the feet of His disciples. If Jesus could so humble Himself, he thought, He could not be Israel's king. All hope of worldly honor in a temporal kingdom was destroyed. Judas was satisfied that there was nothing to be gained by following Christ. After seeing Him degrade Himself, as he thought, he was confirmed in his purpose to disown Him, and confess himself deceived. He was possessed by a demon, and he resolved to complete the work he had agreed to do in betraying his Lord.” Ibid., p. 645.
By betraying Jesus, Judas became a hated person in the history of Christianity. Again, none would like to face the same fate Judas faced, but are we at risk of developing the same characteristics of Christ’s betrayer and facing the same destiny as his? Unfortunately, our fallen human nature can easily be tempted towards this downward spiral while we are falsely presuming to be elevating ourselves.
So let us consider how we can escape such a tendency: What is the result of a complete surrender of our life to Christ?
“In His great love, Christ surrendered Himself for us. He gave Himself for us to meet the necessities of the striving, struggling soul. We are to surrender ourselves to Him. When this surrender is entire, Christ can finish the work He began for us by the surrender of Himself. Then He can bring to us complete restoration.” This Day with God, p. 159.
“Many who profess to be [Christ’s] followers have an anxious, troubled heart, because they are afraid to trust themselves with God. They do not make a complete surrender to Him; for they shrink from the consequences that such surrender may involve. Unless they do make this surrender, they cannot find peace.” Lift Him Up, p. 162.
“God will accept nothing less than unreserved surrender. Half-hearted, sinful Christians can never enter heaven. There they would find no happiness, for they know nothing of the high, holy principles that govern the members of the royal family. The true Christian keeps the windows of the soul open heavenward. He lives in fellowship with Christ. His will is conformed to the will of Christ. His highest desire is to become more and more Christlike.” The Review and Herald, May 16, 1907.
“Satan does not want anyone to see the necessity of an entire surrender to God. When the soul fails to make this surrender, sin is not forsaken; the appetites and passions are striving for the mastery; temptations confuse the conscience, so that true conversion does not take place.” Testimonies, vol. 6, pp. 92, 93.
“Let your surrender to God be full and complete; wait not one day or hour. Make the most now of your probationary time, be it longer or shorter. Just as soon as you cast yourself unreservedly upon Jesus Christ, He accepts you. Do not in any way conceal the fact that you have chosen truth and all the inconveniences that this choice will involve.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, p. 439.
“I beseech you to make an unreserved surrender to God, and to make it now, just now. When you make this surrender you will have an experience entirely different from the experience that you have had for many years. Then you will be able to say with the apostle Paul, ‘I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ’ (Ephesians 3:8). ‘I delight in the law of God after the inward man’ (Romans 7:22).” Ibid., vol. 11, p. 312.
“When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature. The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan. But unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.” The Desire of Ages, p. 324.
Can we, by ourselves, make this total surrender to Christ? Of course not. Christ said: “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Then where is the solution to our main problem?
“No outward observances can take the place of simple faith and entire renunciation of self. But no man can empty himself of self. We can only consent for Christ to accomplish the work. Then the language of the soul will be, Lord, take my heart; for I cannot give it. It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee. Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. Mold me, fashion me, and raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Thy love can flow through my soul.” Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 159.
This is the only way to be eternally saved. May the Lord enable us able to make this whole-hearted surrender!