This sermon series will investigate some persons of interest in the death of Jesus Christ. Each sermon will ask if this person is guilty of the death of Jesus Christ. As we listen and hear the case against each player in the death of Christ, we also hear that the words are for us today. May the Lord bless us as we hear His Word.
This sermon, preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on April 17, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, focuses on Luke 22:1-6, 47-48. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this evening is from the Gospel of Luke, the twenty-second chapter:
…Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd… While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Thus far the text.
Dear friends in Christ,
Tonight, tonight, our investigation draws to a close. We have seen the most major of players in the crucifixion and death of Jesus the Christ. We have looked at John, Peter and Paul, the Roman soldiers, Malchus, and Caiaphas. We have looked at Jesus’ friends and apostles; we have looked at those who most would say are His enemies. And this evening, we shall look at a man who was all those things, a friend, an apostle, and one who became an enemy. And this evening, a sacred evening, in which the Church celebrates the institution of a Sacrament that is so holy, it actually delivers to us the crucified and risen body and blood of the Lord, this evening, we also must look at the opposite side of the joy we find and see the sorrow and pain and betrayal that exists.
For Judas, our person of interest tonight, Judas has decided to betray His Lord. The eyewitness accounts all say the same thing about him. This is Judas’ decision. But is he responsible for the death of Christ? Is he guilty?
It’s a hard sell, isn’t it? You see, here in Luke, it is made clear that the devil has entered in Judas. The devil possessed Jesus’ friend to kill the very Jesus Christ, that with a word gave life and existence to the devil himself. Did the devil make him do it? Or did Judas choose to be involved in the death of Jesus?
If it was only the devil, then perhaps there’s no blaming Judas. Perhaps the devil was only finishing the job, the job which he, Satan, began in the Garden of Eden. He killed humanity in their sins, now he had his chance to kill God. But, if it was Judas, if it was that Judas got tired of waiting for Jesus to finish what he started, to set Jerusalem free from the Romans, to liberate Israel, to bring the captives home, if it was Judas who decided it was time for Jesus to act, then it’s all on Judas. Of course, that’s just easy to see.
But that’s not the whole story. After all, didn’t Judas eat the Lord’s Supper with Jesus? Didn’t Judas go on his own to the Pharisees and rulers of the Jews in other Gospel accounts? Didn’t Judas decide to do these things? And cannot Satan use such a man, such a man who works against God, such a man who works so great of sin, such a man who harbors a love of sin in his heart? Of course Satan can, and of course Satan does.
Sometimes, I wonder if we’re too hard on Judas. Sometimes, I wonder if we give him too much villainy. He’s more well-known than most of the other actors we’ve seen play out in this drama of Christ’s death, yet we know less about him than most. But we all love to hate this guy, don’t we? After all, Judas sent our Lord into the hands of the Jews who sent Him to the Romans who sent Him to His death. He’s easy to hate.
He put his hand in the same bowl as Jesus, they shared meals together, they shared the income to do the ministry, Jesus sent this Judas out with the 72 to go and preach the Gospel. Judas was an apostle, chosen by Jesus to go out and bring people God Himself. Jesus chose Judas. And Judas betrayed Jesus. They were friends, and Judas betrayed Jesus. They were compatriots, and Judas betrayed Jesus.
This whole time, this whole series this Lent, we have been looking for the ultimate guilty party in the death of Jesus. If it’s not Judas, then who else could it possibly be? After all, Judas BETRAYED Jesus; that’s clear in the Scriptures. Judas kissed Jesus on the cheek, betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and sent Him to His death. If there’s anyone guilty, it HAS to be Judas, right?
Yes. And no. After all, this whole time, this whole series, we have heard that WE share the same qualities with those who we’ve investigated. With John, we want all the glory of God. With Peter, we deny our Lord. With Paul, we have hatred in our hearts toward Jesus and our brothers and sisters. With the Roman soldiers, we would have crucified the Lord with violence. With Malchus, we close our ears to Jesus’ Word of Life. With Caiaphas, we misuse the power and position God has given to us. And with Judas, we betray our Lord, our friend, the man who invites us to His Supper.
We act all high and mighty, we act like we’re doing the noble thing, like Judas thought he was doing, but the reality is that in our sin we would love nothing more than to turn our back on the actual Word of God so that we force His hand to do what we want. We want plenty of things, money, power, appreciation, our own way, whatever it is. For Judas, it seems all he wanted was for Jesus to be the actual king and he thought he’d press Jesus’ hand into service. But that didn’t turn out that way.
And it doesn’t turn out when do the same thing to Jesus. We end up making our end goal our own god, we make our desires, our desire to be heard, our desire to be seen, we make these things our own gods, our own little idols.
And how does this work out for Judas? In great sorrow, and in, as the Scriptures say, repentance, that’s right, Judas repented, he couldn’t live with the end result, Judas went and hung himself on a tree. Judas couldn’t handle his betrayal, and quite honestly, if I realized the depth of my sin as Judas did, perhaps I would even do the same thing.
But I don’t have to, and neither do you. For there is good news, and there would’ve even been good news for Judas, in that all of our sin, though worthy of our own deaths, all our sin was assumed by Christ who died for us, on our behalf. We do not have to bear the punishment that we so richly deserve, for we have a rich Christ who was punished on our account.
This is what we eat and drink this night, the body and blood of Jesus in, with, and under the bread and the wine, the body and blood that was crucified for our sin and was resurrected for our justification. We receive in our mouths the very reconciliation of God in Christ Jesus tonight and every time we gather around this altar.
Judas could have been forgiven. Perhaps he even was by Christ, for Jesus died even for the sin of betrayal, even for sin of false idols. But, what I can say this night is that YOU are forgiven. Your false idols are cast away in Jesus. Your false ideas are gathered into His breast and hands and feet and side. Jesus has died for these things, for you, for your benefit, that you might have life everlasting.
Was Judas guilty of the death of Jesus? Of course, he is guilty, it’s clear from the Scriptures, even going so far to say that it would have been better for him had he never been born. But I am guilty, too, and so are all of us. We are all guilty of the death of Christ. My sin put Jesus upon the cross, yet it is only in the cross of Christ that we find the forgiveness of sins. It is only there that we are reconciled to the Father.
We forget, the cross was necessary. John, Peter, Paul, the soldiers, Malchus, Caiaphas, and Judas were all necessary to get Jesus to that cross, and so were you. Your sin was necessary to send Jesus to the cross. Yet, this was planned before all creation. It was planned that Jesus would die for your sins before the whole world was created. Are you still guilty? Of course. You are. John, Peter, Paul, the Roman soldiers, Malchus, Caiaphas, and Judas are, too.
Yet, there is forgiveness in Christ. This means, not that the cross didn’t happen, not that your sins didn’t happen, but that your sentence for your sins was given to Jesus. You no longer need die eternally, for Christ has carried that sentence. Your sentence was given completely and fully to Jesus. You bear it no longer. For Christ has loved all the villains of this earth, including me, including you, with an undying love. Is Judas guilty? Yes. But Jesus died even for him, and if Jesus can die for Judas, He certainly died for all of us. To forgive us. To free us. To bring us to Himself. And so we are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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